Languages of Bhutan
Encyclopedia
There 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. Other non-Bhutanese minority languages are also spoken along Bhutan's borders and among the Lhotshampa
community in South and East Bhutan.
Dzongkha is a Central Bodish language with approximately 160,000 speakers as of 2006. It is the dominant language in Western Bhutan, and has been the language of government and education in Bhutan since the 1971. The Chocangacakha
, a "sister language" to Dzongkha, is spoken in the Kurichu Valley
of Eastern Bhutan by about 20,000 people.
The Lakha
(8,000 speakers) and Brokkat language
s (300 speakers) in Central Bhutan, as well as the Brokpa language
(5,000 speakers) in far Eastern Bhutan, are also grouped by Van Driem (1993) into Central Bodish. These languages are remnants of what were originally pastoral yak
herd communities.
Layakha, closely related to Dzongkha, is spoken near the northwestern border with Tibet
by some 1,100 Layap
s. Layaps are an indigenous nomadic and semi-nomadic people who traditionally herd yak
s and dzo
s. Dzongkha speakers enjoy a limited mutual intelligibility, mostly in basic vocabulary and grammar.
The Khampa Tibetan language
is spoken by about 1,000 people in two enclaves in Eastern Bhutan, also the descendants of pastoral yakherding communities. Although it also is a by all accounts a Tibetan language
, its exact subgrouping varies.
, as opposed to Tibetan languages descended from Old Tibetan.
The Bumthang language
, or Bumthangkha, is the dominant language in Central Bhutan. It has approximately 30,000 speakers. The Kheng language and Kurtöp language
are closely related to the Bumthang language. They have 40,000 and 10,000 speakers, respectively.
The Dzala language
, or Dzalakha, has about 15,000 speakers. Nyenkha
, also called Henkha or Mangdebikha, and 'Olekha (Mönpa)
are spoken in the Black Mountains
of Central Bhutan by about 10,000 and 1,000 speakers, respectively. Van Driem (1993) describes
before the southward expansion of the ancient East Bodish tribes.
The Dakpa
, (Dakpakha) and Chali
(Chalikha) languages are each spoken by about 1,000 people in Eastern Bhutan.
, and are not necessarily members of any common subgroup.
The Tshangla language, has approximately 138,000 speakers. It is the mother tongue of the Sharchop
people. It is the dominant language in Eastern Bhutan and was formerly spoken as a lingua franca
in the region.
The Gongduk language
is an endangered language that has approximately 1,000 speakers in isolated villages along the Kuri Chhu
river in Eastern Bhutan. It appears to be the sole representative of a unique branch of the Tibeto-Burman
language family, and retains the complex verbal agreement system of Proto-Tibeto-Burman. Van Driem (1993) describes its speakers as a remnant of the ancient population of Central Bhutan before the southward expansion of the East Bodish tribes.
The Lepcha language
has approximately 2,000 ethnic Lepcha
speakers in Bhutan. It has its own highly stylized Lepcha script
.
The Lhokpu language
has approximately 2,500 speakers. It is one of the autochthonous languages of Bhutan and is yet unclassified within Tibeto-Burmese. Van Driem (1993) describes it as the remnant of "the primordial population of Western Bhutan," and comments that Lokhpu or a close relative appears to have been the substrate language for Dzongkha, explaining the various ways in which Dzongkha diverged from Tibetan.
, or Lhotshamkha, is an Indo-Aryan language
and the only Indo-European language
spoken by native Bhutanese. Inside Bhutan, it is spoken primarily in the South by the approximately 156,000 resident Lhotshampa
. While the Lhotshampa are generally regarded as Nepali speakers, the Lhotshampa include many smaller non-Indo-Aryan groups such as the Tamang
and Gurung
in Southern Bhutan, and the Kirant
i groups (including the Rai
and Limbu
peoples) found in Eastern Bhutan. Among these minorities are speakers of Camling
, Limbu
, and Nepal Bhasa
.
and Groma language
s, both Tibetan languages, are spoken along the Sikkhim-Bhutan and Tibet-Bhutan borders in Western Bhutan.
