03-01-177
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HIMALAYAN LANGUAGES.
The northern region of the Himalayas is inhabited by Bh
i
s
or Tibetans. To the south we find a long series of tribes speaking dialects
which all belong to the Tibeto- Burman family. Hodgson divided those tribes
'into two groups, distinguished by the respective use of simple or non-pronominalized,
and of complex or pronominalized languages.' He made an especial study of the
dialects spoken in Nepal, which State was not included in the operations of
this Survey. Some of the hill-dialects of Nepal are spoken within British territory.
They will be dealt with in the ensuing pages. No new materials have been forwarded
about the bulk of those forms of speech, and we cannot therefore add anything
to our knowledge concerning them. The remarks which follow will therefore be
principally restricted to the Himalayan dialects spoken within the territory
included under the operations of this Survey, and to such Nepalese languages
as are also spoken within British territory. The remaining dialects will only
be dealt with as a kind of appendix.
Proceeding from the west, the dialects to be considered are as follows:-
|
Name of the dialect.
|
NUMBER OF SPEAKERS.
|
|
Local estimates.
|
Census of 1904.
|
Manch ... |
2,995
|
2,441
|
Chamba Lhu ... |
1,387
|
1,543
|
Bun n... |
2,987
|
5,529
|
| Rangl... |
2,987
|
5,529
|
| Kansh... |
980
|
...
|
Kanw ...
|
13,099
|
19,525
|
| Rangkas... |
614
|
...
|
| Darmiy... |
1,761
|
...
|
| Chaudngs... |
1,485
|
...
|
| Byngs... |
1,585
|
...
|
| Jangal... |
200
|
...
|
| Sunwr... |
5,356
|
5,265
|
| Gurung... |
...
|
7,481
|
| Mgar... |
16,979
|
18,476
|
| Thm...
|
100
|
319
|
N wr... |
5,979
|
7,873
|
| Pahr... |
...
|
268
|
| Murm... |
36,848
|
32,167
|
|
Carried over.
|
92,355
|
100,887
|
VOL. III, PART I.
2A