Doteli, or Dotyali (Doteli-Devanagari: डोटेली) is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by about 495,000 people, most of whom live in Nepal. It is a dialect of Khas, which is an ancient form of the modern Nepali language, and is written in the Devanagari script. It has official status in Nepal as per Part 1, Section 6 of the Constitution of Nepal 2072 (2015).[1] There are four main dialects of Doteli, namely Baitadeli, Bajhangi Nepali, Darchuli and Doteli.[4] The mutual intelligibility between these dialects is high and all dialects of Doteli are able to share language-based materials.

Doteli
Dotyali
डोटेली
"Dotyali" written in the Doteli-Devanagari script
Native toNepal
RegionHimalayas
Native speakers
790,000 peoples[1] 495,000 in Nepal (2021 census)[2]
Devanagari script (Doteli alphabet)
Official status
Official language in
Nepal
Recognised minority
language in
Language codes
ISO 639-3dty
Glottologdoty1234
Doteli speaking areas
A woman from the Achham district of Nepal discusses cooking mutton and fish in the Achhami dialect.

Sample text

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हमरो प्यारो देश को नेपाल हो


hamro desh ko nam Nepal ho

Names of the language

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The language is known by various names in the far–western region of Nepal, according to the districts.

Terms used for language name by district[4]
District Terms used for language name
Kailali Baitadeli, Bajhangi–Nepali
Kanchanpur Baitadeli–Nepali, Pahadi, Nepali
Doti Dotyali, Doteli
Dadeldhura Dotyali, Dadeldhuri
Achham Achhami, Achhami-Nepali
Baitadi Baitadi, Baitadeli, Dotyali
Darchula Darchuleli, Dotyali, Sauka
Bajhang Bajhangi, Bajhangi–Nepali

Official status

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The Language Commission of Nepal has recommended Dotyali language as official language in Sudurpashchim Province.[3]

Origin and history

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Although Dotyali isn't fully intelligible with standard Nepali, Dotyali is considered a member of the macrolanguage Nepali.[5] In Nepal, Doteli is considered a Nepali dialect. However, local intellectuals and people of Doti, those who speak Doteli, are increasingly demanding their language to be recognized as one of the national languages of Nepal.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Constitution Bill of Nepal 2072" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-01-27. Retrieved 2017-04-29.
  2. ^ Doteli at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)  
  3. ^ a b "सरकारी कामकाजको भाषाका आधारहरूको निर्धारण तथा भाषासम्बन्धी सिफारिसहरू (पञ्चवर्षीय प्रतिवेदन- साराांश) २०७८" (PDF). Language Commission. Language Commission. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 September 2021. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
  4. ^ a b Eichentopf, Stephanie R. (2014). "A Sociolinguistic Study of Dotyali" (PDF). SIL International.
  5. ^ "dty | ISO 639-3". iso639-3.sil.org. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
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