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Linguistic situation in Nepal and preservation of its endangered
languages: An overview
Krishna PARAJULI
Central Department of Linguistics
Tribhuvan University, Nepal
27th of March 2014
Email: [email protected]
Tentative plan of presentationNepal at a glanceLanguages in the past and the present: An overviewLanguage policyStatus of languages at presentStatus of language documentation and institutional efforts…
Linguistic Society of Nepal (LSN), Nepal Academy (NA) Central Department of Linguistics (CDL, TU) National Foundation for Development of Indigenous
Nationalities (NFDIN) and othersScripts
1. Nepal at a glance
Total population
26,494,504 (About 27 million) as of June 22, 2011Distance from the East to the West
885 KMState of Nepal
Nepal is an independent, indivisible, sovereign, secular, inclusive and federal, democratic republican state (The Interim Constitution of Nepal 2063 BS (2007 AD) Part 1: 4 (1)Mother Tongue
There are 122 languages spoken as mother tongue reported in census 2011. (but 124, including others and not reported)
1. Nepal at a glanceArea
1,47,181 Sq KMCaste/Ethnicity
125 caste/ethnic groups Religion
There are ten types of religion categories reported in the censusThe highest literacy rate
86.3 (Kathmandu district)(Source: Volume 01, National Population and Housing Census (NPHC) 2011 (National
Report) Government of Nepal National Planning Commission Secretariat, Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Kathmandu, Nepal November, 2012)
2. Languages of Nepal: Past and presentYear No. of languages1952/54 (AD) 2009/2011 (BS): 441961 (AD) 2018 (BS): 361971 (AD) 2028 (BS): 171981 (AD) 2038 (BS): 181991 (AD) 2048 (BS): 312001 (AD) 2058 (BS): 92 (and 93 including others)2011 (AD) 2068 (BS): 122 (but 124 including
others and not reported (Source: Reports of CBS)
3. Constitutional provisions onlanguage-issues The Constitution of the Kingdom of Nepal 1990
Each community shall have rights to operate schools upto the primary level in its mother tongue for imparting education to the community’s children.
The constitution has guaranteed the right to preserve and promote the languages, scripts and cultures (Article 18.1)
The Interim Constitution of Nepal, 2063 BS (2007) AD
3. 5. Language of the Nation:
(1) All the languages spoken as mother tongues in Nepal are the languages of nation.
3. Constitutional provisions onlanguage-issues
(2) The Nepali language in Devanagari script shall be the official language.
(3) Notwithstanding anything contained in Clause ( 2), nothing shall be deemed to prevent the using of any language spoken as the mother tongue in a local body and office.
17. Right relating to education and culture 1. Every community shall have the right to get basic education in its own mother tongue, as provided in law.
3. Every community residing in Nepal shall have the right to preserve and promote its language, script, culture, cultural civilization and heritage. (Page:10)
4. Linguistic profile of Nepal
Out of 124 languages, 121 belong to four major language families:
Indo-Aryan branch of Indo-European (IE) language family (Some of them even in IE family)
Tibeto-Burman (Trans-Himalayan)/Sino TibetanDravidian Austro-Asiatic
4. Linguistic profile of Nepal Language isolate: Kusunda Sign language: 1 One of the groups is categorized as others The last one is under the category of not reported
(Source: CBS, 2011)
5. Languages by percentage
Nepali 44.6% (11,826,953) of the total populationMaithili 11.7% (3,092,530) ” Bhojpuri 6.0 % (1,584,958) ” Tharu 5.8% (1,529,875) ” Tamang 5.1% (1, 353,311) ” Newar 3.2% (8,46,557) ”Bajjika 3.0% (7,93,418) ”Magar 3.0% (788530) ”Doteli3.0% (7,87,827) ”Urdu 2.6% (6,91,546) ”Others: 12% ”
(Source: CBS report, 2011)
6. “In languages we live” or we leave the languages: A search for identityKusunda 28Kaike 50Bankariya 69Kagate 99Sadhani 122Lingkhim 129
(Source: CBS, 2011) (Less than 150 speakers)
6. “In languages… Kurmali 227Khariya 238Malpande 247Surel 287Phangduwali 290Dhuleli 347Manange 392Sam 401Khamchi (Raute) 461Byansi 480
Dadeldhuri 488Sonaha 579Belhare 599Lhomi 808Jumli 851(Source: CBS, 2011) (Less than 1,000 speakers)
7. Caste/Ethnicity and mother tonguesOne caste/ethnic group and one language
Tharu, Tamang, Gurung, Limbu, Sherpa, Bote, Kumal, Rajbanshi, Majhi, Danuwar, Bhote, Dhimal, Thakali, Darai, Lepcha, (Lapche), Byangshi, Raute, Raji…
One caste/ethnic group and several languagesRai-Kirati: Bantawa, Chamling, Thulung, Kulung, Nachhiring, Wambule, Lohorung, Koyee, Sunuwar, Chhintang, Puma, Mewahang, Sampang, Chhiling, Bahing, Dumi, Dungmali, Waling/Walung, Yamphu/Yamphe, Belhare, Yakkha, Phangduwali, Athpahariya.. etc
Several caste/ethnic groups and one language
Newar..(Based on the report of National Languages Policy Recommendation Commission, 1994 and CBS report 2011)
8. Status of language documentation and preservation Central Department of Linguistics (CDL) at Tribhuvan University (TU)
Language Documentation Chhintang and Puma Documentation Project (CPDP) (Under
the financial and technical support of Volkswagen Foundation, MPI, DOBES and University of Leipzig, Germany)