The Toto language
is generally classified as belonging to the sub-Himalayan
branch of the Tibeto-Burman family. It is spoken by the isolated Toto tribe
in Totopara
and along the West Bengal
-Bhutan border in South Bhutan. The total Toto population was about 1,300 people in 2006, mainly on the India
n side of the border.
Nepali language
Nepali or Nepalese is a language in the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language family.It is the official language and de facto lingua franca of Nepal and is also spoken in Bhutan, parts of India and parts of Myanmar...
which is Indo-European
Indo-European
Indo-European may refer to:* Indo-European languages** Aryan race, a 19th century and early 20th century term for those peoples who are the native speakers of Indo-European languages...
. Dzongkha, the national language, is the only language with a native literary tradition in 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...
, though Lepcha
Lepcha language
Lepcha language, or Róng language , is a Himalayish language spoken by the Lepcha people in Sikkim and parts of West Bengal, Nepal and Bhutan.-Population:...
and Nepali
Nepali language
Nepali or Nepalese is a language in the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language family.It is the official language and de facto lingua franca of Nepal and is also spoken in Bhutan, parts of India and parts of Myanmar...
are literary languages in other countries. Other non-Bhutanese minority languages are also spoken along Bhutan's borders and among the Lhotshampa
Lhotshampa
Lhotshampa, or Lhotsampa, means "southerners" in Dzongkha, the national language of Bhutan. The term refers to the heterogeneous ethnic Nepalese population of Bhutan.-History:...
community in South and East Bhutan.
Dzongkha and other Tibetan languages
The Central Bodish languages are a group of related Tibetan languages descended from Old Tibetan, or Chöke. Most Bhutanese varieties of Central Bodish languages are of the Southern subgroup. At least six of the nineteen languages and dialects of Bhutan are Central Bodish languages.Dzongkha is a Central Bodish language with approximately 160,000 speakers as of 2006. It is the dominant language in Western Bhutan, and has been the language of government and education in Bhutan since the 1971. The Chocangacakha
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...
, a "sister language" to Dzongkha, is spoken in the Kurichu Valley
Kuri Chhu
The Kuri Chhu, also known as the Lhobrak, is a major river of eastern Bhutan, that has formed a scenic valley with high peaks and steep hills...
of Eastern Bhutan by about 20,000 people.
The 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....
(8,000 speakers) and Brokkat language
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 :*...
s (300 speakers) in Central Bhutan, as well as the Brokpa language
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...
(5,000 speakers) in far Eastern Bhutan, are also grouped by Van Driem (1993) into Central Bodish. These languages are remnants of what were originally pastoral yak
Yak
The yak, Bos grunniens or Bos mutus, is a long-haired bovine found throughout the Himalayan region of south Central Asia, the Tibetan Plateau and as far north as Mongolia and Russia. In addition to a large domestic population, there is a small, vulnerable wild yak population...
herd communities.
Layakha, closely related to Dzongkha, is spoken near the northwestern border with Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
by some 1,100 Layap
Layap
The Layap are an indigenous people inhabiting the high mountains of northwest Bhutan in the village of Laya, in the Gasa District, at an altitude of , just below the Tsendagang peak. Layaps also live in northern Thimphu and Punakha Districts...
s. Layaps are an indigenous nomadic and semi-nomadic people who traditionally herd yak
Yak
The yak, Bos grunniens or Bos mutus, is a long-haired bovine found throughout the Himalayan region of south Central Asia, the Tibetan Plateau and as far north as Mongolia and Russia. In addition to a large domestic population, there is a small, vulnerable wild yak population...
s and dzo
Dzo
A dzo is a hybrid of yak and domestic cattle. The word dzo technically refers to a male hybrid, while a female is known as a dzomo or zhom. Alternative Romanizations of the Tibetan names include zho and zo. In Mongolian it is called khainag...
s. Dzongkha speakers enjoy a limited mutual intelligibility, mostly in basic vocabulary and grammar.
