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Dzongkha (; ) is a Sino-Tibetan language that is the official and national language of
Bhutan Bhutan (; dz, འབྲུག་ཡུལ་, Druk Yul ), officially the Kingdom of Bhutan,), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is situated in the Eastern Himalayas, between China in the north and India in the south. A mountainou ...
. It is written using the
Tibetan script The Tibetan script is a segmental writing system (''abugida'') of Indic origin used to write certain Tibetic languages, including Tibetan, Dzongkha, Sikkimese, Ladakhi, Jirel and Balti. It has also been used for some non-Tibetic language ...
. The word means "the language of the fortress", from ' "fortress" and ' "language". , Dzongkha had 171,080 native speakers and about 640,000 total speakers. Dzongkha is considered a South Tibetic language. It is closely related to and partially intelligible with Sikkimese, and to some other Bhutanese languages such as Chocha Ngacha,
Brokpa 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 Baltist ...
, Brokkat and Lakha. It has a more distant relationship to
Standard Tibetan Lhasa Tibetan (), or Standard Tibetan, is the Tibetan dialect spoken by educated people of Lhasa, the capital of the Tibetan Autonomous Region of China. It is an official language of the Tibet Autonomous Region. In the traditional "three-branc ...
. Spoken Dzongkha and Tibetan are around 50 to 80 percent mutually intelligible.


Usage

Dzongkha and its dialects are the native tongue of eight western districts of Bhutan ('' viz.'' Wangdue Phodrang, , Thimphu, Gasa, Paro, Ha, Dagana and
Chukha Chukha District (Dzongkha: ཆུ་ཁ་རྫོང་ཁག་; Wylie: ''Chu-kha rdzong-khag''; also spelled "Chhukha") is one of the 20 dzongkhag (districts) comprising Bhutan. The major town is Phuentsholing which is the gateway city ...
). There are also some native speakers near the Indian town of Kalimpong, once part of Bhutan but now in North Bengal and in
Sikkim Sikkim (; ) is a state in Northeastern India. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China in the north and northeast, Bhutan in the east, Province No. 1 of Nepal in the west and West Bengal in the south. Sikkim is also close to the Sil ...
. Dzongkha was declared the national language of Bhutan in 1971. Dzongkha study is mandatory in all schools, and the language is the '' lingua franca'' in the districts to the south and east where it is not the mother tongue. The Bhutanese films ''
Travellers and Magicians ''Travellers and Magicians''; Wylie: ''chang hub thengs gcig gi 'khrul snang''; literally: "''once upon a time hallucinating on a sip of wine''" is a 2003 Bhutanese Dzongkha-language film written and directed by Khyentse Norbu, writer and directo ...
'' (2003) and '' Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom'' (2019) are in Dzongkha.


Writing system

The
Tibetan script The Tibetan script is a segmental writing system (''abugida'') of Indic origin used to write certain Tibetic languages, including Tibetan, Dzongkha, Sikkimese, Ladakhi, Jirel and Balti. It has also been used for some non-Tibetic language ...
used to write Dzongkha has thirty basic
letters Letter, letters, or literature may refer to: Characters typeface * Letter (alphabet), a character representing one or more of the sounds used in speech; any of the symbols of an alphabet. * Letterform, the graphic form of a letter of the alpha ...
, sometimes known as "radicals", for consonants. Dzongkha is usually written in Bhutanese forms of the Uchen script, forms of the Tibetan script known as ''Jôyi'' "cursive longhand" and ''Jôtshum'' "formal longhand". The print form is known simply as ''Tshûm''.


Romanization

There are various systems of romanization and transliteration for Dzongkha, but none accurately represents its phonetic sound. The Bhutanese government adopted a transcription system known as Roman Dzongkha, devised by the linguist
George van Driem George "Sjors" van Driem (born 1957) is a Dutch linguist associated with the University of Bern, where he is the chair of Historical Linguistics and directs the Linguistics Institute. Education * Leiden University, 1983–1987 (PhD, ''A Grammar ...
, as its standard in 1991.


