• Society in Nepal
• The Himalaya
• Culture and history
Language
Nepal has over a 100 languages many of which have no written script and linguists and anthropologists are constantly finding new ones.
Because of Nepal's position on the border between major civilisations it has developed a rich linguistic heritage formed by migration and trade.
Languages can be roughly divided up into Indo-Aryan (Sanskrit), Tibeto-Burman (Chinese), Mongolian, and various isolated local languages that mix the others together.
Maithili (12%)
Bhojpuri (8%)
Tharu (6%)
Tamang (5%)
Newari/Nepal Bhasa (4%)
Magar (3%)
Awadhi (2%)
Bantawa (2%)
Limbu (1%)
Bajjika (1%)
According to the 2001 national census 92 living languages have so far been identified in Nepal, with a 93rd group of those not yet catagorised.
The remaining languages are spoken by less than 1% of the population - many with less than 1,000 speakers.
Nepali or Nepalese is currently the lingua franca among different groups, largely because it has been the language of the dominant group for at least the past 3 centuries.
Hindi and English are also widely spoken amongst the educated, many of whom will have four or more languages (Newari, Nepali, Hindi, and English for example).
Sponsor a child with Himalayan Learning and help some of the most vulnerable children in the world escape the effects of extreme poverty. More
23rd November
November\'s visit by the UK team to Nepal was accompanied by a number of Himalayan Learning donors. In the attached photo you can see retired Bri.. More
3rd August
The new school year in Nepal sees our first batch of children begin their SLC or \"School Leaving Certificate\" exams. The SLC exam in Nepal is o.. More
31st July
Over the past few months Himalayan Learning has had a number of very interesting donations and donors that we thought we should highlight. When o.. More
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