Some scholars have considered Kutchi to be a dialect of
Sindhi, but the two languages are quite distinct from one another. Over time, it has borrowed vocabulary from
Gujarati. The variety of Kutchi spoken in
Sindh and in the
Banni region of Kutch is more similar to the
Lari dialect of Sindhi, whereas the Kutchi spoken in the eastern parts of Kutch has more Gujarati influence, and is slowly becoming more similar to Gujarati. Most Kutchis living in India are bilingual or trilingual, due to exposure to closely related neighbouring languages such as Gujarati. Many
Pakistani Kutchis are also bilingual or trilingual; many residents of
Karachi speak Kutchi. Its differences from neighbouring languages are more pronounced in its spoken varieties, but it has many loans from Gujarati, Marwari (a major western Rajasthani language) and Hindi-Urdu as well. Kutchi-speakers are often part of the
Charans,
Jadeja,
Bhanushalis,
Lohanas,
Brahmins (Rajgor),
Meghwals, Visa
Oswal and Dasa Osval (Oshwal)
Jains,
Ismaili Khojas (and followers of the
Satpanth),
Bhatias,
Rabaris,
Siddis,
Muslim Kutchi Khatris, the Muslim
Royma, and
Kutchi Memons. The
Jadeja rulers of
Cutch and
Rajputs of Kutch, speak Kutchi language. During the British reign, many traders and families of the Kutchi communities left the Indian subcontinent and settled in regions of
East Africa such as Kenya, Somalia, Tanzania, Uganda, Zaire/Congo, and even as far south as South Africa. The landing point of entry into Africa was in
Zanzibar, a trading post of goods between India and East Africa in the late 1800s. Kutchi communities in this region often integrated
Swahili words and phrases into their language, producing a
creole language called
Kutchi-Swahili. ==Phonology==