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

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 Bantawa (Dilpali)
Northern subdialects: Mangpahang, Raipachha, Awaichha, Rungchenbung and Yangma
  • Southern Bantawa (Chewali, Okhreli, Hatuwali, Hangkhim)
Southern and Northern Bantawa, similar, could be united as 'Intermediate Bantawa'.
  • Eastern Bantawa (Dhankuta)
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.
  • Western Bantawa (Amchoke, Amchauke)
Amchaucke dialects: Sorung, Saharaja, Lulam, and Sukita
  • Wana Bantawa (also called simply Bantawa), spoken by the Bantawa subcaste. The Amchoke dialect is spoken in the Limbu area, especially in Ilam district.

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

BantawaIPANepaliEnglish
Sewa सेवाsewäनमस्तेGood Morning/Afternoon/Evening,
Kok कोकkokभातFood, Rice
Khan खानkʰänतरकारीCurry
Münachi मनाचिmɨnätsiमानिसहरूPeople
Diwa दिवाdiwäबाजेGrandfather
Dima दिमाdimäबजूGrandmother
Papa पापाpäpäबुबाFather
Mama मामाmämäआमाMother
Nana नानाnänäदिदीElder-sister
Nichhama निछामाnitsʰmäबहिनीLittle-Sister
Dewa देवाdewäठूलो बुबाUncle elder to dad
Dema देमाdemäबडी आमाAunt Elder to Dad/ Dad's elder sister-in-law
Baŋa बाङाbäŋäकाकाUncle younger to Dad
Chhɨna छ़नाtsʰɨnäकाकीYounger uncle wife
Büwa ब़वाbɨwäदाजुElder Brother
Nichha निछाnit͡sʰäभाइYounger Brother
Nichha'o Chhachi निछा:ओ छाचीnitsʰäʔo tsʰätsiभाइबहिनीका छोराछोरीBrothers' or sisters' children
Aachhuwa, chhuwa आछुवा, छुवाätsʰuwa tsʰuwaमामाMother's younger Brother
Phekwa फेकवाpek-waपैसाMoney
Teet तितtitलुगाCloths
Cha'wa चा:वाt͡säʔwäपानीWater
Mi मिmiआगोFire
Thuli थुलिtʰuliपिठोFlour
Sampicha साम्पिचाsämpit͡säकोदोMillet
Khabat, Wachhon खाबात, वाछोनkʰäwät wät͡sʰonजाडLocally brew wine
Hengmawa हेङमावाheŋmäwäरक्सीRum/Whisky/Brandy
Sa साsäमासुMeat
Chhüna छ़नाt͡sʰɨnäफुपुAunt (Father's sister)
Diwa, Dima दिवा, दिमाdiwä dimäहजुरबुवा, हजुरआमाGrandfather, Grandmother
Oyatni ओयात्नीohyätniयहाँ तिरHere
Moyatni मोयात्नीmoyätniत्यहाँ तिरThere
Khada खादाkʰädäकहाँWhere
Demni देम्नीdemniकतिHow
Unni उन्नीunniयति मात्रThis much
Chama चामाt͡sämäखानुto Eat
Tücha त़चाtɨ t͡säखाने हो?Do you want to eat?
Kok Tücha? कोक त़चा ?kok tɨ t͡säखाना खाने हो ?Do you eat rice?
Küngkɨŋदातteeth
Ütloɨt-loनराम्रो, खराबbad
Munima मुनिमाmunimäबिरालोCat

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⟩
  • ʌ vowel comes in Bantawa due to influence of Nepali language and it is rarely used like in other Tibetan Burmese language.
  • nowadays some dialect or in region may pronounce /ɨ/ as [ʌ], [u], or [ə].

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⟩
  • Glotta stop [ʔ] is one of the consonants of Bantawa language which is represent by using ⟨:⟩.
  • Dental consonant and Apico-alveolar does not make any difference while speaking.
  • To write Bantawa language Kirat Sirijunga lipi and Devanagari lipi is being used in Nepal.

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

  • Winter, Werner. 2003. A Bantawa Dictionary. Trends in Linguistics - Documentation 20. Mouton de Gruyter: New York.
  • Doornenbal, Marius. 2009. A Grammar of Bantawa. Leiden University PhD Thesis. LOT Dissertation Series: Utrecht.
  • Nishi 西, Yoshio 義郎 (1992b). "バンタワ語" [Bantawa, Bantāwā, Bāntāwā, Bantava; Bontawa, Bontāwā; Buntāwā, Bāntuwā]. In 亀井 Kamei, 孝 Takashi; 河野 Kōno, 六郎 Rokurō; 千野 Chino, 栄一 Eichi (eds.). 三省堂言語学大辞典 The Sanseido Encyclopaedia of Linguistics (in Japanese). Vol. 3. Tokyo: 三省堂 Sanseido Press. pp. 380a–391a. ISBN 4385152179.
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