Khaling language

Khaling (kʰɛ̂l brâː ख्या:ल् ब्रा:) is a Kiranti language spoken in Solukhumbu district, Nepal and Sikkim, Darjeeling, and Kalimpong in India. It is one of the few Kiranti languages with tonal contrasts, which are of secondary origin.^[2][3]

Khaling
khāliṅ
खालिङ
Native to	Nepal
Region	Solukhumbu and Khotang districts
Ethnicity	Khaling Rai
Native speakers	14,467 in Nepal (2011 census)[1] unknown number in India[1]
Language family	Sino-Tibetan Tibeto-Burman Mahakiranti (?) Kiranti Western Upper Dudhkosi Khaling
Writing system	Devanagari
Language codes
ISO 639-3	klr
Glottolog	khal1275
ELP	Khaling

Khaling has approximately 15,000 speakers and is therefore considered a vulnerable language. Khaling has a complex system of stem alternations: as many as 10 distinct stems have to be posited for a word (Jacques et al. 2012). Khaling is very unusual in having an auditory demonstrative (see Jacques and Lahaussois 2014). Khaling is also known as Rai, Khalinge Rai, Khael Bra, and Khael Baat.^[4]

General information

Khaling is still being acquired by children who live in Khaling-speaking areas, as well as non-Khaling children who happen to live in that area.

Geographical distribution

Khaling is spoken in the following VDC's of Nepal (Ethnologue).

• Solukhumbu District, Province No. 1: Kanku, Basa, Waku, Buksa, Jubing, Pawai and Phuleli villages
• Khotang District, Province No. 1: Buipa Fuleli and Kharmi villages
• Udayapur District, Province No. 1: Triyuga Municipality Gaighat, Basaha, Belter, Rampur city.
• Sankhuwasabha District, Province No. 1: Tungkhaling village
• Sunsari District, Province No. 1: Dharan
• Ilam District, Province No. 1: Pang, Sumbek, and Mai Pokhari villages

Phonology

Vowels

Vowel phonemes

	Front		Central				Back
	unrounded		rounded		unrounded		rounded
	short	long	short	long	short	long	short	long
High	i ⟨इ⟩	iː	ʉ ⟨अ्यु⟩	ʉː			u ⟨उ⟩	uː
High-mid	e ⟨ए⟩	eː	ɵ ⟨अ्यो⟩	ɵː			o ⟨ओ⟩	oː
Low-mid	ɛ ⟨अ्या⟩	ɛː			ʌ ⟨अ⟩		oɔ ⟨अ्वा⟩
Low					ä ⟨आ⟩	äː

• Khaling language has rising-falling is denoted by using / ः/ while using Devanagari script.
• /ʌ/ and /oɔ/ doesn't have long vowel sound.
• Long vowel is denote by using /ऽ/.

Consonants

Khaling consonant phonemes

			Bilabial	Dental	alveolar	Velar	Glottal
Nasal			m ⟨म⟩		n ⟨न⟩	ŋ ⟨ङ⟩
Affricate	voiceless	unaspirated	p ⟨प⟩	t̪ ⟨त⟩	ts ⟨च⟩	k ⟨क⟩	ʔ ⟨अ्⟩
		aspirated	pʰ ⟨फ⟩	t̪ʰ ⟨थ⟩	tsʰ ⟨छ⟩	kʰ ⟨ख⟩
	voiced	unaspirated	b ⟨ब⟩	d̪ ⟨द⟩	dz ⟨ज⟩	ɡ ⟨ग⟩
		aspirated	bʱ ⟨भ⟩	d̪ʱ ⟨ध⟩	dzʱ ⟨झ⟩	ɡʱ ⟨घ⟩
Fricative				s ⟨स⟩		h x ⟨ह⟩
Trill				r ⟨र⟩
Lateral				l ⟨ल⟩
Frictionless continuant			w ⟨व⟩		j ⟨य⟩

• Glotta stop [ʔ] is one of the consonants of Koyu/Koyee(Koi) language which is represent by using ⟨अ्⟩.
• To write Khaling language Devanagari lipi or Kirat Sirijungga lipi is used.

See also

• Rai people