Three communities stand out as anomalies in the Konkan: The Bene Israelis, the Samvedis and the Navaiyats.
The Bene Israelites were originally Teli by caste, Vaishyas or Shudras specializing in the extraction of vegetable oil and its commerce. It is claimed that they are descended from Jewish refugees in the Konkan. However, their mother tongue is Marathi, not Konkani. (Their language is described as Judæo-Marathi, but it is admitted that this is not a truly distinct dialect).
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