Page Type: languageBelhariya | Ethnologue

BYW ISO 639-3

Belhariya

A language of Nepal

ISO 639
byw
Alternate Names
Athpagari, Athpahariya, Athpare, Athpariya, Belhare
Population
612, all users. L1 users: 600 (2011 census), decreasing. L2 users: 12 (2011 census).
Location:
Kosi province: Dhankuta district, Dhankuta municipality, Belhara village and in the hills west of Dhankuta bazaar.
Language Status
6b (Threatened). Language of recognized indigenous nationality: Rai.
Classification
Sino-Tibetan, Tibeto-Burman, Western Tibeto-Burman, Himalayan, Kiranti, Eastern
Dialects
None known. Different from Athpariya [aph], although also called and closely related to it (Winter and Hansson 1991). Not intelligible with Athpariya although Athpariya speakers claim full intelligibility (Bickel 1996:21).
Typology
SOV; postpositions; noun head final; no genders; content q-word in situ; up to 3 prefixes, up to 10 suffixes, and several clitics; clause constituents indicated by case-marking; verbal affixation marks person and number; ergativity; passives and voice; nontonal; 22 consonant and 8 vowel phonemes.
Language Use
Many parents only use Nepali [npi] with their children, citing advantages for economic and social success. Religion; mixed use: Home, friends, work. Some young people, all adults. Adults and elderly. Some use among children and adolescents. Negative attitudes. Also use Nepali [npi].
Language Development
About 5 speakers are literate in their mother tongue. Dictionary.
Language Resources
OLAC resources in and about Belhariya
Writing
Devanagari script [Deva], recently developed.
Other Comments
Athpare refers to the ethnic group made up of Belhare and Athpariya which have close cultural ties, but who recognize their linguistic differences. They clarify by calling the Dhankuta people Noupagari and the Belhare people Athpagari (Bickel 1996). Traditional religion, Hindu.

Also Spoken in

Map

Location: Kosi province: Dhankuta district, Dhankuta municipality, Belhara village and in the hills west of Dhankuta bazaar.