Nepali+(Nepal)

=Nepali - Nepal =

Namaste! (Hello, greetings, I bless the divine in you)



 The basics:
 * Nepali is the national language of Nepal, and also spoken in parts of India and found occasionally in Bhutan, Myanmar, Hong Kong, and the United Kingdom.
 * It is an Indo-Aryan language, and considered a macro language.
 * There are over 17 million speakers world wide
 * There are three regional dialect groups, in western, central, and eastern Nepal, and over 15 different dialects, including Acchami, Baitadeli (Baitadi), Bajhangi, Bajurali (Bajura, Bajureli), Bheri, Dadeldhuri, Dailekhi, Darchulali (Darchuleli, Darjula), Darchuli (Darjula), Gandakeli, Humli, Purbeli, and Soradi. (intelligibility is low between several of the dialects)

Sources of information about Nepali: [] []

Nepali alphabet translation: []

Common Phrases youtube Video: []

Compared to English:
 * Nepali does have pluralizing suffexes, but the are not required, so students may be likely to refer to plurals in a singular form "I saw friend yesterday (instead of friends)"
 * Nepali prepositions parrallel english in location and use.
 * Unlike English, Nepali verbs are inflected for number, gender, status and person. They also inflect for tense, mood, and aspect.
 * The most important verb in Nepali is हुनु // hunu //which means "to become"

Beginner's guide to Nepali: [] []




 * __ Religion: __**

Nepal was declared a __secular country__ by the Parliament on May 18, 2006.
 * Secular country-- purports to be officially neutral in matters of religion, supporting neither religion nor irreligion

Religions practiced in Nepal are: Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, Jainism, Sikhism, Bon, __ancestor worship__ and __animism__.
 * Veneration of the dead or ancestor reverence-- based on the beliefs that the dead have a continued existence, and may possess the ability to influence the fortune of the living
 * Animism--the attribution of a soul to plants, inanimate objects, and natural phenomena. Also, the belief in a supernatural power that organizes and animates the material universe


 * __ Customs: __**

The majority of Nepal customs go back to the Hindu, Buddhist or other religious traditions.

Nepalese do not eat beef. There are several reasons for this, one being that the Hindus worship cow. Cow is also the national animal of Nepal.

Probably the greatest number of Nepali taboos are to do with food. One basic principle is that once you’ve touched something to your lips, it’s polluted for everyone else.
 * This is called //jutho.//
 * Don’t eat off someone else’s plate or offer anyone food you’ve taken a bite of, and don’t touch cooked food until you’ve bought it.

Most Nepalese do not use cutlery but eat with their __right__ hand.


 * If eating with your hands, use the right one only. The left hand is reserved for washing after defecating; you can use it to hold a glass or utensil while you eat, but don’t wipe your mouth, or pass food with it.

It’s considered good manners to give and receive everything with the right hand.
 * In order to convey respect, offer money, food or gifts with both hands, or with the right hand while the left touches the wrist.



Nepal is a __patriarchal society__. Men usually go out to work while women are homemakers. However, in cities, roles can differ.

Most Nepali abide by the __caste system__ in living habits and marriage. Rural Nepal is mostly agrarian.
 * Social stratification--is any given society's categorization of its people into rankings of socioeconomic tiers based on factors like wealth, income, social status, occupation and power.

Nepal is one of the poorest countries in the world. This poverty can be attributed to:
 * scarce natural resources
 * a difficult terrain,
 * landlocked geography
 * a weak infrastructure
 * feudal land tenure systems
 * government corruption
 * ineffectiveness of development efforts

Foreign aid rarely goes to the most needy sectors of the population but is concentrated in urban areas, providing jobs for the urban middle class. The name of the national currency is rupee.

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 * __ Nepal Refugees __**

__Late 1800s__: A group of people living in modern-day southern Nepal migrated to the south of Bhutan.


 * In general, this group speaks Nepali and practices Hinduism, but there is much linguistic, religious, and ethnic diversity in this community that is not captured by this generality.

__1958__: Members of this group, often called the Lhotsampa (southerners), received Bhutanese citizenship

__1988__: Bhutan's __One Nation One People policy__ stipulated that only one language, Dzongkha, and one style of dress and social etiquette, that of the Buddhist Ngalong ruling class, is allowed.
 * As a result, many Lhotsampa lost their citizenship, and the use of their language, Nepali, became outlawed in schools.

__Late 1980s-Early 1990s__: The community response included attempts both to accommodate and protest.
 * The village elders tried to accommodate the citizenship law by issuing certification to vouch for the residency of members of their community. However, the Bhutanese government targeted these communities, and they came under military rule. After this, much of the community began leaving en-masse in __1990 and 1991__.

__Early 1990s__: The community began to move in the direction of their ancestral home:Nepal.

__1991__: The first of seven refugee camps is established. Over 105,000 Bhutanese have spent more than 15 years living in refugee camps established in Nepal by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees. Thousands more are living outside the camps in Nepal and India, and some in North America, Europe and Australia.

Since 2008 a resettlement process has seen many thousands of Bhutanese refugees from the camps in Nepal being re-settled primarily in the USA but also in Canada, Australia, Denmark, New Zealand, the Netherlands and Norway.

THIS SITE IS PRETTY COOL: []


 * __ In the Classroom: __**

The majority of these young people entering American schools grew up in the refugee camps in Nepal. While they have pledged allegiance to Bhutan and sung the anthem each school day, __they have never known life in Bhutan__.

Members of these students’ families may be in India and Bhutan, as well as in Nepal. Since 2007 they may also have relatives and friends scattered across North America, Australia, New Zealand, and Europe.

Though many refugee children were born in Nepal and never lived in Bhutan, __the schools in the refugee camps taught Bhutanese social studies and the Dzongkha language was part of the curriculum.__

Bhutanese refugees are a diverse group who grew up in a community of mixed religions and languages. They may be Hindu, Christian, Buddhist, or belong to other religions.

They may, in addition to Nepali and English, speak the languages spoken by the Rai, Subba, and Tamang communities, among others. Students may also have some familiarity with Hindi.

The United States government officially supports the right of return for Bhutanese refugees.

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VIDEOS:

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