Ladakhi language

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Ladakhi
ལ་དྭགས་སྐད , لداخی زبان
La-dwags skad
Ladakhi.png
Native to India
Region Ladakh
Ethnicity Ladakhis
Native speakers
110,826 (2011 Census) [1]
Tibetan script (official, in India and China), Perso-Arabic script (by Muslims, in Pakistan)
Language codes
ISO 639-3 Either:
lbj  – Ladakhi
zau  –  Zangskari
Glottolog kenh1234
ELP Ladakhi
Lang Status 80-VU.svg
Ladakhi is classified as Vulnerable by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger

The Ladakhi language is a Tibetic language spoken in the Indian union territory of Ladakh. It is the predominant language in the Buddhist-dominated district of Leh, and a minority language in the district of Kargil. Though a member of the Tibetic family, Ladakhi is not mutually intelligible with Standard Tibetan. Ladakhis and Tibetans usually communicate with each other in Hindi or English as they do not understand each other's languages clearly.

Contents

Ladakhi has several dialects: Lehskat, named after Leh where it is spoken, Shamskat, spoken northwest of Leh, Stotskat, spoken in the Indus valley and which unlike the others is tonal, Nubra, spoken north of Leh, the Changthang language, spoken in the Changtang region by the Changpa people, and the Zangskari language, spoken in the Zanskar region of Ladakh.

Name

The Ladakhi language (Tibetan : ལ་དྭགས་སྐད་, Wylie : La-dwags skad) is also referred to as Bhoti or Bodhi. [2] [3] Supporters of the Bhoti name hold a "lumper" view of the language: they use the term "Bhoti" to refer to Classical Tibetan and treat as the one, proper form of Tibetic languages across the Himalayas. [4] This section of Ladakhi society has demanded inclusion Bhoti to the 8th Schedule of the Indian Constitution. They say that Bhoti is spoken by Ladakhis, Baltis, Tibetans, and throughout the Himalayas from Baltistan to Arunachal Pradesh. [5] [6]

No other Tibetic-speaking group in India has agreed to the classification, instead adopting their own names for their languages for legal recognition: Bhutia, Lepcha and Limboo. In addition, an 2008–2009 survey by Central Institute of Indian Languages found only a negligable number of Leh families calling their mother tongue "Bhoti". [4]

The name Bhoti or Bodhi has connotations with Tibetan Buddhism, a major religion in the area. Many Ladakhi people contest this classification as there are also Muslim, Christian, Hindu and Sikh speakers of Ladakhi. [7]

Dialects

Ladakhi has several dialects: 1 :Lehskat, named after Leh where it is spoken. 2: Shamskat, spoken northwest of Leh in the sham region of ladakh. 3 :Stotskat, spoken in the upper Indus valley of ladakh and which unlike the others is tonal. 4 :Nubraskat , spoken north of Leh in the nubra region of Ladakh. 5 :The Changthang language, spoken in the Changtang region by the Changpa people . 6: The Zangskari language, spoken in the Zanskar region of Ladakh.

Classification

Nicolas Tournadre considers Ladakhi, Balti, and Purgi to be distinct languages on the basis of mutual intelligibility (Zangskari is not as distinct). As a group they are termed Ladakhi–Balti or Western Archaic Tibetan. [8]

Zangskari is a dialect of Ladakhi spoken in Zanskar and also spoken by Buddhists in the upper reaches of Lahaul (Himachal Pradesh) and Paddar (Paldar).[ citation needed ] It has four subdialects, Stod, Zhung, Sham, and Lungna. It is written using the Tibetan script by Buddhists and the Arabic script by Muslim and Christian Ladakhis. [9]

Phonology

Consonants

Labial Dental Alveolar Retroflex Palatal Velar Glottal
Nasal m n̪ ɲ ŋ
Plosive/
Affricate 		voiceless p t̪ t͡s ʈ t͡ʃ k
aspirated pʰ t̪ʰ t͡sʰ ʈʰ t͡ʃʰ kʰ
voiced b d̪ d͡z ɖ d͡ʒ ɡ
Fricative voiceless s ʂ ʃ h
voiced z ʒ
Trill r
Lateral plain l
murmured lʱ
Semivowel w j

Vowels

Ladakhi has a regular five vowel system, but with [a] being replaced with [ə], making it unusual, as most languages have [a]. [10]

