LANGUAGES

Bantawa

The Bantawa language (also known as An Yak, Bantaba, Bantawa Dam, Bantawa Yong, Bantawa Yung, Bontawa, Kirawa Yung, among others) is spoken by the Kirati Bantawa ethnic groups in the eastern Himalayan mountains of eastern Nepal. They use the Kirat Rai script, which is a syllabic writing system. The Khambu or Rai people of eastern Nepal, including Sikkim, Darjeeling, and Kalimpong in India, speak the Bantawa language. Bantawa is the largest language among them. According to the 2057 National Census, only 1.63% of Nepal's total population speaks the Bantawa language. Nearly three hundred and seventy thousand people speak the Bantawa language, mostly in the eastern hilly regions of Nepal.

Dhimal

The text is in Nepali and describes the Dhimāl language, which is a Tibeto-Burman language spoken by around 20,000 people in Province No. 1 of Nepal, in the Tarai region. Dhimāl has two dialects: Eastern and Western, separated by the Kankai River. Many people in the region transcribe Dhimāl into Devanagari script, and there are standard conferences for sound distinctions. The language is mostly spoken in Morang, Jhapa, and Sunsari districts of eastern Nepal, where it constitutes more than 1% of the population.

Kulung

"Kulung (self-name: Kulu riŋ, [kulu rɪŋ]) is a language spoken among an estimated 33,000 people. It is spoken in the lower part of the Hongu valley, which is located in the Solukhumbu district of the Sagarmatha region of Nepal, along the Hongu River (a tributary of the Dudh Kosi). The main villages where Kulung is spoken are Chheskam and Chhemsing. Kulung is considered to be the most fundamental language among all the dialects spoken in these two villages. The Kulung people are one of the lesser-known ethnic groups in these areas and are found in villages such as Luchham, Gudel, Chocholung, Namalung, Pilmo, Bung, Chekma, and Satdi."

Limbu

Limbu Yakthung (also known as Yakthum) is a China-Tibetan indigenous community (Bhot-Burmeeli) found in eastern Nepal, Sikkim, and western Bhutan. The original name of Limbu people is Yakthung or Yakthum, and Limbu men are referred to as Yakthungba or Yakthumba, while Limbu women are called Yakthummā or Yakthungmā. Ancient texts suggest that "Yakthung" or "Yakthum" originated from Yaksha, and some interpret its meaning as "conqueror of Yaksha." In the Limbu language, the term means "heroes of the hills" and is derived from the words pahāḍ (hill), thung or thum (brave warriors or powerful fighters), which is a symbol that connects them with the ancient Kirati people. 

Nepali

Nepali is an Indo-Aryan language and the original language of the Himalayan region of South Asia. It is the official language of Nepal and is spoken by more people than any other language in the country. The early forms of Nepali were developed from the Indo-Aryan dialects spoken in the central Indus region, particularly during the time of the special states in the 10th to 14th centuries. It was developed from local languages in the western part of present-day Nepal, which had been influenced by Sanskrit, Prakrit, and Apabhramsha. After the fall of the Khas kingdom, Nepal was divided into twenty-two kingdoms in the Karnali-Bheri region and twenty-four kingdoms in the Gandaki region. The current popular version of Nepali is believed to have originated around 500 years ago from a branch of the Khas ethnic group in the eastern Karnali-Bheri-Seti region and the settlements in the Gandaki Basin.

Newari

One of the primitive castes of Nepal is the Newar caste. Although it is a small minority caste in terms of population, the name, history and culture of the country of Nepal are intertwined with this caste. The literal meaning of the word Newar is the inhabitants of the country of Nepal. Although the language spoken by them is called Newari, Newar, etc., the official name of this language is Nepal Bhasa. The development of the Newar caste has taken place in Kathmandu Valley and the surrounding areas covering a total of 12 districts. This area is called Nepal Mandal.

Rajwanshi, Nepal

The surname "Rajvanshi" is mostly used by the "Pasai" caste. The term "Rajpasi" is also used for them. The Pasai caste is considered to be a high-caste group. The Rajvanshi community can be found in the Rangpur division of Bangladesh, Bhutan, the Terai region of eastern Nepal, eastern Bihar, eastern Uttar Pradesh, and northern West Bengal. The term "Rajvanshi" literally means a royal lineage. After a movement for national identity and to achieve a higher social status as Hindu Kshatriya, the community adopted this name in 1891. The community was established by combining the Kshatriya identity with the Koch caste. The Rajvanshis were officially recorded as the Koch community until the 1901 census. The name Rajvanshi dates back to the 19th century and is a modern term.

