Languages of Nepal
Encyclopedia
There are some 120 native languages of Nepal
, belonging to the Indo-Aryan
, Sino-Tibetan, Austro-Asiatic and Dravidian
language families.
The official language of Nepal is Nepali (नेपाली)
, formerly called Khaskura then Gorkhali. The 2001 census counted 11 million native speakers in Nepal and it is spoken as a second language by millions more. It is also spoken in parts of India
and Bhutan
.
language family
; this includes Nepal Bhasa (Newar)
(the original language of Kathmandu), the Tamang
, Magar
and various Rai and Limbu
languages. However, the official and numerically most important language, Nepali (Gorkhali)
, belongs to the Indo-Aryan (Indic)
branch of the Indo-European family, so that Indic languages constitute 79% of the population to Tibeto-Burman's 18%, even though most languages of both families are spoken by small numbers of people.
The Dravidian languages
are represented by Kurux, and the Munda languages
of the Austro-Asiatic family by Santali
and Mundari
. The indigenous languages of Nepal that predated the influx of Indic, Tibeto-Burman, and other families barely survive in the Kusunda language
, which is nearly extinct today.
Nepal also has two indigenous Deaf sign languages, in addition to the Nepali Sign Language designed for national use.
(48.61%, 2001 census)
Maithili language
(12.3%)
Bhojpuri
(7.53%)
Tharu
(5.6%)
Tamang
(5.19%)
Newari/Nepal Bhasa (3.92%)
Magar
(3.39%)
Awadhi
(2.47%)
Limbu
(1.47%)
Bantawa
(1.4%)
Gurung
(1.3%)
Bajjika
(1.05%)
Bahing or Rumdali
Belhare
Bhujel
Chamling (Rai)
Chantyal
Chepang
Chintang
Dhanwar Rai
Dhimal and Toto
Dogri-Kangri
Dumi (Rai)
Dura
Kayort
Khaling (Rai)
Kham
Kulung (Rai)
Kurukh
Kusunda
Lepcha
Majhwar
Mugom
Mundari
Puma
Sampang (Rai)
Sanskrit
Santali
Sherpa
Sunuwar
Thulung (Rai)
Wambule (Rai)
Wayu
Yakkha
Yamphu (Rai)
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
, belonging to the Indo-Aryan
Indo-Aryan languages
The Indo-Aryan languages constitutes a branch of the Indo-Iranian languages, itself a branch of the Indo-European language family...
, Sino-Tibetan, Austro-Asiatic and Dravidian
Dravidian languages
The Dravidian language family includes approximately 85 genetically related languages, spoken by about 217 million people. They are mainly spoken in southern India and parts of eastern and central India as well as in northeastern Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Iran, and...
language families.
The official language of Nepal is Nepali (नेपाली)
Nepali language
Nepali or Nepalese is a language in the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language family.It is the official language and de facto lingua franca of Nepal and is also spoken in Bhutan, parts of India and parts of Myanmar...
, formerly called Khaskura then Gorkhali. The 2001 census counted 11 million native speakers in Nepal and it is spoken as a second language by millions more. It is also spoken in parts of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and Bhutan
Bhutan
Bhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...
.
Classification
Three quarters of the 120-some languages native to Nepal belong to the Tibeto-BurmanTibeto-Burman languages
The Tibeto-Burman languages are the non-Chinese members of the Sino-Tibetan language family, over 400 of which are spoken thoughout the highlands of southeast Asia, as well as lowland areas in Burma ....
language family
Language family
A language family is a group of languages related through descent from a common ancestor, called the proto-language of that family. The term 'family' comes from the tree model of language origination in historical linguistics, which makes use of a metaphor comparing languages to people in a...
; this includes Nepal Bhasa (Newar)
Nepal Bhasa
Nepal Bhasa is one of the major languages of Nepal, and is also spoken in India, particularly in Sikkim where it is one of the 11 official languages. Nepal Bhasa is the mother tongue of about 3% of the people in Nepal . It is spoken mainly by the Newars, who chiefly inhabit the towns of the...
(the original language of Kathmandu), the Tamang
Tamang language
Tamang is a term used to collectively refer to a dialect cluster spoken in parts of Nepal and Sikkim. It comprises Eastern Tamang, Northwestern Tamang, Southwestern Tamang, Eastern Gorkha Tamang, and Western Tamang...
