Concept information
Preferred term
Nepal Bhasa
Definition
- Nepal Bhasa or Newar is a Sino-Tibetan language of central Nepal belonging to the Himalayish sub-branch. It is spoken natively by the Newar people, the indigenous inhabitants of Nepal Mandala, which consists of the Kathmandu Valley and surrounding regions in Nepal. The name Nepal Bhasa was historically used for the language and is also the name used in official contexts by the Government of Nepal. Despite the similar nomenclature, it is distinct from the Nepali language, an Indo-Aryan language which replaced Newar as the national language after the conquest of Nepal by the Shah Dynasty, and additionally only adopted the name Nepali in the 1930s. Literature in Nepal Bhasa is one of the oldest in Nepal, dating back to at least 600 years ago. Today Nepal Bhasa has been listed as ‘Definitely endangered’ by UNESCO.
Entry terms
- Newar
- Newari
Identifier
- NEW
Notation
- new
In other languages
-
Nepalbhasa
Newari
-
Nevāh Bhāy
URI
http://publications.europa.eu/resource/authority/language/NEW
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