Front Central Back
Close i u
Mid e ə o
Vowels with allophones
Front Central Back
Close i u
Close-mid e o
Mid [ ɛ̝ ] ə [ ɔ̝ ]
Open-mid [ ɐ ]
Open [ ä ]

Script

Ladakhi is usually written using Tibetan script, and the pronunciation of Ladakhi is much closer to written Classical Tibetan than that of most other Tibetic languages. Ladakhis pronounce many of the prefix, suffix and head letters that are silent in many other Tibetic languages, in particular the Central Tibetan. [11] This tendency is more pronounced to the west of Leh, and on the Pakistani side of the Line of Control, in Baltistan. For example, a Tibetan would pronounce sta ('axe') as [tá], but a Lehpa would say [sta], and a Purgi would pronounce [stare]. While a Tibetan would pronounce འབྲས་ ’bras ('rice') as [ɳʈɛ́ʔ], Lehpa say [ɖas], and the Purgi pronounce it as [bras].[ citation needed ] Although the pronunciation is relatively conservative, the Ladakhi language has accumulated significant grammatical differences from the classical, written language. [12]

The question of whether to write colloquial Ladakhi (phalskat) in the Tibetan script or to write an only slightly Ladakhified version of Classical Tibetan (choskat) is controversial in Ladakh. [13] Muslim Ladakhis speak Ladakhi but most do not read the Tibetan script. Most Buddhist Ladakhis can sound out the Tibetan script but do not understand Classical Tibetan, yet many Ladakhi Buddhist scholars insist that Ladakhi must be written only in a form of Classical Tibetan, seeing the vernacular-based orthography only as deviation from the "proper" language. [12] A limited number of books and magazines have been published in colloquial Ladakhi, one example being Ladags Melong from SECMOL. [12]

In Ladakhi language, it is customary to add the suffix 'le' at the end of sentences as a sign of respect towards the individual being spoken to. [14] This linguistic convention is a way to express politeness and honor towards the listener, emphasizing the cultural values of respect and courtesy.

Written Ladakhi is most often romanised using modified Wylie transliteration, with th denoting an aspirated dental t, for example.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tibetic languages</span> Subfamily of the Sino-Tibetan languages

The Tibetic languages form a well-defined group of languages descending from Old Tibetan. According to Nicolas Tournadre, there are 50 Tibetic languages, which branch into more than 200 dialects, which could be grouped into eight dialect continua. These Tibetic languages are spoken in Tibet, the greater Tibetan Plateau, and in the Himalayas in Gilgit-Baltistan, Ladakh, Aksai Chin, Nepal, and in India at Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand. Classical Tibetan is the major literary language, particularly for its use in Tibetan Buddhist scriptures and literature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ladakh</span> Region administered by India

Ladakh is a region administered by India as a union territory and constitutes an eastern portion of the larger Kashmir region that has been the subject of a dispute between India and Pakistan since 1947 and India and China since 1959. Ladakh is bordered by the Tibet Autonomous Region to the east, the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh to the south, both the Indian-administered union territory of Jammu and Kashmir and the Pakistan-administered Gilgit-Baltistan to the west, and the southwest corner of Xinjiang across the Karakoram Pass in the far north. It extends from the Siachen Glacier in the Karakoram range to the north to the main Great Himalayas to the south. The eastern end, consisting of the uninhabited Aksai Chin plains, is claimed by the Indian Government as part of Ladakh, but has been under Chinese control.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Balti language</span> Tibetic language of Baltistan, Pakistan

Balti is a Tibetic language natively spoken by the ethnic Balti people in the Baltistan region of Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan, Nubra Valley of the Leh district and in the Kargil district of Ladakh, India. The language differs from Standard Tibetan; many sounds of Old Tibetan that were lost in Standard Tibetan are retained in the Balti language. It also has a simple pitch accent system only in multi-syllabic words while Standard Tibetan has a complex and distinct pitch system that includes tone contour. Due to effects of dominant languages in Pakistani media like Urdu, Punjabi and English and religious impact of Arabic and Persian languages, Balti, like other regional languages of Pakistan, is continuously expanding its vocabulary base with loanwords.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kargil district</span> District of Indian-administered Ladakh, Kashmir region

