Konkani Language

Konkani language, Indo-Aryan language of the Indo-European language family. Konkani is spoken by some 2.5 million people, mainly on the central west coast of India, where it is the official language of Goa state. It is also associated particularly with the city of Mangalore (Mangaluru) in southwestern Karnataka and is spoken especially along the west coast of Maharashtra state. Because speakers of Konkani live near Marathi speakers, the languages are similar in some respects, but Konkani precedes Marathi in date of origination. The first known Konkani inscription dates to 1187.