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Ethnologue > Web version > Country index > Asia > China > Tibetan, Central

Tibetan, Central

A language of China

ISO 639-3: bod

Population	1,070,000 in China (1990 census). 86% monolinguals. 570,000 Dbus, 460,000 Gtsang, 40,000 Mngahris out of 4,593,000 in the official nationality. Population total all countries: 1,277,620.
Region	Tibet, Sichuan, Qinghai. Also in Bhutan, India, Nepal, Norway, Switzerland, Taiwan, United States.
Language map	China
Alternate names	Bhotia, Dbus, Dbusgtsang, Phoke, Tibetan, U, Wei, Weizang, Zang
Dialects	Gtsang (Tsang, Lhasa), Dbus, Mngahris (Ngari), Deqing Zang. In the exile community a so-called diaspora Tibetan has developed.
Classification	Sino-Tibetan, Tibeto-Burman, Himalayish, Tibeto-Kanauri, Tibetic, Tibetan, Central
Language use	Official regional language. Vigorous. Speakers of other languages in the area can also speak Tibetan. All domains. All ages. Positive attitude.
Language development	Literacy rate in L2: 30%. Motivation for literacy is high. Taught in primary and secondary schools. Magazines. Newspapers. Radio programs. Dictionary. Grammar. Bible: 1948.
Writing system	Phags-pa script. Tibetan script, Uchen style and a less-widely known and more priestly style. Tibetan script, Umed style.
Comments	Part of Tibetan nationality called Zang. Xifan (Hsifan) and Bhotia are general terms for Tibetan. Probably officially includes many separate languages: Atuence, Choni, Groma, Niarong, Lhomi, Panang, Sherpa, Tseku, Tinan Lahul, Khams Tibetan. Nomads in central and northern Tibet in Phala on the 15,000 foot Chang Tang plateau are known as ‘Drokba’. They number around 500,000. Written Tibetan is reportedly based on a southern dialect. SOV; tonal, 4 tones. Agriculturalists, pastoralists: yak, sheep, goats; weavers; salt traders (Drokba). Buddhist (Lamaist), Muslim.

Also spoken in:

Bhutan

Language name	Tibetan
Population	4,800 in Bhutan (2006).
Alternate names	Bhokha, Byokha
Comments	Refugees from Tibet since 1959. People of Tibetan origin are referred to as ‘Bhotia’. Buddhist (Lamaist).

India

Language name	Tibetan
Population	189,000 in India (2007).
Region	Himachal Pradesh, Tibet border; Uttarakhand; Arunachal Pradesh; Assam; Delhi; Sikkim.
Alternate names	Bhotia, Bod, Central Tibetan, Phoke, Pohbetian, Poke, Skad, Tebilian, Tibate
Dialects	Aba (Batang), Dartsemdo (Tatsienlu), Dru, Gtsang, Hanniu, Kongbo, Nganshuenkuan (Anshuenkuan Nyarong), Panakha-Panags, Paurong.
Comments	A Scheduled Tribe. In Himalayan countries, ‘Bhotiya’ means ‘people of Tibetan origin’ and is applied to various languages. Buddhist (Lamaist).

Nepal

Language name	Tibetan
Population	5,280 in Nepal (2001 census).
Region	Mainly Kathmandu and Pokhara. Scattered refugee communities along China border.
Language maps	Eastern Nepal, reference number 104 Western Nepal, reference number 104
Alternate names	Bhotia, Bod Skad, Central Tibetan, Phoke, Poke, Zang Wen
Dialects	Utsang.
Comments	Agriculturalists; pastoralists; weavers. Buddhist (Lamaist).

Entries from the SIL Bibliography about this language:

Academic Publications

BARTEE, Ellen, author. 1996. Deixis and spatiotemporal relations in Lhasa Tibetan.

BARTEE, Ellen; DROMA, Nyima, authors. 1998. Beginning Lhasa Tibetan textbook.

BRUSH, Beaumont, author. 1997. The status of Coronal in the historical development of Lhasa Tibetan rhymes.  

DENLINGER, Paul B., author. 1981. "Tibetan and Mon-Khmer: a short communication."

GLOVER, Warren W., author. 1970. "Cognate counts via the Swadesh list in some Tibeto-Burman languages of Nepal."

GLOVER, Warren W.; YADAVA, Yogendra P., editors. 1999. Topics in Nepalese linguistics.

HARI, Anna Maria, author. 1980. An investigation of the tones of Lhasa Tibetan.

KRISADAWAN Hongladarom, author. 2000. "Rgyalthang Tibetan lexicon and an appraisal of a Southeast Asian wordlist."  

LYOVIN, Anatole V., author. 1992. "Nominal honorific compounds in Tibetan."