Oriya

Odia, formerly Oriya, is an Indo-Aryan language spoken mainly in the Indian state of Odisha and by Odia communities in neighboring states and around the world. It is the official language of Odisha and one of the 22 scheduled languages of India. The term "Oriya" has largely fallen out of official use in favor of "Odia."

Odia has about 33 million native speakers according to the 2011 census, with additional speakers as a second language. The language comprises several regional dialects, including Sambalpuri, Baleswari, Ganjami, and Desia. Standard Odia is used in education, media, and government administration.

The Odia script is an abugida derived from Brahmi, known for its rounded letter shapes. Odia has a long literary tradition, with early inscriptions and a rich corpus of classical and modern works. In recognition of its antiquity and literary heritage, Odia was designated a classical language of India in 2014. It belongs to the eastern group of Indo-Aryan languages and is related to other languages in the region.

Linguistically, Odia typically follows subject–object–verb order and employs inflection with suffixes and post-nominal markers to indicate case, number, and tense. The language has influenced and been influenced by Sanskrit, Persian, and English through historical contact, contributing to its vocabulary and stylistic variety.