A glimpse of the Linguistic diversity of Nepal

Language is the primary means through which we as human beings share our feelings and ideas. From a cultural perspective, language is also a unique identity for a group of people. For a language to exist we need at least a bunch of people who understand and communicate through it, which is why it has a significant cultural importance. In the past, there were hundreds of various ethnic groups living in Nepal, each with its own culture, language, and rulers. It wasn’t until 1768 that all of these communities came together under a single monarch. Like every other nation, the languages in Nepal are a cultural artifact that has made it possible for Nepalis to communicate their similarities and differences and live in harmony. As is evident from the 2011 census, Nepal is a cornucopia of languages with 123 spoken languages. The linguistic diversity relative to the size and population of Nepal makes this even more fascinating.

Lingua Franca of Nepal

The official language or the lingua franca of Nepal is the Nepali language. In accordance with Nepal’s Constitution, all languages spoken as the mother tongue in the country are considered the languages of the nation or national languages. The Nepali language predominates as a mode of communication among speakers of regions occupied by a particular ethnic group where languages other than Nepali are spoken.

According to Sueyoshi, Toba, and Rai in Diversity and Endangerment of Languages in Nepal- Unesco Tibetan languages are spoken in Nepal’s high mountain regions of Mugu, Dolpo, Mustang, and Manang. Similar to this, we find Tibetan-speaking populations like the Yohlmo, Jirel, and Sherpa in the northern, high mountain regions of east Nepal. In recent history, the Sherpas arrived there from the north. We observe an expanding number of various linguistic communities scattered with Nepali-speaking villages as we move east from central Nepal (Palpa) in the mid-hills.

Various language groups frequently coexist in towns and villages, each of which has settled in a particular area. The hilly areas of central Nepal are home to sizable groups like the Magar, Gurung, and Tamang who speak Tibetan-Burman languages. Languages spoken in the southern Terai lowlands include Munda, North Dravidian, Tibeto-Burman, and Indo-Aryan.

The official language of Nepal, the Nepali language falls in the Arya-Iranian Branch of the Indo-European Language. The Nepali language uses Devnagari script which is also used by Hindi, Sanskrit, Marathi, and Prakrit languages. It is based on the ancient Brahmi script used in North Indian Subcontinents. Devanagari, which has been in use since the 7th century CE and appeared mature in the 11th century, is distinguished by long, horizontal strokes at the tops of the letters. This Nepali language is considered to be originated from Sinja Valley which is located in the Jumla District in the Karnali Province, of Nepal.

How is Devnagari script different from Latin script?

Devanagari does not have an alphabet per se like the Latin script. Vowels and consonants are written differently with equal weight in an alphabet-based system like the Latin script. Devanagari, on the other hand, uses an alphasyllabary, which combines vowels and consonants to form units in addition to both, as in an alphabet-based system. Devanagari is written horizontally from left to right and does not use capital letters.

Traditionally, Nepali has 36 consonants and 12 vowels, although linguists agree that this does not accurately represent the entire phonology of Nepali. The final two traditional vowels are only consonant modifiers and not true “vowels.”