Nepal Bhasa (नेपाल भाषा, also known as Newah Bhaye and Newari) is one of the major languages of Nepal. It is one of the roughly five hundred Sino-Tibetan languages in the world, and belongs to the Tibeto-Burman branch of this family. It is the only Tibeto-Burman language to be written in the Devanāgarī script. It is spoken mainly by the Newars (and may be referred to as Newari), who chiefly inhabit the towns of the Kathmandu Valley. Although Nepal Bhasa is classified as a Sino-Tibetan language, it shows resemblances with Indo-Iranian languages as well. Map of South Asia (see note on Kashmir). ... Current distribution of Human Language Families A language family is a group of related languages said to have descended from a common proto-language. ... The Sino-Tibetan languages form a putative language family composed of Chinese and the Tibeto-Burman languages, including some 250 languages of East Asia. ... The Tibeto-Burman family of languages (often considered a sub-group of the Sino-Tibetan language family) is spoken in various central and south Asian countries, including Myanmar (Burma), northern Thailand, and parts of Western China (Tibet Autonomous Region, Qinghai (Amdo), Gansu, Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan, Hunan), Nepal, Bhutan, India (Himachal... Himalayish is a group of languages classified under Tibeto-Burman group of languages. ... Writing systems of the world today. ... च् + छ = च्छ Devanagari in Unicode The Unicode range for Devanagari is U+0900 . ... The Newari script also known as the Ranjana script is used for writing the Newari language of Nepal. ... Prachalit script is one of the many scripts used in Nepal Bhasa. ... The Brahmic family is a family of abugidas used in South Asia and Southeast Asia. ... The Gupta script was used for writing Sanskrit and is associated with the Gupta Empire of India which was a period of material prosperity and great religious and scientific developments. ... Bhujimol script, palm_leaf MS of the Devimahatmya, Bihar or Nepal, 11th century. ... ISO 639-1 is the first part of the ISO 639 international-standard language-code family. ... ISO 639-2 is the second part of the ISO 639 standard, which lists codes for the representation of the names of languages. ... ISO 639-3 is in process of development as an international standard for language codes. ... Articles with similar titles include the NATO phonetic alphabet, which has also informally been called the “International Phonetic Alphabet”. For information on how to read IPA transcriptions of English words, see IPA chart for English. ... Phonetics (from the Greek word φωνή, phone meaning sound, voice) is the study of the sounds of human speech. ... Unicode is an industry standard designed to allow text and symbols from all of the writing systems of the world to be consistently represented and manipulated by computers. ... Newari can mean: Pertaining to Newar Nepal Bhasa ... The Sino-Tibetan languages form a putative language family composed of Chinese and the Tibeto-Burman languages, including some 250 languages of East Asia. ... The Tibeto-Burman linguistic subfamily of the proposed Sino-Tibetan language family is spoken in various central and south Asian countries: Myanmar (Burmese language), Tibet (Tibetan language), northern Thailand (Mong language), Nepal, Bhutan, India (Himachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura and the Ladakh region of... () is an abugida script used to write, either along with other scripts, or exclusively, several Indian languages, including Sanskrit, Hindi, Marathi, Sindhi, Bihari, Bhili, Marwari, Konkani, Bhojpuri, languages from Nepal like Nepali, Tharu Nepal Bhasa and sometimes Kashmiri and Romani. ... The Newar or Newah are the indigenous group of Nepals Kathmandu valley. ... A typical Nepalese house in the valley, made from cow dung and clay The Kathmandu valley, located in the Kingdom of Nepal, lies at the crossroads of ancient civilizations of Asia, and has at least 130 important monuments, including several places of pilgrimage for the Hindus as well as the...

Geographic Distribution

The language is spoken by roughly around a million people in Nepal according to 2001 census. Plus a few thousands outside Nepal speak the language. The languages is spoken differently on different places.

