Nepali language

Nepali (Khaskura) is an Indo-Aryan language spoken in Nepal, Bhutan, and some parts of India and Myanmar (Burma).

The term Nepal originally meant the Kathmandu Valley, and thus the term Nepali was historically used for the indigenous Tibeto-Burman language of that valley, today known as Newari or Nepal Bhasa. However, this article will cover only the official Indo-Aryan language.
It is the official language of Nepal and also the official language of the Indian state Sikkim. Roughly half the population of Nepal speaks Nepali as a mother tongue. Many other Nepalese speak it as a second language, however its imposition as the sole official language in the education system, courts and government has become increasingly controversial and was an important issue in the 1996-2006 civil war.

Nepali goes by various names. English speakers generally call it Nepali or Nepalese (i.e. the language of Nepal).

It is also called Gorkhali or Gurkhali, "the language of the Gurkhas, "and Parbatiya, "the language of the mountains." Khaskura is the oldest term, literally speech of the Khas who were rice-growing Indo-Aryan settlers in the Karnali-Bheri basin of far western Nepal since prehistoric or early historic times. Khaskura exists in opposition to Khamkura, a group of Tibeto-Burman dialects spoken by Kham peoples in highlands separating the Karnali-Bheri basin from the Gandaki basin in central Nepal.