Jumli language

Jumli or Jumli Khas (Jumli-Devanagari: जुम्ली खस) is an Indo-Aryan language of Nepal closely related to Nepali. It is primarily spoken in Jumla district and surroundings district in the Karnali Province of Nepal.^{[citation needed]} The language is occasionally referred to as a dialect of Nepali; however, the Government of Nepal considers Jumli as a different language. The numbers of native speakers estimated 40,000.^[3][4] The Khas language is known as the parent language of Nepali language.

Jumli Khas
जुम्ली खस
The word "Jumli Khas" written in Jumli-Devanagari script
Native to	Nepal
Region	Himalayas Karnali Province
Native speakers	40,000[1]
Language family	Indo-European Indo-Iranian Indo-Aryan Northern Eastern Pahari Jumli Khas
Dialects	Asi Darali Tribikoti Rasakoti Muhu
Writing system	Devanagari (Jumli alphabet)
Official status
Official language in	Nepal Karnali Province (additional official)[2]
Language codes
ISO 639-3	jml
Glottolog	juml1238
Jumli speaking areas

Dialects

• Asi Darali, spoken in 80 Dara, 500 Dara and Sinja Dara of Jumla district.
• Tribikoti, spoken in 1420 Dara of Jumla district and Dolpa District.
• Rasakoti, spoken in Kalikot District.
• Muhu, spoken in Mugu District and Humla District.^[5]

Script

Jumli Khas language uses the Devanagari 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.^[6]

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.^[7] 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.

Jumli Khas vowel phonemes

	Front	Central	Back
Close	i		u
Close-mid	e		o
Open-mid			ʌ
Open		a

Consonants

Jumli Khas consonant phonemes

			Bilabial	Dental	Alveolar	Retroflex	Palatal	Velar	Glottal
Nasal			m ⟨म⟩		n ⟨न⟩			ŋ ⟨ङ⟩
Plosive/ Affricate	voiceless	unaspirated	p ⟨प⟩	t ⟨त⟩	t͡s ⟨च⟩	ʈ ⟨ट⟩		k ⟨क⟩
		aspirated	pʰ ⟨फ⟩	tʰ ⟨थ⟩	t͡sʰ ⟨छ⟩	ʈʰ ⟨ठ⟩		kʰ ⟨ख⟩
	voiced	unaspirated	b ⟨ब⟩	d ⟨द⟩	d͡z ⟨ज⟩	ɖ ⟨ड⟩		ɡ ⟨ग⟩
		aspirated	bʱ ⟨भ⟩	dʱ ⟨ध⟩	d͡zʱ ⟨झ⟩	ɖʱ ⟨ढ⟩		ɡʱ ⟨घ⟩
Fricative					s ⟨स⟩				ɦ ⟨ह⟩
Rhotic					r ⟨र⟩
Approximant			(w ⟨व⟩)		l ⟨ल⟩		(j ⟨य⟩)

The standard record regarding the grammar and vocabulary was not collected and standardized as of 2022.^[6] On 15 August 2022, at the initiative of the local government, the Language Commission started the process of documenting and archiving the language.^[8] According to proposal, 24 vowels and 41 consonant characters were finalized for developing writing system of the language.^[9]

Present status

In 2020, twenty-eight schools in Tatopani Rural Municipality of Jumla District started teaching in Jumli Khas language.^[10]

Dictionary

In 2008, Ramanand Acharya started compiling the first ever Jumli Khas Dictionary titled Khasiya Akhar.^[11] Khas means Khas people 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.^[12] The Karnali Province government allocated funds for the process in the budget of the fiscal year 2077/2078 BS (2020/2021).^[13]