Bahing
RegionNepal
EthnicityBahing
Native speakers
12,000 (2011 census)[1]
Official status
Official language in
Nepal
Language codes
ISO 639-3bhj
Glottologbahi1252
ELPBahing
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Bahing (also known as Paiwa, Dungmowa, Rukhusalu, Waripsawa, Timriwa, Dhimriwa, Nayango, Dhayango, Khaliwa/Khaluwa, Rendukpa/Rendu, Rungbu[2]) is a language spoken by 14449 people (census 2021) of the Bahing ethnic group in Nepal.[3] It belongs to the family of Kiranti languages, a subgroup of Sino-Tibetan.

The group Rumdali is also known as Nechali among some of them.

Names

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Ethnologue lists the following alternate names for Bahing: Baying, Ikke lo, Kiranti-Bahing, Pai Lo, Radu lo. Procha lo

Geographical distribution

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Bahing is spoken in the following locations of Nepal (Ethnologue).

Dialects

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According to Ethnologue, Bahing consists of the Rumdali, Nechali, Tolacha, Moblocha, and Hangu dialects, with 85% or above intelligibility among all dialects.

Documentation

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The Bahing language was described by Brian Houghton Hodgson (1857, 1858) as having a very complex verbal morphology. By the 1970s, only vestiges were left, making Bahing a case study of grammatical attrition and language death.

Phonology

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Bahing and the related Khaling language have synchronic ten-vowel systems. The difference of [mərə] "monkey" vs. [mɯrɯ] "human being" is difficult to perceive for speakers of even neighboring dialects, which makes for "an unlimited source of fun to the Bahing people" (de Boer 2002 PDF).

Vowels

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Vowel phonemes
Front Central Back
unrounded unrounded unrounded rounded
short long short long short long short long
High i ⟨इ⟩ iː ⟨इः⟩ ɯ ⟨उ़⟩ ɯː ⟨उ़ः⟩ u ⟨उ⟩ uː ⟨उः⟩
High-mid e ⟨ए⟩ eː ⟨एः⟩ ɤ ⟨ओ़⟩ ɤː ⟨ओ़ः⟩ o ⟨ओ⟩ oː ⟨ओः⟩
Low-mid ɛ ⟨ए़⟩ ʌ ⟨अ⟩ ʌː ⟨अः⟩
Low ä ⟨आ⟩ äː ⟨आः⟩

Consonants

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Bahing consonant phonemes
Bilabial Dental Apico-
alveolar 		Lamino-
alveolar 		Palatal Velar Glottal
Nasal m ⟨म⟩ n ⟨न⟩ ŋ ⟨ङ⟩
Plosive/
Affricate 		implosive ɓ ⟨ळ⟩
voiceless unaspirated p ⟨प⟩ t̪ ⟨त⟩ t ⟨ट⟩ t͡s ⟨च⟩ k ⟨क⟩ ʔ
aspirated pʰ ⟨फ⟩ t̪ʰ ⟨थ⟩ tʰ ⟨ठ⟩ t͡sʰ ⟨छ⟩ kʰ ⟨ख⟩
voiced unaspirated b ⟨ब⟩ d̪ ⟨द⟩ d ⟨ड⟩ d͡z ⟨ज⟩ ɡ ⟨ग⟩
aspirated bʱ ⟨भ⟩ d̪ʱ ⟨ध⟩ dʱ ⟨ढ⟩ d͡zʱ ⟨झ⟩ ɡʱ ⟨घ⟩
Fricative s ⟨स⟩ ɦ ⟨ह⟩
Trill r ⟨र⟩
Lateral l ⟨ल⟩
Approximant w ⟨व⟩ j ⟨य⟩

Morphology

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Hodgson (1857) reported a middle voice formed by a suffix -s(i) added to the verbal stem, corresponding to reflexives in other Kiranti languages.

References

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  1. ^ Bahing at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  2. ^ linked to Rumjatar by Hanßon–Winter 1991
  3. ^ Detailed language map of eastern Nepal, see language #4 near the map's north/south center and about 2/3 of the way from east to west
[edit]
Sino-Tibetan branches
Western Himalayas (Himachal,
Uttarakhand, Nepal, Sikkim)
Greater Magaric
Map of Sino-Tibetan languages
Eastern Himalayas
(Tibet, Bhutan, Arunachal)
Myanmar and Indo-
Burmese border
"Naga"
Sal
East and Southeast Asia
Burmo-Qiangic
Dubious (possible
isolates) (Arunachal)
Greater Siangic
Proposed groupings
Proto-languages
Italics indicates single languages that are also considered to be separate branches.
Limbu
Western
Central
Eastern
Dhimalish
Official language
Indigenous
languages
Sino-Tibetan
Kiranti
Magaric
Tamangic
Tibetic
Other
Indo-Aryan
Sign language
Other


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