| Raji–Raute | |
| Region: | Nepal, India |
| Familycolor: | Sino-Tibetan |
| Fam2: | Greater Magaric |
| Fam3: | Chepangic–Raji |
| Child1: | Raji |
| Child2: | Raute–Rawat |
| Glotto: | raji1239 |
| Glottorefname: | Raji–Raute |
Raji–Raute is a branch of the Sino-Tibetan language family that includes the three closely related languages, namely Raji, Raute, and Rawat. They are spoken by small hunter-gatherer communities in the Terai region of Nepal and in neighboring Uttarakhand, India.
Like some other Tibeto-Burman languages, Raji–Raute languages have voiceless sonorants.
Raute and Rawat are closely related; Raji is more distantly related.[1] Fortier classifies the Raji–Raute languages as follows.[1] Note that language varieties that classify within the Rawat subgroup are known by various names; Raute of Dadeldhura/Darchula is taxonomically a Rawat language, and is not to be confused with Raute proper.
Schorer (2016:293)[2] classifies Raji–Raute as part of his newly proposed Greater Magaric group.
A database of 700 words for items from households of Raute and Ban Rawat speakers (Fortier 2012) indicates a largely Sino-Tibetan language ancestry. Deep Root items include 58 words of Sino-Tibetan origin and 7 of Austroasiatic origin. Proto-family items include 281 morphemes of Proto-Tibeto-Burman origin. Meso-root, or subfamily items include 34 words of Proto-Kuki-Chin origin, 23 of Proto-Tani origin, 6 of Proto-Tangkulic origin, and 1 of Northern Chin origin. The database omits most loans of Indo-Aryan origin although 43 items were of Sanskrit origin. Work remains on identifying etymologies of the remaining 247 items in the Raute–Rawat database.
Raji-Raute varieties are spoken in the following areas of Nepal and India.[1]
nomadic, 10 districts of western Nepal
The comparative vocabulary lists of Raji and Raute below are from Rastogi & Fortier (2005). Rastogi & Fortier (2005) also provide Purbia Raji and Janggali Raute forms.
The following is a 100-word Swadesh list from Rastogi & Fortier (2005).
| No. | English gloss | Rawati (Raji) | Khamci (Raute) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | I | naa | ngaa | |
| 2 | you, thou | nang | naa, nhhang | |
| 3 | we | naani jammaa | ngaa, na, nani | |
| 4 | this | ai | ii | |
| 5 | that | aiyaa | he | |
| 6 | who | chuin | 'se; tse, nhhamʔ | |
| 7 | what | hu | hai, hang | |
| 8 | not | haa | nai, nā (as verb suffix: -re/rai) | |
| 9 | all | jammaa ~ jammal | mwalyae | |
| 10 | many | jikkal | bo-kani, bo, buoh | |
| 11 | one | daa, ga | daa | |
| 12 | two | nii ~ nhii | nhi | |
| 13 | big | bai-inaa | ghaare | |
| 14 | long | lang | ||
| 15 | small | ʈuhaa, chui-ce | lhhaʔ | |
| 16 | woman | maʈhialaa | umaakhala, umaa | |
| 17 | man | manjha | ba, s'ye; s'yela, māukyaa | |
| 18 | person | manca | mi: mur; murka, mukala | |
| 19 | fish | boraa | gaah, gap | |
| 20 | bird | gidhaa | bwaah, buaʔ | |
| 21 | dog | kuii | kwui | |
| 22 | louse | sira | shuhroh | |
| 23 | tree | shiing | s'iu; tsiu, shing | |
| 24 | seed | biye | ||
| 25 | leaf | huwaah, huwaa-aa, khuaa | hwaah, waʔ | |
| 26 | root | jadao | goy, nyuri (wild yams), dz'ra | |
| 27 | bark | siing khallaw | thaapa, thakpa | |
| 28 | skin | khallyai | kiri; kriakaa, kirikyae | |
| 29 | flesh (meat) | sya | s'yaa, yaa, pyaa, s'iu, shiaeʔ | |
| 30 | blood | khui | s'ui, ks'ap | |
| 31 | bone | haɖang | haare, haar'm | |
| 32 | grease | ge; gela | ||
| 33 | egg | anɖaa | bhi; bhibhiya, bhiya | |
| 34 | horn | sioang | sikk'm | |
| 35 | tail | pucheraa | muahta, mukyae | |
| 36 | feather | pakhaa | phakaa, pwohx | |
| 37 | hair | haamuu | rung | |
| 38 | head | gaɽaa | garaah, g'rhha | |
| 39 | ear | ghunaa, hunaa | gunaah | |
| 40 | eye | mhiike, niike | mikaah; mhiiga | |
| 41 | nose | shinaa | 'sinaah, shinga | |
| 42 | mouth | khaaber | chyu(re), mu | |
| 43 | tooth | daaɽo | s'wāah, tshwa | |
| 44 | tongue | jibaiɽo | laale, muuhm, mhhwOm | |
| 45 | fingernail | nhiang | leehm, lhhel | |
| 46 | foot | bhaa, panjaa | bhaah | |
| 47 | knee | puhai | phukh, gaʈho | |
| 48 | hand | hakai | aakhaa | |
