Nepali

Nepali, also called Gurkha, Gorkhali, Gurkhali, or Khaskura, is an Indo-Aryan language derived from Sanskrit. It is the official language and de facto lingua franca of Nepal. It is spoken chiefly by Pahari people in Nepal and by a significant number of Bhutanese and some Burmese people. In India, Nepali language is listed in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of India as an Indian language having an official status in the Indian state of Sikkim and in West Bengal’s Darjeeling district.^[4] Nepali developed in proximity to a number of Indo-Aryan languages, most notably the Pahari languages and Maithili, and shows Sanskrit influences. However, owing to Nepal’s geographical area, it has also been influenced by Tibeto-Burman languages. Nepali is mainly differentiated from Central Pahari, both in grammar and vocabulary, by Tibeto-Burman idioms owing to close contact with the respective language group.^[5]

Historically, the language is believed to have been originally called Khas language (Khas kurā), then Gorkhali or Gurkhali (language of the Gorkha Kingdom) before the term Nepali was adopted. In 1920, during Rana regime in Nepal, the term “Nepal” which resembled the Nepal Mandala was taken from its people. Soon after that, Nepal Bhasa was renamed into Newari and Parbate/Khas language took over as Nepali language. Other names include Parbatiya (“hill language”, identified with the Parbatiya people of Nepal) and Dzongkha Lhotshammikha(“Southern Language”, spoken by the Lhotshampas of Bhutan). It is also known as the Khey language (language of Khey people, the native term for Khas people) or Partya language(native term for Parbate) among the Newar people and Pahari language among Madhesi and Tharus.