, Magar
Magar language
Not to be confused with the Magyar language, known in English as HungarianMagar मगर भाषा Magar bhasa is a language spoken in parts of Nepal and Sikkim in India by Magar people. It is divided into two groups: Eastern and Western, and further dialect divisions give distinct tribal identity...
and various Rai and Limbu
Kiranti languages
The Mahakiranti or Maha-Kiranti languages are a proposed intermediate level of classification of the Tibeto-Burman languages. They are the languages most closely related to the Kiranti languages proper, which are spoken by the ethnic Kirat...
languages. However, the official and numerically most important language, Nepali (Gorkhali)
Nepali language
Nepali or Nepalese is a language in the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language family.It is the official language and de facto lingua franca of Nepal and is also spoken in Bhutan, parts of India and parts of Myanmar...
, belongs to the Indo-Aryan (Indic)
Indo-Aryan languages
The Indo-Aryan languages constitutes a branch of the Indo-Iranian languages, itself a branch of the Indo-European language family...
branch of the Indo-European family, so that Indic languages constitute 79% of the population to Tibeto-Burman's 18%, even though most languages of both families are spoken by small numbers of people.
The Dravidian languages
Dravidian languages
The Dravidian language family includes approximately 85 genetically related languages, spoken by about 217 million people. They are mainly spoken in southern India and parts of eastern and central India as well as in northeastern Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Iran, and...
are represented by Kurux, and the Munda languages
Munda languages
-Anderson :Gregory Anderson's 1999 proposal is as follows. Individual languages are highlighted in italics.*North Munda **Korku**Kherwarian***Santhali***Mundari*South Munda **Kharia–Juang***Juang***Kharia...
of the Austro-Asiatic family by Santali
Santali language
Santhali is a language in the Santhali subfamily of Austro-Asiatic, related to Ho and Mundari. It is spoken by about six million people in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Bhutan . Most of its speakers live in India, in the states of Jharkhand, Assam, Bihar, Orissa, Tripura, and West Bengal. It has...
and Mundari
Mundari language
The Mundari are a small ethnic group of South Sudan and one of the Nilotic peoples.The group is composed of cattle-herders and agriculturalists and are part of Karo people which also includes Bari, Pojulu, Kakwa, Kuku and Nyangwara...
. The indigenous languages of Nepal that predated the influx of Indic, Tibeto-Burman, and other families barely survive in the Kusunda language
Kusunda language
Kusunda is a language isolate spoken by a handful of people in western Nepal. It has only recently been described in any detail.For decades the Kusunda language was thought to be on the verge of extinction, with little hope of ever knowing it well...
, which is nearly extinct today.
Nepal also has two indigenous Deaf sign languages, in addition to the Nepali Sign Language designed for national use.
Major languages
NepaliNepali language
Nepali or Nepalese is a language in the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language family.It is the official language and de facto lingua franca of Nepal and is also spoken in Bhutan, parts of India and parts of Myanmar...
(48.61%, 2001 census)
Maithili language
Maithili language
Maithili language is spoken in the eastern region of India and South-eastern region of Nepal. The native speakers of Maithili reside in Bihar, Jharkhand,parts of West Bengal and South-east Nepal...
(12.3%)
Bhojpuri
Bhojpuri language
Bhojpuri is a language spoken in parts of north-central and eastern India. It is spoken in the western part of state of Bihar, the northwestern part of Jharkhand, and the Purvanchal region of Uttar Pradesh , as well as adjoining parts of the Nepal Terai. Bhojpuri is also spoken in Guyana,...
(7.53%)
Tharu
Tharu language
Tharu is an Eastern zone Indo-Aryan language, or cluster of languages, spoken by the Tharu people. Not all Tharu speak distinct languages, but the languages of those who do may be divided as follows,...
(5.6%)
Tamang
Tamang language
Tamang is a term used to collectively refer to a dialect cluster spoken in parts of Nepal and Sikkim. It comprises Eastern Tamang, Northwestern Tamang, Southwestern Tamang, Eastern Gorkha Tamang, and Western Tamang...
(5.19%)
Newari/Nepal Bhasa (3.92%)
Magar
Magar language
Not to be confused with the Magyar language, known in English as HungarianMagar मगर भाषा Magar bhasa is a language spoken in parts of Nepal and Sikkim in India by Magar people. It is divided into two groups: Eastern and Western, and further dialect divisions give distinct tribal identity...
