Gujarati Lesson 1 - Introduction
The Gujarati language belongs, like the Marathi, Hindi, Panjabi, Oriya and many other Indian dialects, to the Aryan family, being a daughter of the Sanskrit. Its closest affinities are with the Western Panjabi on the one side and the Braj Bhashaa, an old form of Hindi, on the other. Besides various local dialects of Gujarati, there are three main varieties of the written and spoken language. First, Hindi Gujarati, which is that adopted by the Government as a standard, and taught in schools. Second, Parsee Gujarati, the language as spoken and written by Parsees. This differs from ordinary Gujarati in that it admits pure Persian words in considerable numbers, especially in connection with religious matters, besides a host of Arabic and other words taken from the Urdu language, and that its grammar is in a very unfixed and irregular condition. Thirdly, Muhammadan Gujarati, which, like Parsi Gujarati, employs a great number of words borrowed from the Hindustanee (and through it from Persian and Arabic.). But, though the vocabulary of the language varies considerably according to the speaker is a Hindi, a Parsee or a Muslim, yet its grammar - when spoken correctly is practically one and the same. Hindi Gujarati is taught in these lessons.
Introduction is taken from the book A simplified grammar of the Gujarati Language by Rev. WM. St. Clair Tisdall, M.A., C.M.S