Language:

Nepali Language (नेपाली) is the official language of Nepal and one of the 22 scheduled languages of India. It is spoken by the majority of the population in Nepal and has over 16 million speakers worldwide. However different ethnic groups have their own mother languages like Tamang, Gurung, Newari, Maithili, Sherpa, Bhojpuri, Rai ,Tharu ,etc.

Nepali is a rich and dynamic language, essential to understanding the culture, history, and identity of Nepal. It serves as a unifying factor in a country with over 120 ethnic groups and is a vibrant part of daily life and communication for millions of people.

1. Origins and Linguistic Classification

• Nepali belongs to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language family.
• It evolved from Sanskrit, which is the classical language of ancient Indian literature, and shares many characteristics with other languages of the same family, such as Hindi, Bengali, and Punjabi.
• Historically, it was referred to as Khas Kura or Khas Bhasa, named after the Khas people, and was primarily spoken in the western hilly regions of Nepal