Dzongkha language
Encyclopedia
Dzongkha occasionally Ngalop
kha, is the national language of Bhutan
. The word "dzongkha" means the language (kha) spoken in the dzong, – dzong being the fortress-like monasteries established throughout Bhutan by Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal in the 17th century.
"Bhutani" is not another name for Dzongkha, but the name of a Balochi language
. The two are sometimes confused, even in some published ISO 639
codelists.
, the national language of the erstwhile kingdom of Sikkim
; and to some other Bhutanese languages such as Cho-cha-na-ca
(khyod ca nga ca kha), Brokpa
(me rag sag steng 'brog skad), Brokkat
(dur gyi 'brog skad), and Lakha
(la ka).
Dzongkha bears a close linguistic relationship to J'umowa spoken in the Chumbi valley
of Southern Tibet and to the Dranjongke language of Sikkim
. It has a much more distant relationship to standard modern Central Tibetan
. Although spoken Dzongkha and Tibetan are largely mutually unintelligible, the literary forms of both are both highly influenced by the liturgical
(clerical) Classical Tibetan
language, known in Bhutan as Chöke, which has been used for centuries by Buddhist monks. Chöke was used as the language of education in Bhutan until the early 1960s when it was replaced by Dzongkha in public schools.
, Punakha
, Thimphu
, Gasa
, Paro
, Ha, Dagana
, and Chukha
). There are also some speakers found near the Indian town of Kalimpong, once part of Bhutan but now in West Bengal
. Dzongkha study is mandatory in all schools in Bhutan, and the language is the lingua franca
in the districts to the south and east where it is not the mother tongue. The 2003 Bhutanese film, Travellers and Magicians
is entirely in Dzongkha.
known as Joyi (mgyogs yig) and Joshum (mgyogs tshugs ma). Dzongkha books are typically printed using Ucan fonts like those to print the Tibetan abugida
.
Ngalop
The Ngalop are people of Tibetan origin who migrated to Bhutan as early as the ninth century. For this reason, they are often referred to in literature as "Bhote"...
kha, is the national language of Bhutan
Bhutan
Bhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...
. The word "dzongkha" means the language (kha) spoken in the dzong, – dzong being the fortress-like monasteries established throughout Bhutan by Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal in the 17th century.
"Bhutani" is not another name for Dzongkha, but the name of a Balochi language
Balochi language
Balochi is a Northwestern Iranian language. It is the principal language of the Baloch of Balochistan, Pakistan, eastern Iran and southern Afghanistan. It is also spoken as a second language by some Brahui. It is designated as one of nine official languages of Pakistan.-Vowels:The Balochi vowel...
. The two are sometimes confused, even in some published ISO 639
ISO 639
ISO 639 is a set of standards by the International Organization for Standardization that is concerned with representation of names for language and language groups....
codelists.
Classification and related languages
Linguistically, Dzongkha is a South Tibetan language. It is closely related to and partially intelligible with SikkimeseSikkimese language
The Sikkimese language, also called Sikkimese Tibetan, Bhutia, Dranjongke , Dranjoke, Denjongka, Denzongpeke, and Denzongke, belongs to the Southern Tibetan language family. It is spoken by the Bhutia nationality in Sikkim...
, the national language of the erstwhile kingdom of Sikkim
Sikkim
Sikkim is a landlocked Indian state nestled in the Himalayan mountains...
; and to some other Bhutanese languages such as Cho-cha-na-ca
Chocangacakha
Chocangacakha is a Southern Tibetan language spoken by about 20,000 people in the Kurichu Valley of Lhuntse and Mongar Districts in eastern Bhutan...
(khyod ca nga ca kha), Brokpa
Brokpa language
The Brokpa language is a Southern Tibetan language spoken by about 5,000 people mainly in Merak and Sakten Gewogs in the Sakten Valley of Trashigang District in eastern Bhutan...
(me rag sag steng 'brog skad), Brokkat
Brokkat language
The Brokkat language is an endangered Southern Tibetan language spoken by about 300 people in the village of Dhur in Bumthang Valley of Bumthang District in central Bhutan. Brokkat is spoken by descendants of pastoral yakherd communities.- External links :*...
(dur gyi 'brog skad), and Lakha
Lakha
Lakha is a Southern Tibetan language spoken by about 8,000 people in Wangdue Phodrang and Trongsa Districts in central Bhutan. Lakha is spoken by descendants of pastoral yakherd communities....
(la ka).
Dzongkha bears a close linguistic relationship to J'umowa spoken in the Chumbi valley
Chumbi Valley
Chumbi Valley is a valley in Tibet at the intersection of India , Bhutan and China in the Himalayas. Two main passes between India and China open up here: the Nathu La Pass and Jelep La Pass....
of Southern Tibet and to the Dranjongke language of Sikkim
Sikkim
Sikkim is a landlocked Indian state nestled in the Himalayan mountains...
. It has a much more distant relationship to standard modern Central Tibetan
Tibetan language
The Tibetan languages are a cluster of mutually-unintelligible Tibeto-Burman languages spoken primarily by Tibetan peoples who live across a wide area of eastern Central Asia bordering the Indian subcontinent, including the Tibetan Plateau and the northern Indian subcontinent in Baltistan, Ladakh,...
