{{Short description|Kiranti language spoken in Nepal}} {{Infobox language | name = Bantawa | nativename = {{lang|bap|बान्तावा|}} | region = Nepal, and Sikkim, Darjeeling, Kalimpong in India | ethnicity = Bantawa Kirawa (natively) | speakers = {{sigfig|166,600|2}} | date = 2001 & 2011 censuses | ref = e18 | familycolor = Sino-Tibetan | fam2 = Tibeto-Burman | fam3 = Mahakiranti (?) | fam4 = Kiranti | fam5 = Central | fam6 = Southern | script = Kirat Rai<ref>{{cite web|url=https://omniglot.com/writing/kiratrai.htm|title=Kirat Rai script:Omniglot}}</ref><br/>Devanagari | notice = IPA | image = {{Photomontage | photo1a = Kirawa Yung kirat Rai.png | photo2a = Bantawa language.svg | spacing = 2 | color = 0 | border = 0 | foot_montage = }} | imagecaption = (top) "Kirawa Yüng" written in Kirat Rai script<br/>(bottom) "Bantawa" written in Devanagari script | nation = * {{flag|Nepal}} ** Koshi Province (additional) * {{flag|India}} ** Sikkim | mapscale = 1.0 | map2 = Lang Status 80-VU.svg | mapcaption2 = {{center|Bantawa is classified as Vulnerable by the UNESCO ''Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger''.}} | iso3 = bap | lc1 = wly | ld1 = Waling | glotto = bant1280 | glottorefname = Bantawic }}
The '''Bantawa language''' (also referred to as '''An Yüng''', '''Bantaba''', '''Bantawa Dum''', '''Bantawa Yong,''' '''Bantawa Yüng''', '''Bontawa''', '''Kirawa Yüng''') is a Kiranti language spoken in the eastern Himalayan hills of eastern Nepal by Kirati Bantawa ethnic groups. They use a syllabic alphabet system known as Kirat Rai. Among the Khambu or Rai people of Koshi Province in Nepal, Sikkim, Darjeeling and Kalimpong in India, Bantawa is the most extensively spoken language.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.sil.org/resources/archives/43902|title=Language use among the Bantawa: Homogeneity, education, access, and relative prestige|date=2013-01-28|newspaper=SIL International|access-date=2017-02-10|language=en}}</ref> According to the 2001 National Census, at least 1.63% of the Nepal's total population speaks Bantawa. About 370,000 speak Bantawa language mostly in eastern hilly regions of Nepal (2001). Although Bantawa is among the more widely used variety of the Bantawa language, it falls in the below-100,000 category of endangered languages.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://robbie.eugraph.com/bantawa/report.html|title=Bantawa: observations of a threatened language|website=robbie.eugraph.com|access-date=2017-02-10}}</ref> It is experiencing language shift to Nepali, especially in the northern region.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://www.ethnologue.com/language/bap|title=Bantawa|newspaper=Ethnologue|access-date=2017-02-10}}</ref>
Bantawa is spoken in subject–object–verb order, and has no noun classes or genders.<ref name=":0" />
==Dialects== {{Unreferenced section|date=October 2021}} Most of the Bantawa clan are now settled in Bhojpur, Dharan, Illam, and Dhankuta. Recent figures show most of them are settled in Dharan. Bantawa is spoken in the following districts of Nepal (''Ethnologue''). *Koshi Province: Bhojpur District, Dhankuta District, Ilam District, Jhapa District, Khotang District, Morang District, Okhaldhunga District, Panchthar District, Sunsari District, Taplejung District and Udayapur District * Sikkim, Darjeeling, Kalimpong of India Dialects are as follows (''Ethnologue''). * Northern Bantawa (Chhinangkhongeli and dilpali) ::''Northern subdialects: Siptungkhali, Mangpahang, Awaichha, Rungchenbung and Yangma'' * Southern Bantawa (Chewali, Okhreli, Hatuwali, Hangkhim) ::''Southern and Northern Bantawa, similar, could be united as 'Intermediate Bantawa'.'' * Eastern Bantawa (Dhankuta) ::''Eastern dialect is the most divergent. It is most closely related to Dungmali language, though also related to Puma language, Sampang language, and Chhintange language.'' * Western Bantawa (Amchoke, Amchauke) ::''Amchaucke dialects: Sorung, Saharaja, Lulam, and Sukita'' *Wana Bantawa (also called simply Bantawa), spoken by the Bantawa subcaste. The Amchoke dialect is spoken in the Limbu area, especially in Ilam district.