Phonology


Tones

Dzongkha is a tonal language and has two level tones (high and low), and two
contour tone A tone contour, or contour tone, is a tone in a tonal language which shifts from one pitch to another over the course of the syllable or word. Tone contours are especially common in East, Southeast Asia, West Africa, Nilo-Saharan languages, K ...
distinctions, totaling four tones. The tone of a
syllable A syllable is a unit of organization for a sequence of speech sounds typically made up of a syllable nucleus (most often a vowel) with optional initial and final margins (typically, consonants). Syllables are often considered the phonological ...
determines the
allophone In phonology, an allophone (; from the Greek , , 'other' and , , 'voice, sound') is a set of multiple possible spoken soundsor ''phones''or signs used to pronounce a single phoneme in a particular language. For example, in English, (as in '' ...
of the onset and the phonation type of the nuclear
vowel A vowel is a syllabic speech sound pronounced without any stricture in the vocal tract. Vowels are one of the two principal classes of speech sounds, the other being the consonant. Vowels vary in quality, in loudness and also in quantity (len ...
.


Consonants

All consonants may begin a syllable. In the onsets of low-tone syllables, consonants are voiced.
Aspirated consonant In phonetics, aspiration is the strong burst of breath that accompanies either the release or, in the case of preaspiration, the closure of some obstruents. In English, aspirated consonants are allophones in complementary distribution with ...
s (indicated by the superscript ''h''), , and are not found in low-tone syllables. The rhotic is usually a trill or a fricative trill , and is voiceless in the onsets of high-tone syllables. are dental. Descriptions of the palatal affricates and fricatives vary from alveolo-palatal to plain palatal. Only a few consonants are found in syllable-final positions. Most common among them are . Syllable-final is often elided and results in the preceding vowel nasalized and prolonged, especially word-finally. Syllable-final is most often omitted when word-final as well, unless in formal speech. In literary pronunciation, liquids and may also end a syllable. Though rare, is also found in syllable-final positions. No other consonants are found in syllable-final positions.


Vowels

* When in low tone, vowels are produced with
breathy voice Breathy voice (also called murmured voice, whispery voice, soughing and susurration) is a phonation in which the vocal folds vibrate, as they do in normal (modal) voicing, but are adjusted to let more air escape which produces a sighing-like ...
. * In closed syllables, varies between and , the latter being more common. * varies between and . * varies between close-mid and open-mid , the latter being common in closed syllables. is close-mid . may not be longer than at all, and differs from more often in quality than in length. * Descriptions of vary between close-mid and open-mid . * is close-mid , but may approach open-mid especially in closed syllables. is close-mid . * is slightly lower than open-mid, i.e. . * may approach , especially in closed syllables. * When nasalized or followed by , vowels are always long.


Phonotactics

Many words in Dzongkha are monosyllabic. Syllables usually take the form of CVC, CV, or VC. Syllables with complex onsets are also found, but such an onset must be a combination of an unaspirated bilabial stop and a palatal affricate. The bilabial stops in complex onsets are often omitted in colloquial speech.


Classification and related languages

Dzongkha is considered a South Tibetic language. It is closely related to and partially intelligible with Sikkimese, and to some other Bhutanese languages such as Chocha Ngacha,
Brokpa 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 Baltist ...
, Brokkat and Lakha. Dzongkha bears a close linguistic relationship to J'umowa, which is spoken in the Chumbi Valley of Southern
Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa people, ...
. It has a much more distant relationship to
Standard Tibetan Lhasa Tibetan (), or Standard Tibetan, is the Tibetan dialect spoken by educated people of Lhasa, the capital of the Tibetan Autonomous Region of China. It is an official language of the Tibet Autonomous Region. In the traditional "three-branc ...
. Spoken Dzongkha and Tibetan are around 50% to 80% mutually intelligible, with the literary forms of both highly influenced by the liturgical (clerical)
Classical Tibetan Classical Tibetan refers to the language of any text written in Tibetic after the Old Tibetan period. Though it extends from the 12th century until the modern day, it particularly refers to the language of early canonical texts translated from o ...
language, known in Bhutan as ''Chöke,'' which has been used for centuries by
Buddhist monks A ''bhikkhu'' (Pali: भिक्खु, Sanskrit: भिक्षु, ''bhikṣu'') is an ordained male in Buddhist monasticism. Male and female monastics (" nun", ''bhikkhunī'', Sanskrit ''bhikṣuṇī'') are members of the Sangha (Buddhist ...
. Chöke was used as the language of education in Bhutan until the early 1960s when it was replaced by Dzongkha in public schools. Although descended from Classical Tibetan, Dzongkha shows a great many irregularities in sound changes that make the official spelling and standard pronunciation more distant from each other than is the case with Standard Tibetan. "Traditional orthography and modern phonology are two distinct systems operating by a distinct set of rules."