. Although spoken Dzongkha and Tibetan are largely mutually unintelligible, the literary forms of both are both highly influenced by the liturgical
Liturgy
Liturgy is either the customary public worship done by a specific religious group, according to its particular traditions or a more precise term that distinguishes between those religious groups who believe their ritual requires the "people" to do the "work" of responding to the priest, and those...
(clerical) Classical Tibetan
Classical Tibetan
Classical Tibetan refers to the language of any text written in Tibetan after the Old Tibetan period and before the modern period, but in particular refers to the language of early canonical texts translated from other languages, especially Sanskrit...
language, known in Bhutan as Chöke, which has been used for centuries by Buddhist monks. Chöke was used as the language of education in Bhutan until the early 1960s when it was replaced by Dzongkha in public schools.
Usage
Dzongkha and its dialects are the native tongue of eight western districts of Bhutan (viz. PhodrangWangdue Phodrang
Wangdue Phodrang District is a dzongkhag of central Bhutan. This is also the name of the dzong which dominates the district, and the name of the small market town outside the gates of the dzong...
, Punakha
Punakha
thumb|right|Punakha Dzong and the [[Mo Chhu]]Punakha is the administrative centre of Punakha dzongkhag, one of the 20 districts of Bhutan. Punakha was the capital of Bhutan and the seat of government until 1955, when the capital was moved to Thimphu. It is about 72 km away from Thimphu and it...
, Thimphu
Thimphu
Thimphu also spelt Thimpu, is the capital and largest city of Bhutan. It is situated in the western central part of Bhutan and the surrounding valley is one of Bhutan's dzongkhags, the Thimphu District. The city became the capital of Bhutan in 1961...
, Gasa
Gasa District
Gasa District or Gasa Dzongkhag is one of the 20 dzongkhags comprising Bhutan. Its capital is Gasa Dzong near Gasa. It is located in the far north of the county and spans the Middle and High Himalayas. The dominant language of the district is Dzongkha, the national language...
, Paro
Paro District
Paro District is the name of a district , valley, river and town in Bhutan. It is one of the most historic valleys in Bhutan. Both trade goods and invading Tibetans came over the pass at the head of the valley, giving Paro the closest cultural connection with Tibet of any Bhutanese district...
, Ha, Dagana
Dagana District
Dagana District is one of the 20 dzongkhag comprising Bhutan...
, and Chukha
Chukha
Chukha District is one of the 20 dzongkhag comprising Bhutan. The major town is Phuentsholing which is the gateway city along the sole road which connects India to western Bhutan . Chukha is the commercial and the financial capital of Bhutan...
). There are also some speakers found near the Indian town of Kalimpong, once part of Bhutan but now in West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
. Dzongkha study is mandatory in all schools in Bhutan, and the language is the lingua franca
Lingua franca
A lingua franca is a language systematically used to make communication possible between people not sharing a mother tongue, in particular when it is a third language, distinct from both mother tongues.-Characteristics:"Lingua franca" is a functionally defined term, independent of the linguistic...
in the districts to the south and east where it is not the mother tongue. The 2003 Bhutanese film, Travellers and Magicians
Travellers and Magicians
Travellers and Magicians is a 2003 Bhutanese Dzongkha language film written and directed by Khyentse Norbu, a reincarnate lama of Tibetan Buddhism, who is also known as Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche. The movie is the first feature film shot entirely in the kingdom of Bhutan...
is entirely in Dzongkha.
Writing
Dzongkha is usually written in Bhutanese forms of the Tibetan scriptTibetan script
The Tibetan alphabet is an abugida of Indic origin used to write the Tibetan language as well as the Dzongkha language, Denzongkha, Ladakhi language and sometimes the Balti language. The printed form of the alphabet is called uchen script while the hand-written cursive form used in everyday...
known as Joyi (mgyogs yig) and Joshum (mgyogs tshugs ma). Dzongkha books are typically printed using Ucan fonts like those to print the Tibetan abugida
Abugida
An abugida , also called an alphasyllabary, is a segmental writing system in which consonant–vowel sequences are written as a unit: each unit is based on a consonant letter, and vowel notation is obligatory but secondary...
.
See also
- Dzongkha numeralsDzongkha numeralsDzongkha, the national language of Bhutan, has two numeral systems, one vigesimal , and a modern decimal system. The vigesimal system remains in robust use. Ten is an auxiliary base: the teens are formed with ten and the numerals 1–9.-Vigesimal:...
- Languages of BhutanLanguages of BhutanThere are over nineteen languages of Bhutan, all members of the Tibeto-Burman language family, except for Nepali which is Indo-European. Dzongkha, the national language, is the only language with a native literary tradition in Bhutan, though Lepcha and Nepali are literary languages in other countries...
- q:Bhutanese proverbs for a list of proverbs given in both romanized Dzongkha and EnglishEnglish languageEnglish is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
.
External links
- Dzongkha Development Commission Thimphu, Bhutan
- Ethnologue entry on Dzongkha
- Dzongkha-English Dictionary - རྫོང་ཁ་ཨིང་ལིཤ་ཤན་སྦྱར་ཚིག་མཛོད།
- Dzongkha podcast
- Dzongkha Romanization for Geographical Names
- free Dzongkha Textbooks and Dictionaries - (PDF)