Zangskari (Zanskari, Zaskari) is an
endangered
An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and in ...
Tibetic language
The Tibetic languages form a well-defined group of languages descended from Old Tibetan (7th to 9th centuries).Tournadre, Nicolas. 2014. "The Tibetic languages and their classification." In ''Trans-Himalayan linguistics, historical and descriptiv ...
. It is mostly spoken in
Zanskar
Zanskar, Zahar (locally) or Zangskar, is a tehsil of Kargil district, in the Indian union territory of Ladakh. The administrative centre is Padum (former Capital of Zanskar). Zanskar, together with the neighboring region of Ladakh, was brie ...
in
Union Territory of
Ladakh
Ladakh () is a region administered by India as a union territory which constitutes a part of the larger Kashmir region and has been the subject of dispute between India, Pakistan, and China since 1947. (subscription required) Quote: "Jammu ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, and also by
Buddhists in the upper reaches of
Lahaul
The Lahaul and Spiti district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh consists of the two formerly separate districts of Lahaul () and Spiti (; or ). The present administrative centre is Kyelang in Lahaul. Before the two districts were merged ...
,
Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh (; ; "Snow-laden Mountain Province") is a state in the northern part of India. Situated in the Western Himalayas, it is one of the thirteen mountain states and is characterized by an extreme landscape featuring several peaks ...
, and
Paddar
Paddar, also spelled Padar ( hi, pāḍar), is a Sub-District and remote valley in the Kishtwar district of the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It falls in the Jammu division. It consists of two tehsils namely Machail and Atholi ...
,
Jammu and Kashmir. 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 langua ...
.
Zangskari is divided into four homogeneous groups, namely Oot (''Stod'') or Upper Zanskari spoken along the
Doda River
The Doda River or the Stod River is a river long, which forms the Stod Valley in the Zanskar valley of the Leh district in the Union Territory of Ladakh.
Geography
The Doda River rises from the Drang-Drung Glacier near Pensi La, a mountain ...
, Zhung (''Gžun'') or Central Zanskari mostly spoken in
Padum valley
Padum (also known as Padam) is a town named after Padmasambhava. It is the only town and the administrative centre in Zanskar, Kargil district of Ladakh, India. It was historically one of the two main capitals of the Zanskar Kingdom, the other ...
, Sham (''Gšam'') or Lower Zanskari spoken along the lower portions of
Zanskar River
The Zanskar River is the first major tributary of the Indus River, equal or greater in volume than the main river, which flows entirely within Ladakh, India. It originates northeast of the Great Himalayan range and drains both the Himalayas and ...
and lastly Lungnak (''Luŋnag'') along the upper Zanskar River region.
References
Further reading
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External links
Endangered Languages Project Profile for Zangskari*
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{{Bodic languages
Endangered languages of India
Languages of Ladakh
Kargil district
Languages written in Tibetan script
Bodic languages
Culture of Ladakh
Ladakh