Nepali language

Nepali, written in Devanagari script, is the official and most commonly spoken language of Nepal. It acts as a common way for people from different groups in Nepal to communicate. Nepali belongs to the Indo-Aryan family of languages, which is part of the larger Indo-European family. This language is mainly spoken in the Himalayan region of South Asia.

Historically, Nepali had other names such as Gorkhali, named after the Gorkha Kingdom, and Khas Kura, the language of the Khas people. The name Nepali became official in the 20th century under King Mahendra, when the language was standardized and promoted across Nepal.

Today, Nepali has official status in the Indian state of Sikkim and in the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration in West Bengal. It is also spoken in parts of Bhutan, several Indian states including Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Uttarakhand, as well as in Myanmar by the Burmese Gurkhas. Many people in the Nepali diaspora living in places like the Middle East, Brunei, and Australia also use the language. Altogether, about 19 million people speak Nepali as their first language, and around 14 million more use it as a second language.

Nepali originated in the Sinja Valley of Karnali Province, where the Khasa Kingdom once ruled. The language developed through influences from Sanskrit, Maithili, Hindi, and Bengali. It has a rich literary tradition, especially from the 19th century when poets began writing about stories from ancient Sanskrit texts. One famous work is the translation of the Ramayana into Nepali by Bhanubhakta Acharya, which became very popular for its natural and sincere style.

Etymology

See also: Name of Nepal

The word "Nepali" comes from the name Nepal. It was officially chosen as the name of the language by the Government of Nepal in 1933. Before that, it was called different names. First, it was known as "Khas Kura", which means the language of the Khas people. Later, after the country was united, it was called "Gorakhā Bhāṣā", meaning the language of the Gorkhas. People in the hilly areas also called it "Parvate Kurā", meaning "the speech of the hills".

History

Origin and development

Main articles: Sanskrit, Prakrit, Apabhraṃśa, Khasa Prakrit language, and Dardic languages

The Nepali language began to form from older dialects in western Nepal between the 10th and 14th centuries. It grew from ancient languages like Sanskrit and Prakrit. After the Khasa Kingdom ended, the language spread into smaller areas. The version of Nepali we know today started about 500 years ago when people from the Khas group moved east.

During the time of the Sena dynasty, Nepali was influenced by nearby Indian languages. This helped the language become easier to use and more widely spoken. Inscriptions from kings like Lakshmi Narasimha Malla and Pratap Malla show that Nepali was already common in the Kathmandu Valley.

Middle Nepali

The Nepali language became more organized under the Shah kings of the Gorkha Kingdom. After Nepal unified, Nepali became the official language of the court in the 18th century. One of the first important books in Nepali was written during the time of King Ram Shah. Prithvi Narayan Shah also wrote important works in Nepali near the end of his life.

During this time, Nepali developed a standard way of writing in official documents called Lal mohar. These documents dealt with things like taxes and government matters. A famous book from this period is Bhanubhakta Acharya’s translation of the Ramayana into Nepali. His work helped unite Nepal culturally and emotionally.

Modern Nepali

See also: Nepali Language Movement

The modern Nepali period began in the early 1900s. Leaders like Dev Shumsher and Chandra Shumsher tried to make Nepali the language of schools. They created newspapers and groups to support the language. Nepali literature grew, especially after Nepal’s revolution in 1951. In 1957, the Royal Nepal Academy was created to help develop Nepali literature and culture.

In India, Nepali was recognized as an official language in places like Darjeeling. Movements in the 1980s helped Nepali become part of India’s official languages list. Nepali also became an official language in Sikkim after it joined India. In 1992, Nepal’s parliament officially added Nepali to India’s list of recognized languages.

Official status

Nepali, written in the Devanagari script, is the official language of Nepal.

On 31 August 1992, Nepali was added to the list of scheduled languages of India. It is the official language in the state of Sikkim and Gorkhaland in West Bengal. However, even though many people speak it, Nepali does not have official status in Bhutan.

Geographic distribution

Nepal

Nepali is the main language spoken by most people in Nepal. According to the 2011 national census, about 44.6% of people speak Nepali as their first language, and 32.8% speak it as a second language. Altogether, around 77.2% of Nepal’s population uses Nepali, either as their first or second language.

India

Nepali is also spoken by many people in India. The 2011 census of India found that about 2,926,168 people speak Nepali there. It is especially common in places like West Bengal, Assam, and Sikkim.

Bhutan

In Bhutan, about 35% of the population speaks Nepali as their native language. This includes many people who moved from Nepal to Bhutan.

Australia

Nepali is one of the more commonly spoken languages in parts of Australia. In the state of Tasmania, it is the third most spoken language. In the Northern Territory, it ranks fifth. In some areas like Rockdale and Kogarah, Nepali is the most spoken language besides English.

International

Nepali is spoken in many countries around the world beyond Nepal, India, Bhutan, and Australia.

Phonology

Main article: Nepali phonology

Vowels and consonants in Nepali are shown in the tables below.

Nepali has six oral vowel sounds and five special nasal vowel sounds. It also includes ten diphthongs, which are combinations of two vowel sounds.

Consonants in Nepali can change their sound depending on their position in a word. Some sounds have special versions when they appear between vowels. There are also sounds borrowed from other languages that may use different pronunciation rules.

Grammar

Main article: Nepali grammar

Nepali is a language where words change their shape to show meaning in special ways. It has a certain order when putting words together, usually starting with the subject, then the object, and ending with the verb.

The language also has different levels of respect. There are five levels in total: low, medium, high, very high, and royal. These levels show how much respect a speaker has for the person they are talking to. Sometimes, special words are used with these respect levels.

Nepali also uses special sounds inside words to show "no" answers to questions.

Writing system

See also: Devanagari script

Nepali is usually written using the Devanagari script. In some places, people also used the Tibetan script because of the local language.

Below, you will see Nepali written using Latin letters with special marks to show sounds. These marks help show different sounds like longer vowels and special consonants.

Literature

Main article: Nepali literature

In just a hundred years during the 19th century, Nepali developed a rich collection of stories and books. Important works included Adhyatma Ramayana, Sundarananda Bara from 1833, Birsikka (a group of folk tales), and a version of the ancient Indian story Ramayana written by Bhanubhakta Acharya. Later, three famous writers—Lekhnath Paudyal, Laxmi Prasad Devkota, and Balkrishna Sama—helped make Nepali literature famous around the world. Writers living outside Nepal, especially in Darjeeling and Varanasi in India, also added to this growth. Today, as Nepali speakers move to different parts of the world, they continue to create new and exciting books.

Dialects

Nepali has many dialects, such as Acchami, Baitadeli, Bajhangi, and others. Some of these dialects, like Baitadeli and Bajhangi, are quite different from the standard form of Nepali and can be hard to understand. In Karnali Province, the dialect spoken is known by an older name, Khas Bhasa.

Sample text

Here is a short piece of writing in the Nepali language. It shows the first article of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The text is written in the Nepali script called Devanagari, and there are ways to say it out loud and write it using special symbols.

The Nepali words say that everyone is born free and equal. Everyone has the ability to think and understand, and all people should treat each other kindly, like family members helping one another.