na
I / me
About the language
Chhantyal (also written Chantyal, and called Chhantyal Kham by its speakers) belongs to the Tamangic branch of the Sino-Tibetan family, alongside Thakali, Gurung and Tamang — it is closest to Thakali. It has no tone system and has borrowed a large part of its everyday vocabulary from Nepali. Of the two groups, the Baglung Chhantyal stopped speaking it as far back as the 19th century; today it survives mainly in the home villages of the Myagdi Chhantyal. It has no script of its own and is written in Devanagari.
Keeping it alive: The community is working to pass the language on: the Nepal Chhantyal Sangh has been preparing a draft Chhantyal-language school curriculum so it can be taught to a new generation. Source — Nepal Chhantyal Sangh
Word of the week
Words & phrases
The words below are not guesses — each is documented in published linguistic research on Chhantyal. Words still marked “awaiting verification” are waiting for community speakers to confirm them.
nai
We
kai
You
khi
She / he (a person)
cu
This
ama
Mother
kan
Cooked rice / food
le
Tongue
naku
Dog
thyawa
Big
la-
To do / make
pin-
To give
mu
To be (is)
ta-
To become
su
Who
khawa
How
Sarallo
Hello / Greetings
Pronunciation: suh-rah-loh
Awaiting community verification
Dhanyabad
Thank you
Pronunciation: dhuhn-yuh-baad
Awaiting community verification
Pani
Water
Pronunciation: pah-nee
Awaiting community verification
A sentence in Chhantyal
Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, recorded in Chhantyal:
झाउनी म्हीमा जर्मिवाढिकिन् सुँइखुसो मनितारी नी हौलारी मेसोवासे ताम्।
Romanized: jhāunī mḥīmā jarmiwāṭikin sũikhusī manitārī nī haulārī mesowāse tām.
Help us preserve it
Do you speak Chhantyal, or remember words from elders? Each verified word and recording we add helps keep the language alive. Reach out through Connect to contribute.
Sources & further reading
The verified words and facts on this page draw on:
- Michael Noonan, The Chantyal Language (grammar sketch)
- Michael Noonan, The Fall and Rise and Fall of the Chantyal Language
- Noonan, Bhulanja, Chhantyal & Pagliuca, Chantyal Dictionary and Texts (Mouton de Gruyter, 1999)
- Omniglot — Chhantyal language
- Ethnologue — Chantyal (chx)
- Nepal Chhantyal Sangh — the community's own organisation (census figures & language-curriculum work)