Rajbanshi
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A language of Nepal
168,300, all users. L1 users: 147,000 (2011 census), increasing. 2,080 Koche, 122,000 Rajbanshi, 18,800 Tajpuriya, 3,610 Gangai. L2 users: 21,300 (2011 census).
Kosi zone: Morang and Sunsari districts; Mechi zone: Jhapa district.
5 (Developing). Language of recognized indigenous nationality: Rajbanshi (Koch).
Western Rajbanshi, Eastern Rajbanshi, Central Rajbanshi. Intelligibility is fairly high throughout the area (2001 J. Eppele and J. Grimes). Lexical similarity: 77%–95% with all varieties in Nepal (2001 J. Eppele and J. Grimes).
SOV; postpositions; noun head final; 2 noun classes or genders; content q-word in situ; 1 prefix, up to 4 suffixes; clause constituents indicated by both case-marking and word order; verbal affixation marks person and number; non-ergative; tense and aspect; passives and voice (no morphological passive, but 2 analytical passives); nontonal; 32 consonant and 6–7 vowel phonemes.
Literacy rate in L2: 38% (1991 census). Mother-tongue multilingual education and adult literacy programs have been carried out in villages throughout the Rajbanshi area. Taught in primary schools. Literature. Newspapers. Radio. Videos. Dictionary. Grammar. Texts. NT: 2009.
Devanagari script [Deva].
Hindu, Christian, Muslim, traditional religion.