(3.39%)
Awadhi
Awadhi language
Awadhi is an Indo-Aryan language, part of the Hindi-Urdu continuum. It is spoken chiefly in the Awadh region of Uttar Pradesh, although its speakers are also found in Madhya Pradesh, Delhi and Nepal. Furthermore, the Fiji Hindi dialect spoken by Indo-Fijians is considered a variant of Awadhi,...
(2.47%)
Limbu
Limbu language
Limbu is a Tibeto-Burman language spoken in Nepal, Bhutan, Sikkim, Kashmir and Darjeeling district, West Bengal, India, by the Limbu community. Virtually all Limbus are bilingual in Nepali....
(1.47%)
Bantawa
Bantawa language
The Bantawa language is an endangered language group. It is a Tibeto-Burman language, Eastern Kiranti languages family, spoken in the eastern Himalayan hills of eastern Nepal by Rai ethnic groups. Bantawa speaking Population estimates vary between 20,000-60,000, though 35,000 speakers may be a...
(1.4%)
Gurung
Gurung language
Gurung is spoken by the Gurung people in two dialects with limited mutual intelligibility. Total number of all Gurung speakers in Nepal is 227,918...
(1.3%)
Bajjika
Vajjika language
Bajjika is a Bihari language which is spoken by about eleven million people living in Muzaffarpur, Vaishali, western part of Samastipur, Shivhar and Sitamarhi district of Bihar and about two hundred thousand people in the adjacent regions of Nepal. Bajjika is a dialect of Maithili and serves as the...
(1.05%)
Other languages
Athpare (Rai)Athpare language
Athpare, also known as Athapre, Athpariya, Athpre, Arthare, Arthare-Khesang, or Jamindar Rai, is an eastern Kiranti language spoken by some 2,000 people living in Dhankuta district in Eastern Nepal.-References:...
Bahing or Rumdali
Bahing language
Bahing is a language spoken by 2,765 people of the Bahing ethnic group in the Okhaldhunga district of Nepal. It belongs to the family of Kiranti languages, a subgroup of Tibeto-Burman....
Belhare
Belhare language
Belhare is a Kiranti language spoken by some 2,000 people living on the Belhara hill, at the southern foothills of the Himalayas situated in the Dhankuta district in Eastern Nepal....
Bhujel
Bujhyal language
The Bujhyal language is a language spoken by 5000 people in the Tanahu District of Nepal. It is a semi-tonal language, employing a complex array of affixes.-External links:*...
Chamling (Rai)
Camling language
The Camling or Chamling language is one of the Kiranti languages spoken by the Kiranti and Rai peoples of eastern Nepal. Alternate names include Chamling, Chamlinge Rai and Rodong...
Chantyal
Chantyal language
The Chantyal language is spoken by approximately 2,000 of the 10,000 ethnic Chantyal. The Chantyal live in the Baglung and Myagdi Districts of Nepal....
Chepang
Chepang language
Chepang is a language spoken by approximately 37,000 people in Nepal. The people are known as Chepang.-External links:**...
Chintang
Chintang language
Chintang , also called Chhintang is an eastern Kiranti language spoken by 5,000 to 6,000 people in Chintang Village Development Committee in Dhankuta District, Koshi Zone, Nepal.-References:...
Dhanwar Rai
Dhimal and Toto
Dhimal languages
The Dhimal languages, Dhimal and Toto, are a small family of Tibeto-Burman languages spoken in eastern India and Nepal.-References:* * George van Driem Languages of the Himalayas: An Ethnolinguistic Handbook of the Greater Himalayan Region. Brill, Boston ....
Dogri-Kangri
Dumi (Rai)
Dumi language
Dumi is a Kiranti language spoken in the area around the Tap and Rava rivers and their confluence in Khotang district, Nepal.-External links:**-References:...
Dura
Kayort
Kayort language
Kayort is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by about 22,000 people in Dakuwa Danga, Nepal....
Khaling (Rai)
Khaling language
Khaling is a Kiranti language spoken in Khotang district, Nepal-References:*Hale, Austin, editor. 1973. Collected papers on Khaling, Kulunge, Darai, Newari, Chitwan Tharu. Nepal Studies in Linguistics, 1. Kirtipur: Summer Institute of Linguistics and Institute for Nepal and Asian Studies. vii, 87...
