# Raji–Raute languages

Raji–Raute is a branch of the Sino-Tibetan language family that includes the three closely related languages, namely Raji, Raute, and Rawat. They are spoken by small hunter-gatherer communities in the Terai region of Nepal and in neighboring Uttarakhand, India.
Like some other Tibeto-Burman languages, Raji–Raute languages have voiceless sonorants.

## Classification

Raute and Rawat are closely related; Raji is more distantly related. Fortier classifies the Raji–Raute languages as follows. Note that language varieties that classify within the Rawat subgroup are known by various names; Raute of Dadeldhura/Darchula is taxonomically a Rawat language, and is not to be confused with Raute proper.

### Raji–Raute

* Raute–Rawat
** Raute (nomadic groups)
** Rawat
*** Rajwar (spoken in Khirdwari)
*** Rawat
**** Rawat (also known as Ban Raji)
**** Raute of Dadeldhura/Darchula
* Raji
** Naukule
** Bandale, Purbia

### Schorer (2016)

Schorer (2016:293) classifies Raji–Raute as part of his newly proposed Greater Magaric group.

#### Greater Magaric

* Dura
** Dura
** Tandrange
* Magaric: Kham, Magar
* Chepangic-Raji
** Chepangic: Chepang, Bhujel
** Raji-Raute

### Fortier (2012)

A database of 700 words for items from households of Raute and Ban Rawat speakers (Fortier 2012) indicates a largely Sino-Tibetan language ancestry. Deep Root items include 58 words of Sino-Tibetan origin and 7 of Austroasiatic origin. Proto-family items include 281 morphemes of Proto-Tibeto-Burman origin. Meso-root, or subfamily items include 34 words of Proto-Kuki-Chin origin, 23 of Proto-Tani origin, 6 of Proto-Tangkulic origin, and 1 of Northern Chin origin. The database omits most loans of Indo-Aryan origin although 43 items were of Sanskrit origin. Work remains on identifying etymologies of the remaining 247 items in the Raute–Rawat database.

## Distribution

Raji-Raute varieties are spoken in the following areas of Nepal and India.
* Dadeldhura/Darchula Raute: Darchula District and Dadeldhura District, Nepal
* Ban Raji/Rawat: Pithoragarh District, Uttarakhand, India
* Khirdwari Rajwar: Champawat District, Uttarakhand, India
* Raute: nomadic, 10 districts of western Nepal
* Bandale Raji: Surkhet District and Kailali District, Nepal
* Naukule Raji: Kailali District, Nepal
* Purbia Raji: Bardia District, Nepal

## Vocabulary

The comparative vocabulary lists of Raji and Raute below are from Rastogi & Fortier (2005). Rastogi & Fortier (2005) also provide Purbia Raji and Janggali Raute forms.

