Nepalese English
Nepalese English; locally known as Nepalese variety of English is a form and accent of the English language spoken by Nepalese people in Nepal. Many Nepalese speak English as a second language and is most prevalent among city dwellers residing in Kathmandu (the capital of Nepal). Though Nepalese is the native language, English is primarily the business language in Nepal.[1] Nepal, where modern English education began in the 1850s, is at the crossroads because English teachers and practitioners here are in dilemmas whether to follow British/American versions, Hinglish (Indian variety of English) or their own Nenglish (Nepali Variety of English).[2]
Classification
This dialect is classified as a non-standard dialect. It has no legal status.
Phonology
Nepalese accents vary greatly. Some Nepalese speak English with an accent close to a Standard British (Received Pronunciation) accent; others lean toward a more 'vernacular', native-tinted, accent for their English speech.
Grammar
The role of English within the complex multilingual society of Nepal is far from straightforward: it is used across the country, by speakers with various degrees of proficiency; the grammar and phraseology may mimic that of the speaker's first language. While Nepalese speakers of English use idioms peculiar to their homeland, often literal translations of words and phrases from their native languages, this is far less common in proficient speakers, and the grammar itself tends to be quite close to that of Standard English.
Numeral system
The numeral system of Nenglish is the South Asian numbering system and is preferred for digit grouping. When written in words, or when spoken, numbers less than 100,000/100 000 are expressed just as they are in Standard English. Numbers including and beyond 100,000 / 100 000 are expressed in a subset of the Indian numbering system. Consequently, the following scale is used:
| In digits (Standard English) | In digits (Nenglish) | In words (Standard English) | In words (Nenglish) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | ten | ||
| 100 | one hundred | ||
| 1,000 | one thousand | ||
| 10,000 | ten thousand | ||
| 100,000 / 100 000 | 1,00,000 | one hundred thousand | one lakh |
| 1,000,000 / 1 000 000 | 10,00,000 | one million | ten lakh |
| 10,000,000 /10 000 000 | 1,00,00,000 | ten million | one crore |
Larger numbers are generally expressed as multiples of the above.[3][4]
Nouns
There are a few distinct expressions relating to family members in Nenglish.
Brother/cousin
In most of the languages spoken in Nepal, both brother and cousin are referred to as brother, as there is no specific word for cousin. People therefore use the term "own brother" to refer to "brother" and "not own brother" to refer to "cousin".[5]
Aunt/uncle
The Nepalese languages have specific words to refer to aunts and uncles. For example, in Nepali, father's sister is फुपु (phupu) and mother's sister सानो आमा (sāno āmā). People would generally use their native language's terms to refer to those family members.
References
- ↑ "Government of Nepal reached an agreement on Madhesi demand to introduce English as language of education in Nepal : United Nations Charter" (PDF).
- ↑ "Nenglish: An Inevitable Reality or Merely a Mirage".
- ↑ "Investors lose Rs 4.4 lakh crore in four days" Archived 2012-03-16 at the Wayback Machine., Business Standard
- ↑ "Back Corporate chiefs getting crores in salaries: 100 and counting!", SmartInvestor.in
- ↑ http://twoworldscombined.wordpress.com/.../nepal/nepali-culture-nepal/