Sample text

The following is a sample text in Dzongkha of Article 1 of the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is an international document adopted by the United Nations General Assembly that enshrines the rights and freedoms of all human beings. Drafted by a UN committee chaired by Eleanor Roosevelt ...
:


See also

*
Dzongkha Braille Dzongkha Braille or Bhutanese Braille, is the braille alphabet for writing Dzongkha, the national language of Bhutan. It is based on English braille, with some extensions from international usage. As in print, the vowel ''a'' is not written. De ...
*
Dzongkha numerals Dzongkha, the national language of Bhutan, has two numeral systems, one vigesimal (base 20), and a modern decimal system. The vigesimal system remains in robust use. Ten Ten, TEN or 10 may refer to: * 10, an even natural number following 9 and ...
* Languages of Bhutan


References


Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * Mazaudon, Martine. 1985. “Dzongkha Number Systems.” S. Ratanakul, D. Thomas & S. Premsirat (eds.). Southeast Asian Linguistic Studies presented to André-G. Haudricourt. Bangkok: Mahidol University. 124–57 * * * * * * * * * * * * * - A language textbook with three audio compact disks. *


External links


Bhutanese literatures
Thimphu, Bhutan
Dzongkha podcast
published by the
Dzongkha Development Commission The Dzongkha Development Commission (), also called the DDC, is the pre-eminent body on matters pertaining to the Dzongkha language. The DDC was officially established in 1986 by Jigme Singye Wangchuck, the fourth king of Bhutan, to preserve and ...

Bhutan National Policy and Strategy for Development and Promotion of Dzongkha


– site ''
The National Library of Bhutan The National Library of Bhutan (NLB) (Dzongkha: ''Druk Gyelyong Pedzö'' འབྲུག་རྒྱལ་ཡོངས་དཔེ་མཛོད།), Thimphu, Bhutan was established in 1967 for the purpose of "preservation and promotion of the ri ...
'' (en �
dz
)


Vocabulary


Online searchable dictionary (Dz-En, En-Dz, Dz-Dz)
o
Online Dzongkha-English Dictionary
– site ''
Dzongkha Development Commission The Dzongkha Development Commission (), also called the DDC, is the pre-eminent body on matters pertaining to the Dzongkha language. The DDC was officially established in 1986 by Jigme Singye Wangchuck, the fourth king of Bhutan, to preserve and ...
''
en

dz

Dzongkha Computer Terms
small>(pdf)
English-Dzongkha Pocket Dictionary
small>(pdf)
Rigpai Lodap: An Intermediate Dzongkha-English Dictionary
small>(pdf)
Kartshok Threngwa: A Book on Dzongkha Synonyms & Antonyms
small>(pdf)
Names of Countries and Capitals in Dzongkha
small>(pdf)
A Guide to Dzongkha-Translation
small>(pdf)


Grammar


A colloquial grammar of the Bhutanese language. by Byrne, St. Quintin. Allahabad: Pioneer Press, 1909


– site '' National Library of Bhutan'' (en �
dz
)

– site ''Dzongkha Linux''








Dzongkha language, alphabet and pronunciation
* Dzongkha in Wikipedia: Русский, Français, 日本語, Eesti,
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

Pioneering Dzongkha Text To Speech Synthesis
(pdf)

– site ''
The Dzongkha Development Commission The Dzongkha Development Commission (), also called the DDC, is the pre-eminent body on matters pertaining to the Dzongkha language. The DDC was officially established in 1986 by Jigme Singye Wangchuck, the fourth king of Bhutan, to preserve and ...
'' (en �
dz

Коряков Ю.Б. Практическая транскрипция для языка дзонг-кэ

Classical Tibetan-Dzongkha Dictionary
small>(pdf) {{Languages of Bhutan Languages of Bhutan Languages written in Tibetan script