Mugom–Karmarong is the

Sino-Tibetan language Sino-Tibetan (also referred to as Trans-Himalayan) is a family of more than 400 languages, second only to Indo-European in number of native speakers. Around 1.4 billion people speak a Sino-Tibetan language. The vast majority of these are the 1.3 ...

variety of the

Tibetan people Tibetans () are an East Asian people, East Asian ethnic group Indigenous peoples, native to Tibet. Their current population is estimated to be around 7.7 million. In addition to the majority living in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China, sig ...

Mugu district Mugu District ( ), a part of Karnali Province, is one of the seventy-seven districts of Nepal. The district, with Gamgadhi as its district headquarters, covers an area of and had a population (2011) of 55,286. Mugu is known for being both the ...

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 ...

. This language variety represents two

dialect A dialect is a Variety (linguistics), variety of language spoken by a particular group of people. This may include dominant and standard language, standardized varieties as well as Vernacular language, vernacular, unwritten, or non-standardize ...

s Mugom and Karmarong, which are spoken by distinct ethnicities and are separate languages in the perceptions of these groups. Based on census data taken in 2011, the total population of Mugom–Karmarong is estimated to be about 7,500 speakers.

Language identity

Speakers have two distinct ethnic identities Mugali and Karani, and therefore perceive that they speak two different but related languages; Mugom language and Karmarong language. These two languages are

mutually intelligible In linguistics, mutual intelligibility is a relationship between different but related language varieties in which speakers of the different varieties can readily understand each other without prior familiarity or special effort. Mutual intellig ...

and are about 85% lexically similar. Intelligibility testing between the two varieties indicated that the Mugali and Karani can understand each others speech.

Language classification

Mugom–Karmarong is traditionally classified as

Tibeto-Burman The Tibeto-Burman languages are the non- Sinitic members of the Sino-Tibetan language family, over 400 of which are spoken throughout the Southeast Asian Massif ("Zomia") as well as parts of East Asia and South Asia. Around 60 million people speak ...

, Western Tibeto-Burman, Bodish, Central Bodish, Central (

Tibetic The Tibetic languages form a well-defined group of languages descending from Old Tibetan.Tournadre, Nicolas. 2014. "The Tibetic languages and their classification." In ''Trans-Himalayan linguistics, historical and descriptive linguistics of the H ...

). It has been further identified with both the gTsang and mNgahris sub-groups of Central (Tibetan) at various times. These subgroups are names of Central Tibetan dialects associated with

Lhasa Lhasa, officially the Chengguan District of Lhasa City, is the inner urban district of Lhasa (city), Lhasa City, Tibet Autonomous Region, Southwestern China. Lhasa is the second most populous urban area on the Tibetan Plateau after Xining ...

and Ngari of the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR), respectively. Tournadre uses the term ''"Tibetic"'' as a sub-level classification referring to languages descended from Old Tibetan, grouped into 8 geographic categories. Under this more simplified classification, Mugom–Karmarong can be identified under Old Tibetan as South-Western Tibetic. Closely related languages in this group include Humla utto the west and

Dolpo Dolpo ( ) is a high-altitude culturally Tibetan region in the upper part of the Dolpa District of western Nepal, bordered in the north by China.. Part of the region lies in Shey Phoksundo National Park. The sparse, agro-pastoral population, ...

reto the east, the closest geographically, as well as Gyalsumdo

gyo , fully titled in Japan, is a horror ''seinen'' manga written and illustrated by Junji Ito, appearing as a serial in the weekly manga magazine ''Big Comic Spirits'' from 2001 to 2002. Shogakukan collected the chapters into two bound volume ...

], Yolmo language, Hyolmo [scp], Jirel language, Jirel [ethnologue:jul, jul], Kyirong language, Kyerong [ethnologue:kgy, kgy], Lhomi language, Lhomi [ethnologue:lhm, lhm], Lowa language, Lhowa loy">ethnologue:loy">loy Nubri kte">ethnologue:kte">kte

Sherpa SHERPA (Securing a Hybrid Environment for Research Preservation and Access) is an organisation originally set up in 2002 to run and manage the SHERPA Project. History SHERPA began as an endeavour to support the establishment of a number of open ...

xsr">ethnologue:xsr">xsr Syuba syw">ethnologue:syw">syw Tichurong

tcn TCN is the flagship television station of the Nine Network in Australia. The station is currently located at 1 Denison Street, North Sydney. The licence, issued to a company named Television Corporation Ltd headed by Frank Packer, was one of the ...

], Tsum language, Tsum [ethnologue:ttz, ttz], Walungge language, Walungge [ethnologue:ola, ola].

References

{{Reflist Languages of Nepal Bodish languages