Tharu, Dangaura

A language of Nepal

Dangaha, Dangali, Dangauli, Dangora, Dangura, Tharu

थारु‎ (thaaru)

500,000 in Nepal (2003), increasing. Population for all Tharu varieties: 1,530,000 (2011 census). 28,500 monolinguals. Total users in all countries: 674,000.

Location

Lumbini province: Banke, Bardiya, Dang, and Kapilvastu districts; Sudur Pashchimanchal province: Kailali and Kanchanpur districts.

Language Maps

5 (Developing). Language of recognized indigenous nationality: Tharu.

Classification

Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan, Tharu, Eastern Tharu

Dialects

Dangaha (Dang). 68%–91% intelligibility of Rana Tharu [thr], 95% to 97% of Kathoriya [tkt]. Some intelligibility difficulty with speakers from India. Possibly Eastern Hindi Group. Lexical similarity: 85% with Deukhuri, 83% with Malhoriya, 72%–74% with Sonha [soi], 63%–72% with Rana Tharu [thr], 76% with Desauriya, 61%–67% with Central Tharu [the], 70% with Kathariya Tharu [tkt], 58%–65% with Hindi [hin], 46%–52% with Mid-Eastern Tharu [thq].

Typology

SOV; postpositions; noun head initial; genitives after noun heads; adjectives, numerals before noun heads; content q-word in situ; clause constituents indicated by case-marking; verbal affixation marks person, number, and sometimes gender; tense-aspect; passives and voice; nontonal; 34 consonant and 6 vowel phonemes, with nasal variations.

Language Use

High vitality but increasing Nepali [npi] loanwords. Home, friends, religion. Used by all. Also use Hindi [hin]. Also use Nepali [npi], especially educated people, men, and young people, and to a lesser extent women and older people.

Language Development

Literacy rate in L2: All Tharu as an ethnic group 28% (1991 census). Literature. Periodicals. Radio. Dictionary. Grammar. Texts. NT: 2018.

Language Resources

OLAC resources in and about Tharu, Dangaura

Writing

Devanagari script [Deva].

Other Comments

Traditional religion, Christian, Hindu.