Kargil district is a district in Indian-administered Ladakh in the disputed Kashmir-region, which is administered as a union territory of Ladakh. It is named after the city of Kargil, where the district headquarters lies. The district is bounded by the Indian-administered union territory of Jammu and Kashmir to the west, the Pakistani-administered administrative territory of Gilgit–Baltistan to the north, Ladakh's Leh district to the east, and the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh to the south. Encompassing three historical regions known as Purig, Dras and Zanskar, the district lies to the northeast of the Great Himalayas and encompasses the majority of the Zanskar Range. Its population inhabits the river valleys of the Dras, Suru, Wakha Rong, and Zanskar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Balti people</span> Ethnolinguistic group native to the Kashmir region of South Asia

The Baltis are a Tibetic ethnic group who are native to the Pakistani-administered territory of Gilgit−Baltistan and the Indian-administered territory of Ladakh, predominantly in the Kargil district with smaller concentrations present in the Leh district. Outside of the Kashmir region, Baltis are scattered throughout Pakistan, with the majority of the diaspora inhabiting prominent urban centres such as Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Purgi language</span> Tibetic language spoken in India and Pakistan

Purgi, Burig, Purki, Purik, Purigi or Puriki is a Tibetic language closely related to the Ladakhi-Balti language. Purgi is natively spoken by the Purigpa people in Ladakh region of India and Baltistan region of Pakistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nubra</span> Region in Ladakh, India

Nubra, also called Dumra, is a historical region of Ladakh, India that is currently administered as a subdivision and a tehsil in the Nubra district. Its inhabited areas form a tri-armed valley cut by the Nubra and Shyok rivers. Its Tibetan name Dumra means "valley of flowers". Demands have been raised and BJP has hinted at creation of Nubra as a new district. Diskit, the headquarters of Nubra, is 120 km north of Leh, the capital of Ladakh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Ladakh</span>

Ladakh has a long history with evidence of human settlement from as back as 9000 b.c. It has been a crossroad of high Asia for thousands of years and has seen many cultures, empires and technologies born in its neighbours. As a result of these developments Ladakh has imported many traditions and culture from its neighbours and combining them all gave rise to a unique tradition and culture of its own.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Changtang</span> North-West Tibet geographic highland

The Changtang is a part of the high altitude Tibetan Plateau in western and northern Tibet extending into the southern edges of Xinjiang as well as southeastern Ladakh, India, with vast highlands and giant lakes. From eastern Ladakh, the Changtang stretches approximately 1,600 kilometres (990 mi) east into Tibet as far as modern Qinghai. The Changtang is home to the Changpa, a nomadic Tibetan people. The two largest settlements within the Tibetan Changtang are Rutog Town the seat of Rutog County and Domar Township the seat of Shuanghu County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brokpa</span> Ethnic group in Ladakh

The Brokpa, sometimes referred to as Minaro, are a small ethnic group mostly found in the union territory of Ladakh, India around the villages of Dha and Hanu. Some of the community are also located across the Line of Control in Baltistan in the villages around Ganokh. They speak an Indo-Aryan language called Brokskat. The Brokpa are mostly Vajrayana Buddhist while some are Muslim.

Central Tibetan, also known as Dbus, Ü or Ü-Tsang, is the most widely spoken Tibetic language and the basis of Standard Tibetan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kharfaq</span> Village in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan

Kharfaq is a small village with a population of about 2,000 people in Ghanche District, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. The village is located 3 hours away from Kharfaq Lake, a lake famous for its large trout population.

The Lahuli–Spiti languages the exonym for a subgroup of the Tibetic languages related to the (Stöd) Ngari Tibetan spoken in the Lahaul and Spiti region of Himachal Pradesh, India, belonging to the South-Western group of Tibetic languages, earlier classified as Western Innovative Tibetan. They are more closely related to Standard Tibetan than to the neighboring Ladakhi–Balti languages spoken further north.

The first portion of the Bible, the Gospel of John, in a Tibetic language was translated by Moravian Church missionaries William Heyde, Edward Pagel, and Heinrich August Jäschke, and later Dr. August Francke. It was printed in 1862 at Kyelang capital of Lahul in Kashmir. The whole New Testament was printed in 1885 in Ladakh. Another version was translated in 1903. So as not to have the problem of various dialectal differences it was translated into classical Tibetan, but this was not understood by most people. Yoseb Gergen, a Tibetan Christian translated the entire Bible, complete in 1935. This version was translated into a dialect of Tibetan Gergen had accidentally stumbled across, and which was understandable by all Tibetans. It was finally published in 1948. This is known in India as the Tibetan OV Bible. Eliya Tsetan Phuntshog published a New Testament in 1970. There is currently a project going on to translate the Bible into the East Tibetan dialect.

