Tibetic languages in Nepal

Situated between the Tibet Autonomous Region of China and India, Nepal is home to about 29 million people and more than 120 languages. Most of the languages of Nepal belong to the Indo-Aryan group of Indo-European languages, including the national language, Nepali. The majority of people (more than 80%) are speakers of an Indo-Aryan language, but the greatest diversity is found in the Sino-Tibetan languages, spoken by about 17% of the population, though constituting over half the languages represented in the last census (and there are potentially more that are as yet undescribed). The remaining less than 1% of the population use Austro-Asiatic or Dravidian languages, sign languages, or language isolates (or did not participate in the 2011 census) (Central Bureau of Statistics, 2012; Grimes, 1992; Bradley, 1997; Genetti, 2004).

The over 60 Tibeto-Burman languages found in Nepal are typically spoken outside of urban centres. Some major groups that are found in Nepal include Tibetic, Magaric, Tamangic, Newar, and Kiranti, as well as other smaller groups such as Raji-Raute, Chepangic, Baram-Thami, and Kuke (e.g. Hale, 1982; DeLancey, 1987; Matisoff, 1991; Van Driem, 2001). The Tibetic languages within Nepal are spoken by communities situated in the mountainous regions along the ∼ 1,400 km northern border with Tibet that runs through the Himalayas (See Figure 7.1). This region is home to eight of the ten tallest peaks in the world, where the deep valley floors may be at altitudes over 4,000 m, in a landscape scored by gorges and rivers, clearly delineating regions and hindering easy movement.