Jumli or Jumli Khas ( Jumli-Devanagari: जुम्ली खस) is an Indo-Aryan language of

Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...

closely related to Nepali. It is primarily spoken in

Jumla district Jumla District (), is one of the ten districts of Nepal, districts of the Karnali Province, Karnali province of Nepal. This district has Jumla (town), Jumla as its headquarters, an area of ; it had populations of 89,427 and 108,921, respectivel ...

and surroundings district in the Karnali Province of Nepal. The language is occasionally referred to as a dialect of Nepali; however, the

Government of Nepal The Government of Nepal () is the central executive authority of the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal. The government is led by the Prime Minister of Nepal, prime minister (K. P. Sharma Oli, K.P. Oli since 15 July 2024) who selects all the o ...

considers Jumli as a different language. The numbers of native speakers estimated 40,000. The Khas language is known as the parent language of

Nepali language Nepali (; , ), or ''Gorkhali'' is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language native to the Himalayas region of South Asia. It is the official and most widely spoken Languages of Nepal, language of Nepal, where it also serves as a ''lingua fr ...

Dialects

* Asi Darali, spoken in 80 Dara, 500 Dara and Sinja Dara of

. * Tribikoti, spoken in 1420 Dara of Jumla district and Dolpa District. * Rasakoti, spoken in Kalikot District. * Muhu, spoken in Mugu District and

Humla District Humla District (), a part of Karnali Province, is one of the seventy-seven districts of Nepal. The district, with Simikot as its district headquarters, covers an area of and has population of 50,858 as per the census of 2011. Namkha is the larg ...

Script

Jumli Khas language uses the

Devanagari Devanagari ( ; in script: , , ) is an Indic script used in the Indian subcontinent. It is a left-to-right abugida (a type of segmental Writing systems#Segmental systems: alphabets, writing system), based on the ancient ''Brāhmī script, Brā ...

script.

History

Khas language is considered to be the parent language of Nepali. The language is considered to developed in Sinja Valley of Karnali province.

2017 Proposed Phonology

On 17 August 2017, a draft regarding 'Jumli Khas language writing style' was proposed. The draft proposed 29 consonants and 6 vowels for writing the language. According to Ramanand Acharya, a linguist and editor of the Jumli Khas dictionary, the proposed draft was prepared based on the Khas language and colloquial language and vernacular spoken in the then Karnali Khas Kingdom. However, on 15 August 2022, the Language Commission of Nepal finalized a phonology with 24 vowels and 41 consonant characters.

Vowels

Unlike Nepali, Jumli Khas only have 6 oral vowels.

Consonants

The standard record regarding the grammar and vocabulary was not collected and standardized as of 2022. On 15 August 2022, at the initiative of the local government, the Language Commission started the process of documenting and archiving the language. According to proposal, 24 vowels and 41 consonant characters were finalized for developing writing system of the language.

Present status

In 2020, twenty-eight schools in Tatopani Rural Municipality of

Jumla District Jumla District (), is one of the ten districts of Nepal, districts of the Karnali Province, Karnali province of Nepal. This district has Jumla (town), Jumla as its headquarters, an area of ; it had populations of 89,427 and 108,921, respectivel ...

started teaching in Jumli Khas language.

Dictionary

In 2008, Ramanand Acharya started compiling the first ever Jumli Khas Dictionary titled ''Khasiya Akhar''. ''Khas'' means

Khas people Khas peoples or Khas Tribes, (; ) popularly known as Khashiya are an Indo-Aryan ethno-linguistic group native to the Himalayan region of the Indian subcontinent, in what is now the South Asian country of Nepal, as well as the Indian stat ...

and ''Aakhar'' means word or a letter. As of 2019, he had collected around 25 thousands words. The collection process has been at a slow rate due to lack of funding. The Karnali Province government allocated funds for the process in the budget of the fiscal year 2077/2078 BS (2020/2021).

References

{{Languages of Nepal Indo-Aryan languages Languages of Nepal Languages of Karnali Province Languages written in Devanagari