Dzongkha

From Bhutannica

Dzongkha is the national language of the Kingdom of Bhutan. The word "dzongkha" means the language (kha,) spoken in the dzong, dzong being the fortress-like monasteries established throughout Bhutan by Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal in the 17th century. Records show that Dzongkha was spoken in Bhutan as early as the 12th century [1].

Dzongkha bears a linguistic relationship to modern Tibetan. Although the spoken varieties are largely mutually unintelligible, they share a common literary language, as well as a liturgical (clerical) Tibetan language (Chöke which has been used for centuries by Buddhist monks. Chöke was used as the language of education until the early 1960s when it was replaced by Dzongkha in public schools.

Dzongkha and its dialects are the native tongue of eight western districts of Bhutan (viz. Phodrang, Punakha, Thimphu, Gasa, Paro, Ha, Dhakana, and Chhukha). There are also some speakers found near the Indian town of Kalimpong, once part of Bhutan but now in West Bengal. Dzongkha study is mandatory in all schools in Bhutan, and the language is the lingua franca in the districts to the south and east where it is not the mother tongue.

Linguistically, Dzongkha is a South Bodish language belonging to the proposed Tibeto-Burman branch of the Sino-Tibetan group. It is closely related to Sikkimese, the national language of the erstwhile kingdom of Sikkim; and to some other Bhutanese languages such as Cho-cha-na-ca (khyod ca nga ca kha), Brokpa (me rag sag steng brog skad), Brokkat (dur gyi 'brog skad), and Laka (la ka). Modern Tibetan is a Central Bodish language and thus belongs to a different sub-branch.

Dzongkha is usually written in Bhutanese forms of the Tibetan script known as Joyi (mgyogs yig) and Joshum (mgyogs tshugs ma). Dzongkha books are typically printed using the Ucan fonts developed to print the Tibetan syllabary.

Dzongkha is rarely heard outside Bhutan and environs. However, the 2003 Bhutanese film, Travellers and Magicians is entirely in Dzongkha.

1 Dzongkha's Future
2 Dzongkha in Microsoft
3 References
4 Bibliography
5 See also
6 External links

[edit]

Dzongkha's Future

Although Dzongkha is Bhutan's National Language, its position as the national language is somewhat suspect. Culturally it is a language spoken mostly in western Bhutan. It was mostly a spoken language, with the written word reserved mostly for religious texts and when written, was written using Choekyi which was closer to the Tibetan language than Dzongkha itself. During the latter half of the 20th century, the government resolved to spread the use of Dzongkha in Bhutan and to modernize it. The Dzongkha Development Commission was formed to achieve that goal. However, it was difficult to teach using Dzongkha in schools because of the dearth of appropriate vocabulary for teaching subjects such as science and mathematics. Moreover, most qualified teachers had to obtain their education abroad, mostly in India and hence had a weak understanding of Dzongkha themselves. This mutually excluding situation was resolved by the decision to teach using the a foreign language. During the 1950s and 1960s when modern schools were introduced for the first time through Indian assistance the medium of instruction was Hindi. The government soon changed it to English.

While the decision to teach in English greatly facilitated the rapid rise in education in Bhutan it was at the cost of Dzongkha which was relegated to the status of a Second Language subject, taught just once a day.

Other problems also affected the successful teaching of Dzongkha. While the teachers for other subjects attended modern teacher training institutes in Bhutan and abroad where modern pedagogical methods were taught, the Dzongkha teachers were primarily graduates from the traditional schools such as the Semtokha Rigney (later renamed the Institute for Language and Culture Studies where older teaching methods such as rote and corporal punishment was generally in use.

The text books used for Dzongkha tended to be about religion and taught in Choekyi which did not help to generate interest among the students. The vocabulary used in the classroom as a result was significantly different from the vocabulary used even among native Dzongkha speakers.

[edit]

Dzongkha in Microsoft

In October 2005, an internal Microsoft proposal blocked the term "Dzongkha" from all company software and promotional material, substituting the term "Tibetan - Bhutan" instead. This was done at the request of the People's Republic of China, who insisted the name "Dzongkha" implied an affiliation with the Dalai Lama, and hence, with the Tibet Independence Movement. [2][3] The Bhutanese, who have never been under the rule of the Dalai Lamas, even if they respect the 14th Dalai Lama,[4] were dismayed by the decision.[5]Linguists have pointed out that the word "Dzongkha" has no particular association with the Dalai Lama.

[edit]