Maïthili

Maithili (ˈmaɪtᵻli) is an Indo-Aryan language spoken in parts of India and Nepal. It is native to the Mithila region, which encompasses parts of the Indian states of Bihar and Jharkhand as well as Nepal's eastern Terai. It is one of the 22 officially recognised languages of India and the second most spoken language in Nepal.It was once described by linguist Sir George Abraham Grierson as the "sweetest language". The language is predominantly written in Devanagari, but there are two other historically important scripts: Tirhuta, which has retained some use until the present, and Kaithi. In 2003, Maithili was included in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution as a recognised Indian language, which allows it to be used in education, government, and other official contexts in India. The Maithili language is included as an optional paper in the UPSC Exam. In March 2018, Maithili received the second official language status in the Indian state of Jharkhand. Gopal Jee Thakur of the Bharatiya Janata Party is the first Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha who speaks in the Maithili language in the Parliament of India. He is currently the MP for Darbhanga. The Language Commission of Nepal has recommended Maithili be made an official administrative language in Koshi province and Madhesh Province. In India, Maithili is spoken mainly in Bihar and Jharkhand in the districts of Darbhanga, Saharsa, Samastipur, Madhubani, Muzaffarpur, Sitamarhi, Begusarai, Munger, Khagaria, Purnia, Katihar, Kishanganj, Sheohar, Bhagalpur, Madhepura, Araria, Supaul, Vaishali and Deoghar as well as other districts of Santhal Pargana division. Darbhanga, Madhubani, Saharsa and Purnia constitute cultural and linguistic centers. In Nepal, Maithili is spoken mainly in the Outer Terai districts including Sarlahi, Mahottari, Dhanusa, Sunsari, Siraha, Morang and Saptari Districts. Janakpur is an important linguistic centre of Maithili. In the 19th century, linguistic scholars considered Maithili as a dialect of a Bihari language along with other languages of Bihar.