Chhintang

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A language of Nepal

ISO 639-3
ctn
Alternate Names
Chhintange, Chintang, Chintang Rûng, Teli
Autonym
छिन्ताङ्‎ (Chhintang)
User Population

4,720, all users. L1 users: 3,710 (2011 census), decreasing. L2 users: 1,010 (2011 census). No monolinguals. Ethnic population: 5,000.

Location

Kosi province: Dhankuta district, Khalsa Chhintang Shahidbumi municipality.

Language Maps
Language Status

6b (Threatened). Language of recognized indigenous nationality: Rai.

Classification
Sino-Tibetan, Tibeto-Burman, Western Tibeto-Burman, Himalayan, Kiranti, Eastern
Dialects

Mulgaun, Sambhugaon. Probably not intelligible with Bantawa [bap], but sometimes considered a dialect of it due to reportedly ethnic similarities. Only a few lexical items and grammatical markers are different between the two dialects.

Typology

SOV; postpositions; noun head final; no noun classes or genders; content q-word in situ; up to 4 prefixes (in free order), up to 7 suffixes; clause constituents indicated by case-marking; verbal affixation marks person and number; ergativity; both tense and aspect; no passives or voice; nontonal; 29 consonant and 6 vowel phonemes.

Language Use

Home, religion, work; mixed use: Friends. Some young people, all adults. Neutral attitudes. Most also use Nepali [nep]. Most also use Bantawa [bap].

Language Development

Videos. Dictionary. Grammar. Texts.

Language Resources
OLAC resources in and about Chhintang
Writing

Devanagari script [Deva], recently developed.

Other Comments

Traditional religion, Christian.