• In Nepal: Kathmandu valley i.e. (Kathmandu Metropolitan City, Lalitpur Sub Metropolitan City, Bhaktapur Municipality, Kirtipur Municipality, Thimi Municipality), Dolakha, Banepa, Dhulikhel, Bhimphedi (Makwanpur), Panauti, Palpa, Trishuli, Nuwakot, Bhojpur, Biratnagar, Baglung, Bandipur, Birgunj, Hetaunda and other chief cities.
• In India: Sikkim, West Bengal, Bettiah, Andamans^[1]
• In Tibet: Khasa

With an increase in emigration, various bodies and societies of Nepal Bhasa speaking people have emerged in countries like the US, the UK and Japan. Dhulikhel is a town with an estimated population of 10,170 that is the headquarters of Nepals Kavrepalanchok District. ... , Sikkim (also Sikhim) (DevanāgarÄ«: सिक्किम  ) is a landlocked Indian state nestled in the Himalayas. ... West Bengal   (Bengali: পশ্চিমবঙ্গ, Poshchimbôŋgo) is a state in eastern India. ... Bettiah is the headquarters of West Champaran district in the state of Bihar, near Indo-Nepal border, 225 Kilometres north-west of Patna. ... Ethnolinguistic map of the precolonial Andaman Islands The Andaman Islands are a group of islands in the Bay of Bengal, and are part of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands Union Territory of India. ... The Khasas are an ancient people, believed to be a section of the Iranians who originally belonged to Central Asia from where they had penetrated, in remote antiquity, the Himalayas from Central Asia through Kashgar and Kashmir and dominated the whole hilly region. ... Motto: (Out Of Many, One) (traditional) In God We Trust (1956 to date) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington D.C. Largest city New York City None at federal level (English de facto) Government Federal constitutional republic  - President George Walker Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence from...

History and Development

A historical inscription in Bhaktapur Durbar Square in Nepal Bhasa

Little is known about the origins of Nepal Bhasa except for the fact that the language has evolved with continued influences from Tibetan, Kirati, Maithali, Pali, Sanskrit, Khas, Hindi and other languages of the region. The language largely replaced Sanskrit as the official language of medieval Nepal as the language used in the shilalekh or stone scripture. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 533 × 599 pixel Image in higher resolution (1572 × 1768 pixel, file size: 685 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) I took the photo myself. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 533 × 599 pixel Image in higher resolution (1572 × 1768 pixel, file size: 685 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) I took the photo myself. ...

The earliest known (dated) document in Nepal Bhasa is called "The Palmleaf from Uku Bahal" which dates back to 1114AD (235 NS) ^[2]. A few lines from the script read^[3]:

छीन ढाको तृसंघष परिभोग। छु पुलेंग कीत्य बिपार वस्त्र बिवु मिखा तिवु मदुगुन छु सात दुगुनव ल्है।

which is a general discussion about business and trasactions.

The language continued growing in the Medieval era and even the kings were involved in writing poetry, dramas etc in the language. Noted royal writers were Mahindra Malla, Siddhinarsingh Malla, Jagatprakash Malla etc. An example of the lanugage used in that era is provided from lines of Mooldevshashidev written by Jagatprakash Malla^[4]

धु छेगुकि पाछाव वाहान

तिलहित बिया हिङ लाहाति थाय थायस

which is a description of Shiva, about the use of the skin of tiger as the seat of Shiva.

The language faced a setback with the arrival of Shah dynasty. The language was replaced by Khas language as the national language and the Khas language was renamed Nepali. Some speculate that the language has been called Newari instead of Nepal Bhasa after the Khas rule, as no evidence of the language being called as Newari has been found before this era.

A very well noted poet of Nepal Bhasa called Siddhidas Mahaju(N.S.987-N.S.1050) arose in these "dark era" of Nepal Bhasa. He translated Ramayana into Nepal Bhasa and wrote several poems with strong support towards ethics and morality. Some of his lines read Siddhidas Mahaju (सिद्धिदास महाजु) is one of the greatest writers in Nepal Bhasa literature. ... Nepal Sambat (Nepal Bhasa: नेपाल सम्बत) is a lunar calendar. ...

सज्जन मनुष्या संगतनं मूर्ख नापं भिना वै

पलेला लपते ल वंसा म्वति थें ल सना वै

which state that even a moron can improve with the company of good people just like even a waterdrop appears like a pearl when it descends upon the leaves of a lotus plant.

Nepal Bhasa has undergone several changes over the years and has been classified into old era and new era language. Although there is no specific demarkation between the two, mid-Rana regime of Nepal i.e. around 966 to 1061 N.S. is taken as the period of demarkation between the two ^[5].

