Learning Nepalbhasa
Summary
A Kathmandu-based English teacher recounts learning Nepalbhasa, the Newar language spoken in the Kathmandu Valley, through MPhil studies at Tribhuvan University. His research on reduplication in Nepalbhasa was published in the peer-reviewed journal The Batuk in 2023.
Key Points
- The writer explains that Nepalbhasa is the Newar language, distinct from Nepali, and is one of Nepal’s national languages.
- He began studying Nepalbhasa during his MPhil at the Central Department of Linguistics, Tribhuvan University.
- His research on reduplication in Nepalbhasa was published as “Reduplication in Newar Language: An Empirical Study” in The Batuk in 2023.
- He describes trying to greet native speakers with “jwajalapa” while practicing the language in Kathmandu and Lalitpur’s Mangal Bazaar.
