There is a letter in Nepali language towards the end of writer/journalist Mohan Mainali's book 'Mukam Ranmaidan: An Account of the Nepal-British War'. The contents of the letter about the war and governance activities taking place in western Nepal, that is, beyond the Mahakali River, are difficult to understand except for a few short words.

Reading a letter from about 200 years ago, it is clear how the Nepali language spoken by many in Nepal has changed . How does a language change according to global conditions and local adaptation ? That letter can be considered an example of this .

Linguists and scholars say that Nepal's linguistic diversity and its development have now reached a crucial juncture . According to linguist Amar Giri, who is also a former member of the Language Commission, a situation of 'linguistic divergence' has been seen in Nepal as speakers have reduced their use of their mother tongue due to the influence of a strong language.  'Other languages ​​are being affected by the dominance of English internationally and Nepali domestically,' says Giri, 'People's attraction to the dominant language and the opportunities it provides have led to a situation of abandoning their mother tongue .'

According to the linguistic report of the 'National Census-2078', a total of 124 mother tongues have been identified in Nepal . The top 20 most spoken languages ​​among these languages ​​cover a large part of Nepal's population. According to the census data, Nepali is the mother tongue of 44.9 percent of the population and is the most widely spoken language. Maithili is the second most spoken language with 11 percent and Bhojpuri is the third most spoken language with 6.2 percent. According to the latest census data, even among the most widely spoken languages, the number of speakers of some languages ​​has increased by a small number, while most have remained stable.

Poet Shravan Mukarung says that since language is related to income generation, it has not been protected and promoted much due to the lack of a market for local languages. 'Language is a source of exchange, people learn that language themselves,' he says. 'Nepalese have learned Japanese or Korean because of the opportunity.' Our state should come up with a policy to guarantee jobs if one studies one's mother tongue, slogans alone will not save the language.' He reiterated the argument that languages ​​spread if given the opportunity, citing the example of Brahmin community teachers teaching Limbu in Taplejung.

Only 21 major languages ​​of Nepal account for 95 percent of the total population. The remaining 103 minor languages ​​are spoken by only 5 percent of the population. And, the languages ​​of the Bharopeli and Bhot-Burmese language families are predominant. According to the census report, only 21 major languages ​​in Nepal account for 95 percent of the total population. The remaining 103 minor languages ​​are spoken by only 5 percent. Nepal is mainly dominated by languages ​​of the Indo-Aryan and Bhot-Burmese language families. Koshi Province is at the forefront in terms of linguistic diversity. The rate of bilingualism is high in Madhesh Province. Here, people use Nepali along with their mother tongue. In Karnali Province, the number of people who speak one type of language is high. 88.9 percent of the total population of this province, i.e. 1.5 million 161 people, speak Nepali as their mother tongue.

In terms of community initiatives, a kind of linguistic-cultural awakening took place in Nepal after the political changes of 2046 BS. According to the poet Mukarung, it was a renaissance for parents to name and teach their children in their mother tongue. Especially the indigenous and Madhesi communities consciously increased the practice of naming their children in their mother tongue. The Kirati community started naming their children according to their mother tongues such as Bantawa, Kulung, Chamling, Thulung, Yakkha, Limbu, etc., and started naming them Ihang, Suhang, Yuma, Sumnima, Hark, and Manik. Tamangs have names like Lakpa, Phulman, Dawa, Sangmo, Mingma, and Tharus have started using names like Ramsagar, Jhuman, etc. This practice has now decreased.

Poet Mukarung says that such efforts will not be enough without a concrete state policy. According to linguist Giri, the role of literature and literature is great in language promotion. He says, ‘The abundant development of literature helps in the expansion and preservation of the language.’ Giri analyzes that the use of technology and globalization have had a colonial effect on languages. According to him, as globalization has made the languages ​​and cultures of powerful nations dominant, local identity has weakened. He says, ‘This has also led to a decline in awareness of one’s own identity and language.’

