Chintang language

Chintang
छिन्ताङ्
Pronunciation[ˈtsʰintaːŋ]
RegionDhankuta District, Nepal
Ethnicity5,000 (2011 census?)[1]
Native speakers
3,700 (2011 census)[2]
Language codes
ISO 639-3ctn
Glottologchhi1245
ELPChhintange

Chintang (Chintang: छिन्ताङ् Chintāṅ / Chhintang) is an eastern Kirati language spoken by 5,000 to 6,000 people in Chhintang VDC and Ahale VDC in Dhankuta District, Province No. 1, Nepal. The language has two dialects, Mulgaun and Sambhugaon.[2] Most speakers of Chintang are also fluent speakers of the Indo-European Nepali language, which is the lingua franca of Nepal and the sole language of instruction in school, and the Sino-Tibetan Bantawa language, which is closely related to Chintang.[3][4] The UNESCO World Atlas of Languages classifies the language as definitely endangered.[5]

  1. ^ Chintang language at Ethnologue (17th ed., 2013) Closed access icon
  2. ^ a b Chintang at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  3. ^ Bickel, Balthasar; Banjade, Goma; Gaenszle, Martin; Lieven, Elena; Paudyal, Netra Prasad; Rai, Ichchha Purna; Rai, Manoj; Rai, Novel Kishore; Stoll, Sabine (2007). "Free Prefix Ordering in Chintang". Language. 83 (1): 43–73. ISSN 0097-8507.
  4. ^ Stoll, Sabine; Bickel, Balthasar; Lieven, Elena; Paudyal, Netra P.; Banjade, Goma; Bhatta, Toya N.; Gaenszle, Martin; Pettigrew, Judith; Rai, Ichchha Purna; Rai, Manoj; Rai, Novel Kishore (2012). "Nouns and verbs in Chintang: children's usage and surrounding adult speech*". Journal of Child Language. 39 (2): 284–321. doi:10.1017/S0305000911000080. hdl:10344/3401. ISSN 1469-7602.
  5. ^ "Chintang in Nepal | UNESCO WAL". en.wal.unesco.org. Retrieved 2023-02-23.