Kathariya Tharu

Last updated
Kathariya Tharu
Native to India, Nepal
Ethnicity Tharu
Native speakers
110,000 in Nepal (2006) [1]
Devanagari
Official status
Official language in
Tharuban of Nepal
Language codes
ISO 639-3 tkt
Glottolog kath1250

Kathariya Tharu also known as Kathoriya Tharu is one of the Indo Aryan languages spoken by the Tharu people of Nepal and India. [2] It is a language spoken in the Sudurpashchim Province of Nepal, particularly in the Kailali District, including areas like Bardagoriya, Bhajani, Ghodaghodi, Joshipur. Additionally, it is spoken in the Uttar Pradesh state of India, specifically in Bahraich and Lakhimpur Kheri districts near the Nepal border. [3] [4] [5]

There are speech differences between the dialects spoken in Nepal and those in India. The lexical similarity of Kathariya Tharu is around 70%–76% with Dangaura Tharu and Rana Tharu, 66% with Hindi, 66%–69% with Buksa, 63% with Central Tharu, and 51%–59% with Kochila Tharu. [3] [4] [5]

In terms of linguistic characteristics, Kathariya Tharu follows an SOV (Subject-Object-Verb) word order, uses postpositions, and has a tendency for noun head final (unmarked). There has been some language shifting to Hindi, but Kathariya Tharu is still used by all, alongside Hindi and Nepali in the region. [3] [4] [5]

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Kochila Tharu, also called Morangiya, Septari or Saptariya Tharu, Madhya-Purbiya Tharu, and Mid-Eastern Tharu, is a diverse group of language varieties in the Tharu group of the Indo-Aryan languages. The several names of the varieties refer to the regions where they dominate. It is one of the largest subgroupings of Tharu. It is spoken mainly in Nepal with approximately 250,000 speakers as of 2003. In addition to language, cultural markers around attire and customs connect individuals into the ethnic identity Kochila.

Danguara Tharu also known as Dangauli Tharu, Dangora Tharu, or Dangura Tharu is one of the Tharu languages spoken by the Tharu people in the Dang, Kapilvastu, Banke, and Bardiya districts of the Lumbini Province and in Kailali and Kanchanpur district of Sudurpaschim Province of Nepal, primarily in the Western Terai Region as well as in Bahraich, Gorakhpur, and Lakhimpur Kheri districts of Uttar Pradesh in India.

Rana Tharu is a Indo Aryan language spoken by the Rana Tharu people who are part of the Tharu ethnic group in the Sudurpashchim Province of Nepal, specifically in the Kanchanpur district's southern municipalities and Dhangadhi in the Kailali district. Rana Tharu is also spoken in specific areas of Uttar Pradesh, India including the Lakhimpur Kheri district, particularly in Palia Kalan and Chandan Chauki block, situated on the India–Nepal border. Additionally, it is spoken in the Udham Singh Nagar district of Uttarakhand state. It exhibits high intelligibility among its dialects, with reported percentages ranging from 96% to 99%. The language has linguistic distinctions with dialects in India and shows lexical similarities with Awadhi and Buksa as well.

The Sonha language also known as Sonaha, Sunha, or Sunah is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Sonha people in Lumbini Province, specifically in Bardiya District, covering Geruwa and Rajapur municipalities. It is also spoken in Sudurpashchim Province, particularly in Kanchanpur District and Bhimdatta of Nepal. Sonha exhibits linguistic similarities with Awadhi, with reported lexical similarities of 69% with Rana Tharu, 73% with Kathariya Tharu, and 72% with Dangaura Tharu. Notably, Sonha and Kathoriya serve as a lexical bridge connecting Rana and Dangaura varieties of Tharu.

References

  1. Kathariya Tharu at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023) Closed Access logo transparent.svg
  2. "Copula Construction in Kathariya Tharu".
  3. 1 2 3 "Kathariya Tharu". Ethnologue. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 Boehm, Edward Daniel and Eichentopf, Stephanie and Mitchell, Jessica. 2012. A Sociolinguistic Study of Dangaura Tharu and Related Varieties. Central Department of Linguistics Tribhuvan University, Nepal and SIL International. vii+183pp.
  5. 1 2 3 Dan Raj Regmi. 2015. Exploring relationships among the major Indo-Aryan languages of Tarai in Nepal. Nepalese Linguistics 30. 122-131.