Languages and Literature
Main article: Languages of Nepal See also: Nepali literatureAs per 2001 census, at least 92 different living languages are spoken in Nepal, though other studies list 123 living languages. Nepal's linguistic heritage has evolved from three major language groups, namely, Indo-Aryan, Tibeto-Burman, and indigenous. The major languages of Nepal (percent spoken as mother tongue) are Nepali (49%), Maithili (12%), Bhojpuri (8%), Tharu (6%), Tamang (5%), Newari/Nepal Bhasa (4%), Magar (3%), Awadhi (2%), Thulung (Rai) (3%), Bantawa (2%), Limbu (1%), and Bajjika (1%). The remaining languages are each spoken as mother tongue by less than one percent of the population, for example Dura. Nepali, written in Devanagari script, is the official national language and serves as lingua franca among Nepalese of different ethno-linguistic groups. English is also spoken in Nepal as a second language. Extinct languages of Nepal include Kusunda and Waling. Among notable writers of Nepalese literature is the Parijat and Jhamak Ghimire.
Read more about this topic: Culture Of Nepal
Famous quotes containing the words languages and/or literature:
“It is time for dead languages to be quiet.”
—Natalie Clifford Barney (1876–1972)
“I did toy with the idea of doing a cook-book.... The recipes were to be the routine ones: how to make dry toast, instant coffee, hearts of lettuce and brownies. But as an added attraction, at no extra charge, my idea was to put a fried egg on the cover. I think a lot of people who hate literature but love fried eggs would buy it if the price was right.”
—Groucho Marx (1895–1977)