The national language of Nepali is spoken confidently by all individuals under 35 years old. In some communities (Sheshi and Eastern Parbate), parents have shifted to speaking Nepali with their children, and the speaker population is gradually decreasing. However, in all of East Rukum and in the Gam river valley of Rolpa, the language is being vigorously transmitted. Ethnologue has assigned the following EGIDS levels to each variety: Western Parbate Kham [kjl]: level 5 (Developing) Eastern Parbate Kham [kif]: level 6b (Threatened) Gamal Kham [kgj]: level 6a (Vigorous) Sheshi Kham [kip]: level 6b (Threatened) The UNESCO Endangered Languages Project has classified Gamal Kham as "Vulnerable." Phonology Consonants Taka dialect of Western Parbate Kham has 22 consonant phonemes while Gamal Kham possesses around 29 to 30 consonant phonemes. green phonemes do not occur in Parbate Kham. the phonemes in Light salmon colour appear in Ghusbang and Sheram dialect. All others appear in every Kham dialect. The rhotic is realized as a trill at the end of words. Otherwise, it is a flap. Vowels Taka dialect of Western Parbate has 25 vowel phonemes. Light salmon vowels occur in every dialect of Kham. Breathy vowels Diphthongs Tone See vocal registers. Writing Consonants Vowels Vowels for Gamal Kham Reconstruction Proto-Kham has been reconstructed by Watters (2002). Proto-Kham reconstructions from Watters (2002: 443–456) are given below. A. Body parts *r-dzəŋ ~ *b-dzəŋ 'back' *yep 'back (upper)' *phuː 'belly' *dziːh 'blood' *klaŋ 'body' *s-rus 'bone' *nun 'breast' *sək 'breath' *r-mehsiŋ 'buttocks' *r-tso 'cheek' *r-na 'ear' *(ba)r-zut 'egg' *mik 'eye' *s-ŋa 'face' *sot 'fat' *r-sin 'fingernail' *kəŋ 'foot' *r-nihl 'gums' *r-ta 'guts' *muhl 'hair (body)' *p-tsem 'hair (head)' *kut 'hand' *r-la 'the under-arm area; side of the body' *s-r-ŋat 'head' *s-yiŋ 'heart' *b-rəhŋ 'horn' *sya 'animal' *r-khap 'jawbone' *kəl 'kidney' *p-sin 'liver' *yaːh 'mouth' *s-məŋ 'mustache' *r-dehŋ 'neck' *s-nat 'nose' *r-dzihs 'piss' *s-nis 'pus' *b-rəhm 'rib' *p-s-til 'saliva' *kli 'shit' *r-kək 'excrement in the intestine of a slaughtered animal' *s-pum 'shoulder' *r-sa 'sinew' *l-kota 'skin' *r-nahp 'snot' *r-meh 'tail' *r-pihl 'tears' *r-b-yah 'thigh (upper side)' *p-s-le 'tongue' *ha-p-sya 'tooth' *wohs 'vomit' *hwaŋ 'waist' *r-mil ~ *s-mil 'wind pipe' *kər 'wing' B. Pronouns/kinship terms/nouns referring to humans' *dahpa 'bachelor' *za 'child' *nan 'friend' *b-re 'husband' *dahme 'maiden' *r-min 'name' *r-mi; *ruː 'person' *s-lepa 'man, male human' *miːma 'woman, female human' < *mi 'person' + *ma 'female' *nana 'sister (older)' *nam 'sister (younger)' *nəŋ 'thou' *dzya 'wife' C. Foodstuff