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Konkani Version of the Scriptures

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The Konkani (or Kunkana) is the proper language of the Concan, a long, narrow tract of land, the continuation of Malabar and Canara. It is a dialect of the Marathi, influenced by the Davidian languages of South India. It is spoken by upwards of one hundred thousand inhabitants, chiefly on the western coast. The majority of the people belong to the Hindu faith, but many are Roman Catholics; some of them speak the language with a mixture of Portuguese words. A version of the New Test. into this language was executed at Serampore between the years 1808 and 1819, and was printed in the Devanagari character. In 1821 the Pentateuch left the press. Of late (1883) the gospels of John and Matthew have been published by the Madras Auxiliary Society, in a revised form, so as to be better understood by all classes. See Bible of Every Land, page 129. (B.P.)