ITL - International Journal of Applied Linguistics - Volume 48, Issue 1, 1980

The paper is an historical account of language planning and policy in Nepal, from the period of the first unification of Nepal in the 1700's up until the present day, with comments on possible future trends. Emphasis is placed on the period after 1951, when the Rana regime was first replaced by democratic experimentation and later by monarchal rule. The language policy of this post-1951 period is illustrated in the paper by co-ordinating government reports on the education system and development projects, newspaper articles, et cetera to the contemporary history of changes in government, of political party stands, and of Nepal's foreign policies. The author analyzes and comments on this co-ordination, demonstrating how language planning and policy formation is dependent on other political policies and events of the time. The two language policy controversies used as main examples in the paper are the Nepali-Hindi controversy, and to a lesser extent, the Nepali-Newari controversy. Explanations for the dominant role of these two controversies in an underdeveloped country with over forty languages are given.