The following is the entry for this language as it appeared in the 14th edition (2000).
It was superseded by the corresponding entry in the 15th edition (2005). See also the corresponding entry in the current edition of Ethnologue.
SIL code: LBJ
ISO 639-2: sit
| Population | 102,000 in India (1997 IMA) including 29,800 to 33,300 Shamma (Voegelin and Voegelin 1977.328). Population total both countries 114,000. |
| Region | Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh District. Leh is in Leh and surrounding areas. Zanskari is in Zanskar Tahsil to the south of Leh in Ladakh District. Changtang is in the Changtang region east and southeast of Leh to the Tibetan border. Shamma is west of Leh along the Indus Valley and to the south of Khaltse. Nubra is in Nubra Tahsil north of Leh. 250 villages and hamlets. Also spoken in China. |
| Alternate names | LADAPHI, LADHAKHI, LADAK, LADWAGS |
| Dialects | LEH (CENTRAL LADAKHI), SHAMMA (SHAM, SHAMSKAT, LOWER LADAKHI), NUBRA LADAKHI. |
| Classification | Sino-Tibetan, Tibeto-Burman, Himalayish, Tibeto-Kanauri, Tibetic, Tibetan, Western, Ladakhi. |
| Comments | Perhaps 30% to 40% intelligibility with Tibetan. Leh is used as the medium of communication. Leh speakers understand Zanskar and Changtang at more than 90% on recorded text tests. Not known if speakers of all dialects understand Leh well. Lexical similarity among 5 main dialects: 84% to 94%; 71% to 83% with Purik, 53% to 60% with Tibetan. Many people in urban areas have some bilingualism in Urdu, Hindi, or English, but rural speakers are mainly monolingual in Ladakhi. All ages. Investigation needed: intelligibility with Leh with Zanskar and Changtang. Compare with Purik. Grammar. SOV; postpositions; genitives, relatives before noun heads; articles, adjectives numerals after noun heads; suffixes indicate case of noun phrase; ergative; causatives; comparative; CCVCC or CCCVV maximum; nontonal. Literacy rate in second language: Men: 36%, women: 12% in Hindi, Urdu, Tibetan, or English (1991). Tibetan script used. It is difficult to use, but desired by the people. Mountain valleys. Agriculturalists: wheat, barley; pastoralists: yaks, goats, sheep (cashmere wool); cottage industries: weaving, jewelry making, religious artifact production. 8,250 to 16,500 feet. Buddhist, Muslim, Christian. Bible portions 1904-1919. |
| China |
|
