Karmarong language, also known as Karmai kat or Kar-ket, is the
Sino-Tibetan language of the
Karmarong people (
Tibetan
Tibetan may mean:
* of, from, or related to Tibet
* Tibetan people, an ethnic group
* Tibetan language:
** Classical Tibetan, the classical language used also as a contemporary written standard
** Standard Tibetan, the most widely used spoken dial ...
) of
Mugu district in
Nepal (
ISO 639-3:
muk, GlottoCode
mugo1238.
[Isensee, Jonathan Paul. (2022). Documentation and Vitality Assessment of the Karmarong Language. Kathmandu: Tribhuvan University.]
Language name
Karmarong speakers self-identify as ''"Karmarong,"'' and are referred to as ''"
Karani"'' by non-Tibetan peoples of the area. Karmarong speakers often refer to their language in general terms such as ''"Bhote"'' or ''"Tibetan."''
However, when asked the name for their specific native tongue, they use ''"Karmarong"'' or ''"Karmai kat."''
Speakers
Karmarong is spoken by roughly 2,600 people originating from twelve villages along the
Mugu Karnali River in
Mugum Karmarong Rural Municipality
Mugum Karmarong ( ne, मुगुम कार्मारोंग गाउँपालिका) is a rural municipality located in Mugu District of Karnali Province of Nepal.
The rural municipality spans of area, with a total population o ...
.
The language is specifically associated with Karmarong Tibetan people. Diaspora communities of Karmarong can be found in the neighboring districts of
Jumla, in the capital city of
Kathmandu (
Bouddha), and in
Manali Manali may refer to:
Places in India
* Manali, Himachal Pradesh,
* Manali, Chennai, a locality of Chennai
* Manali New Town, a locality of Chennai
* Manali, Gummidipoondi, a village in Tamil Nadu
* Manali River, a river in Kerala
People
* ...
,
India.
Language vitality
In 2021, a sociolinguistic study found that Karmarong speakers use their language in the domains of daily life and interaction with their own people. It was also discovered that Karmarong is being transmitted to children in the villages.
The
Ethnologue
''Ethnologue: Languages of the World'' (stylized as ''Ethnoloɠue'') is an annual reference publication in print and online that provides statistics and other information on the living languages of the world. It is the world's most comprehensiv ...
has assigned
EGIDS
The Expanded Graded Intergenerational Disruption Scale (EGIDS), developed by Lewis and Simons (2010), measures a language's status in terms of endangerment
Endangerment is a type of crime involving conduct that is wrongful and reckless or wanto ...
level 6a "vigorous" to the
Mugom-Karmarong (ISO 639-3: muk). This level denotes oral use of Karmarong is stable, and that the speaker population is not decreasing.
[Lewis, M. Paul, and Gary F. Simons. (2016). Sustaining language use: Perspectives on community based language development. Dallas, TX: SIL International.]
Resources
* Karmarong primer
The Illumination of the Karmarong Language and Writing: Book 1* Karmarong primer
The Illumination of the Karmarong Language and Writing: Book 2* Sociolinguistic study: Isensee, Jonathan Paul. (2022). Documentation and Vitality Assessment of the Karmarong Language. Kathmandu: Tribhuvan University.
* Lexicon of Karmarong Language: Appendix A of Isensee (2022) (
Tibetan
Tibetan may mean:
* of, from, or related to Tibet
* Tibetan people, an ethnic group
* Tibetan language:
** Classical Tibetan, the classical language used also as a contemporary written standard
** Standard Tibetan, the most widely used spoken dial ...
,
Devanagari, and
IPA
IPA commonly refers to:
* India pale ale, a style of beer
* International Phonetic Alphabet, a system of phonetic notation
* Isopropyl alcohol, a chemical compound
IPA may also refer to:
Organizations International
* Insolvency Practitioners ...
)
References
Central Bodish languages
Languages of Nepal
Languages of India
{{SinoTibetan-lang-stub