Sonha

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A language of Nepal

ISO 639-3
soi
Alternate Names
Sonahaa, Sunah, Sunha
Population

14,700 (2000), decreasing. No monolinguals.

Location

Seti Zone, Kailali District, along Karnali River; Bheri Zone, Surkhet district along Bheri river; Bardia district, Daulatpur VDC, Murgawagaon; Mahakali Zone, along Mahakali river; Kanchanpur district, Bhimadatta VDC, Odaligaon, Mahendranagar tahsil.

Language Maps
Language Status

7 (Shifting).

Classification
Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan, Central zone, Unclassified
Dialects

Similar to Dangaura Tharu [thl] with 80% intelligibility; similar to Avadhi [awa]. Lexical similarity: 69% with Rana Tharu [thr], 73% with Kathariya Tharu [tkt], 72% with Dangaura Tharu [thl]. Sonha and Kathoriya [tkt] form a lexical bridge with Rana and Dangaura varieties of Tharu.

Typology

SOV; postpositions; noun head final; content q-word in situ; clause constituents indicated by case-marking; verbal affixation marks number; split ergativity; passives and voice; nontonal

Language Use

Home; mixed use: Friends, religion, work. Young adults and older. Some use among children and adolescents.

Language Resources
OLAC resources in and about Sonha
Writing
Unwritten.
Other Comments

’Sonha’ is an occupational caste (gold panners). Hindu, Christian.