5.4.3 Seduwa
There seems to be external recognition of Seduwa as a predominately Yamphu society, though there are people from other ethnic groups living there as well Dalit, Kulung Rai, Gurung, Sherpa, and Chettri.
The results for Seduwa display an interesting mix of langu age use. Yamphu was reported by 79 of
respondents to be used more frequently than Nepali in the domain of family gatherings. In two domains shopping and quarreling many respondents said they use both Yamphu and Nepali often 50 in
shopping and 43 in quarreling. In the domain of telling stories to children, an equal number of respondents reported using Nepali and Yamphu 43 in each domain. In the other nine domains, Nepali
use was reported to be highest 43 to 93. The domain of pujaprayer stands out among in Seduwa when looked at next to the other villages. Seduwa is the only village where Nepali was reported more
frequently 78 than Yamphu 21 for the domain of pujaprayer. Residents of Seduwa all travel to Num for shopping or health-care needs. It is the nearest sizable
population center. Fifty percent of people interviewed in Seduwa responded that they use both Nepali and Yamphu when shopping. The reason for the lower percentage of reported Nepali use in Seduwa
could be that it is a shorter distance to Num and also lies along the main trekking route for Makalu; therefore goods and services may be more likely to be brought to Seduwa, reducing the need to travel to
Num and use Nepali.
The percentage of respondents married to Yamphu spouses in Seduwa is 83. The non-Yamphu spouses that we met could understand Yamphu to some degree, though they did not speak it well. There
did not seem to be a strong societal pressure for them to learn Yamphu as outsiders. In Seduwa, Yamphu is usually the language of the home +. Some children are learning Yamphu,
but others are not intergenerational transfer: +–. The youngest generation with some proficient speakers is the children. The combination of these two factors means Seduwa is at an EGIDS level 6b,
known as “Threatened” see Appendix F.
5.4.4 Rajarani
Rajarani, ward seven, is known to be a nearly exclusive Yamphu community, though it is surrounded by many other Rai groups and Limbu in adjoining wards. In ward seven, where we conducted our research,
in addition to the many Yamphu homes, there are also two Limbu homes, four Yakkha homes, and four Gurung homes. Interestingly, some people in these groups learn to speak Yamphu and no longer use their
own mother tongue languages. People in the area expressed that they felt that Yamphu was a prestigious language to speak. In Rajarani VDC Limbu is also a relatively prestigious language. In the school in
Rajarani Bazaar Limbu is taught in the classrooms.
Of the thirteen domains we inquired about, Nepali was used more frequently than Yamphu in ten domains in Rajarani. The percentage of Nepali use in each of these ten domains ranged from 39 to
85 of respondents. Yamphu was used to a high degree in the domains of family gatherings 85 and pujaprayer 69. In the domain of joking, 39 of respondents reported that they use Nepali and
Yamphu about equally. Yamphu living in Rajarani VDC first travel to Rajarani Bazaar for shopping needs. The bazaar is
ethnically mixed. If their needs are not met in the bazaar they t ravel to Bhedetar or Dhankuta. For
shopping, 85 of people interviewed in Rajarani said they use Nepali. The percentage of respondents in Rajarani who are married to Yamphu spouses is 67. Due to
strong ethnic identity and possibly strong language vitality, people reported that whenever there is marriage between a Yamphu person and a non-Yamphu person, the non-Yamphu person learns to speak
Yamphu. In the speech community of Rajarani, Southern Yamphu is at an EGIDS level of 6b or
“Threatened.” It is used as the language of the home and most parents are transmitting it to their children, though not
all are.
5.4.5 Khoktak
Khoktak is the least externally and internally recognized Yamphu community. The village is very ethnically mixed, and there is little evidence to suggest they are uniquely Yamphu. People we
interviewed recognize, internally, that they are Yamphu, but speaking Yamphu does not hold any special prestige. Khoktak was the only place where we witnessed code switching. We were walking into the
village and heard children speaking Nepali. One of us asked them if they speak Yamphu and they immediately switched to speaking Yamphu.
Looking at language use in Khoktak in the thirteen different domains, Nepali use was higher than Yamphu in every domain but pujaprayer. The degree of difference between Yamphu and Nepali use was
also higher than in other villages. Primary use of Nepali in the twelve domains where it dominates ranges from 50 to 92 of respondents.
Residents of Khoktak all travel to Num for shopping or health-care needs. It is the nearest sizable population center. Num is also located at the end of a newly-built road and offers a connection to the
district headquarters of Khandbari. Num is an ethnically mixed village, partly due to the hydroelectric project which is being built, bringing in speakers of many different languages. For this reason, whenever
Yamphu speakers go to Num, they most often use Nepali. We looked at the language use question on the informal interview schedule related to shopping
marketing. In Khoktak, 92 of respondents said they use Nepali when they shop.
Every Yamphu village we visited was ethnically mixed to some degree, based on the data we collected on community composition from village leaders. Intermarriage between people groups also
occurs in all of the villages. The most common castes to intermarry with are Limbu and other Rai groups. The percentage of respondents in Khoktak who are married to Yamphu spouses is 86.
In Khoktak, Yamphu is not always the language of the home +–. Some children are learning Yamphu, but most are not intergenerational transfer: –. The youngest generation with some proficient
speakers is the parent generation. The combination of these two factors means Khoktak is at an EGIDS level 7, known as
“shifting” see Appendix F.
5.5 Summary
Kategori