### Swadesh list

The following is a 100-word Swadesh list from Rastogi & Fortier (2005).
| No. | English gloss | Rawati (Raji) | Khamci (Raute) |
| 1 | I | naa | ngaa |
| 2 | you, thou | nang | naa, nhhang |
| 3 | we | naani jammaa | ngaa, na, nani |
| 4 | this | ai | ii |
| 5 | that | aiyaa | he |
| 6 | who | chuin | 'se; tse, nhhamʔ |
| 7 | what | hu | hai, hang |
| 8 | not | haa | nai, nā (as verb suffix: -re/rai) |
| 9 | all | jammaa ~ jammal | mwalyae |
| 10 | many | jikkal | bo-kani, bo, buoh |
| 11 | one | daa, ga | daa |
| 12 | two | nii ~ nhii | nhi |
| 13 | big | bai-inaa | ghaare |
| 14 | long | lang | |
| 15 | small | ʈuhaa, chui-ce | lhhaʔ |
| 16 | woman | maʈhialaa | umaakhala, umaa |
| 17 | man | manjha | ba, s'ye; s'yela, māukyaa |
| 18 | person | manca | mi: mur; murka, mukala |
| 19 | fish | boraa | gaah, gap |
| 20 | bird | gidhaa | bwaah, buaʔ |
| 21 | dog | kuii | kwui |
| 22 | louse | sira | shuhroh |
| 23 | tree | shiing | s'iu; tsiu, shing |
| 24 | seed | biye | |
| 25 | leaf | huwaah, huwaa-aa, khuaa | hwaah, waʔ |
| 26 | root | jadao | goy, nyuri (wild yams), dz'ra |
| 27 | bark | siing khallaw | thaapa, thakpa |
| 28 | skin | khallyai | kiri; kriakaa, kirikyae |
| 29 | flesh (meat) | sya | s'yaa, yaa, pyaa, s'iu, shiaeʔ |
| 30 | blood | khui | s'ui, ks'ap |
| 31 | bone | haɖang | haare, haar'm |
| 32 | grease | | ge; gela |
| 33 | egg | anɖaa | bhi; bhibhiya, bhiya |
| 34 | horn | sioang | sikk'm |
| 35 | tail | pucheraa | muahta, mukyae |
| 36 | feather | pakhaa | phakaa, pwohx |
| 37 | hair | haamuu | rung |
| 38 | head | gaɽaa | garaah, g'rhha |
| 39 | ear | ghunaa, hunaa | gunaah |
| 40 | eye | mhiike, niike | mikaah; mhiiga |
| 41 | nose | shinaa | 'sinaah, shinga |
| 42 | mouth | khaaber | chyu(re), mu |
| 43 | tooth | daaɽo | s'wāah, tshwa |
| 44 | tongue | jibaiɽo | laale, muuhm, mhhwOm |
| 45 | fingernail | nhiang | leehm, lhhel |
| 46 | foot | bhaa, panjaa | bhaah |
| 47 | knee | puhai | phukh, gaʈho |
| 48 | hand | hakai | aakhaa |
| 49 | belly (stomach) | laado | guduu, gudong, photo ('entrails') |
| 50 | neck | gardhan | manto, m'nthu, ghaature |
| 51 | breast | cucca | susi |
| 52 | heart | | paatii, mutu |
| 53 | liver | mulyaa | kharabdaah, bara |
| 54 | drink | tung | jhum, jaaya, hum, ti-I, tì |
| 55 | eat | jaako, jale, jaa-aa | jaa; jaaku; jaaya, ka; kaare |
| 56 | bite | kai | ka; kaiyaa, k'I |
| 57 | see | guhe | bigaap, bighhae |
| 58 | hear | huung-ye | guno, gunaare |
| 59 | know | dahau | |
| 60 | sleep | iishe | s'ii; s'iyaah, she, kwih |
| 61 | die | shiiya | s'i; s'iya |
| 62 | kill | haate-ko | ath-oh |
| 63 | swim | raa pe | kha-buwa, bou-kha-buwa, bowti |
| 64 | fly | bo | bwaah (n.?), pharaei (v.?) |
| 65 | walk | | hwaa-I, khwa |
| 66 | come | biir/hi-ir | bi; biye, bi-e, pi-ye |
| 67 | lie | jhuʈi-haa-syaa | lat (lie down) |
| 68 | sit | khuung yaa | sweh, sweh guni; aysapha, dzuye |
| 69 | stand | yeki | phuyo; phayaah, phuyu |
| 70 | give | bai-y, baiko | nyaa; bayaa, khaalu |
| 71 | say | neko | khaama (to speak); thi-i, shi dhaami |
| 72 | sun | diiho | bel, berh, dhāmu |
| 73 | moon | dunnaa | jhyunna, bair, berh (not exact terms for moon, not comp.) |
| 74 | star | taaraa | tui-tui |
| 75 | water | tii, chi | tsi |
| 76 | rain | barkhaa | s'gyae, tii-i |
| 77 | stone | | |
| 78 | sand | ballyaa | bolyaa |
| 79 | earth | dexa | desha [< Nepali], samsar |
| 80 | cloud | diiho | dewaah, dewaʔ |
| 81 | smoke | | dhukaāh, dhuma |
| 82 | fire | bhåoy / mhai | mhe:h, muhèi |
| 83 | ash | dhuli | kuhli, duhri, dhulo |
| 84 | burn | lung (vi.) | |
| 85 | path | yong | yaun-khyaa-nu, yung |
| 86 | mountain | biʈʈaa; dhaɽe (peak) | manam (hill); malam, kheɖ' |
| 87 | red | ʈulhariyaa | tui, sha |
| 88 | green | hariyo / hariya | hwaa (dark green - gagina), kamaiyo, k'm'iu |
| 89 | yellow | pero, piilè | byaalo, hwi-byelo, p'rhho |
| 90 | white | dhaurya | dhyaulyaa, dhyaurya, dhauɽia, ghouraya |
| 91 | black | tuknahaa | tokaanye, namaro |
| 92 | night | gaire | gadhir |
| 93 | hot | gamma [< IA] | chunu, ghohnohw |
| 94 | cold | ʈhanɖa [< IA] | jungha, dzung |
| 95 | full | bharata | jimai (filled), bwohb |
| 96 | new | nong | niu, nhu; n'u |
| 97 | good | nhikah | namar (person), lagalo |
| 98 | round | baʈulo | |
| 99 | dry | kaarau we (vi.) | karaao |
| 100 | name | naam | miĩhga |

