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Newar language
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Newar language
Newar (English: /nəˈwɑːr/; 𑐣𑐾𑐥𑐵𑐮 𑐨𑐵𑐲𑐵, nepāla bhāṣā) 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. The language is known officially in Nepal as Nepal Bhasa, a name that has been historically used for the language. The term "Newari" is also used to refer to the language, although the Indic -i suffix is considered inappropriate by some Newar speakers.
The language served as the official language of Nepal during the Malla dynasty since the 14th century till the end of dynasty in 1769 during which the language was referred as "Nepal Bhasa", a term which literally means "Nepalese Language". However, the language is not the same as Nepali, an Indo-Aryan language and the current official language of Nepal, which only got the name Nepali in the 1930s. Literature in Newar is one of the oldest in Nepal, dating back to at least 600 years ago.
From the start of the Rana dynasty in the 1840s 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 "Definitely endangered" by UNESCO.
On 6 May 2024, Newar, along with Tamang and Nepali was declared as the official language of Bagmati Province. Similarly, Newar is given official status in several city governments of Nepal including Kathmandu.
The official and historical name of the language, Nepal Bhasa, which literally means Nepal Language, originates from Nepal. Historically, Nepal was only used to refer to the Kathmandu Valley and its surroundings, where the language was native to. A larger region surrounding the valley is known as Nepal Mandala. Therefore, the language spoken in Nepal Mandala became known as Nepal Bhasa.
The name "Nepal Bhasa" is ubiquitous in sources from the Malla dynasty to refer to the language. The earliest occurrences of the name Nepālabhāṣā (Devanāgarī: नेपालभाषा) or Nepālavāc (Devanāgarī: नेपालवाच) used to refer to the language, can be found in the manuscripts of a commentary to the Nāradasaṃhitā, dated 1380, and a commentary to the Amarkośa, dated 1386. Some inscriptions from the Malla Dynasty refer to the language as deśabhāṣā (Pracalit Script: 𑐡𑐾𑐱𑐨𑐵𑐲𑐵 , lit. 'language of the country') and svadeśabhāṣā (Pracalit Script: 𑐳𑑂𑐰𑐡𑐾𑐱𑐨𑐵𑐲𑐵, lit. 'language of one's own country'). Similarly, Father Cassiano da Macerata, a Capuchin missionary who visited Nepal in the 1740s referred to the language as Nepalese.
The term "Newari" as a name for the language was coined by Brian Hodgson in 1847 and since then used by most western scholars. The term "Newari" is considered by many Newars to be inappropriate as it is the Sanskritisation of "Newar". "Newar" is generally believed to be related to the word "Nepal", possibly derived by the replacement of the 'la' sound with a 'ra' sound, a common practice in historical documents from Nepal. Historically, the term "Newar" itself was rarely used, only finding use in the travelogue of some of the Capuchin missionaries who visited Nepal during the Malla dynasty. Only two sources from the Malla dynasty use the term "Newar" to refer to the language or its script; the multilingual stone inscription of Pratap Malla uses "nevāra ākhara" ("newar alphabet") to refer to the Pracalit script and another stone inscription set up by Pratap Malla in 1652 uses the term nevārabhāṣā ("newar language") to refer to the language.
In the 1920s, the language known as Khas Kura, Gorkhali or Parbatiya was renamed to Nepali. Conversely, the term Gorkhali in the former national anthem entitled "Shreeman Gambhir" was changed to Nepali in 1951. Gorkha Bhasa Prakashini Samiti (Gorkha Language Publishing Committee), a government institution established in 1913 (B.S. 1970) for advancement of Gorkha Bhasa, renamed itself as Nepali Bhasa Prakashini Samiti (Nepali Language Publishing Committee) in 1933 (B.S. 1990), which is currently known as Sajha Prakashan.
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Newar language AI simulator
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Newar language
Newar (English: /nəˈwɑːr/; 𑐣𑐾𑐥𑐵𑐮 𑐨𑐵𑐲𑐵, nepāla bhāṣā) 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. The language is known officially in Nepal as Nepal Bhasa, a name that has been historically used for the language. The term "Newari" is also used to refer to the language, although the Indic -i suffix is considered inappropriate by some Newar speakers.
The language served as the official language of Nepal during the Malla dynasty since the 14th century till the end of dynasty in 1769 during which the language was referred as "Nepal Bhasa", a term which literally means "Nepalese Language". However, the language is not the same as Nepali, an Indo-Aryan language and the current official language of Nepal, which only got the name Nepali in the 1930s. Literature in Newar is one of the oldest in Nepal, dating back to at least 600 years ago.
From the start of the Rana dynasty in the 1840s 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 "Definitely endangered" by UNESCO.
On 6 May 2024, Newar, along with Tamang and Nepali was declared as the official language of Bagmati Province. Similarly, Newar is given official status in several city governments of Nepal including Kathmandu.
The official and historical name of the language, Nepal Bhasa, which literally means Nepal Language, originates from Nepal. Historically, Nepal was only used to refer to the Kathmandu Valley and its surroundings, where the language was native to. A larger region surrounding the valley is known as Nepal Mandala. Therefore, the language spoken in Nepal Mandala became known as Nepal Bhasa.
The name "Nepal Bhasa" is ubiquitous in sources from the Malla dynasty to refer to the language. The earliest occurrences of the name Nepālabhāṣā (Devanāgarī: नेपालभाषा) or Nepālavāc (Devanāgarī: नेपालवाच) used to refer to the language, can be found in the manuscripts of a commentary to the Nāradasaṃhitā, dated 1380, and a commentary to the Amarkośa, dated 1386. Some inscriptions from the Malla Dynasty refer to the language as deśabhāṣā (Pracalit Script: 𑐡𑐾𑐱𑐨𑐵𑐲𑐵 , lit. 'language of the country') and svadeśabhāṣā (Pracalit Script: 𑐳𑑂𑐰𑐡𑐾𑐱𑐨𑐵𑐲𑐵, lit. 'language of one's own country'). Similarly, Father Cassiano da Macerata, a Capuchin missionary who visited Nepal in the 1740s referred to the language as Nepalese.
The term "Newari" as a name for the language was coined by Brian Hodgson in 1847 and since then used by most western scholars. The term "Newari" is considered by many Newars to be inappropriate as it is the Sanskritisation of "Newar". "Newar" is generally believed to be related to the word "Nepal", possibly derived by the replacement of the 'la' sound with a 'ra' sound, a common practice in historical documents from Nepal. Historically, the term "Newar" itself was rarely used, only finding use in the travelogue of some of the Capuchin missionaries who visited Nepal during the Malla dynasty. Only two sources from the Malla dynasty use the term "Newar" to refer to the language or its script; the multilingual stone inscription of Pratap Malla uses "nevāra ākhara" ("newar alphabet") to refer to the Pracalit script and another stone inscription set up by Pratap Malla in 1652 uses the term nevārabhāṣā ("newar language") to refer to the language.
In the 1920s, the language known as Khas Kura, Gorkhali or Parbatiya was renamed to Nepali. Conversely, the term Gorkhali in the former national anthem entitled "Shreeman Gambhir" was changed to Nepali in 1951. Gorkha Bhasa Prakashini Samiti (Gorkha Language Publishing Committee), a government institution established in 1913 (B.S. 1970) for advancement of Gorkha Bhasa, renamed itself as Nepali Bhasa Prakashini Samiti (Nepali Language Publishing Committee) in 1933 (B.S. 1990), which is currently known as Sajha Prakashan.
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