| 49 | belly (stomach) | laado | guduu, gudong, photo ('entrails') | |
| 50 | neck | gardhan | manto, m'nthu, ghaature | |
| 51 | breast | cucca | susi | |
| 52 | heart | paatii, mutu | ||
| 53 | liver | mulyaa | kharabdaah, bara | |
| 54 | drink | tung | jhum, jaaya, hum, ti-I, tì | |
| 55 | eat | jaako, jale, jaa-aa | jaa; jaaku; jaaya, ka; kaare | |
| 56 | bite | kai | ka; kaiyaa, k'I | |
| 57 | see | guhe | bigaap, bighhae | |
| 58 | hear | huung-ye | guno, gunaare | |
| 59 | know | dahau | ||
| 60 | sleep | iishe | s'ii; s'iyaah, she, kwih | |
| 61 | die | shiiya | s'i; s'iya | |
| 62 | kill | haate-ko | ath-oh | |
| 63 | swim | raa pe | kha-buwa, bou-kha-buwa, bowti | |
| 64 | fly | bo | bwaah (n.?), pharaei (v.?) | |
| 65 | walk | hwaa-I, khwa | ||
| 66 | come | biir/hi-ir | bi; biye, bi-e, pi-ye | |
| 67 | lie | jhuʈi-haa-syaa | lat (lie down) | |
| 68 | sit | khuung yaa | sweh, sweh guni; aysapha, dzuye | |
| 69 | stand | yeki | phuyo; phayaah, phuyu | |
| 70 | give | bai-y, baiko | nyaa; bayaa, khaalu | |
| 71 | say | neko | khaama (to speak); thi-i, shi dhaami | |
| 72 | sun | diiho | bel, berh, dhāmu | |
| 73 | moon | dunnaa | jhyunna, bair, berh (not exact terms for moon, not comp.) | |
| 74 | star | taaraa | tui-tui | |
| 75 | water | tii, chi | tsi | |
| 76 | rain | barkhaa | s'gyae, tii-i | |
| 77 | stone | |||
| 78 | sand | ballyaa | bolyaa | |
| 79 | earth | dexa | desha [< [[Nepali language|Nepali]]], samsar | |
| 80 | cloud | diiho | dewaah, dewaʔ | |
| 81 | smoke | dhukaāh, dhuma | ||
| 82 | fire | bhåoy / mhai | mhe:h, muhèi | |
| 83 | ash | dhuli | kuhli, duhri, dhulo | |
| 84 | burn | lung (vi.) | ||
| 85 | path | yong | yaun-khyaa-nu, yung | |
| 86 | mountain | biʈʈaa; dhaɽe (peak) | manam (hill); malam, kheɖ' | |
| 87 | red | ʈulhariyaa | tui, sha | |
| 88 | green | hariyo / hariya | hwaa (dark green - gagina), kamaiyo, k'm'iu | |
| 89 | yellow | pero, piilè | byaalo, hwi-byelo, p'rhho | |
| 90 | white | dhaurya | dhyaulyaa, dhyaurya, dhauɽia, ghouraya | |
| 91 | black | tuknahaa | tokaanye, namaro | |
| 92 | night | gaire | gadhir | |
| 93 | hot | gamma [< [[Indo-Aryan languages|IA]]] | chunu, ghohnohw | |
| 94 | cold | ʈhanɖa [< [[Indo-Aryan languages|IA]]] | jungha, dzung | |
| 95 | full | bharata | jimai (filled), bwohb | |
| 96 | new | nong | niu, nhu; n'u | |
| 97 | good | nhikah | namar (person), lagalo | |
| 98 | round | baʈulo | ||
| 99 | dry | kaarau we (vi.) | karaao | |
| 100 | name | naam | miĩhga |
Rastogi & Fortier (2005) list the following body part terms.
| No. | English gloss | Rawati (Raji) | Khamci (Raute) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | arm | pa:ti [< [[Indo-Aryan languages|IA]]] | arkha:, wa:u | |
| 2 | belly | la:do (Purbia Raji dang) | 1. photo (belly); 2. gudu ~ gudong; (Janggali gudang) (“intestines”?) | |
| 3 | blood | khui | 1. s'ui:; 2. kshap (kshap recorded by C. Bandhu (pers. comm.)) | |
| 4 | breast | cucci | susi | |
| 5 | ear | ghuna ~ huna | guna: | |
| 6 | eye | ni:hke | mi:hka | |
| 7 | finger | aguliya | hubela | |
| 8 | fingernail | nihang | lem ~ le:hng ~ li:hm | |
| 9 | foot | bhaa | bhaa | |
| 10 | hair | haamu ~ hamo ~ ha ngo | [< [[Nepali language|Nepali]]] | |
| 11 | hand | haake (Purbia Raji yak) | a:khaa, la:ku (Janggali ha:kai) | |
| 12 | head | garaa | garaa | |
| 13 | hip, buttocks | s'yi-li | ||
| 14 | goiter | kok | ||
| 15 | knee, joint | puhei ~ puhai ~ puher | phuk | |
| 16 | leg | bhaa | ||
| 17 | lip | autha [< [[Indo-Aryan languages|IA]]] | cyure; cyura | |
| 18 | mouth | khaaber | 1. cyure; 2. mu ~ mu:hm: ~ mum | |
| 19 | neck | gardhan [< [[Indo-Aryan languages|IA]]] (Purbia Raji tuk) | 1. manto; mani; 2. ghaature [< [[Nepali language|Nepali]]] | |
| 20 | nipple, breast | chuchu | ||
| 21 | nose | s'inna | tsinaa ~ sinaa | |
| 22 | nostrils | dhodo | ||
| 23 | shoulders | kadhang [< [[Indo-Aryan languages|IA]]] | kum [< [[Nepali language|Nepali]]] | |
| 24 | skin | khallyai | kiriki ~ kiliki ~ kikaa | |
| 25 | teeth, tooth | swaa | swaåh; chuwaa; miu | |
| 26 | thighs | jangaa | 1. kare, 2. bhaa | |
| 27 | vulva | pi |