Dr. Varija N represents the University of Delhi in Prof. M. B Emeneau Centenary International Conference on south Asian Linguistics. Her paper is titled "The Features Of BhaLavali Bhasha Which Are Diverting from Its Original Source, The Standard Marathi, And Diverting Towards Dravidian Languages".

Dr. Varija in her paper cites example of language convergence where BhalavaLi Bhasha being influenced by Kannada and Tulu is gradually losing its Marathi features. Dr. Varija attempts to show this deviation of the dialect spoken by BhalavaLikar Saraswath Brahmins in Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka in various linguistic levels like phonology, morphology and syntax.

In phonology Dr. Varija illustrates with examples how consonant-ending words of Marathi have changed into vowel ending. There is also a change in phonological pattern with the addition of long unrounded mid-central vowel /A/ and short unrounded low back vowel /a/, which is absent in Marathi but present in Kannada. She even discusses loss of aspiration and palatal affricates being used in place of dental affricates in BhalavaLi Bhasha.

Speaking of BhalavaLi Bhasha morphology, Dr. Varija said that the speakers of this language use Kannada numbers above 35. While telling the time, year etc., they use Kannada. Males in the community use honorific singular forms only to his parents-in-law, which is again the influence of Kannada. BhalavaLi Bhasha has also borrowed local Kannada verbs, along with local causative suffix and adding native Marathi suffix. E.g. 'carry' saagu + isu = saagsevI . The feminine and neuter nouns are mixed up due to the influence of Havyaka dialect of Kannada, which has high and non-high gender. At the end we come to know that separate case markers for accusative and dative cases are used just as in Kannada.

In syntax, BhalavaLi Bhasha has dropped auxiliary 'be' in present tense conjugated forms. The convergence feature is further marked by the negative forms conjugated for the verb /jaa/ 'go' in its future tense. Dr. Varija cites examples of BhalavaLi Bhasha where backward control is not possible and like standard Marathi. In place of dative subject of standard Marathi raamaa-la BhalavaLi Bhasha has accusative subject.

In the discussion that followed that session, chaired by Dr. Martina Ghosh-Schellhorn, Dr. S.S. Bhattacharya made an observation about the time-span of contact with the community and also about the size of the population. Dr. Halemane stated that some statements which seem to have accusative and dative do not have true variations, whereas in Kannada it free varies. He further that in BhalavaLi Bhasha accusative and datives develops separately, but they already exist in Kannada. Dr. Subba Rao explained that due to contact with Kannada, BhalavaLi Bhasha has controller in the embedded clause (in standard Marathi forward control works). Prof. Mahajan asked whether if dative possible in BhalavaLi Bhasha, to which she replied that, there was no possibility.