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The Government of Maharashtra has submitted an application to the Ministry of Culture to grant classical language status to Marathi. Marathi is included among the languages that stand apart of the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution of India, thus granting it the status of a "scheduled language". In Goa, Konkani is the sole official language however, Marathi may also be used for all official purposes in any case. Marathi is the official language of Maharashtra and co-official language in the union territories of Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli. The following list consist of Marathi languages' total speakers worldwide in the 2019 edition of Ethnologue, a language reference published by SIL International, which is based in the United States. Native speakers of Marathi formed 70.34% of the population in Maharashtra, 10.89% in Goa, 7.01% in Dadra and Nagar Haveli, 4.53% in Daman and Diu, 3.38% in Karnataka, 1.7% in Madhya Pradesh, and 1.52% in Gujarat. Native Marathi speakers form 6.86% of India's population. There were 83 million native Marathi speakers in India, according to the 2011 census, making it the third most spoken native language after Hindi and Bengali. Poster showcasing comparison of Marathi language speakers with Germany and Netherlands. In its phonology, it contrasts apico-alveolar with alveopalatal affricates and alveolar with retroflex laterals ( and (Marathi letters ल and ळ respectively). Marathi distinguishes inclusive and exclusive forms of 'we' and possesses a three-way gender system, that features the neuter in addition to the masculine and the feminine. Ahirani of the Khandesh subregion, Koli, Aagri& Malvani Konkanis have been heavily influenced by Marathi varieties. The major dialects of Marathi are Standard Marathi and the Varhadi dialect. The language has some of the oldest literature of all modern Indian languages, dating from around 600 AD.
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Marathi has the third largest number of native speakers in India, after Hindi-Urdu and Bengali. It is one of the 22 scheduled languages of India, with 83 million speakers as of 2011, Marathi ranks 10th in the list of languages with most native speakers in the world. It is the only official language of Maharashtra, and a co-official language in the Goa state and the Damaon territory in western India. Marathi ( English: / m ə ˈ r ɑː t i/ मराठी, Marāṭhī, Marathi: ( listen)) is an Indo-Aryan language spoken predominantly by Marathi people in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Regions where Marathi is the language of a significant minority