| Rana Tharu | |
|---|---|
| राना थारू | |
| Native to | India,Nepal |
| Ethnicity | Rana Tharu |
Native speakers | 230,000 (2003–2021)[1] |
| Devanagari | |
| Official status | |
Official language in | Tharuban ofNepal |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | thr |
| Glottolog | rana1246 |
Rana Tharu is aIndo Aryan language spoken by theRana Tharu people who are part of theTharu ethnic group in theSudurpashchim Province ofNepal, specifically in theKanchanpur district's southern municipalities andDhangadhi in theKailali district.[2] Rana Tharu is also spoken in specific areas ofUttar Pradesh,India including theLakhimpur Kheri district, particularly inPalia Kalan and Chandan Chauki block, situated on theIndia–Nepal border. Additionally, it is spoken in theUdham Singh Nagar district ofUttarakhand state. It exhibits high intelligibility among its dialects, with reported percentages ranging from 96% to 99%. The language has linguistic distinctions with dialects in India andshows lexical similarities withAwadhi andBuksa as well.[3][4]
In terms of linguistic features, Rana Tharu follows the SOV (Subject-Object-Verb) word order, uses postpositions, and has noun head final structure. It has two genders, employs content question words in situ, and involves a combination of prefixes and suffixes in its morphology. The language demonstrates ergativity, marking tense with four categories (past, present, imminent future, irrealis future). Additionally, it features passives and voice, lacks tonality, and possesses a phonetic inventory of 28 consonant and 11 vowel phonemes.[3][4][5]
Rana Tharu is used in various aspects of life, including at home, with friends, and in religious contexts. It is actively spoken outside the home such as in the workplace and education. The language is widely utilized by all members of the community and coexists with the use ofHindi andNepali.[3][4][5]