The Khampa Tibetan language
Khams Tibetan language
Khams Tibetan is the Tibetan language used by the majority of the people in the Kham region of eastern Tibet . It is one of the four main spoken languages of Tibetan, the other three being those of U-Tsang , Amdo and Western Tibetan...
is spoken by about 1,000 people in two enclaves in Eastern Bhutan, also the descendants of pastoral yakherding communities. Although it also is a by all accounts a Tibetan language
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,...
, its exact subgrouping varies.
East Bodish languages
Eight of the languages of Bhutan are East Bodish languagesEast Bodish languages
The East Bodish languages are those Bodish languages not covered by the name Tibetan, such as those spoken by the Monpa. They include:*Dakpa*Dzala*Bumthang *Tawang*Black Mountain Monpa .The most divergent is Dakpa...
, as opposed to Tibetan languages descended from Old Tibetan.
The Bumthang language
Bumthang language
The Bumthang language is an East Bodish language spoken by about 36,500 people in Bumthang and surrounding districts in central Bhutan...
, or Bumthangkha, is the dominant language in Central Bhutan. It has approximately 30,000 speakers. The Kheng language and Kurtöp language
Kurtöp language
The Kurtöp language is a member of the Tibeto-Burman language family spoken in the Kurtoe Gewog, Lhuntse District, Bhutan...
are closely related to the Bumthang language. They have 40,000 and 10,000 speakers, respectively.
The Dzala language
Dzala language
The Dzala language, also called Dzalakha or Dzalamat, is a member of the Tibeto-Burman language family spoken in eastern Bhutan, in Lhuntse and Trashiyangtse Districts.- External links :**...
, or Dzalakha, has about 15,000 speakers. Nyenkha
Nyenkha
Nyenkha is an East Bodish language spoken by about 10,000 people in the eastern, northern, and western areas of the Black Mountains...
, also called Henkha or Mangdebikha, and 'Olekha (Mönpa)
'Olekha
Olekha, also called the Black Mountain Monpa language, is a Tibeto-Burman language spoken by about 1,000 people in the Black Mountains of the Wangdue Phodrang and Trongsa Districts in western Bhutan. The term 'Ole refers to a clan of speakers....
are spoken in the Black Mountains
Black Mountains (Bhutan)
The Black Mountains is a mountain range located in Bhutan. The current Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park was previously the Black Mountains park. Elevations run up to 15145 ft or 4617 meters. -References:...
of Central Bhutan by about 10,000 and 1,000 speakers, respectively. Van Driem (1993) describes
Black Mountains (Bhutan)
The Black Mountains is a mountain range located in Bhutan. The current Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park was previously the Black Mountains park. Elevations run up to 15145 ft or 4617 meters. -References:...
before the southward expansion of the ancient East Bodish tribes.
The Dakpa
Dakpa language
The Dakpa language is an East Bodish language spoken by about 1,000 people in northern Trashigang District in eastern Bhutan, mainly in Chaleng, Phongmey, Yobinang, Dangpholeng and Lengkhar near Radhi. Van Driem describes Dakpa as the most divergent of Bhutan's East Bodish languages...
, (Dakpakha) and Chali
Chali language
The Chali language is an East Bodish language spoken by about 8,200 people in Wangmakhar, Gorsum and Tormazhong villages in Mongar District in eastern Bhutan, mainly around Chhali Gewog on east bank of Kuri Chhu River...
(Chalikha) languages are each spoken by about 1,000 people in Eastern Bhutan.
Other Tibeto-Burman languages
Four other Tibeto-Burman languages are spoken in Bhutan. These languages are more distantly related to the Bodish languagesBodish languages
The Bodish languages, named for the Tibetan ethnonym bod, are the Tibetan languages in a broad linguistic sense, regardless of whether the speakers are considered ethnically Tibetan. Different scholars divide Bodish differently, but the alternate term 'Tibetan' generally excludes East Bodish...
