| Jumli Khas | |
| Nativename: | जुम्ली खस |
| Region: | Nepal |
| Date: | 2021 |
| Ref: | e27 |
| Script: | Devanagari |
| Familycolor: | Indo-European |
| Fam2: | Indo-Iranian |
| Fam3: | Indo-Aryan |
| Fam4: | Northern |
| Fam5: | Eastern Pahari |
| Iso3: | jml |
| Glotto: | juml1238 |
| Glottorefname: | Jumli |
| Dia1: | Asi Darali |
| Dia2: | Tribikoti |
| Dia3: | Rasakoti |
| Dia4: | Muhu |
Jumli or Jumli Khas is an Indo-Aryan language of Nepal closely related to Nepali. It is primarily spoken in the Karnali Province of Nepal. The language is occasionally referred to as a dialect of Nepali; however, the Government of Nepal considers Jumli as a different language and the 2011 Nepal census put the number of native speakers at 851.[1] The Khas language is known as the parent language of Nepali language.
Jumli Khas language uses the Devanagari script.
Khas language is considered to be the parent language of Nepali. The language is considered to developed in Sinja Valley of Karnali province.[3]
On 17 August 2017, a draft regarding 'Jumli Khas language writing style' was proposed. The draft proposed 29 consonants and 6 vowels for writing the language. According to Ramanand Acharya, a linguist and editor of the Jumli Khas dictionary, the proposed draft was prepared based on the Khas language and colloquial language and vernacular spoken in the then Karnali Khas Kingdom.[4] However, on 15 August 2022, the Language Commission of Nepal finalized a phonology with 24 vowels and 41 consonant characters.
Unlike Nepali, Jumli Khas only have 6 oral vowels.
| Close | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Close-mid | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | ||
| Open-mid | pronounced as /ink/ | |||
| Open | pronounced as /ink/ |
| Nasal | pronounced as /ink/ (म) | pronounced as /ink/ (न) | pronounced as /ink/ (ङ) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plosive/Affricate | voiceless | unaspirated | pronounced as /ink/ (प) | pronounced as /ink/ (त) | pronounced as /ink/ (च) | pronounced as /ink/ (ट) | pronounced as /ink/ (क) | |||
| aspirated | pronounced as /ink/ (फ) | pronounced as /ink/ (थ) | pronounced as /ink/ (छ) | pronounced as /ink/ (ठ) | pronounced as /ink/ (ख) | |||||
| voiced | unaspirated | pronounced as /ink/ (ब) | pronounced as /ink/ (द) | pronounced as /ink/ (ज) | pronounced as /ink/ (ड) | pronounced as /ink/ (ग) | ||||
| aspirated | pronounced as /ink/ (भ) | pronounced as /ink/ (ध) | pronounced as /ink/ (झ) | pronounced as /ink/ (ढ) | pronounced as /ink/ (घ) | |||||
| Fricative | pronounced as /ink/ (स) | pronounced as /ink/ (ह) | ||||||||
| Rhotic | pronounced as /ink/ (र) | |||||||||
| Approximant | (pronounced as /ink/ (व)) | pronounced as /ink/ (ल) | (pronounced as /ink/ (य)) | |||||||
In 2020, twenty-eight schools in Tatopani Rural Municipality of Jumla District started teaching in Jumli Khas language.[7]
In 2008, Ramanand Acharya started compiling the first ever Jumli Khas Dictionary titled Khasiya Akhar.[8] Khas means Khas people and Aakhar means word or a letter. As of 2019, he had collected around 25 thousands words. The collection process has been at a slow rate due to lack of funding.[9] The Karnali Province government allocated funds for the process in the budget of the fiscal year 2077/2078 BS (2020/2021).[10]