Simplified Handbook of Nepali for Expatriate learners [PDF]

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Simplified Handbook of Nepali FO R E X PA T R IA T E L E A R N E R S



\3V: Oda/a &lam jkrya!



Swayitnthliututfli



Putan Durbar Square



^ n *ft w f i NEPALI LANGUAGE



Simplified



Handbook of Nepali Language for Its Expatriate Learners



BALA RAM ARYAL Ph.D.(Philology)



ShiSham Prakashan



Kathmandu



2010



ShiSham Prakashan Kathmandu, Nepal. Phone: 4350693, 9841259850



Price: Rs. 500-00



© Author



Edition: First; June, 2010 1000 copies Cover design: Sameer Aryal



ISBN: 978-99946-728-3-7



Printed by: Vijay Offset Press. Kathmandu



According to copy right Law of Nepal no part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any for or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author.



Preface



WTT Nepali Language: Simplified Handbook of Nepali Language for its Expatriate Leaners is designed for quick learning of Nepali as a foreign language. It has one phonetic lesson and 16 grammatical lessons. Each grammatical lesson consists of a grammatical topic named ’Lesson’. Every lesson is divided into five parts."! .List of words with Roman pronunciation and English translation.2. Introduction to the grammatical item. 3. Introduction of one more grammatical item closely related to the item introduced under No.2. 4.Conversations, and 5. A comprehension passage. Each Nepali word and sentence is given with its Roman pronunciation and its translation into English language. Its aim is to facilitate the student to learn the Nepali Language with or without the recognition of the Nepali script. Words are selected on the basis of their frequent use and sentences are given simple ones as far as possible. So, it is my firm believe that anyone who has an elementary knowledge of English and desires to learn the Nepali can do so even without the assistance of an instructor. Of course, I never minimize the role of an inctructor in language learning. I do hope that this book will be beneficial and effective for fast learning of Nepali Language. I sincerely thank all my friends, collegues and well-wishers for helping me in preparing and publishing this book. I specially thank Dr. Valerie M Inchley, my long-time student, friend and partner in compiling the Maps of Nepal for her valuable help in editing the English part of this book. I wish all of the learners of Nepali language every success. For suggestions, remarks and comments, please write to dr haiara?nhoimar com. haiaram.atvaigfrgmaii.comor call me at 977-9841259850. Thanks 16 June 2010 (30 Ashar 2067)



BALA RAM ARYAL Ph.D. (Philology)



Contents 1. 2.



Introductory Lesson : Nepalese Alphabets and their Sounds Lesson 1 :



1



Simple Present: Identificational and Existential forms of Ihc verb hunu



19



3.



Lesson 2 :



Common Present and Simple Future Tenses



30



4.



Lesson 3 :



Impersonal Scntenscs. Use of Postposition laT



46



5.



Lesson 4 : Simple Past Tense. Use of Postposition le.



6



Lesson 5 :



The Causative Verbs



58



Past Conjunctive Participle (forms VS +-era/-I).



70



Use of bhanera/bhani. 7



Lesson 6 :



Simple Conditional Form (form VS +-e). Use of bhanc



82



8.



Lesson 7 :



Present Conjunctive Participle (forms VS + -da & -dai) 92



9



Lesson 8 :



Past Participle (form VS + -cko)



105



10



Lesson 9 :



Indefinite Participle (form VS +-ne). Past Conditional/Unreal Past



120



11.



Lesson 10 : Presumptive Future. Use of holfi



134



12



Lesson 11: Unknown Past Tense. Use of the verb rahanu in Unknown Past



144



13.



Lesson 12 : Habitual Past Tense



153



14.



Lesson 13: Optative Mood



163



15



Lesson 14: Absolutive (e.g. gari, khai, ai) plus the modal verbs



174



16



Lesson 15 : Conjunctions and Particles



189



17



Lesson 16 : The Passive Voice



206



Pronunciation and Recognition of Nepali Sounds



Introductory Lesson Nepalese Alphabets and their Sounds 1.



V ow els: 3T a, 3TT fi, U i» ^ f, vJ u, fl, ^ e, ^ ai, 3ft o, 3?Vau,



Distribution C h art of Nepalese Vowels Vowels



Nepalese Front



High / Close



Central



|



Back



^ u



5i



Low High / Half-close



o



Mid -low / Half - open



3Ta



Low/open



3TT a



Note: i. There is a practice o f putting line on the top o f the Devanagari letters. ii. £ I, u are the variants/allophones o f ? i and \7 u respectively, (f ai and $ au are the diphthongs, i.e. combination o f the sounds a + ? i and a + \7 u respectively.



Nepali Language



1



for foreigners



Vowel Signs: 3f a —> 0 3TTa



r



r



-» ^ T —) ^ u —> U



—>



o Cv



^ e —> ^ ai —»



A



o —» 3?tau —> > Note: These signs are used only with consonants. Their use patterns will be shown in 'Consonants'. Pronunciation Guide A. i. 3T a is a mid-low/half-open back unrounded vowel. Its pronunciation is similar to 'u' in cut', but'; 'a' in ’arise’, ’about' 'c' in ’mother', 'brother', etc. 3T,



3T,



3f,



3T, 3f,



ii. There is no special vowel sign for this character. It helps to pronounce a consonant sound independently only. B. i. 3TT a is a low/open central unrounded vowel sound. It is pronounced as ' a ' in English words 'father', 'calm', etc. 3TT, 3T3TT, Nepali Language



3TT,



3fT,



3TT3T,



3TT, 3JT 3IT3TT



2



for foreigners



ii. Sign of 3TT a while being used with the half consonant: T e.g.: consonant + T r



r



r



r



r



C. i. ? i is a high/closc front unrounded vowel. This sound is pronounced as 'i' in the Rnglish words 'fit', ’sit', bit, etc; e.g.: %



%



%



53T,



%



m ,



33TT



ii. Vowel sign of?: P e.g.: f+ consonant. f



f



f



f



f



iii. ^ I is a long variant/allophone of 5 i. Nepalese generally do not differentiate t T from 5 i in their spoken form of speech, however there is a tradition of following the spelling rule of 5 i and f T in the written form of the Nepalese speech.



i i, i, i #sr, art,



w i



| 3jt,



s i



ii. Vowel sign of ?: e.g.: consonant + I D. i.



u is a high/closc back rounded vowel pronounced as 'u' is English word 'put', etc; e.g.: % 3TJ,



3 IR ,



*3%,



5^,



'3'J



ii. Vowel sign of vf : ^ c. g.



Nepali Language



’0 ’ under the consonant.



3



for foreigners



iii.



u is a long variant/allophonc of 'J u.This sound is not differentiated in general Nepalese pronunciation, however in spelling practices of the written Nepali one should know the difference between ^ u and ? o as with ? and& \EF>,



\5>,



vf>.



iv. Vowel sing of e.g.: OS



I ^



'