, and are not necessarily members of any common subgroup.
The Tshangla language, has approximately 138,000 speakers. It is the mother tongue of the Sharchop
Sharchop
Sharchop is a collective term for the populations of mixed Southeast Asian and South Asian descent that live in the eastern districts of Bhutan.-Ethnicity:...
people. It is the dominant language in Eastern Bhutan and was formerly spoken as a 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 region.
The Gongduk language
Gongduk language
Gongduk or Gongdu is an endangered Tibeto-Burman language spoken by about 1,000 people in a few inaccessible villages located near the Kuri Chhu river in the Gongdu Gewog of Mongar District in eastern Bhutan...
is an endangered language that has approximately 1,000 speakers in isolated villages along the Kuri Chhu
Kuri Chhu
The Kuri Chhu, also known as the Lhobrak, is a major river of eastern Bhutan, that has formed a scenic valley with high peaks and steep hills...
river in Eastern Bhutan. It appears to be the sole representative of a unique branch of the Tibeto-Burman
Tibeto-Burman languages
The Tibeto-Burman languages are the non-Chinese members of the Sino-Tibetan language family, over 400 of which are spoken thoughout the highlands of southeast Asia, as well as lowland areas in Burma ....
language family, and retains the complex verbal agreement system of Proto-Tibeto-Burman. Van Driem (1993) describes its speakers as a remnant of the ancient population of Central Bhutan before the southward expansion of the East Bodish tribes.
The Lepcha language
Lepcha language
Lepcha language, or Róng language , is a Himalayish language spoken by the Lepcha people in Sikkim and parts of West Bengal, Nepal and Bhutan.-Population:...
has approximately 2,000 ethnic Lepcha
Lepcha people
The Lepcha or Róng people , also called Róngkup , Mútuncí Róngkup Rumkup , and Rongpa , are the aboriginal people of Sikkim, who number between 30,000 and 50,000...
speakers in Bhutan. It has its own highly stylized Lepcha script
Lepcha script
The Lepcha script, or Róng script is an abugida used by the Lepcha people to write the Lepcha language. Unusually for an abugida, syllable-final consonants are written as diacritics.-History:...
.
The Lhokpu language
Lhokpu language
Lhokpu, also Lhobikha or Taba-Damey-Bikha, is one of the autochthonous languages of Bhutan spoken by the Lhop people. It is spoken in southwestern Bhutan along the border of Samtse and Chukha Districts. Van Driem leaves it unclassified as a separate branch within the Tibeto-Burman language...
has approximately 2,500 speakers. It is one of the autochthonous languages of Bhutan and is yet unclassified within Tibeto-Burmese. Van Driem (1993) describes it as the remnant of "the primordial population of Western Bhutan," and comments that Lokhpu or a close relative appears to have been the substrate language for Dzongkha, explaining the various ways in which Dzongkha diverged from Tibetan.
Indo-Aryan
The Nepali languageNepali language
Nepali or Nepalese is a language in the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language family.It is the official language and de facto lingua franca of Nepal and is also spoken in Bhutan, parts of India and parts of Myanmar...
, or Lhotshamkha, is an Indo-Aryan language
Indo-Aryan languages
The Indo-Aryan languages constitutes a branch of the Indo-Iranian languages, itself a branch of the Indo-European language family...
and the only Indo-European language
Indo-European languages
The Indo-European languages are a family of several hundred related languages and dialects, including most major current languages of Europe, the Iranian plateau, and South Asia and also historically predominant in Anatolia...
spoken by native Bhutanese. Inside Bhutan, it is spoken primarily in the South by the approximately 156,000 resident Lhotshampa
Lhotshampa
Lhotshampa, or Lhotsampa, means "southerners" in Dzongkha, the national language of Bhutan. The term refers to the heterogeneous ethnic Nepalese population of Bhutan.-History:...
