Sonha language

Sonha
Sunha
Native toNepal
RegionLumbini, Sudurpashchim
EthnicitySonha
Native speakers
20,000 (2020)[1]
Unwritten
Language codes
ISO 639-3soi
Glottologsonh1238
ELPSonha
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.

The Sonha language also known as Sonaha, Sunha, or Sunah is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Sonha people in Lumbini Province, specifically in Bardiya District, covering Geruwa and Rajapur municipalities. It is also spoken in Sudurpashchim Province, particularly in Kanchanpur District and Bhimdatta of Nepal.[2] Sonha exhibits linguistic similarities with Awadhi, with reported lexical similarities of 69% with Rana Tharu, 73% with Kathariya Tharu, and 72% with Dangaura Tharu. Notably, Sonha and Kathoriya serve as a lexical bridge connecting Rana and Dangaura varieties of Tharu.[3][4]

The linguistic features of Sonha include a SOV (Subject-Object-Verb) word order, postpositions, noun head final structure, content question words in situ, case-marking for indicating clause constituents, verbal affixation marking number, split ergativity, and the presence of passives and voice. The language is non-tonal.[3][4]

Sonha speakers engage in mixed-use activities, involving interactions related to friends, religion, and work. The community comprises both young people and adults, with "Sonha" representing an occupational caste, particularly associated with gold panning. The religious affiliations within the Sonha community includes Hinduism, Christianity, and traditional beliefs.[3]

The language is considered threatened due to losing speakers and no monolingual speakers of the language.[3]

  1. ^ Sonha at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023) Closed access icon
  2. ^ Chaudhary, Anil Dutta. "Phonological study of the Sonaha language".
  3. ^ a b c d "Sonha". Ethnologue. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
  4. ^ a b Thakur, Gopal and Indresh Thakur. 2014. A Sociolinguistic Survey of Sonaha and Khuna. Kathmandu: Linguistic Survey of Nepal (LinSuN), Central Department of Linguistics, Tribhuvan University, Nepal.