Zangskari dialect is an endangered Tibetic language. It is a dialect of Ladakhi language. It is mostly spoken in the Zanskar region of the Kargil district of Ladakh, India and also by Buddhists in the upper reaches of Lahaul, Himachal Pradesh, and Paddar, Jammu and Kashmir. It is written using the Tibetan script.

The Ladakhi–Balti languages or Western Archaic Tibetan languages are a subgroup of the Tibetic languages spoken in the Ladakh region of India and in the Gilgit-Baltistan territory of Pakistan. The lects lack mutual intelligibility and are considered separate languages by their speakers. The grouping includes:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Culture of Ladakh</span> Overview of the culture of Ladakh

The culture of Ladakh refers to the traditional customs, belief systems, and political systems that are followed by Ladakhi people in India. The languages, religions, dance, music, architecture, food, and customs of the Ladakh region are similar to neighboring Tibet. Ladakhi is the traditional language of Ladakh. The popular dances in Ladakh include the khatok chenmo, cham, etc. The people of Ladakh also celebrate several festivals throughout the year, some of the most famous are Hemis Tsechu and Losar.

The Shamskat dialect of the Ladakhi language is spoken in the Sham region of Ladakh, a region administered by India as a union territory. Along the Indus, there is a clear geographical boundary between two dialects of Shamskat and Kenskat. Nimo, the first village of Shamskat speakers, lies in the sharply cut basin near the narrow gorge of Indus river. It is the predominant language in the west of the Buddhist-dominated district of Leh. Shamskat pronunciation resembles that of Old Tibetan. Shamskat retains its Classical Tibetan vocabulary, while the Balti and Purgi have little influence from the vocabulary of its neighbour Shina. The native speakers of these languages are called Shamma.

Sham district is one of the 5 newly proposed districts in Ladakh, India.

References

  1. ↑ "ABSTRACT OF SPEAKERS' STRENGTH OF LANGUAGES AND MOTHER TONGUES - 2011" (PDF). Archived from the original (pdf) on 19 April 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
  2. ↑ Omniglot Ladakhi Language Introduction, The Himalayan Initiatives, retrieved 23 January 2021.
  3. ↑ Namgial, Eshay (Spring–Summer 2018), "Ladakhi: An off Shoot of Classical Tibetan Language", The Tibet Journal, 43 (1): 35–47, JSTOR   26634904
  4. 1 2 Sherab, Khanpo K. "Bhoti or Ladakhi: What should we call our language?". Stawa.
  5. ↑ Tsewang Rigzin (13 September 2013). "National Seminar on 'Bhoti Language' held at Leh". Reach Ladakh. Archived from the original on 24 September 2013.
  6. ↑ "Ladakh council adopts new emblem replacing J-K logo". Hindustan Times. Press Trust of India. 27 February 2011. Archived from the original on 1 March 2011. Retrieved 27 February 2011.
  7. ↑ Wahid, Siddiq (13 May 2022). "Is Bhoti A Language, Religious Affiliation, Sanskrit Diminutive Or Political Tool?". Outlook. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  8. ↑ Tournadre, Nicolas (2005). "L'aire linguistique tibétaine et ses divers dialectes" (PDF). Lalies. pp. 7–56.
  9. ↑ Shakspo, Nawang Tsering (2005). "Tibetan (Bhoti)—An Endangered Script in Trans-Himalaya". The Tibet Journal. 30 (1): 61–64. JSTOR   43301113.
  10. 1 2 3 Koshal, Sanyukta (1979). Ladakhi Grammar. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass.
  11. ↑ Bielmeier, Roland. 1985. 'A Survey of the Development of Western and South-western Tibetan dialects', in Barbara Nimri Aziz and Matthew Kapstein (eds.), Soundings in Tibetan Civilisation.
  12. 1 2 3 Zeisler, Bettina (2006). "Why Ladakhi must not be written – Being part of the Great Tradition Another kind of global thinking". In Anju Saxena; Lars Borin (eds.). Lesser-Known Languages of South Asia. p. 178.
  13. ↑ van Beek, Martijn (2008). "Imaginaries of Ladakhi Modernity". In Barnett, Robert; Schwartz, Ronald David (eds.). Tibetan Modernities: Notes from the Field on Cultural and Social Change. Brill. pp. 178–179.
  14. ↑ Yangdol, Dechen. "Ladakhi Language".
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