Kewat, also known as Kayort[2] is a Bengali-Assamese language spoken in the Terai and adjacent lowlands of southern Nepal.[3] It is considered endangered, with only a small number of speakers reported in linguistic surveys and language resource listings.[4]
| Kewat | |
|---|---|
| केवट, कयोर्ट কেৱট, কয়োৰ্ট | |
| Native to | Nepal |
| Region | Terai (Predominantly Nepal) |
| Ethnicity | Kewat |
| Devanagari | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | kyv |
| Glottolog | kayo1247 |
 This is a map of the KRDS lect, with the Kewat-speaking area shown in purple.
| |
Names
editBesides Kewat and Kayort, the language is also known by several alternate names, including Kayot, Kaot, Kevat, Kewati and Kevati.[5]
Classification
editKewat 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.[6]
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.[7] Because it is severely under-documented, priority research includes updating speaker counts, dialect mapping, phonological and morphological description, and documentation of intergenerational transmission.[8]
Distribution
editKewat 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.[9] There is currently no comprehensive descriptive grammar, phonology, or text corpus for Kewat available in the academic literature.[10]
References
edit- ↑ Toulmin, Mathew W S (2006). Reconstructing linguistic history in a dialect continuum: The Kamta, Rajbanshi, and Northern Deshi Bangla subgroup of Indo-Aryan (PhD). The Australian National University. p. 305.
- ↑ "ISO 639-3 Code: kyv". ISO 639-3 Registration Authority. SIL International. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
- ↑ "Kewat Language (KYV) – L1 & L2 Speakers, Status, Map, Endangered Level & Official Use". Ethnologue. Retrieved 2026-02-15.
- ↑ "Kewat language resources". Joshua Project. Retrieved 2026-02-15.
- ↑ "Kewat language resources". Joshua Project. Retrieved 2026-02-15.
- ↑ "Kewat Language (KYV) – L1 & L2 Speakers, Status, Map, Endangered Level & Official Use". Ethnologue. Retrieved 2026-02-15.
- ↑ "Glottolog 5.2 - Bagheli". Glottolog. Retrieved 2026-02-15.
- ↑ "Kewat language resources". Joshua Project. Retrieved 2026-02-15.
- ↑ "Kewat Language (KYV) – L1 & L2 Speakers, Status, Map, Endangered Level & Official Use". Ethnologue. Retrieved 2026-02-15.
- ↑ "Kewat Language (KYV) – L1 & L2 Speakers, Status, Map, Endangered Level & Official Use". Ethnologue. Retrieved 2026-02-15.