Newar language
Newar (English: /nəˈwɑːr/) or Newari, known officially in Nepal as Nepal Bhasa, 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.
| 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 to | Nepal |
| Region | Nepal Mandala |
| Ethnicity | 1.25 million Newars |
Native speakers | 860,000 (2011 census) |
Early form | |
| Dialects |
|
| Ranjana script, Pracalit script, Bhujimol script, Devanagari and various Nepalese scripts | |
| Official status | |
Official language in | India
|
| Regulated by | Nepal Bhasa Academy |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-2 | new Nepal Bhasa, Newari |
| ISO 639-3 | Variously:new – Newarinwx – Middle Newarphj – Pahari Newar |
new Newari | |
nwx Middle Newar | |
| Glottolog | newa1247 |
"Nepal Bhasa" literally means "Nepalese language"; however, the language is not the same as Nepali (Devanāgarī: नेपाली), the country's current official language of the central government. The two languages belong to different language families (Sino-Tibetan and Indo-European, respectively), but centuries of contact have resulted in a significant body of shared vocabulary.
Newar was Nepal's administrative language from the 14th to the late 18th century. From the early 20th century until democratisation, Newar suffered from official suppression. From 1952 to 1991, the percentage of Newar speakers in the Kathmandu Valley dropped from 75% to 44% and today Newar culture and language are under threat. The language has been listed as being "Definitely endangered language" by UNESCO.