Chantyal
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A language of Nepal
4,020, all users. L1 users: 3,730 (2011 census), decreasing. L2 users: 290 (2011 census). No monolinguals (Noonan 1996). Ethnic population: 9,000 (2011 census).
Gandaki province: Myagdi district, Raghuganga rural municipality, Caura Khani, Dwari, Ghyas Kharka, Kuine Khani, Malampahar, Malkabang, Mangale Khani, Patle Kharka, and Thara Khani.
6b (Threatened). Language of recognized indigenous nationality: Chhantyal.
SOV; head noun final; dual number; agglutinative language; case-marking clitics (over 20 cases); tense, aspect and mood in verbal morphology; 40 consonants and 12 vowels (6 oral and 6 nasal); non-tonal; stress on first syllable; evidentiality.
Home, villages (Noonan 1996). Not used for singing. Some young people, all adults. Also use Nepali [npi].
Dictionary. Texts.
Some believe Chantyal will be replaced soon. Outsiders often regard it as Magar, but they claim a Thakuri origin (de Sales 1993). Much lexical borrowing from Nepali. Sometimes called Khamkura as are Kham languages, which can have a general meaning of local non-Nepali dialect. (Watters 2002). Traditional religion, Buddhist.