Odia language
Oriya or Odia ( 
IAST Oṛiā [ˈoːɽiaː]) is a language from the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European subgroup of Indo-European languages.
The distribution area of Oriya largely coincides with the Indian state of Odisha (Orissa). Smaller minorities of Odia speakers also live in the neighbouring states of Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand. According to the 2011 Indian census, Oriya is spoken as a mother tongue by nearly 38 million people. Of these, 35 million live in Odisha, where Oriya speakers constitute 83 percent of the population. Oriya serves as an official language in the state of Odisha. Besides, it is recognized at the supra-regional level as one of the 22 constitutional languages of India.
In 2011, an amendment to the Indian constitution changed the official name of the language from Oriya to Odia (coinciding with the renaming of Orissa to Odisha). The difference in spelling is due to a different rendering of the sound [ɽ] (voiced retroflex flap).
Oriya is written with its own alphabet, the Oriya script.
Distribution of the Oriya
Language sample
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 1:
ସବୁ ମଣିଷ ଜନ୍ମକାଳରୁ ସ୍ୱାଧୀନ । ସେମାନଙ୍କ ମର୍ଯ୍ୟାଦା ଓ ଅଧିକାର ସମାନ । ସେମାନଙ୍କର ପ୍ରଜ୍ଞା ଓ ବିବେକ ନିହିତ ଅଛି । ସେମାନେ ପରସ୍ପର ପ୍ରତି ଭାତୃଭାବ ପୋଷଣ କରି କାର୍ଯ୍ୟ କରିବା ଦରକାର ।
All men are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should meet one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
