Tharu, Mid-Eastern
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A language of Nepal
258,000 in Nepal (2003), increasing. Population for all Tharu varieties: 1,530,000 (2011 census). Mostly illiterate older women are monolingual.
Janakpur province: Mahattari district, Bhangaha municipality; Saptari district, northern municipalities; Sarlahi district, Haripur, Ishworpur, and Lalbandi municipalities; Siraha district, Lahan; Kosi province: Morang district, Belhari, Budhiganga, and Biratnagar municipalities; Sunsari district; Udayapur district, Belaka, Chaudandigadhi, and Triyuga municipalities.
5 (Developing). Language of recognized indigenous nationality: Tharu, Dhanuk.
Saptari (Saptariya Tharu), Morang, Udayapur, Sunsari, Siraha, Mahottari, Sarlahi, Dhanusa, Rautahat, Bara, Parsa. Each district has a different variety. Dialect names refer to districts. Lexical similarity: 51%–59% with Kathariya Tharu, 46%–52% with Dangaura Tharu.
SOV; postpositions; noun head final; no gender; content q-word in situ; 1 prefix, up to 3 suffixes; clause constituents indicated by case-marking; verbal affixation marks person; tense and aspect; passives (syntactic, not morphological); nontonal; 32 consonant and 8 vowel phonemes.
Mother-tongue multilingual education introduced in one school. Literacy increasing. Taught as subject in primary schools. Radio. Videos. Dictionary. Texts.
Tharu from each district usually take the district name as a more specific name or identity. Other Tharu in Siraha, Udayapur, and Saptari districts who call themselves Kochila but speak Sapatariya Tharu. Traditional religion, Christian.