Tehrathum, March 6: A book entitled ‘A Grammar of Limbu (Based on the Phedape Dialect of the Old Limbu Heartland)’, authored by Dutch linguist George van Driem, was released on Wednesday. The book was launched amidst a programme in the headquarters of Tehrathum, Myanglung, with support from Myanglung municipality.
Author Driem is known as a specialist of 10 languages. Published in 1987 by German-based British Publishing House, the Nepali edition of the book was published by Jagadamba Prakashan, Kathmandu with support from the Swiss Embassy in Nepal.
In the book, the ‘Grammar’ of the Fedape Limbu language has been mentioned. Chair of Chhathar Rural Municipality Santosh Tigela said the book would be useful for those eager to study Phedape Limbu language from all over the world. He expressed gratitude to the author for preparing the historical book.
Chair of Menchayem Rural Municipality Yadav Khapung called for the agencies concerned here to show seriousness in preserving the language when foreign national writer George Van published a book containing grammar of Phedape Limbu language.
George Van, a national of the Netherlands, had studied the Phedape Limbu language in 2039 BS by staying in Tamphula (then Tamfula) village of Myanglung-10 of Tehrathum.
Likewise, Laligurans Municipality mayor Arjun Babu Mabohang said Terhathum could become a center of study for anthropologists and linguists from all over the world if his research statements claiming ‘the entire human race was expanded from the Kumbhakarna and Dhaulagiri mountain areas of Nepal’ and ‘the Bhot Burmese language family was expanded from Phedape of Terhathum’ are proved.
Author Van Driem recalled the moment his professors sent him to the Limbuwan region of Nepal after studying a research book claiming ‘the old form of Chinese Bhot Burmese language is found in Limbuwan’ when he was a student of linguist.
He said he had studied Limbu language with the help of local Narayan Limbu. Jagdamba Prakashan said that the edition of the book, brought out three decades ago, has been published with the help of the Swiss Embassy and others so that it can be accessible to Nepali readers as well.
