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Guide > About Nepal
> Languages |
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The
people of Nepal are so diverse ethnically that there are well
over 50 different languages and many more dialects spoken by
the Nepalese people. The languages can however be categorized
into two distinct groups: the Sanskrit based languages, which
originated in the plains and the Tibeto-Burman languages of
the hill tribes. The two groups can also be categorized according
to their physical features. The basic distinction being the
Mongoloid features of the Tibeto-Burman language speaking people
and the Aryan features of those speaking the Sanskrit based
languages.
The official language of Nepal is Nepali, which derives from
Sanskrit and is said to have developed by Khas people. Education
is conducted both in English as well as Nepali and the schools
are known as English medium or Nepali medium schools. Government
documents and records are basically in Nepali but English is
used as an alternative language.
Nepali is written in the Devanagari script while only a few
tribal languages have a separate script. Newari, the language
of the Kathmandu valley (the indigenous people of the valley
are the Newars) however has a unique script called “Ranjana”.
The Newars, their language and script are only vaguely related
to the Tibeto-Burman group.
In general it can be said that the Sanskrit based languages
predominate in the Terai (plains) region and the Tibeto-Burman
languages are mostly spoken by the hill tribes and people living
in the mountainous regions. However migration and the unification
of the country has led to the intermingling of different ethnic
groups and today, Nepali speaking people are found in all parts
of the country except the remote Himalayan regions in the north.
Some of the different languages spoken in Nepal are: 1) Among
the Sanskrit based languages: Nepali, Maithili, Bhojpuri, Bhand,
Baram, Hindi, Tharu, etc. 2) Among the Tibeto-Burman based languages:
Newari (there are three distinct dialects spoken in the three
cities of Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur), Gurung, Tamang, Magar,
Rai, Limbu, Sherpa, Dolpali, Manangay, Thakali, etc. Many of
these like the Rais and Limbus have sub-castes that speak different
dialects quite different from each other.
City dwellers normally speak Nepali but the Newari people among
themselves speak in their mother tongue. In the villages too,
most people speak in their own language among themselves thus
preserving what would otherwise have been lost. However there
is a danger especially among minorities, of their own language
going out of use as they adopt the use of Nepali, which is generally
understood by most Nepalese.
People with some knowledge of Hindi can easily pick up the Nepali
language as they are both Sanskrit based and quite similar especially
the written Nepali. In fact most Nepali speakers can speak passable
Hindi. However for tourists, language is hardly a problem since
most people in the tourist areas can converse in English.
Those interested in learning Nepali during their stay can take
up a short course in Nepali, which is taught by private tutors.
Some lodges can also arrange for teachers. Americans and Europeans
seem to pick up passable Nepali fairly quickly.
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