Kewat language

Kewat
केवट, कयोर्ट
কেবট, কয়োর্ট
Native toNepal, India
RegionTerai (Predominantly Nepal)
EthnicityKewat
Devanagari
Language codes
ISO 639-3kyv
Glottologkayo1247

Kewat, also known as Kayort[1] is a Bengali-Assamese language spoken in the Terai and adjacent lowlands of southern Nepal.[2] It is considered endangered, with only a small number of speakers reported in linguistic surveys and language resource listings.[3]

Names

Besides Kewat and Kayort, the language is also known by several alternate names, including Kayot, Kaot, Kevat, Kewati and Kevati.[4]

Classification

Kewat belongs to the Eastern zone of the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European family, though its precise classification is uncertain due to limited data.[5]

Some catalogues list Kewat as an alternate name or local variety of Bagheli or related Eastern Indo-Aryan lects, suggesting possible overlap or inclusion in a dialect chain.[6] Because it is severely under-documented, priority research includes updating speaker counts, dialect mapping, phonological and morphological description, and documentation of intergenerational transmission.[7]

Distribution

Kewat is primarily spoken in the southern districts of Nepal's Terai near the India-Nepal border, though detailed mapping of its speaker communities remains incomplete.[8] There is currently no comprehensive descriptive grammar, phonology, or text corpus for Kewat available in the academic literature.[9]

References

  1. ^ "ISO 639-3 Code: kyv". ISO 639-3 Registration Authority. SIL International. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
  2. ^ "Kewat Language (KYV) – L1 & L2 Speakers, Status, Map, Endangered Level & Official Use". Ethnologue. Retrieved 2026-02-15.
  3. ^ "Kewat language resources". Joshua Project. Retrieved 2026-02-15.
  4. ^ "Kewat language resources". Joshua Project. Retrieved 2026-02-15.
  5. ^ "Kewat Language (KYV) – L1 & L2 Speakers, Status, Map, Endangered Level & Official Use". Ethnologue. Retrieved 2026-02-15.
  6. ^ "Glottolog 5.2 - Bagheli". Glottolog. Retrieved 2026-02-15.
  7. ^ "Kewat language resources". Joshua Project. Retrieved 2026-02-15.
  8. ^ "Kewat Language (KYV) – L1 & L2 Speakers, Status, Map, Endangered Level & Official Use". Ethnologue. Retrieved 2026-02-15.
  9. ^ "Kewat Language (KYV) – L1 & L2 Speakers, Status, Map, Endangered Level & Official Use". Ethnologue. Retrieved 2026-02-15.
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