Nepali Language

Nepali is the official language of the country of Nepal. It is an Indo-European language with roots dating back at least seven hundred years. Although Nepali is the official language of Nepal, many different languages have been spoken in the country throughout the years. However, some of these languages may soon be endangered because most people no longer speak them.

Many young Nepalese people are adopting Nepali as their main language. This is due in part to Nepali's use as a main language by the government, schools, and media and broadcasting outlets throughout the country. Nepal operates under a caste system, and Nepali is the most common first language for the country's ruling elite and is commonly used among the higher-caste Hindus.

History and Classification

Although the Nepali language has been in use for only seven hundred years, it is part of the Indo-European language family; languages belonging to this family stemmed from an ancient language that was used roughly six thousand years ago. Nepali developed in the Northern zone of the Indo-European languages, along with Garhwali and Western Pahari. Nepali is in the Indo-Aryan subfamily of languages and is partially derived from Sanskrit.

The language was first spoken by the Khas tribe in an area that became Nepal. The tribe's language was at first called Khas Kura or Khas Bhasa, which means "the language of the Khas." It was related to other languages from west-central Asia. Khas Kura eventually became the language known as Nepali and was referred to as the Gorkha language. (Gorkha was a principality in central Nepal.) In the 1800s, Western observers used the name Nepali, which means "of Nepal," to classify mountain languages in Nepal. Eventually, the name became used for one specific language. After modern Nepal was unified in 1768, Nepali became the official language of the royal court.

For about one hundred years, travel to Nepal for outsiders was limited. Then in 1950, the country was again open to outside travelers. Around this time, the Nepalese government, which was largely run by upper-caste Hindus who spoke Nepali, attempted to assimilate the many different cultures, styles of dress, and languages into a more coherent Nepalese culture that could be easily identified. Use of the Nepali language was stressed, especially in schools. Although children were able to speak their mother tongue when they were young, as they grew older, they were expected to use Nepali. This process led to many Nepalese becoming bilingual—they spoke their mother languages at home with family and friends and used Nepali in school and sometimes in public. As of 2015, the choice to use only Nepali in schools is a controversial decision because the broad use of Nepali in schools may be endangering other, less commonly used languages. The king and the ruling elite—who speak Nepali as their first language—maintain that Nepali is used because it has been the lingua franca (an adopted common language in an area with many different languages) of the country for at least 150 years. Nevertheless, some people outside the government want Nepali schools to use students’ first languages so that more of Nepal’s languages can be used and preserved.

As of the twenty-first century, some of the other languages spoken in Nepal, such as Mewahang, Lotha, and Nachiring, are in danger of becoming extinct. Fewer people use these languages, and more are turning to Nepali. Because of this, Nepali has become known as the "killer language." Many of the languages that are endangered are from the Tibeto-Burman language family. Languages from this family are often spoken by people in rural areas. Indo-Aryan languages, such as Nepali, are more likely to be spoken in urban areas and by people of higher castes. In addition, Nepali's use is becoming so widespread that even some dialects of Nepali could be eradicated because of the proliferation of the more dominant forms.

Geographical Distribution and Modern Usage

Nepal is located in a part of the world where a number of different language families meet, including the Indo-European languages and the Tibeto-Burman languages. This has led to the country becoming multilingual. Although the majority of Nepalese use Nepali, up to seventy other languages are spoken there.

Roughly half of all Nepal residents use Nepali as their primary language, with most others using it as a secondary language. This language is spoken in fourteen administrative zones in Nepal, and its use is spread somewhat evenly across the country. About eight million people outside Nepal use the Nepali language. Many of them live in northern India and Bhutan.

Like nearly all other languages, Nepali has specific dialects. The differences among these dialects can be identified by pronunciation, grammar, and word choice. While several different dialects of Nepali exist, three main dialects are found in Nepal: Eastern, Central, and Western. The Western dialect is significantly different from the other two. The Central dialect is often used in textbooks and in media. The Eastern dialect is spoken mostly in hill districts such as Mechi and Koshi. Along with different dialects, Nepali includes various forms that denote levels of respect for the different members of Nepal's caste system.

Bibliography

Acharya, Jayaraj. A Descriptive Grammar of Nepali and an Analyzed Corpus. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press, 1991.1–10. Print.

Eagle, Sonia. "The Language Situation in Nepal." Language Planning and Policy in Asia: Japan, Nepal, Taiwan and Chinese Characters. Eds. Robert B. Kaplan and Richard B. Baldauf Jr. United Kingdom: Multilingual Matters, 2008. Print.

Encyclopedia of the World's Endangered Languages. Ed. Christopher Moseley. New York: Routledge, 2007. Print.

Manders, Christopher Jay. A Foundation in Nepali Grammar. Bloomington, IN: AuthorHouse, 2007. Print.

Whelpton, John. A History of Nepal. United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press, 2005. 182–187. Print.