Limbu language
| Limbu | |
|---|---|
| ᤕᤰᤌᤢᤱ ᤐᤠᤴ yakthung pān | |
| Region | Nepal; significant communities in Bhutan; Sikkim and Darjeeling district of India |
| Ethnicity | Limbu people |
|
Native speakers
|
380,000 (2011 census) |
|
Sino-Tibetan
|
|
| Dialects |
|
| Limbu script | |
| Official status | |
|
Official language in
|
Sikkim, India |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | |
| Glottolog | limb1266 |
Limbu is a Sino-Tibetan language spoken in Nepal, India (Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Sikkim, Assam, and Nagaland), Bhutan, Burma, Thailand, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Canada, and the USA. It is falsely believed that the Limbu/Yakthung are multi-lingual, but there are hundred and/or thousand of Yakthung who speak only in Yakthungpan (Limbu language). The Limbu refer to themselves as Yakthung and their language as Yakthungpan. Yakthungpan has four main dialects: Phedape, Chhathare, Tambarkhole, and Panthare dialects.
Among four dialects and/or many dialects, Phedape dialect is widely spoken and well understood by most Yakthungpan speakers. However, as there are some dominant Panthare scholars who have role to create knowledge and control knowledge in the Limbu communities, Panthare dialect is being popularized as a "standard" Limbu language. As Panthare Yakthungs are much more engaged in central political position and administrative positions, they are trying to introduce Panthare dialect as a Standard Yakthungpan.
Yakthungpan (Limbu language) is one of the major languages spoken and written in Nepal, Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Sikkim, Bhutan, Burma, and Thailand. Today, linguists have reached the conclusion that Yakthungpan resembles Tibetan and Lepcha.
Before the introduction of the Sirijanga script among Limbu Kirats, the Rong script was popular in East Nepal, especially in the early Maurong state. The Sirijanga script had almost disappeared for 800 years and it was brought back into use by Te-ongsi Sirijunga Xin Thebe of Tellok Sinam Limbuwan present day Nepal.
Limbu is spoken east of the Arun River in the following districts of Nepal (Ethnologue).
Ethnologue lists the following dialects of Limbu.
Yanggrokke, Chaubise, and Charkhole are minor variants of the Panthare dialect. Phedappe and Tamorkhole are similar. Chattare is less well understood by other dialect speakers. The Limbu dialect spoken in Sikkim, India is the same as Panthare.
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Wikipedia