Bantawa
ᤒᤠᤴᤋᤠᤘᤠ; बान्तावा
The word "Bantawa" written in Devanagari script
RegionNepal, and Sikkim, Darjeeling, Kalimpong in India
EthnicityBantawa Kirawa (natively)
Native speakers
170,000 (2001 & 2011 censuses)[1]
Kirat Sirijunga Lipi, Kirat Rai,[2] Devanagari
Official status
Official language in
Language codes
ISO 639-3bap – inclusive code
Individual code:
wly – Waling
Glottologbant1280
ELPBantawa
Bantawa is classified as Vulnerable by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger

The Bantawa Language (also referred to as An Yüng, Bantaba, Bantawa Dum, Bantawa Yong, Bantawa Yüng, Bontawa, Kirawa Yüng), is a Kiranti language spoken in the eastern Himalayan hills of eastern Nepal by Kirati Bantawa ethnic groups. They use a syllabic alphabet system known as Kirat Rai. Among the Khambu or Rai people of Eastern Nepal, Sikkim, Darjeeling and Kalimpong in India, Bantawa is the largest language spoken.[3] According to the 2001 National Census, at least 1.63% of the Nepal's total population speaks Bantawa. About 370,000 speak Bantawa Language mostly in eastern hilly regions of Nepal (2001). Although Bantawa is among the more widely used variety of the Bantawa language, it falls in the below-100,000 category of endangered languages.[4] It is experiencing language shift to Nepali, especially in the northern region.[5]

Bantawa is spoken in subject-object-verb order, and has no noun classes or genders.[6]

Dialects

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Most of the Bantawa clan are now settled in Bhojpur, Dharan, Illam, and Dhankuta. Recent figures show most of them are settled in Dharan. Bantawa is spoken in the following districts of Nepal (Ethnologue).

Dialects are as follows (Ethnologue).

Northern subdialects: Mangpahang, Raipachha, Awaichha, Rungchenbung and Yangma
Southern and Northern Bantawa, similar, could be united as 'Intermediate Bantawa'.
Eastern dialect is the most divergent. It is most closely related to Dungmali language, though also related to Puma language, Sampang language, and Chhintange language.
Amchaucke dialects: Sorung, Saharaja, Lulam, and Sukita

Bantawa is also considered as a superior clan in the Kiranti family. Bantawa is also reportedly in use as a lingua franca among Rai minorities in Himalayan Sikkim, Darjeeling Kalimpong In India and Bhutan. Meanwhile, the language is just being introduced in a few schools at the primary level (Year 1- Year 5)[7] using Devanagari script.[8][9]

The extinct Waling language attested from the late 19th century may have been a variety of Bantawa, or a closely related language, if not the Hatuwali dialect the Waling people speak today.

Bantawa language

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Bantawa IPA Nepali English
Sewa सेवा sewä नमस्ते Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening,
Kok कोक kok भात Food, Rice
Khan खान kʰän तरकारी Curry
Münachi मनाचि mɨnätsi मानिसहरू People
Diwa दिवा diwä बाजे Grandfather
Dima दिमा dimä बजू Grandmother
Papa पापा päpä बुबा Father
Mama मामा mämä आमा Mother
Nana नाना nänä दिदी Elder-sister
Nichhama निछामा nitsʰmä बहिनी Little-Sister
Dewa देवा dewä ठूलो बुबा Uncle elder to dad
Dema देमा demä बडी आमा Aunt Elder to Dad/ Dad's elder sister-in-law
Baŋa बाङा bäŋä काका Uncle younger to Dad
Chhɨna छ़ना tsʰɨnä काकी Younger uncle wife
Büwa ब़वा bɨwä दाजु Elder Brother
Nichha निछा nit͡sʰä भाइ Younger Brother
Nichha'o Chhachi निछा:ओ छाची nitsʰäʔo tsʰätsi भाइबहिनीका छोराछोरी Brothers' or sisters' children
Aachhuwa, chhuwa आछुवा, छुवा ätsʰuwa tsʰuwa मामा Mother's younger Brother
Phekwa फेकवा pek-wa पैसा Money
Teet तित tit लुगा Cloths
Cha'wa चा:वा t͡säʔwä पानी Water
Mi मि mi आगो Fire
Thuli थुलि tʰuli पिठो Flour
Sampicha साम्पिचा sämpit͡sä कोदो Millet
Khabat, Wachhon खाबात, वाछोन kʰäwät wät͡sʰon जाड Locally brew wine
Hengmawa हेङमावा heŋmäwä रक्सी Rum/Whisky/Brandy
Sa सा sä मासु Meat
Chhüna छ़ना t͡sʰɨnä फुपु Aunt (Father's sister)
Diwa, Dima दिवा, दिमा diwä dimä हजुरबुवा, हजुरआमा Grandfather, Grandmother
Oyatni ओयात्नी ohyätni यहाँ तिर Here
Moyatni मोयात्नी moyätni त्यहाँ तिर There
Khada खादा kʰädä कहाँ Where
Demni देम्नी demni कति How
Unni उन्नी unni यति मात्र This much
Chama चामा t͡sämä खानु to Eat
Tücha त़चा tɨ t͡sä खाने हो? Do you want to eat?
Kok Tücha? कोक त़चा ? kok tɨ t͡sä खाना खाने हो ? Do you eat rice?
Küng kɨŋ दात teeth
Ütlo ɨt-lo नराम्रो, खराब bad
Munima मुनिमा munimä बिरालो Cat