### Body parts

Rastogi & Fortier (2005) list the following body part terms.
| No. | English gloss | Rawati (Raji) | Khamci (Raute) |
| 1 | arm | pa:ti [< IA] | arkha:, wa:u |
| 2 | belly | la:do (Purbia Raji dang) | 1. photo (belly); 2. gudu ~ gudong; (Janggali gudang) (“intestines”?) |
| 3 | blood | khui | 1. s'ui:; 2. kshap (kshap recorded by C. Bandhu (pers. comm.)) |
| 4 | breast | cucci | susi |
| 5 | ear | ghuna ~ huna | guna: |
| 6 | eye | ni:hke | mi:hka |
| 7 | finger | aguliya | hubela |
| 8 | fingernail | nihang | lem ~ le:hng ~ li:hm |
| 9 | foot | bhaa | bhaa |
| 10 | hair | haamu ~ hamo ~ ha ngo | [< Nepali] |
| 11 | hand | haake (Purbia Raji yak) | a:khaa, la:ku (Janggali ha:kai) |
| 12 | head | garaa | garaa |
| 13 | hip, buttocks | | s'yi-li |
| 14 | goiter | | kok |
| 15 | knee, joint | puhei ~ puhai ~ puher | phuk |
| 16 | leg | | bhaa |
| 17 | lip | autha [< IA] | cyure; cyura |
| 18 | mouth | khaaber | 1. cyure; 2. mu ~ mu:hm: ~ mum |
| 19 | neck | gardhan [< IA] (Purbia Raji tuk) | 1. manto; mani; 2. ghaature [< Nepali] |
| 20 | nipple, breast | | chuchu |
| 21 | nose | s'inna | tsinaa ~ sinaa |
| 22 | nostrils | | dhodo |
| 23 | shoulders | kadhang [< IA] | kum [< Nepali] |
| 24 | skin | khallyai | kiriki ~ kiliki ~ kikaa |
| 25 | teeth, tooth | swaa | swaåh; chuwaa; miu |
| 26 | thighs | jangaa | 1. kare, 2. bhaa |
| 27 | vulva | | pi |

## Footnotes

* 1 2 3 4 Fortier, Jana. Creating an Orthography for the Raute and Rawat.
* ↑ Schorer, Nicolas. 2016. The Dura Language: Grammar and Phylogeny. Leiden: Brill.