
Nepali is the prominent official language of Nepal, with
over 30 other ethnic languages spoken as mother-tongues
in different parts of the country. Here prevails also
many other regional dialects. Nepali is of the
Indo-Aryan family of languages brought from central Asia
by the Aryans about 1500 BC. The original Old Indo-Aryan
language gave rise to Sanskrit from which Nepali was
derived.
In common with Hindi, Nepali uses the Devanagri script
(the script of the city of the gods, sometimes known as
Nagari) which was itself derived from the Brahmi script
of ancient India.
In Kathmandu at the Bishwa Bhasha Campus (at
Bhrikutimandap) of Tribhuvan University provides Nepali
(spoken and Devanagari script), Newari, Sanskrit and
Tibetan languages for foreign students. At Tribhuvan
University in Kirtipur there is the Department of Nepali
Studies, where BA and MA studies in Nepali language can
be pursued. Sanskrit is also taught in the medical
colleges, as many of the texts for natural medicines (ayurvedic
and homoeopathic) are written in Sanskrit.
With all above traditional languages English is
practiced as Internationally Official Language and
Nepalese are too prone to learn and speak with other
languages such as French, German, Spanish, Japanese and
Korean etc for the sake of wide tourism.. |