Of the non-scheduled regional languages spoken in the state,
more than 75% are on the verge of disappearing in the next few
decades, according to a recent linguistic survey. In
Maharashtra, 56 regional languages are spoken, of which Marathi
and its nine regional varieties are scheduled languages and are
entitled to be developed and preserved by the government. Some
of these regional varieties are Varhadi, Tawadi, Jamneri, and
Samvedi. Among the other 46 languages, about 10 have a
relatively sizeable number of speakers and at present show the
signs of continuing for a considerable period of time, according
to a survey conducted by the People’s Linguistic Survey of India
(PLSI), a language research and publication centre based in
Baroda, Gujarat. However, the survey revealed that the remaining
36 languages, spoken in places such as Amravati, Satara and
Sangli among others, are rapidly losing their significance, with
20 expected to become extinct in the next two decades. Although
the other 16 languages are backe