Economic factors also play an important role in language vitality. Pangma’s economy is self- sufficient. Their own crops are able to produce nearly all the food that they need throughout the year.
Even though their crops provide for daily needs, many young men leave the area for a few years to work in Kathmandu or internationally. This means that many men have had greater contact with and may also
speak other languages of wider communication e.g. Nepali, English, Malaysian, Arabic.
Pangma is the most prestigious among Lohorung communities. Not only is it the most concentrated population of Lohorung people, but it also has many important sacred ritual sites.
There are material indicators that identify the community as Lohorung such as architecture and village layout. Houses are built up on stilts allowing them greater use of the land and unlike other Rai
groups, houses are built close together.
6.4.2 Language vitality in Angala
In Angala, we observed that that Lohorung is being passed on to the next generation to varying degrees. It is a more mixed village than Pangma, with Gurung living in the upper part and Lohorung in the lower
part of the village. Intercaste marriage is not common in Angala and the Lohorung community is tight- knit. Angala has relatively easy access to significant population centers. It is a one- to two-hour walk
northwest of Pangma which puts it roughly a two-hour walk from Mane Bhanjyang and a four-hour walk from Khandbari.
6.4.3 Language vitality in Dhupu
Dhupu has the lowest Lohorung language vitality of the three villages. We met old and young people who knew very little Lohorung. Four out of 13 respondents said Lohorung was the first language they
learned, and two reported learning both Nepali and Lohorung at the same time. However, eight reported Nepali as the first language they learned. The people who reported learning Lohorung first are almost all
33 years of age or older. When asked what language they speak best, all but two reported they speak Nepali best 11 of 13. One 68-year-old male reported speaking Lohorung best and a 57-year-old female
reported that she speaks Nepali and Lohorung equally well.
In Pangma, we met a young lady who grew up in Dhupu and moved to Pangma after getting married. She is now learning Lohorung because it is expected she will speak it there. Even though it is
not spoken much in Dhupu, there is a strong Lohorung ethnic identity there and people were very interested to hear about our research for their language. We observed strong microfinance enterprise and
community work but it was supportive of the entire Dhupu community, and not necessarily of the Lohorung language itself. All members of the community participated in these together, which means
they used the language of wider communication, Nepali.
Lying four hours east of Mane Bhanjyang, Dhupu’s closest bazaar is Bharabise, only a two-hour walk east. Khandbari is in the opposite direction but nearly as close as Bharabise. People travel to Bharabise
often, so there is high contact with Nepali speakers there. Dhupu also lies along a main north-south road increasing their contact with non-Lohorung speakers. While Lohorung identity is strong in Dhupu,
Lohorung language has low prestige relative to Nepali and Limbu.
6.5 Summary