Bantawa is also considered as a superior clan in the Kiranti family. Bantawa is also reportedly in use as a ''lingua franca'' among Rai minorities in Himalayan Sikkim, Darjeeling Kalimpong In India and Bhutan. Meanwhile, the language is just being introduced in a few schools at the primary level (Year 1 – Year 5)<ref name=unwritten>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gdqy7PKHUXQC&q=bantawa&pg=PA341 |title=Morphosyntactic transparency in Bantawa |author=Jadranka Gvozdanovic |access-date=2007-09-12 |format=.pdf |work=Himalayan Languages: Past and Present, by Anju Saxena|year=2004 |publisher=Walter de Gruyter |isbn=9783110178418 }}</ref> using Devanagari script.<ref name=Devanagari> {{cite web |url=http://kcm.co.kr/bethany_eng/p_code1/2040.html |title=The Bantawa Rai of Nepal |access-date=2007-09-12 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080305001655/http://kcm.co.kr/bethany_eng/p_code1/2040.html |archive-date=2008-03-05 }}</ref><ref name=language>{{cite web |url=http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=bap |title=Bantawa, A language of Nepal |access-date=2007-09-12| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071201093507/http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=bap| archive-date=December 1, 2007| url-status= live}}</ref>
The extinct Waling language attested from the late 19th century may have been a variety of Bantawa, or a closely related language, if not the Hatuwali dialect the Waling people speak today.
== Phonology == ===Vowels=== {|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" |+ Vowel phonemes ! rowspan=2 | ! |Front ! | Central ! rowspan="2"| Back |- !colspan=2 |<small>unrounded</small> |- ! Close | {{IPA link|i}} ᤀᤡ {{angbr|इ}} | rowspan="3" |{{IPAlink|ɨ}} ~ {{IPA link|ə}} ᤀ {{angbr|उ़}} | {{IPA link|u}} ᤀᤢ {{angbr|उ}} |- ! Close-mid | {{IPA link|e}} ᤀᤣ {{angbr|ए}} | {{IPA link|o}} ᤀᤥ {{angbr|ओ}} |- ! Open-mid | | {{IPA link|ʌ}} ᤀᤨ {{angbr|अ}} |- ! Open | | {{IPA link|ä}} ᤀᤠ {{angbr|आ}} | |} *{{IPA link|ʌ}} vowel comes in Bantawa due to influence of Nepali language and it is rarely used like in other Tibetan Burmese language. *nowadays some dialect or in region may pronounce /{{IPA link|ɨ}}/ as [{{IPA link|ʌ}}], [{{IPA link|u}}], or [{{IPA link|ə}}]. Example: {{IPA|mɨk}} (eye) pronounce as {{IPA|mʌk}}, {{IPA|pɨ}} (snake) as {{IPA|pʌ}}.