Phonology

Vowels

Vowel phonemes
Front Central Back
unrounded
Close i ᤀᤡ ⟨इ⟩ ɨ ~ ə ᤀ ⟨उ़⟩ u ᤀᤢ ⟨उ⟩
Close-mid e ᤀᤣ ⟨ए⟩ o ᤀᤥ ⟨ओ⟩
Open-mid ʌ ᤀᤨ ⟨अ⟩
Open ä ᤀᤠ ⟨आ⟩

Example: mɨk (eye) pronounce as mʌk, pɨ (snake) as pʌ.

Consonants

Bantawa consonant phonemes
Bilabial Dental Apico-
alveolar 		Lamino-
alveolar 		Palatal Velar Glottal
Nasal m ᤔ ⟨म⟩ n ᤏ ⟨न⟩ ŋ ᤅ ⟨ङ⟩
Plosive/
Affricate 		voiceless unaspirated p ᤐ ⟨प⟩ t̪ ᤋ ⟨त⟩ t ᤋ ⟨ट⟩ t͡s ᤆ ⟨च⟩ k ᤁ ⟨क⟩ ʔ ᤹ ⟨:⟩
aspirated pʰ ᤑ ⟨फ⟩ t̪ʰ ᤌ ⟨थ⟩ tʰ ᤌ ⟨ठ⟩ t͡sʰ ᤇ ⟨छ⟩ kʰ ᤂ ⟨ख⟩
voiced unaspirated b ᤒ ⟨ब⟩ d̪ ᤍ ⟨द⟩ d ᤍ ⟨ड⟩ d͡z ᤈ ⟨ज⟩ ɡ ᤃ ⟨ग⟩
aspirated bʱ ᤓ ⟨भ⟩ d̪ʱ ᤎ ⟨ध⟩ dʱ ᤎ ⟨ढ⟩ d͡zʱ ᤉ ⟨झ⟩ ɡʱ ᤄ ⟨घ⟩
Fricative s ᤛ ⟨स⟩ ɦ ᤜ ⟨ह⟩
Trill r ᤖ ⟨र⟩
Lateral l ᤗ ⟨ल⟩
Approximant w ᤘ ⟨व⟩ j ᤕ ⟨य⟩

References

  1. ^ Bantawa at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
    Waling at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  2. ^ "Kirat Rai script:Omniglot".
  3. ^ "Language use among the Bantawa: Homogeneity, education, access, and relative prestige". SIL International. 2013-01-28. Retrieved 2017-02-10.
  4. ^ "Bantawa: observations of a threatened language". robbie.eugraph.com. Retrieved 2017-02-10.
  5. ^ "Bantawa". Ethnologue. Retrieved 2017-02-10.
  6. ^ "Bantawa". Ethnologue. Retrieved 2017-02-10.
  7. ^ Jadranka Gvozdanovic (2004). Morphosyntactic transparency in Bantawa (.pdf). Walter de Gruyter. ISBN 9783110178418. Retrieved 2007-09-12. ((cite book)): |work= ignored (help)
  8. ^ "The Bantawa Rai of Nepal". Archived from the original on 2008-03-05. Retrieved 2007-09-12.
  9. ^ "Bantawa, A language of Nepal". Archived from the original on December 1, 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-12.

Further reading

External links

Sino-Tibetan branches
Kiranti languages
Languages of Nepal
Authority control databases: National
Categories