Modern Nepal Bhasa is the most Indianized of the Tibeto-Burman languages. It has had so many centuries of contact with neighboring Indo-Iranian languages that it has even developed noun inflection (a trait typical of the Indo-European family but extremely rare in Sino-Tibetan languages). It has absorbed other features of grammar as well, such as verb tenses. One of the earliest grammars of modern Nepal Bhasa, written by Shukraraj Shastri accepts the large influence of "Aryan" languages in Nepal Bhasa ^[6]. These influences are outstanding examples of fundamental traits of a language being passed on through language contact. The Indo-Iranian language group constitutes the easternmost extant branch of the Indo-European family of languages. ... The Indo-European languages comprise a family of several hundred related languages and dialects [1], including most of the major languages of Europe, as well as many spoken in the Indian subcontinent (South Asia), the Iranian plateau (Southwest Asia), and Central Asia. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Language contact occurs when speakers of distinct speech varieties interact. ...

A lot of writers and thinkers have contributed to the modern form of Nepal Bhasa. These include Chittadhar "Hridaya", Jagatsundar Malla etc.. With efforts from concerned people and organizations, Nepal Bhasa has several newspapers, a primary level curriculum, several F.M. stations (selected time for Nepal Bhasa programs), regular TV programs and News (in Image TV Channel), Nepal Bhasa Music Award (a part of Image Award), several websites and Nepal Bhasa wikipedia.

Dialects

The main dialects are ^[7]:-

Dolkhali (Dolakha)

This is the most preserved form of language and resembles the old Nepal Bhasa.

Sindhupalchowk Pahri (Pahri, Pahari)

This dialect is the most different from the other dialects. Some even consider it to be a separate language.

Totali

Chitlang

Chitlang is a place south of Kathmandu valley in Makawanpur district. This form of language, although not used much presently, serves to understand the evolution of Nepal Bhasa.

Kathmandu-Patan-Kirtipur

Also known as Yen-Yala-Kyepu Bhaaye (ञ - यल - क्येपु भाय्), this is the most dominant form of language. It is the most evolved form of language and is very close to the standard form of language used in academics and media. This is also the most widely used dialect. Variations are seen in the use of the words, specially nouns, amongst the Buddhists and Hindus.

Bhaktapur

Also known as Khwapa Bhaaye (ख्वप: भाय्), this form of language is more close to the old form than the standard form. Variations exist in the use of this form of language in Bhaktapur, Banepa, Panauti and Dhulikhel.

Baglung

In addition to these dialects, there are few sub-dialects spoken in Kathmandu valley and other parts of Nepal. These sub-dialects are spoken in surrounding villages of Kathmandu, Patan, Bhaktapur, Chitlang and Dolakha. The dialect spoken in Bandipur is the oldest form of Khwapa Bhaaye. The dialect spoken in Chainpur, Bhojpur, Terathum, Palapa is related to Kathmandu and Patan. The dialect spoken in Ridi, Baglung, Arughat is closer to Bhaktapur.

Sounds

The sounds are traditionally listed in the order vowels, diphthongs, anusvara and visarga, stops and nasals (starting in the back of the mouth and moving forward), and finally the liquids and fricatives, written in IAST as follows (see the tables below for details): Note: This page contains IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode. ... In phonetics, a diphthong (also gliding vowel) (Greek δίφθογγος, diphthongos, literally with two sounds, or with two tones) is a monosyllabic vowel combination involving a quick but smooth movement from one vowel to another, often interpreted by listeners as a single vowel sound or phoneme. ... Anusvaara (or anusvaaram) appears in the alphabet of Indian languages like Sanskrit which use the Devanagari script, and in the Dravidian languages. ... Visarga () is a Sanskrit word meaning sending forth, discharge. In Sanskrit phonology, (also called, equivalently by earlier grammarians) is the name of a sound, approximately IPA , written as IAST , Harvard-Kyoto H, Devanagari . ... A stop, plosive, or occlusive is a consonant sound produced by stopping the airflow in the vocal tract. ... A nasal consonant is produced when the velum—that fleshy part of the palate near the back—is lowered, allowing air to escape freely through the nose. ... Liquid consonants, or liquids, are speech sounds; more specifically, they are approximant consonants that are not classified as semivowels (glides) because they do not correspond phonetically to specific vowels (in the way that, for example, the initial [j] in English yes corresponds to [i]). The class of liquids can be... Note: This page contains phonetic information presented in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) using Unicode. ... IAST, or International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration is the academic standard for writing the Sanskrit language with the Latin alphabet and very similar to National Library at Calcutta romanization standard being used with many Indic scripts. ...

a ā i ī u ū ṛ ṝ ḷ ḹ ; e ai o au

ṃ ḥ

k kh g gh ṅ; c ch j jh ñ; ṭ ṭh ḍ ḍh ṇ; t th d dh n; p ph b bh m

y r l v; ś ṣ s h

Writing Systems and Grammar

Shukraraj Shastri's Grammar book

Main article: Writing System in Nepal Bhasa Image File history File links Size of this preview: 413 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (859 × 1247 pixel, file size: 218 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) I took the image myself of the cover of the first edition of Shukraraj Shastris book called Nepal Bhasa Byakaran. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 413 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (859 × 1247 pixel, file size: 218 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) I took the image myself of the cover of the first edition of Shukraraj Shastris book called Nepal Bhasa Byakaran. ...

