Newar language

"Nepal Bhasa" redirects here. For the official language of Nepal, see Nepali language.

Newar
𑐣𑐾𑐥𑐵𑐮 𑐨𑐵𑐳𑐵‎, Nepal Bhasa
𑐣𑐾𑐰𑐵𑑅 𑐨𑐵𑐫𑑂‎, Nevāh Bhāy
"Nepal Bhasa" written in the Ranjana script and the Prachalit Nepal script
Pronunciation[newaː bʱæː]
Native toNepal
RegionNepal Mandala
Ethnicity1.3 million Newars (2021 census)[1]
Native speakers
880,000 (2021 census)[1]
Early form
Dialects
  • Dolakhae
  • Sindhupalchok
  • Kathmandu
  • Lalitpur
  • Bhaktapur
  • Panauti
  • Banepa
  • Hetauda
  • Dhulikhel
  • Chitlang
Ranjana script, Pracalit script, Bhujimol script, Devanagari and various Nepalese scripts
Official status
Official language in
India

Nepal

Historical:
Gorkha Kingdom

Kingdom of Nepal[2][3][4]
Regulated byNepal Bhasa Academy
Language codes
ISO 639-2new Nepal Bhasa, Newari
ISO 639-3Variously:
new – Newari
nwx – Middle Newar
phj – Pahari Newar
new Newari
 nwx Middle Newar
Glottolognewa1247
Language map of Nepal (including Newar):
red = Newar language is the majority spoken language
red with yellow stripes = Newar language is spoken along with Pahari language
This article contains IPA phonetic symbols. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Unicode characters. For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see Help:IPA.

Newar (English: /nəˈwɑːr/; 𑐣𑐾𑐥𑐵𑐮 𑐨𑐵𑐲𑐵‎, nepāla bhāṣā)[5] is a Sino-Tibetan language spoken by the Newar people, the indigenous inhabitants of Nepal Mandala, which consists of the Kathmandu Valley and surrounding regions in Nepal. The language is known officialy in Nepal as Nepal Bhasa, a name that has been historically used for the language.[6][7] The term "Newari" is also used to refer to the language, although the Indic -i suffix is considered inappropriate by some Newar speakers.[a]

The language served as the official language of Nepal during the Malla dynasty since the 14th century till the end of dynasty in 1769 during which the language was referred as "Nepal Bhasa", a term which literally means "Nepalese Language".[10][11] However, the language is not the same as Nepali, an Indo-Aryan language and the current official language of Nepal, which only got the name Nepali in the 1930s.[12] Literature in Newar is one of the oldest in Nepal, dating back to at least 600 years ago.[13]

From the start of the Rana dynasty in the 1840s until democratisation, Newar suffered from official suppression.[14][15] From 1952 to 1991, the percentage of Newar speakers in the Kathmandu Valley dropped from 75% to 44%[16] and today Newar culture and language are under threat.[17] The language has been listed as "Definitely endangered" by UNESCO.[18]

On 6 May 2024, Newar, along with Tamang and Nepali was declared as the official language of Bagmati Province.[19] Similarly, Newar is given official status in several city governments of Nepal including Kathmandu.[20]

  1. ^ a b Newar at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024) Closed access icon
    Middle Newar at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024) Closed access icon
    Pahari Newar at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024) Closed access icon
  2. ^ Nepal Bhasa Sahityaya Itihas: History of Nepalbhasa Literature.Tuladhar, Prem Shanti (2000). Kathmandu: Nepal Bhasa Academy. ISBN 99933-56-00-X. Page 37: "The early new rulers cultivated Newari language. Kings Prithvi Narayan Shah, Rana Bahadur and Rajendra Bikram Shah composed poetry and wrote many plays in Newari".
  3. ^ Levy, Robert I. (1990) Mesocosm: Hinduism and the Organization of a Traditional Newar City in Nepal. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers. ISBN 81-208-1038-4. Page 15:"Following the advent of the Shahs, the Gorkhali language became the court language, and Newari was replaced as the language of administration".
  4. ^ Malla, kamal. History of the Nepal. Kathmandu, Nepal: Rolwaling press. p. 155
  5. ^ "Newar". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
  6. ^ Maharjan, Resha (2018). The Journey of Nepal Bhasa: From Decline to Revitalization (M.Phil. thesis). UIT The Arctic University of Norway.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference :6 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Tuladhar-Douglas 2007, p. 25.
  9. ^ Genetti 2007, p. 10.
  10. ^ Tuladhar 2000, p. 9.
  11. ^ Regmi, DR (2007). Medieval Nepal Part II. New Delhi, India: Rupa and Co. p. 338. ISBN 978-8129110985.
  12. ^ Burghart, Richard (1984). "The Formation of the Concept of Nation-State in Nepal". The Journal of Asian Studies. 44 (1): 101–125. doi:10.2307/2056748. ISSN 0021-9118.
  13. ^ Bajracharya, Srizu (23 November 2019). "Newar flavours in the 3rd Nepal Bhasa Literature Festival". The Kathmandu Post. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
  14. ^ Tumbahang, Govinda Bahadur (2010). "Marginalization of Indigenous Languages of Nepal" (PDF). Contributions to Nepalese Studies. 37 (1): 73–74. Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 July 2014. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
  15. ^ Vajracharya, Suwarn (2014). "Language Politics and State Policy in Nepal: A Newar Perspective" (PDF). University of Tsukuba.
  16. ^ Malla, Kamal P. "The Occupation of the Kathmandu Valley and its Fallout". p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 January 2016. Retrieved 16 March 2014.
  17. ^ Grandin, Ingemar. "Between the market and Comrade Mao: Newar cultural activism and ethnic/political movements (Nepal)" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 30 September 2020. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
  18. ^ "UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger". Archived from the original on 27 August 2013. Retrieved 13 November 2013.
  19. ^ "Nepali, Tamang, Nepal Bhasha official languages of Bagmati". kathmandupost.com. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
  20. ^ "Nepal Bhasa as official language in metropolis". kathmandupost.com. Retrieved 15 July 2024.


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