===Consonants=== {|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" |+Bantawa consonant phonemes ! colspan="3" | ! Bilabial ! Dental ! Apico-<br />alveolar ! Lamino-<br />alveolar ! Palatal ! Velar ! Glottal |- ! colspan="3" | Nasal | {{IPAlink|m}} ᤔ {{angbr|म}} | | {{IPAlink|n}} ᤏ {{angbr|न}} | | | {{IPAlink|ŋ}} ᤅ {{angbr|ङ}} | |- ! rowspan="4" | Plosive/<br>Affricate ! rowspan="2" | <small>voiceless</small> ! <small>unaspirated</small> | {{IPAlink|p}} ᤐ {{angbr|प}} | {{IPAlink|t̪}} ᤋ {{angbr|त}} | {{IPAlink|t}} ᤋ {{angbr|ट}} | {{IPAlink|t͡s}} ᤆ {{angbr|च}} | | {{IPAlink|k}} ᤁ {{angbr|क}} |{{IPA link|ʔ}} ᤹ {{angbr|:}} |- ! <small>aspirated</small> | {{IPAlink|pʰ}} ᤑ {{angbr|फ}} | {{IPAlink|t̪ʰ}} ᤌ {{angbr|थ}} | {{IPAlink|tʰ}} ᤌ {{angbr|ठ}} | {{IPAlink|t͡sʰ}} ᤇ {{angbr|छ}} | | {{IPAlink|kʰ}} ᤂ {{angbr|ख}} | |- ! rowspan="2" | <small>voiced</small> ! <small>unaspirated</small> | {{IPAlink|b}} ᤒ {{angbr|ब}} | {{IPAlink|d̪}} ᤍ {{angbr|द}} | {{IPAlink|d}} ᤍ {{angbr|ड}} | {{IPAlink|d͡z}} ᤈ {{angbr|ज}} | | {{IPAlink|ɡ}} ᤃ {{angbr|ग}} | |- ! <small>aspirated</small> | {{IPAlink|bʱ}} ᤓ {{angbr|भ}} | {{IPAlink|d̪ʱ}} ᤎ {{angbr|ध}} | {{IPAlink|dʱ}} ᤎ {{angbr|ढ}} | {{IPAlink|d͡zʱ}} ᤉ {{angbr|झ}} | | {{IPAlink|ɡʱ}} ᤄ {{angbr|घ}} | |- ! colspan="3" | Fricative | | | {{IPAlink|s}} ᤛ {{angbr|स}} | | | | {{IPAlink|ɦ}} ᤜ {{angbr|ह}} |- ! colspan="3" | Trill | | | {{IPAlink|r}} ᤖ {{angbr|र}} | | | | |- ! colspan="3" | Lateral | | | {{IPAlink|l}} ᤗ {{angbr|ल}} | | | | |- ! colspan="3" | Approximant | {{IPAlink|w}} ᤘ {{angbr|व}} | | | | {{IPAlink|j}} ᤕ {{angbr|य}} | | |} * Glotta stop {{IPAblink|ʔ}} is one of the consonants of Bantawa language which is represent by using {{angbr|:}}. * Dental consonant and Apico-alveolar does not make any difference while speaking. * To write Bantawa language Kirat Sirijunga lipi and Devanagari lipi is being used in Nepal.
== Vocabulary == {{Unreferenced section|date=October 2021}} {| class="wikitable" ! Bantawa || IPA || Nepali || English |- | Sewa सेवा || sewä || नमस्ते || Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening, |- | Kok कोक || kok || भात || Food, Rice |- | Khan खान ||kʰän|| तरकारी || Curry |- | Münachi मनाचि || mɨnätsi|| मानिसहरू || People |- | Diwa दिवा || diwä || बाजे|| Grandfather |- | Dima दिमा || dimä || बजू || Grandmother |- | Papa पापा ||päpä|| बुबा || Father |- | Mama मामा ||mämä|| आमा || Mother |- | Nana नाना ||nänä|| दिदी || Elder-sister |- | Nichhama निछामा ||nitsʰmä || बहिनी || Little-Sister |- | Dewa देवा||dewä|| ठूलो बुबा || Uncle elder to dad |- | Dema देमा ||demä|| बडी आमा || Aunt Elder to Dad/ Dad's elder sister-in-law |- | Baŋa बाङा ||bäŋä || काका || Uncle younger to Dad |- | Chhɨna छ़ना ||tsʰɨnä || काकी || Younger uncle wife |- | Büwa ब़वा ||bɨwä|| दाजु || Elder Brother |- | Nichha निछा || nit͡sʰä || भाइ || Younger Brother |- | Nichha'o Chhachi निछा:ओ छाची ||nitsʰäʔo tsʰätsi || भाइबहिनीका छोराछोरी || Brothers' or sisters' children |- | Aachhuwa, chhuwa आछुवा, छुवा || ätsʰuwa tsʰuwa || मामा || Mother's younger Brother |- | Phekwa फेकवा ||pek-wa || पैसा || Money |- | Teet तित ||tit|| लुगा || Cloths |- | Cha'wa चा:वा|| t͡säʔwä ||पानी || Water |- | Mi मि || mi || आगो || Fire |- | Thuli थुलि||tʰuli || पिठो || Flour |- | Sampicha साम्पिचा||sämpit͡sä || कोदो || Millet |- | Khabat, Wachhon खाबात, वाछोन ||kʰäwät wät͡sʰon || जाड || Locally brew wine |- | Hengmawa हेङमावा||heŋmäwä || रक्सी || Rum/Whisky/Brandy |- | Sa सा||sä || मासु || Meat |- | Chhüna छ़ना||t͡sʰɨnä || फुपु || Aunt (Father's sister) |- | Diwa, Dima दिवा, दिमा ||diwä dimä|| हजुरबुवा, हजुरआमा || Grandfather, Grandmother |- | Oyatni ओयात्नी|| ohyätni || यहाँ तिर || Here |- | Moyatni मोयात्नी ||moyätni || त्यहाँ तिर || There |- | Khada खादा||kʰädä || कहाँ || Where |- | Demni देम्नी ||demni|| कति || How |- | Unni उन्नी || unni|| यति मात्र || This much |- | Chama चामा||t͡sämä || खानु || to Eat |- | Tücha त़चा ||tɨ t͡sä || खाने हो? || Do you want to eat? |- | Kok Tücha? कोक त़चा ? ||kok tɨ t͡sä ||खाना खाने हो ? || Do you eat rice? |- |Küng||kɨŋ||दात||teeth |- |Ütlo||ɨt-lo||नराम्रो, खराब ||bad |- |Munima मुनिमा|| munimä||बिरालो||Cat |- |}
==References== {{reflist}}
==Further reading== * Winter, Werner. 2003. ''A Bantawa Dictionary''. Trends in Linguistics - Documentation 20. Mouton de Gruyter: New York. * Doornenbal, Marius. 2009. ''A Grammar of Bantawa''. Leiden University PhD Thesis. LOT Dissertation Series: Utrecht. *{{cite encyclopedia | last = Nishi 西 | first = Yoshio 義郎 | author-link = Yoshio Nishi | editor1-first = 孝 Takashi | editor1-last = 亀井 Kamei | editor2-first = 六郎 Rokurō | editor2-last = 河野 Kōno | editor3-first = 栄一 Eichi | editor3-last = 千野 Chino | encyclopedia = 三省堂言語学大辞典 The Sanseido Encyclopaedia of Linguistics | title = バンタワ語 | trans-title = Bantawa, Bantāwā, Bāntāwā, Bantava; Bontawa, Bontāwā; Buntāwā, Bāntuwā | language = ja | year = 1992b | publisher = 三省堂 Sanseido Press | volume = 3 | location = Tokyo | isbn =4385152179 | pages = 380a–391a }}
==External links== * [https://openaccess.leidenuniv.nl/handle/1887/14326 A Grammar of Bantawa] * [https://robbie.eugraph.com/bantawa/report.html Bantawa: observations of a threatened language]
{{Sino-Tibetan languages}} {{Kiranti languages}} {{Languages of Nepal}}
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Category:Kiranti languages Category:Languages of Nepal Category:Vulnerable languages Category:Languages of Koshi Province Category:Languages written in Devanagari Category:Endangered Sino-Tibetan languages Category:Endangered languages of India Category:Endangered languages of Asia