Language Death! Language is dead! Do languages ​​die like animals and plants? This topic may seem new/novel at first glance. However, many languages ​​are dying in the world. British linguist David Crystal argues that languages ​​are dying like people. But why are languages ​​dying? What does language death mean? He has written a book discussing this topic – ‘Language Death’.

Crystal says, ‘Saying that a language is dead is like saying that a person is dead.’ It cannot be otherwise – if there are no people, then a language has no existence. When someone stops speaking a language, that language also dies.’ Not only is the number of speakers of most languages ​​in the world decreasing, the language itself is disappearing. If Crystal is to be believed, almost half of the languages ​​spoken in the world are endangered. Why are languages ​​dying?

Amrit Yonjan-Tamang, an activist for ‘Nepal’s Mother Language and Education in Mother Language’, argues that languages ​​are disappearing due to state policy, migration, linguistic dominance and cultural assimilation. ‘The influence of large languages ​​(based on the number of speakers), state policy (one language, one policy), linguistic dominance, etc. are the reasons why languages ​​that are popular but have few speakers are disappearing,’ he says.

Tamang, who has also worked in the Language Preservation and Language Commission, has written a book called ‘Languages ​​of Nepal’ covering the various languages ​​of Nepal and their status. Arguing that there is politics over language and the politics of language, he writes, ‘From a political perspective, language is power and also an inexhaustible source of power. Because of this power, there is politics over language and there is politics of language. This is why linguistic imperialism is established, the ruling language exercises tyranny in the governance system of the state, and ‘one language, one policy’ is implemented.’

Constitutionally, Nepal has been oriented towards multilingualism only after the 2047 Constitution. Article 6 states, ‘All languages ​​spoken as mother tongues in different parts of Nepal are the national languages.’ Similarly, the same constitution had made provision for primary education in the mother tongue. Article 18 (2) stated, ‘Each community shall be entitled to run schools in such a way that children are educated in their mother tongue up to the primary level.’ But, has it been implemented? The debate continues.

The Maoist ‘People’s War’, the Madhesh movement, the struggle for indigenous national identity and the people’s movement have strengthened the movement for linguistic identity. That is why the 7 articles of the Constitution of Nepal issued in 2072 BS contain language-related provisions. Currently, the government newspaper ‘Gorkhapatra’ is publishing a ‘New Nepal’ page in various mother tongues. Similarly, ‘Radio Nepal’ and private radio stations have also started broadcasting content in various languages. Despite these efforts, many languages ​​are on the verge of extinction in Nepal.

In 2011, the ‘Education in Nepal: Report of the Nepal National Education Commission’ prepared by the commission formed under the chairmanship of the then Nepal Education Council Chairman Sardar Rudraraj Pandey had made many suggestions to marginalize the mother tongue. The report stated, ‘It is necessary to remove local languages ​​and dialects other than Nepali from the main schools and playgrounds of the life of the boy as soon as possible.’

The same report states, ‘The study of local languages ​​other than Nepali will hinder the effective development of the Nepali language, because if students use other languages ​​more than Nepali at home and in society, Nepali will become an alien language. If children are taught Nepali as their primary language, other languages ​​will gradually become secondary. As a result, national strength and unity will increase.’ This makes it clear that the commission is trying to put other languages ​​in danger by supporting the dominance of the Nepali language.

When emphasizing the importance of mother tongue and culture, the statement of Scottish writer James Kelman is relevant. At the Booker Prize distribution ceremony in 1994, he said, ‘My culture and my language have the right to survive, no one has the right to deny it. When I think that one day my language will disappear from the lips of people, then a coldness will grow in my heart and that coldness will be deeper than my own death because it is not just my death, but the collective demise of the identity of my entire ethnic community.’

Which languages ​​are in danger in Nepal?

Linguists classify the status of languages ​​on the basis of the number of speakers, script development and literature. Languages ​​with more than one million speakers are considered safe. The safe languages ​​in Nepal are – Nepali, Maithili, Bhojpuri, Tharu, Tamang and Bajjika.

Similarly, languages ​​spoken by one lakh to one million people are considered safe languages. This category includes Dhadhi, Nepali, Magar (Dhut), Doteli, Urdu, Limbu, Gurung, Magahi, Baitdeli, Achhami, Rai, Bantawa, Rajbanshi, Sherpa and Khasbhasha. Similarly, languages ​​with a speaker population of 10,000 to 100,000 are classified as endangered languages. There are 32 languages ​​in this category in Nepal. Similarly, languages ​​with a speaker population of 1,000 to 10,000 are classified as dying languages. There are 41 languages ​​in this category.