http://dobes.mpi.nl/projects/chintang/ Linguistic and Ethnographic Documentation of Baram
(LEDB) (Under the financial support of SOAS , UK) Prepared a grammar, multilingual dictionary and history and
culture of the Baram language. http://elar.soas.ac.uk/deposit/0007
8. Status of language documentation and preservation
Multilingual dictionary (in collaboration with the National Foundation for Development of Indigenous Nationalities (NFDIN)
Theses: MA (43 languages; 116 Theses)Ph. D. Dissertation (25) in more than 7 languagesLinguistic Survey of Nepal (LinSuN)
8. Status of language documentation and preservation Nepal AcademyMultilingual dictionary
Bhojpuri-Nepali-English dictionaryMaithili-Nepali-English dictionaryLimbu-Nepali-English dictionary
GrammarsGrammar of the Limbu language (1. Limbu 2. Nepali)Classical Limbu language: Grammar of the MundhumStandardization of the Limbu languageGrammar of the Magar language (Dhut) ( मगर भा�षा� ( ढु�टव्या�करण) by Lok Bahadur Thapa Magar)
8. Status of language documentation and preservation
History and literature History and literature of the Newar language History and literature of the Tamang language
A collection of seminar papers and mother tongue poetry recitation ( सं�ग�ष्ठी�पत्र तथा� म�त�भा�षा� कवि�त� सं�ग�लो�) organized to mark the Mother Tongue Day, 2010). It consists of 28 languages
Magazines, journals and reference materials in many languages
Pragya, Kavita, Samakalin sahitya Sayapatri, Journal of Nepali literature and culture (Half yearly), Aagan, Thaybhu, Phaktanglung, Nepalka matribhasa ( ने�प�लोक� म�त�भा�षा�: भा�ग १ ) (mother tongues of Nepal) I and more to mention
8. Status of language documentation and preservation National Foundation for Development of Indigenous Nationalities (NFDIN)
NFDIN has provided the researchers with the resources in more than 40 languages
It has started to conduct Ethno Linguistic Survey of Nepal (ELSUN) and very recently conducted the survey on 12 different languages spoken in Dolakha district.
It has also produced multilingual dictionaries (10 languages) and documentation in (18 languages) in collaboration with the Department of Linguistics at Tribhuvan University (These are as follows):
8. Status of language documentation and preservation
A Basic Dura-Nepali-English dictionaryA Basic Mugali-Nepali-English dictionaryDictionary of the dialect of Mahottari Danuwars (with CD)Kumal-Nepali-English dictionaryGurung-Nepali-English dictionaryKumal-Nepali-English dictionaryA Basic Lohorung-Nepali-English dictionaryA Basic Sherpa-Nepali-English dictionaryA Basic Mewahang-Nepali-English dictionaryA Basic Baram-Nepali-English dictionary
8. Status of language documentation and preservation NFDIN
Language documentation (18 languages) The documentation of the Hayu language The documentation of the Bhujel language The documentation of Kodku Pahari lanuage The documentation of the Meche language The documentation of the Bahing language The documentation of the Rajbanshi language The documentation of the Byanshi language The documentation of the Boto boli (Raute/Khamchi) language
8. Status of language documentation and preservation
The documentation of the Kaike language (with CD) The Documentation of the Jhagar Language (with CD) The documentation of the Santhali language The documentation of the Kissan (Sadri) language The documentation of the Bankariya language The documentation of the Done bhasa (Danuwar)
language The documentation of the Thakali language The documentation of the Dumi language The documentation of the Raji language The documentation of the Koyee language
(Source: NFDIN and CDL, TU)
8. Status of language documentation and preservation
9.4. Gorkhapatra Corporation From the 18th of September 2007(1st of Asoj 2064 BS), Government of Nepal started to publish news, views, and other activities of the mother tongue speakers via its official media the Gorkhapatra (the official newspaper of the Government of Nepal) in 29 languages.
8. Status of language documentation and preservation (The news coverage is in the Devanagari script and the language is Kumal an Indo-Aryan language)
8. Status of language documentation and preservation Community involvement: Lohorung
Multimodal dictionaryhttp://desceco.org/lohorung/browse/detail/4KSV4KWA4KSD4KS
s4KS-http://desceco.org/lohorung/browse/detail/4KSV4KWAOuCkrOC
kvgSpoken corporaAudio-visual materials
Linguistic Society of Nepal
9. ScriptsDevanagari Nepali and many other languages
of Nepal Sambota/Tibetan/Uchchayan Tibetan, SherpaRanjana NewarBhujinmo (भा�जिँ !म�) NewarPachunmo (पचुँ��म�) NewarGolmo (ग�लोम�) NewarLitumo (लिलोत�म�) NewarKunmo क�� म� NewarGurumukhi PanjabiBangla/Bangali Bangla/Bangali
9. Scripts…Sirijunga Kirat and LimbuRong LepchaTamu /Khema GurungAakkha MagarArabi UrduRoman EnglishMithilakshar /Tirhuta?Kaithi MaithiliSanthali/Olchiki/Olchemet/Ol SanthalTamhik TamangKaithiBhojpuri
(Source: : A collection of seminar papers and mother tongue poetry recitation ( सं�ग�ष्ठी�पत्र तथा� म�त�भा�षा� कवि�त� सं�ग�लो�) organized to mark the Mother Tongue Day, 2010, Appencix 2).