Kham
Kham language
Kham -- narrowly defined -- is a complex of Tibeto-Burman Magaric languages spoken natively in isolated highlands of Rolpa and Rukum districts of Rapti and the westernmost part of Baglung district in Dhaulagiri Zone by western clans of the Magar tribe, called collectively Kham Magar or Northern...
Kulung (Rai)
Kulung language
The Kulung are the people of Rai and Kirant descent, inhabiting Nepal and parts of northeastern India. Their language of the same name is closely related to the fellow Kiranti languages Bantawa and Puma. Alternate names for the language include Khulunge Rai, Kulu Ring, Khulung and...
Kurukh
Kurukh language
Kurukh , also called Kurux, Kuṛux or Kuruḵẖ, is a Dravidian language spoken by the Oraon and Kisan tribal peoples of Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and West Bengal, India, as well as in northern Bangladesh. It is most closely related to Brahui and Malto...
Kusunda
Kusunda language
Kusunda is a language isolate spoken by a handful of people in western Nepal. It has only recently been described in any detail.For decades the Kusunda language was thought to be on the verge of extinction, with little hope of ever knowing it well...
Lepcha
Lepcha language
Lepcha language, or Róng language , is a Himalayish language spoken by the Lepcha people in Sikkim and parts of West Bengal, Nepal and Bhutan.-Population:...
Majhwar
Majhwar language
Majhwar is an unclassified language—possibly a dialect of Asuri—spoken in parts of Nepal and Sikkim. Total population: 27,958....
Mugom
Mugom language
Mugom is a Bodish language spoken by over 6,000 people in Nepal and about 500 in India.It is spoken primarily in the Karneli Zone, in the Muga district and in the Jumla district in Nepal. Some speakers of this language have migrated to Katmandu. It is divided into two dialects, Karani and Mugali,...
Mundari
Mundari language
The Mundari are a small ethnic group of South Sudan and one of the Nilotic peoples.The group is composed of cattle-herders and agriculturalists and are part of Karo people which also includes Bari, Pojulu, Kakwa, Kuku and Nyangwara...
Puma
Puma language
Puma is a Kiranti language spoken by about 4,310 people in Diplung, Mauwabote, Devisthan, Pauwasera and Chisapani Village Development Committees of Khotang district and in some areas of Udayapur district, Nepal.The Himalayan Languages Project has produced the first grammatical sketch of Puma...
Sampang (Rai)
Sanskrit
Santali
Santali language
Santhali is a language in the Santhali subfamily of Austro-Asiatic, related to Ho and Mundari. It is spoken by about six million people in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Bhutan . Most of its speakers live in India, in the states of Jharkhand, Assam, Bihar, Orissa, Tripura, and West Bengal. It has...
Sherpa
Sherpa language
Sherpa is a language spoken in parts of Nepal and Sikkim mainly by the Sherpa community. About 130,000 speakers live in Nepal , some 20,000 in India , and some 800 in Tibet ....
Sunuwar
Sunwar language
Sunuwari is a Kiranti language spoken in Nepal by the Sunuwar people. It was first comprehensively attested by the Himalayan Languages Project.-External links:**...
Thulung (Rai)
Thulung language
Thulung is a Kiranti language spoken in parts of Nepal and Sikkim. It is also known as Thulunge Rai, Thulu Luwa, Thululoa, Thulung La, Tholong Lo, Thulung Jemu, Toaku Lwa. Total population: 33,313.-External links:...
Wambule (Rai)
Wambule language
Wambule is the language of the Wambule Rai, one of the Kiranti tribes of eastern Nepal. Wambule is spoken by more than 5,000 people living around the confluence of the Sunkosi and Dudhkosi rivers near Kui-Bhir Hill...
Wayu
Wayu language
Wayu, Vayu, or Hayu is a language spoken by about 1740 people in the Janakpur Zone of Nepal.According to Van Driem , Shafer mistakenly classified Wayu as a Chepang language, and this has carried through to Ethnologue.-References:...
Yakkha
Yakha language
Yakkha is a language spoken in parts of Nepal, Darjeeling district and Sikkim. The Yakkha-speaking villages are located to the East of the Arun river, in the southern part of the Sankhuwasabha district and in the northern part of the Dhankuta district of Nepal. About 14,000 people still speak the...
Yamphu (Rai)
Yamphu language
Yamphu is a Tibeto-Burman language spoken by the Yamphu Rai, a Kiranti people of the Himalayas of Nepal. Tomyang is a dialect.-References:...