Sampang

"Sampang is a subgroup of the Kiranti language family. Sampang Rai language is one of the kiranti languages. It is related to the Tibeto-Burman language family. According to the Nepal Census (2001), the number of people who speak Sampang is 10,810. Based on the UNESCO Language Survey report in Nepal (2002), the total population of Sampang Rai is around 50,000. Most of this group resides in the Khotang and Bhojpur districts. In recent times, some have migrated to Dharan, Ilam, Kathmandu, and the Terai region."

Sherpa

Sherpas are one of the Tibetan ethnic groups who reside in the mountainous regions of Nepal, Tingri County of the Tibetan Autonomous Region, and the Himalayas. The word "Sherpa" or "Sherwa" comes from the Sherpa language words ཤར shar ("east") and པpa ("people"), which refer to the geographical origin of eastern Tibet. Over time, four main Sherpa subgroups emerged from Tibet to Solu-Khumbu: Minyagpa, Thimmi, Sertawa, and Chawa. Today, these four groups have split into more than 20 different subgroups.

Sunuwar

Sunuwar or Koinch (Nepali: Sunuwār / Kõinchs; Sunuwār jāti) is an indigenous Kirati community that resides in Nepal, parts of India (West Bengal and Sikkim), and southern Bhutan. They speak the Sunuwar language. According to the 2001 Nepali census, 17% of the indigenous population practice the Kirat religion and follow Mundhum (Kirati) culture. "Kõinchs" is also the name of their mother tongue. Other terms like "Mukhiya" or "Mukhia" are their sub-caste names. Sunuwar has their own language, religion, culture, and social customs.

Eastern Tamang

The word "Tamang" (tāmāṅ) is a Nepali term that refers to an ethnic group found in Nepal, southern Bhutan, and northern India, with roots in the Tibetan-Burman ethnic group. In Nepal, the Tamang/Murmi community constitutes over 5.6% of the population, with more than 1.3 million people as of the 2001 census and increasing to 1,539,830 according to the 2011 census. The Tamang community resides in the central hilly region of Nepal. The word "Tamang" likely comes from the Tamang language, where "Ta" means "horse" and in Tibetan, it means "warrior". However, there is no written documentation to confirm that horse riding was practiced by Tamangs. Some scientific research suggests that Tamangs have a prehistoric and genetic connection.

Tharu Dangaura

Tharu people are an indigenous community living in the Terai regions of Southern Nepal and Northern India. They speak the Tharu language. They have been officially recognized as a national identity by the government of Nepal. In the Indian Terai, they are found predominantly in the states of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar. The government of India has recognized the Tharu community as a Scheduled Tribe. The word Tharu is believed to have originated from the Sanskrit word sthavira, which means followers of Theravada Buddhism.

Gurung

Gurung or Tamu are an ethnic group indigenous to the hills and mountains of the Gandaki Province of Nepal. Gurung people predominantly live around the Annapurna region in Manang, Mustang, Dolpo, Kaski, Lamjung, Gorkha, Parbat, and Syangja districts of Nepal and parts of India. They are one of the main Gurkha tribes. They are also scattered across India in Sikkim, Assam, Delhi, West Bengal (Darjeeling area), and other regions with a predominant Nepali diaspora population. They speak the Sino-Tibetan Gurung language and practice the Bon religion alongside Tibetan Buddhism and Hinduism.

Doteli

(Doteli) is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by about 800,000 people, most of whom live in Nepal. It is spoken in Khas, an ancient form of the modern Nepali language, and is written in the Devanagari script. It has official status in Nepal according to Part 1, Article 6 of the Constitution of Nepal 2072 (2015). Four main dialects are spoken namely Baitdeli, Bajhangi Nepali, Darchuli, and Doteli. Mutual intelligibility between these dialects is high and all dialects of Dotelli are able to share language-based content.

Hyolmo

Yolmo (Hyolmo) or Helambu Sherpa, is the Tibeto-Burman language of the Hyolmo people of Nepal. Yolmo is mainly spoken in the Helambu and Melamchi valleys of northern Nuwakot district and northwestern Sindhupalchok district. The dialect is also spoken by small populations in Lamjung District and Ilam District and Ramechhap District (where it is known as Seuba). It is more similar to Keirong Tibetan and less similar to Standard Tibetan and Sherpa. There are approximately 10,000 Yolmo speakers.

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