Magar language

Not to be confused with the Magyar language, known in English as Hungarian
Magar
Dhut, मगर भाषा
Native to Nepal
Ethnicity 1.9 million Magar people and others who claim to be Magar (2011 census)[1]
Native speakers
 840,000 (2001–2006)[1]
Official status
Official language in
 Nepal
Sikkim, India
Language codes
ISO 639-3 Either:
mgp – Eastern Magar
mrd – Western Magar
Glottolog maga1261[2]

Dhut magar (Nepali: मगर भाषा Dhut magar bhasa) is a language spoken mainly in Nepal, Southern Bhutan, Darjeeling, India, and Sikkim, India, by the Magar people. It is divided into two groups (Eastern and Western) and further dialect divisions give distinct tribal identity.[3] In Nepal 788,530 people speak the language.

While the government of Nepal developed Magar language curricula, as provisioned by constitution, the teaching materials have never successfully reached Magar schools, where most school instruction is in Nepali language.[4] It's not unusual for groups with their own language to feel that the "mother-tongue" is an essential part of identity. Dhut Magar language is sometimes lumped with Kham magar language spoken further west in Bheri, Dhaulagiri, Karnali and Rapti zones. Although the two languages have a large number of words in common, they have major structural differences and are not mutually intelligible.[5]

Geographical distribution

Western Magar (dialects: Palpa and Syangja) is spoken in the following districts of Nepal (Ethnologue).

Eastern Magar (dialects: Gorkha, Nawalparasi, and Tanahu) is spoken in the following districts of Nepal (Ethnologue).

References

  1. 1 2 Eastern Magar at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
    Western Magar at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
  2. ↑ Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin; Bank, Sebastian, eds. (2016). "Magar". Glottolog 2.7. Jena: Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History.
  3. ↑ "The Eastern Magar of Nepal". Archived from the original on 2007-03-18. Retrieved 2007-09-12.
  4. ↑ B. K. Rana. "Mother Tongue Education for Social Inclusion and Conflict Resolution". Appeals, News and Views from Endangered Communities. Foundation for Endangered Languages. Retrieved 2007-09-12.
  5. ↑ http://www.thlib.org/static/reprints/contributions/CNAS_20_02_02.pdf

Further reading

Magar language test of Wikipedia at Wikimedia Incubator


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