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Ethnologue > Web version > Country index > Asia > India > Ladakhi

Ladakhi

A language of India

ISO 639-3: lbj

Population  150,000 in India (2003). Population total all countries: 162,000.
Region  Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh District. 250 villages and hamlets. Also in China.
Alternate names   Ladak, Ladakh Skat, Ladaphi, Ladhakhi, Ladwags
Dialects  Leh (Central Ladakhi), Shamma (Sham, Shamskat, Lower Ladakhi), Nubra Ladakhi. Perhaps 30%–40% intelligibility with Tibetan [bod]. Leh comprehend Zangskari [zau] and Changthang [cna] 90%. Nubra and Sham do not have adequate intelligibility with Leh to use educational, literacy, or development materials. Changthang and Zanskar, while understanding Stod Bhoti [sbu] better than Leh dialect, identify more with Leh Ladakhi culture. 58% to 85% intelligibility of Leh by Changthang, 73% to 81% by Zanskar. Leh is in and around Leh; Shamma is west of Leh along the Indus Valley and south of Khaltse; Nubra is in Nubra Tahsil north of Leh. Lexical similarity: 71%–83% with Purik [prx], 53% to 60% with Tibetan, 84%–94% among 5 main dialects.
Classification  Sino-Tibetan, Tibeto-Burman, Himalayish, Tibeto-Kanauri, Tibetic, Tibetan, Western, Ladakhi
Language use  Vigorous. All ages. Positive attitude. Also use Urdu [urd], Hindi, or English.
Language development  Literacy rate in L1: 20%–50%. Literacy rate in L2: 54%–65% men, 40% women. Percentage of those who can actually read with understanding is lower than the census literacy rate indicates. Dictionary. Grammar. Bible: 1948.
Writing system  Devanagari script. Tibetan script.
Comments  Written Ladakhi is distinct from spoken forms. Leh dialect is acknowledged as standard spoken Ladakhi. It is the medium of Leh radio broadcasts and standard medium of communication among all Ladakh dialects, including Changthang and Zangskari (Paldan 2002). 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. Agriculturalists: wheat, barley; pastoralists: yaks, goats, sheep (cashmere wool); cottage industries: weaving, jewelry making, religious artifact production. Buddhist, Muslim.

Also spoken in:

China

Language name   Ladakhi
Population  12,000 in China (1995).
Region  Western Tibet.
Alternate names  Ladak, Ladaphi, Ladhakhi, Ladwags
Dialects  Leh (Central Ladakhi), Shamma (Sham, Shamskat, Lower Ladakhi), Nubra Ladakhi.
Comments  Classified as Tibetan nationality. Agriculturalists: wheat, barley; pastoralists: yaks, goats, sheep (cashmere wool). Buddhist (Lamaist).
 

Entries from the SIL Bibliography about this language:

Academic Publications

BACKSTROM, Peter C.; RADLOFF, Carla F., authors. 1992. Languages of northern areas.  Available online

KELLER, Barbara L., author. 2012. A qualitative approach to the study of language and identity in Ladakh.