Main article: Nepal Bhasa Grammar

Nepal Bhasa has been written in a variety of abugida scripts. The scripts which have been used to write this language are-

• Brahmi script
• Gupta script
• Prachalit script
• Ranjana script
• Bhujimol
• Devnagari script

Over the centuries, Nepal Bhasa has been written in many scripts, all of which are descended from the Brahmi script. All the scripts proceed from left to right, and include two separate sets of characters - a vowel set and a consonant set. Devanagari is the most widely-used script at the present, as it is the official script of Nepal as well as is used widely in neighbouring India. Ranjana script was the most widely-used script for Nepal Bhasa in ancient times, and is experiencing a sort of a revival due to recent cultural awareness. The Prachalit script, being similar to Devanagari, is also in use. The Brahmi and Golmol scripts are rarely used in present. The Brahmic family is a family of abugidas used in South Asia and Southeast Asia. ... The Gupta script was used for writing Sanskrit and is associated with the Gupta Empire of India which was a period of material prosperity and great religious and scientific developments. ... Prachalit script is one of the many scripts used in Nepal Bhasa. ... The Newari script also known as the Ranjana script is used for writing the Newari language of Nepal. ... च् + छ = च्छ Devanagari in Unicode The Unicode range for Devanagari is U+0900 . ... The Brahmic family is a family of abugidas used in South Asia and Southeast Asia. ... च् + छ = च्छ Devanagari in Unicode The Unicode range for Devanagari is U+0900 . ... The Newari script also known as the Ranjana script is used for writing the Newari language of Nepal. ... Prachalit script is one of the many scripts used in Nepal Bhasa. ...

In overall writing system of Nepal Bhasa, there are four form of alphabets:

• Vowels called Ma Akha
• Consonants called Ba Akha
• Complex consonants called China Akha
• Numericals called Lyaa Akha

Vowels

The vowels, called MaAkha (माआखः) used in Nepal Bhasa are

It is worthy to note that even though ऋ, ॠ, ऌ, ॡ are present in Nepal Bhasa, they are rarely used. Instead, some of the experts are suggesting to include अय्(aya)and आय्(aaya) in the list of vowels ^[8].

Consonants

The consonants, called BaAkha(बाआखः), used in Nepal Bhasa are:

The use of ङ and ञ was very common in the old form of language. However, in the new form, specially in written, the use of these characters has diminished. The use of ण, त, थ, द, ध, न, श, ष, क्ष, त्र, ज्ञ are limited by the new Grammar books to the loan words only.

Complex / Compound Consonants

Besides the consonants mentioned above, some complex consonants called China Akha (चिना आखः) are also used. These China Akha represent the Sino-Tibetan characteristics of the lanugage. The most used of these complex consonants which are counted as an individual alphabets by some are ^[9]:

• न्ह
• म्ह
• ल्ह
• ह्र

Numericals

The numericals used in Nepal Bhasa have ten digits from 0-9. The numericals used in Ranjana script are as follows (from 0 to 9)

The same numericals in Devnagari are: Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...

The earliest form of written grammar were developed by Shukraj Shastri and Nisthananda Bajracharya. Shukraraj Shastri's grammar is very similar to Sanskrit. He had studied Sanskrit, English and Hindi grammar^[10] before creating his masterpiece called Nepal Bhasa Wyakarana which is based largely on Sanskrit but with great study of Nepal Bhasa as well.

Literature

Books in Nepal Bhasa

Main article: Nepal Bhasa literature Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (1280 × 960 pixel, file size: 396 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) I took the image myself. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (1280 × 960 pixel, file size: 396 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) I took the image myself. ... Nepal Bhasa literature refers to literature in Nepal Bhasa. ...

Nepal Bhasa literature has a long history. It has the fourth-oldest literature of the Sino-Tibetan languages (the first, second and third being Chinese, Tibetan and Burmese respectively).

