ola ISO 639

Walungge

  • Geography

    NP Kosi province: Sankhuwasabha district, Makalu municipality, Pawakhola village; Taplejung district, Mikwakhola municipality, Simbuk, and Papung villages; Phaktanglung municipality, Ghunsa, Lungthung, and Olangchung Gola villages; Sirijangha municipality, Yamphudin village.
  • Language Cloud

A language of Nepal

ola
Halung, Halungge, Olangchung Gola, Waling, Walongchung Gola, Walung, Walungchung Gola, Walunggi Keccya
3,500 in Nepal (2019 SIL), decreasing. Mostly in original area. High language loss among those who have left the language area. Ethnic population: 4,000 (2019 SIL). Total users in all countries: 4,500.
Kosi province: Sankhuwasabha district, Makalu municipality, Pawakhola village; Taplejung district, Mikwakhola municipality, Simbuk, and Papung villages; Phaktanglung municipality, Ghunsa, Lungthung, and Olangchung Gola villages; Sirijangha municipality, Yamphudin village.
Eastern Nepal, India, Map 4
6b (Threatened). Language of recognized indigenous nationality: Walung, Thudam, Topkegola.
Sino-Tibetan, Tibeto-Burman, Western Tibeto-Burman, Bodish, Central Bodish, Unclassified
Walungge, Dhokpya (Topke Gola), Thudam. Reportedly similar to Tibetan dialect in Tingay District of Tibet. Lexical similarity: 71% with Lhasa Tibetan [bod], 68% with Dolpo [dre], Lhowa [loy], and Kyerung (Kyirong) [kgy], 66% with Lhomi [lhm] and Helambu Sherpa [scp], 64% with Nubri [kte], 57% with Jirel [jul], 55% with Sherpa [xsr]. Tokpe Gola (Dhokpya), Walungge, and Thudam all have lexical similarities above 60% with a range from 75%–85%.
SOV; postpositions; content q-word in situ; clause constituents indicated by case-marking; ergativity; no passives or voice; tonal (Thudam dialect).
Many school age children are shifting to Nepali [npi] when they are educated outside their homeland. There is widespread growing bilingualism, but it may not be a stable Diglossia (2019 SIL). Home, Community, and Religion. Some young people, all adults. Positive attitudes. Also use Nepali [npi].
Literacy rate in L2: 43%–72% in Nepali [npi]. Taught as subject in primary schools, in one school for teaching the Tibetan writing system starting from Class 1.
Tibetan script [Tibt].
Cut off from the Lhomi, with more links to Tibet. Some intermarriage with Lhomi and Tibetan. The people call themselves Sherpa. They do not have a specific language name which groups all varieties of the language together and distinguishes the language from other Tibetan languages. The word ‘Walungge’ comes from a name of one of the main villages in the language area. The Thudam are tenant farmers for the Walungge and Lhomi [lhm]. Buddhist.
OLAC resources in and about Walungge
Walungge
Xizang Autonomous Region: Dinggyê county, Xigazê prefecture, Goma, Luda, Rhiu, Salmaru, and Samdok villages.
6b (Threatened)
Non-indigenous.
View other languages of China
Walungge
1,000 in India (Hattaway 2005).
West Bengal state: Darjeeling district, Pankhabari area.
6b (Threatened)
Non-indigenous.
View other languages of India