Alternate Names: Dhemal
Dialects: Eastern Dhimal, Western Dhimal. 75%–80% intelligibility between eastern and western dialect speakers. Lexical similarity: 80%–82% with dialects.
Status Notes: Language of recognized indigenous nationality: Dhimal.
Genealogy:
Demographics: 19,300 in Nepal (2011 census), decreasing. Population total all countries: 19,750. Ethnic population: 19,500. L2 users: 410 in Nepal (1991 census).
Language Use: Home, friends, religion; mixed use: Work. Adolescents and older. Some use among children. Positive attitudes. Also use Hindi [hin], Nepali [npi], Rajbanshi [rjs].
Language Development: Literacy rate in L2: 39% (1991 census). Poetry. Magazines. New media. Radio programs. Dictionary. Grammar. Bible portions: 2000.
Typology: SOV; postpositions; noun head final; no noun classes or genders; content q-word in situ; genitives, demonstratives, relatives before noun heads; 1 prefix, up to 3 suffixes; clause constituents indicated by case-marking; verbal affixation marks person; non-ergative; tense and aspect; passives and voice; nontonal; 31 consonant and 16 vowel phonemes (includes 5 basic vowels, 5 long vowels and 5 nasalized vowels); honorificity is marked for 1st person when speaking with in-laws.
Writing System: Devanagari
Nation of Origin: Nepal
Other Comments: Traditional religion, Christian, Hindu.