Languages ​​with less than 1,000 speakers are called dying languages. In the ‘Statistical Year Booklet-2015’ published by the Central Bureau of Statistics, Arabic, Spanish, French, Russian, English, Garhwali, Dzongkha, Oriya, Sanskrit, Chinese, Bengali, Punjabi, Tibetan and Muslim languages ​​are also mentioned in the list of mother tongues in Nepal. Even though the number of speakers is shown as low in the list, there are many speakers outside Nepal. That is why linguists argue that these languages ​​cannot be called extinct languages.

Linguist Prof. Danraj Regmi is of the opinion that the number of speakers is decreasing, but it cannot be considered dead. ‘The low number of speakers is the basis that the language is on the verge of extinction, but this cannot be considered the only basis for all languages,’ Regmi says, ‘If there is sufficient literature, that language can be revived.’ He gave the example of Latin and Sanskrit, which have low number of speakers but sufficient literature.

Kusunda language: Only one full speaker

According to ‘National Census-2078’, the number of speakers of Kusunda language is 23. However, according to the Language Commission, Kamala Sen (Khatri) is the only native speaker who can speak Kusunda. Earlier, Kusunda language expert Gyanimaiyya Sen passed away on Magh 11, 2076. Although the number of people who know the language is low, the number of Kusunda people is 253. Various efforts are being made to save the Kusunda language. Kamala used to work in a brick factory in Bhaktapur. The Language Commission took her to Dang and built her a house. She was given a monthly allowance and helped in preserving and promoting the language. Kamala and Udayaraj Ale are now teaching the Kusunda language to the new generation.

Researcher Amrit Yonjan-Tamang says that the number of people who know the Kusunda language is increasing recently. Currently, about a dozen teenagers are learning the Kusunda language through language teaching. As the number of speakers is decreasing, the language has not been passed down from generation to generation. The new generation of Kusunda people speak Nepali.

The Bankaria of Musedhap

The Bankaria language is also in danger of extinction in terms of the number of speakers. Although it is still spoken, this language was only noticed in the 2068 census. According to the 2078 census, although the population of this caste is 180, the number of speakers is only 86. There are 24 households of Bankaria in Manahari-7, Musedhap settlement. Listed as an endangered indigenous people in 2059 BS, the Bankaria live only here. Until 20 years ago, they were living in Chureghanch, a central area of ​​Parsa district. In 2062 BS, they were moved to Musedhap as part of a plan to bring them from wild life to human settlements. The script of the Bankaria language, which has not developed literature, a dictionary, and grammar, is also unwritten.

Malpande language is declining

Another mother tongue whose number of speakers is also decreasing is Malpande. According to the ‘National Census-2078’, the number of speakers of this language is only 161. The Malpande community, which was first recorded in the ‘National Census-2068’, is located in Birtamod, Jhapa. Literature, dictionaries, grammar and reading materials are not found in this language. This language has been reduced to family members, family gatherings, worship and folk tales.

‘To save the language, let’s save the speaker’

If the third generation speaks its mother tongue at home, but does not speak it outside the home, such a language will be in danger. Similarly, linguists believe that if the third generation does not speak its mother tongue even at home, that language is considered to be in danger. All linguists agree that ‘if the speakers do not survive, the language will not survive’. However, to save the language, the livelihood of the minority speakers should be made easier. They should not be forced to migrate. If the scattered linguistic communities live together, language can be passed down from generation to generation. Prioritizing policy reforms, Prof. Regmi says, ‘Nepal has not yet formulated a language policy.’ The government should formulate a language policy by including the issues of language use and usability. Unless the language-speaking community is actively involved in it, debates and programs held in hotels will have no meaning.’

Language activist Amrit Yonjan-Tamang also says, ‘Only by saving the speakers can a language be saved.’ ‘If we stop speaking a language, it will disappear.’ Therefore, the first thing we should do is keep speaking it. The state should adopt a policy of protecting and promoting all languages, especially those that are endangered and near-extinct,’ says Yonjan.

Languages ​​spoken by fewer than a thousand people in Nepal