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Tharu, Dangaura

A language of Nepal

ISO 639-3: thl

Population	500,000 in Nepal (2003), increasing. 10%–15% monolingual. Population total all countries: 674,000.
Region	Rapti zone, Dang-Deokhuri District; areas in the Tarai; Bheri zone, Bardiya, Banke, Surkhet districts; Seti zone, Kailali District; Mahakali zone, Kanchanpur District. Also in India.
Language map	Western Nepal, reference number 22
Alternate names	Chaudary Tharu, Chaudhari Tharu, Dangauli, Dangha, Dangora, Dangura
Dialects	Kailali (Malhoriya), Deokhuri (Deokhar, Deokri), Dang, Banke, Bardiya, Surkhet, Kanchanpur. 68%–91% intelligibility of Rana Tharu [thr], 95% to 97% of Kathoriya [tkt]. Some intelligibility difficulty with speakers from India. Possibly Eastern Hindi Group. Lexical similarity: 74%–79% with Kathoriya, 72%–74% with Sonha [soi], 63%–72% with Rana Tharu, 61%–67% with Chitwania [the], 58%–65% with Hindi.
Classification	Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan, Central zone, Unclassified
Language use	High vitality but increasing Nepali [nep] loanwords. Home, village, religion. All ages. Also use Nepali, Hindi, or Maithili [mai].
Language development	Literacy rate in L2: (all Tharu as an ethnic group) 28% all Tharu (1991 census). Magazines. Radio programs. Dictionary. Grammar.
Writing system	Devanagari script.
Comments	Tharu recognized as an official nationality. SOV; postpositions; genitives after noun heads; adjectives, numerals before noun heads; CV, CVC, CCV; nontonal. Agriculturalists. Traditional religion, syncretism with Hindu, Hindu.

Also spoken in:

India

Language name	Tharu, Dangaura
Population	174,000 in India (2007).
Region	Uttar Pradesh, Kheri District, Nighasan tahsil border; Gonda District, Tulsipur tahsil; Bahraich District.
Alternate names	Chaudary, Chaudhari, Chaudhuri, Dang, Dangali, Dangha, Dangora, Dangura
Language use	A few also use Hindi.
Language development	Literacy rate in L2: 20%–25% (census).
Comments	A Scheduled Tribe. Hindu, traditional religion.

Entries from the SIL Bibliography about this language:

Academic Publications

BOEHM, Edward Daniel, author. 1998. A phonological reconstruction of Proto-Tharu.

BOEHM, Edward Daniel; CHAUDHARY, Khopi Ram, compilers. 2008. tharu hijje shəbdəkosh (tharu-nepali-angreji).

BOEHM, Edward, consultant; EICHENTOPF, Stephanie; MITCHELL, Jessica, researchers. 2012. A Sociolinguistic Study of Dangaura Tharu and Related Varieties.

BOEHM, Kelly Kilgo, author. 1997. Language use and language maintenance among the Tharu of the Indo-Nepal tarai.