title: Nar Phu language
text: # Nar Phu language
  
  Nar Phu, or ’Narpa, is a Sino-Tibetan variety spoken in the two villages of Nar and Phu, in the Valley of the Nar Khola in the Manang district of Nepal. It forms a dialect continuum with Manang and may be intelligible with it; however, the Nar and Phu share a secret language to confound Gyasumdo and Manang who would otherwise understand them.
  
  ## Phonology
  
  ### Vowels
  
  | | Front | Back |
  | - | - | - |
  | Close | i | u |
  | Close-mid | e | o |
  | Open-mid | ɛ | |
  | Low | a | ɑ |
  
  The language lacks all middle vowels and the open mid vowel /ɔ/.
  
  ### Consonants
  
  | | | Bilabial | Dental | Retroflex | Alveolo-palatal | Velar |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | Plosive | unaspirated | p | t | ʈ | | k |
  | Plosive | aspirated | pʰ | tʰ | ʈʰ | | kʰ |
  | Affricate | unaspirated | | ts | | tɕ | |
  | Affricate | aspirated | | tsʰ | | tɕʰ | |
  | Fricative | Fricative | | s | | ɕ | |
  | Nasal | Nasal | m | n | | ɲ | ŋ |
  | Lateral | voiced | | l | | | |
  | Lateral | voiceless | | l̥ | | | |
  | Rhotic | voiced | | r | | | |
  | Rhotic | voiceless | | r̥ | | | |
  | Approximant | Approximant | w | | | j | ɰ |
  
  Comparatively to the English language, the /g/ is not in the language.
  
  ### Tones
  
  Nar Phu distinguishes four tones: high falling, high level, low rising murmured, and mid/low falling murmured.
  
  ## Language Patterns
  
  Nar-Phu has a different vowel system than other Tamangic languages, due to the amount of front vowels. Nar-Phu is a four-tone language. Tones 1 and 4 are falling; tones 3 and 4 are murmured. Tone 2 is distinguished by its clear, high quality. Nar-Phu has no formal gendered language system, but some suffixes are used to describe animals, even castrated male animals. Honorific Noun phrases are used when there is not a noun in place for said words.
  
  ## Swadesh List
  
  * čhipruŋ - Nar
  * ŋêe min - my name is
  * cɦecuke - children
  * tɦosor - happy/happier/happiness
  * læ̂se/yarcʌkômpʌ - Yarsagompa
  * šiŋ - wood
  * kɦêpɛ - eighth month
  * ɦyâŋi - yaks
  * momori - momo
  * kɦeskʌ - gas
  * læ̂pa - cup
  * bɦaʈʈi - hotel
  * eki - again
  * mɦi - dies
  * molompapɛ - religious books
  * molom - worship
  
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