Concept

Kiranti languages

Summary
The Kiranti languages are a major family of Sino-Tibetan languages spoken in Nepal and India (notably Sikkim, Darjeeling, Kalimpong, and Bhutan) by the Kirati people. George van Driem had formerly proposed that the Kiranti languages were part of a Mahakiranti family, although specialists are not completely certain of either the existence of a Kiranti subgroup or its precise membership. LaPolla (2003), though, proposes that Kiranti may be part of a larger "Rung" group. There are about two dozen Kiranti languages. The better known are Limbu, Sunuwar, Bantawa Rai, Chamling Rai, Khaling Rai, Bahing Rai, Yakkha language, Vayu, Dungmali Rai, Lohorung Rai and Kulung Rai. Kiranti verbs are not easily segmentable, due in large part to the presence of portmanteau morphemes, crowded affix strings, and extensive (and often nonintuitive) allomorphy. Overall, Kiranti languages are: Limbu Eastern Kiranti Greater Yakkha Yakkha Belhare Rai Athpare Rai Chintang Rai Chulung Rai Upper Arun River Yamphu-Lohorung Rai Yamphu Rai Lohorung Rai Mewahang Rai ? Waling Rai † Central Khambu (Rai) Kulung Rai Nachhiring Rai Sampang Rai Saam Rai Southern Bantawa Rai Puma Rai Chamling Rai Dungmali Western Thulung Rai (perhaps a primary branch of Kiranti Rai) Chaurasiya Wambule Rai Jerung Rai Upper Dudhkosi River: Khaling Rai Dumi Rai Koi Rai Northwestern Bahing Rai Sunuwar Vayu Ethnologue adds Tilung Rai to Western Kiranti, based on Opgenort (2011). Opgenort (2005) classifies the Kiranti languages as follows, and recognizes a basic east-west division within Kiranti. Kiranti Western Hayu (branch) Thulung (branch) Bahing, Sunuwar Jero, Wambule Eastern Khaling, Dumi (branch) Yamphu, Limbu (branch) Kulung Chamling, Bantawa Historical linguists, as early as 2012, do not consider Kiranti to be a coherent group, but rather a paraphyletic one due to lack of shared innovations. Gerber & Grollmann (2018) gave a formal proof of the paraphyletic nature of Kiranti. A Central-Eastern Kiranti group is considered to be valid by Gerber & Grollmann (2018), but they consider "Western Kiranti" unclassified within Trans-Himalayan languages.
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