Drama

Dramas are traditionally performed in open Dabu (stage). Most of the traditional dramas are related to deities and demons. Masked characters are central to such dramas. Music forms an important part of drama. Most of them are narrated with the help of songs sang at intervals. The drama as such resembles dance in many cases. The theme of most of the drama is to create a social wellbeing with morals illustrating the rise, turbulence and fall of evil. There are fixed dates in the Nepal Sambat (Nepal Era) calendar for performance of specific drama. Most of the dramas are carried out by specific Guthis. This does not cite any references or sources. ... Nepal Sambat (Nepal Bhasa: नेपाल सम्बत) is a lunar calendar. ... This does not cite its references or sources. ...

Poetry

Poetry writing constituted a pompous part of medieval Malla aristrocracy. Many of the kings were well renowned poets. Siddhidas Mahaju and Chittadhar Hridaya are two great poets in the language. The Chinese poem Quatrain on Heavenly Mountain by Emperor Gaozong (Song Dynasty) Poetry (from the Greek , poiesis, a making or creating) is a form of art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its ostensible meaning. ... Siddhidas Mahaju (सिद्धिदास महाजु) is one of the greatest writers in Nepal Bhasa literature. ... Chittadhar Hridaya is one of the most noted writers of Nepal Bhasa. ...

Prose Fiction

This is a relatively new field of literature compared to other fields. Most of the fiction were written in poetry form till the medieval era. So, almost all of prose fiction belong to the modern Nepal Bhasa. Collective short stories in Nepal Bhasa are more popular than novels.

Story

The art of verbal story telling is very old in Nepal Bhasa. There are a variety of mythical and social stories that have aided in establishing the norm of Kathmandu valley. Stories ranging from the origin of Kathmandu valley to the temples of the valley and the important monuments have been passed down verbally in Nepal Bhasa and very few are present in written form. However, with an increase in literacy rate and an awareness amongst the people, those stories have been penned down. Stories on other topics have also taken root. This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Nepal Bhasa and Newar community

A wall slogan of Maoists using Nepal Bhasa

Nepal Bhasa is the mother tongue of Newars. Newars are a very diverse community with people from Mongolian, Aryan and according to some even Dravidian races, following Hinduism and Buddhism, and subdivided into 64 castes. So, the language has played a central role in the existence and perpetuation of Newar community. Poet Siddhidas Mahaju had concluded that the Newar community and its rich culture can only survive if Nepal Bhasa survives (भाषा म्वासा जाति म्वाइ). Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (2816 × 2112 pixel, file size: 342 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) I took the image myself in Bhaktapur. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (2816 × 2112 pixel, file size: 342 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) I took the image myself in Bhaktapur. ...

The language has faced a decline in Shah era after this lanugage was replaced by Khas Kura (later renamed Nepali) as the national language and after the introduction of "One Nation, one language" by King Mahendra. Besides, the then Royal Nepalese Government had spent a lot in Sanskrit education and a Sanskrit University was approved during those times (Sanskrit is virtually not spoken by anyone in Nepal) because Khas Kura originated from Sanskrit. However, there were very few resources for even primary level education in Nepal Bhasa. Plus, there were no programs of Nepal Bhasa in the state radio i.e. Radio Nepal. Even after programs in Nepal Bhasa were started, the language was addressed as "Newari", a term considered derogaroty by Newars. Even today, there are no programs in Nepal Bhasa in the state television i.e. Nepal Television, whereas it broadcasts a Bollywood Hindi movie (Hindi is not used as mother tongue in Nepal, although it is used as lingua franca in Terai) every Saturday and often Pakistani serials as well. The Supreme Court of Nepal has also banned any use of Nepal Bhasa even for trivial matters in official purposes of any part of Nepal. These factors have led to a resentment among Newar community and a feeling of "second class" citizen in one's own state. This fact has been used for political advantages by many parties of Nepal. Many slogans are translated into Nepal Bhasa, although very few important documents of political parties are ever translated into Nepal Bhasa.

Some common phrases and terms

References

External links

Nepal Bhasa edition of Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Wikibooks has more about this subject:

Nepal Bhasa

• Ethnologue
• Nepalese Supreme leader (सर्वमान्य नेता) Late Ganesh Man Singh's speech in Nepal Bhasa
• Michael Noonan, Recent Language Contact in the Nepal Himalaya (PDF).
• [1], http://www.jwajalapa.com ज्वजलपा डट कम a window to Newar culture
• [2]
• Newari/Ranjana script page on Omniglot
• Proposal for encoding Newari in Unicode
• Sandhya Times, Nepal Bhasa daily newspaper
• Online Nepal Bhasa dictionary