Language
Reflecting its ethnic diversity, Nepal's people speak a hodgepodge of languages and dialects, anywhere from 25 to well over 100, depending on which source you consult. Like the people, languages can be divided into two groups: Sanskrit-based Terai tongues like Maithili and Bhojpuri, and the Tibeto-Burman languages of the hill tribes, which often appear in regional sub-dialects.
The lingua franca and national language in Nepali, an Indo-Aryan tongue related to Sanskrit and similar to Hindi. It is derived from the ancient language of the Khas hill tribe of northwest Nepal. Probably 60 percent of the people speak it as their mother tongue, and another 30 percent are fluent in it. As public schools teach only in Nepali, it is increasingly replacing tribal language and the cultures they represent.
Like Sanskrit and Hindi, Nepali is written in the Devanagri script. Most of the tribal languages are unwritten. A special case in Newari, a linguistically unique language vaguely related to the Tibeto-Burman group and spoken by many residents of the Kathmandu Valley.
While Nepali is a rewarding and relatively easy language to learn, the casual traveller will find plenty of eager English speakers in tourist destinations and along the main trekking routes. Indeed, it's hard to pick up much Nepali in Kathmandu, as everyone seems bent on practising their English.