Kham, Western Parbate
PrintPrimary tabs
A language of Nepal
69,000, all users. L1 users: 44,000 (2003 SIL), increasing. 27,100 all Kham languages in Nepal (2011 census). L2 users: 25,000 (2011). Ethnic population: 90,000 (2011 SIL).
Lumbini province: East Rukum district, Putha Uttarganga municipality, Maikot and Takasera; Bhume municipality, Lukum and Mahat; Rolpa district, Thawang municipality, Thabang.
5 (Developing).
Takale, Maikoti, Mahatle, Lukumel, Wale, Thabangi. Reportedly greatest similarities between Eastern [kif] and Western Parbate [kjl]. Parbate, Sheshi, and Gamal groups are all inherently unintelligible. Position of Mahatale and Miruli within the Kham linguistic group is undecided. Lexical similarity: 71% with Gamal Kham [kgj] and Eastern Parbate [kif]; 58% with Bhujel Kham, 51% with Sheshi [kip]. 25% with Magar and Gurung [gvr], slightly below 25% with the Tibetan group, 15% with the Rai and Limbu groups.
SOV; postpositions; noun heads final; no noun classes or genders; maximum number for nouns: 1 prefix, 8 suffixes; for verbs: 5 prefixes, 7 suffixes; clause constituents indicated by case-marking; case marked on NPs by affixes; verbal affixation marks person and number of subject and object—obligatory; split ergative; passives and voice; causatives; applicatives; tonal.
Vigorous in the villages in Rukum. Home, friends, religion, work. Used by all. Also use Nepali [npi], only when outside their homeland; young men are most proficient, older adult women least proficient in it, and most can discuss common topics in the language.
Literacy rate in L1: Some. Literacy rate in L2: Some. Literature. Radio. Dictionary. Grammar. Texts. NT: 1985–2016.
Different from the Khams of eastern Tibet as spoken by the Khampa. Previously migrated in summer to the foot of glaciers on west end of Dhaulagiri massif, and in winter to Rolpa District southern hills. Traditional religion, Buddhist.