1Chepang is a Trans-Himalayan (aka Tibeto-Burman or Sino-Tibetan) language mainly spoken in four districts of Nepal: Makawanpur, Chitwan, Dhading and Gorkha. Around 48,000 people declared themselves speakers of the language in 2011 (Nepal CBS). Chepang is an oral language, which means that the community has not yet developed a written tradition.

2This dissertation offers in-depth and comprehensive descriptions of many aspects of the language structures and valuable insight into their variations and historical developments. It includes an analysis of the phonetics and phonology, providing a new understanding of the positions and realisations of the laryngeal features at the source of the development of tonal distinctions. Chepang’s nominal morphology shows typologically well-attested word formation processes combining nouns, nouns and verbs, compounds and nouns, and nouns and derivational morphology. A detailed description of kinship terms is provided, specifying how people use them. The description of verbal morphology provides a clear understanding of the type of morphology and constructions associated with verbs, covering all typical contextual settings where these types of constructions can occur. The complex non-canonical direct-inverse system of Chepang shows further pragmatic or epistemic motivations behind the use of one construction over another. Whenever possible, historical explanations for the origin of certain forms or constructions are provided, offering a better understanding of the verbal system in its entirety. Throughout the dissertation, the examples provided in Chepang are carefully chosen to illustrate daily life, culture, spiritual beliefs, history and other knowledge that pertain to the Chepang people.

3This description contributes to a better understanding of Trans-Himalayan typology and, more broadly, linguistic typology. It provides a solid foundation for further historical linguistic research on the reconstruction of Proto-Chepang (ancestor language) and on the nature of its relationship to other Trans-Himalayan languages at lower- and higher-level clades of the family.

4It offers the Chepang community two comprehensive orthographies based on Devanāgarī and Roman alphabets. Part of the recordings is being made accessible to the public in an online format. This project aims to contribute to raising interest and awareness to promote the preservation of the language and the culture it conveys.