Giri suggests that the community, the state, and linguists should all think seriously about preserving the mother tongue. Currently, some local levels have tried to make the mother tongue the language of work and education. According to Giri, such actions have started bringing positive results in language preservation. Poet Mukarung says that such initiatives are not very meaningful. According to him, effective protection of the language cannot be achieved by teaching it alone. He considers opportunity as the first condition for language preservation. And, he says that if the state creates opportunities, people will learn the language themselves. ‘There is no need to teach it in schools, if there is a future and opportunity in the language, anyone will learn the language from their community and parents,’ he said.

Researcher Sahayog Ranjit, who wrote his bachelor’s thesis on the readership of Nepali language media, says that the development of language speakers in Nepal is geographically based and that different dialects or ‘dialects’ of the same language can be found depending on the place. He believes that such linguistic diversification creates a kind of intimacy in society and makes the language more beautiful. ‘Recently, there has been an increase in the feeling among the youth that they should learn and speak their mother tongue,’ he says, ‘and songs/music also play a role in this. Singers like Sajjan Raj Vaidya are spreading Nepali language to the youth outside the Newar community through their compositions.’

Ranjit says that Nepali language has made significant progress in the field of technology. He said that the development of Nepali language and Ranjana script in Unicode and the inclusion of this language in Google Translate have made its use and access widespread. Community efforts like Dafa Khalah, Bhajan Khalah, Dhime Khalah are playing an important role in preserving the language and he says that by going to such places, the youth will get ‘exposure’ to the language and have the opportunity to learn it.

In Nepal, Tharu language is the mother tongue of 5.9 percent of the population and Tamang language is the mother tongue of 4.9 percent of the population. The census shows that Bajjika is spoken by 3.9 percent, Dhadhi by 3 percent, and Nepalbhasa (Newari) by 3 percent. Magar Dhut is spoken by 2.8 percent and Doteli by 1.7 percent, respectively. Similarly, Urdu is spoken by 1.4 percent, Yakthung/Limbu by 1.2 percent, and Gurung by 1.1 percent. The list includes Maghahi by 0.8 percent, Baitdeli by 0.5 percent, and Rai by 0.5 percent. Achhami by 0.5 percent, Bantawa by 0.5 percent, Rajbanshi by 0.4 percent, and Sherpa by 0.4 percent are among the major languages ​​spoken.

Language is a source of exchange. People learn the language themselves in which there is an opportunity. Nepalis have now learned Japanese or Korean because of the opportunity. The state should come up with a policy to guarantee jobs by studying the mother tongue, slogans alone will not save the language. ‘Although it is difficult to preserve all languages ​​at this time, small individual efforts to use technology to explain culture and words can greatly help in language preservation,’ concludes researcher Ranjit, ‘Some people are using technology to explain the meanings of Newari words and culture. Such initiatives are also seen in the Tamang and Limbu communities. A Unicode for the Limbu language has been created. Such initiatives help in preserving the language.’

At the international level, debates are focused on looking at language from the perspective of power, influence and access to knowledge. The ‘Power Languages ​​Index’ measures the power of languages ​​on five pillars: geography, economy, communication, knowledge and diplomacy. According to this index, English is the world’s most influential ‘lingua franca’, i.e. a common language. Some have analyzed that it is threatening to displace other regional languages ​​or even increasing ‘anglicization’.

A debate has also begun on the issue of a large ‘linguistic gap’ in the field of global information production. According to the ‘Power Languages ​​Index’, despite the large number of Mandarin (Chinese) speakers, more than 44 percent of the world’s total information is available only in English.

Only 4.85 percent of information is available in Mandarin. During the colonial period, English was made a means of cultural dominance and due to this, the traditional knowledge systems and local languages ​​of countries like India were marginalized, said Dr. Madhukar Janrao Nikam wrote in his study report.