MICROAGGRESSIONS IN EVERYDAY NEPALI CONVERSATIONS: A LINGUISTIC AND CULTURAL STUDY
They slip in quietly, almost invisibly, dressed as jokes, concern, compliments, or tradition. “You don’t look like a Madhesi.” “Your daughter is dark, but she’s still cute.” “Oh, you’re still unmarried?” “You speak good Nepali—for a Newar.” “You’re so smart for a girl.” In Nepali conversations, whether between neighbors, relatives, classmates, or colleagues, language often carries more meaning than what is said. Words are not just words; they carry assumptions, judgments, and hierarchies rooted in culture that we rarely examine. But we must, because these subtle digs, these microaggressions, are not just mistakes in language. They remind us of the hidden lines that separate us. Microaggressions are those everyday comments or questions that may seem harmless or even well-meaning but actually reinforce stereotypes, marginalization, or exclusion. They don’t shout; they whisper. In doing so, they normalize a system where some ...