ABSTRACT
Given the amount of diversity that invariably occurs in an oral tradition, the extent to
which texts constitute a cohesive genre is quite remarkable. The prevalent
received view as to the language of is that the texts are written in Braj
(Manuel 1989:1, 38), although others modify this opinion with the comment
that the influence of Bolī and Avadhī is also apparent (e.g. Shukla 1983:206).
S.V.Gokhale (1990:2) asserts that have been written in a variety of North
Indian languages. While there are certainly instances of having been translated into, and possibly also composed in, Bengali, Marathi or Gujarati, it should be
emphasised that the vast majority of incorporate features of a small number
