Marathi Language and Technology

Abstract

The Marathi language has a rich history of approximately thirteen hundred years. The contributions of saints, ascetics, reformers, poets, lexicographers, and printing experts during this period have been significant. The development of Marathi was shaped by saint literature, Mahanubhava prose, linguistic efforts in the administration of the Shivaji era, and the contributions of reformers in the modern period. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj enhanced the use of Marathi in administration by creating the 'Rajya Vyavahar Kosh' (Administrative Lexicon). Later, Madhav Julian and Swatantryaveer Savarkar undertook language purification efforts. The contribution of Christian missionaries remains important in the first printed book, dictionaries, and grammar texts in Marathi. The first comprehensive survey of Indian languages was conducted by George Grierson, while William Carey prepared 'A Dictionary of the Mahratta Language' (Marathi-English dictionary) in 1810. Subsequently, Vans Kennedy compiled another dictionary in 1824. William Carey, known as a lexicographer, grammarian, and translator, laid the foundation for modern Marathi prose writing. (Prior to this, prose literature existed in the Mahanubhava sect during the medieval period.) Carey was a professor of Sanskrit, Bengali, and Marathi at Fort William College in Calcutta. He first translated and published the 'Bible' into 40 Indian languages, for which he had fonts for Hindustani languages created. He also published translations of several other books. "Carey prepared and published 'Grammar of Maratha Language' (1805) and 'Dictionary of Maratha Language' (1810). This is the first printed prose book in Marathi... William Carey is credited with pioneering Marathi book printing and publication." British official George Grierson wrote various dissertations, book reviews, and research papers alongside his study of Indian languages and scripts. He published twenty volumes of 'Linguistic Survey of India' (1894-1927). James Molesworth was one of the pioneering Marathi lexicographers. He had a command of languages like Marathi and Sanskrit. With the assistance of Thomas Candy, he compiled 'A Dictionary of Marathi and English' (1831), a dictionary containing approximately forty thousand words. He also corrected errors in Marathi translations and created Marathi textbooks.