. While the Lhotshampa are generally regarded as Nepali speakers, the Lhotshampa include many smaller non-Indo-Aryan groups such as the Tamang
Tamang
The Tamangs are the ancient and original inhabitants of the mountains and plains of the Himalayan regions of Nepal and India. Their ancient capital being Yambu - modern day Kathmandu. They have their own distinct culture, language and religion. Their ancestral domain is popularly known as...
and Gurung
Gurung
The Gurung people, also called Tamu, are an ethnic group that migrated from Mongolia in the 6th century to the central region of Nepal. Gurungs, like other east Asian featured peoples of Nepal such as Sherpa, Tamang, Thakali, Magar, Manaaggi, Mustaaggi, and Walunggi, are the indigenous people of...
in Southern Bhutan, and the Kirant
Kirant
Kirat or Kirati are indigenous ethnic groups of the Himalayas extending eastward from Nepal into India, Burma and beyond. They migrated to their present locations via Assam, Burma, Tibet and Yunnan in ancient times...
i groups (including the Rai
Rai people
The Rai are one of Nepal's most ancient indigenous ethnolinguistic groups. They were Raya meaning king. Once someone was recognized as a ruler then Hindus awarded the title Raja, Rai, Raya, Malla etc. When the king Pritivi Narayan Shah couldn't defeat Kirant king , he somehow took them in...
and Limbu
Limbu people
The Yakthung or Limbu tribes and clans belong to the Kirati nation or to the Kirat confederation.They are indigenous to the hill and mountainous regions of east Nepal between the Arun and Mechi rivers to as far as Southern Tibet, Bhutan and Sikkim....
peoples) found in Eastern Bhutan. Among these minorities are speakers of Camling
Camling language
The Camling or Chamling language is one of the Kiranti languages spoken by the Kiranti and Rai peoples of eastern Nepal. Alternate names include Chamling, Chamlinge Rai and Rodong...
, Limbu
Limbu language
Limbu is a Tibeto-Burman language spoken in Nepal, Bhutan, Sikkim, Kashmir and Darjeeling district, West Bengal, India, by the Limbu community. Virtually all Limbus are bilingual in Nepali....
, and Nepal Bhasa
Nepal Bhasa
Nepal Bhasa is one of the major languages of Nepal, and is also spoken in India, particularly in Sikkim where it is one of the 11 official languages. Nepal Bhasa is the mother tongue of about 3% of the people in Nepal . It is spoken mainly by the Newars, who chiefly inhabit the towns of the...
.
Border languages
The 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...
and Groma language
Groma language
Groma is a language spoken in Sikkim and Tibet. It belongs to the southern group of Tibetan languages. Its speakers identify as Tibetans.-References: See online version: ....
s, both Tibetan languages, are spoken along the Sikkhim-Bhutan and Tibet-Bhutan borders in Western Bhutan.
The Toto language
Toto language
Toto is a Tibeto-Burman language spoken on the border of India and Bhutan, by the tribal Toto people. The Himalayan Languages Project is working on the first grammatical sketch of Toto.-References:*...
is generally classified as belonging to the sub-Himalayan
West Himalayish languages
The West Himalayish languages, also known as Almora and Kanauric, are a family of Tibeto-Burman languages centered on Kanauri, in Himachal Pradesh and across the border into Nepal.The languages include:...
branch of the Tibeto-Burman family. It is spoken by the isolated Toto tribe
Toto tribe
The Toto is a primitive and isolated tribal group residing only in a small enclave called Totopara in the Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal, India. Totopara is located at the foot of the Himalayas just to the south of the borderline between Bhutan and West Bengal...
in Totopara
Totopara
Totopara is a small village on a hillock located 89° 20'E and 26° 50'N in the Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal, India.This village is home to the unique Toto tribe that is one of a kind in the world. The village is about 22 km from Madarihat, which is the entry point of the famous Jaldapara...
and along the 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...
-Bhutan border in South Bhutan. The total Toto population was about 1,300 people in 2006, mainly on the India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n side of the border.
External links
- Dzongkha Development Commission - Official language body of Bhutan