| Bumthang | |
|---|---|
| Spoken in | Bhutan |
| Native speakers | 36,500 (1993) |
| Language family |
Sino-Tibetan
|
| Writing system | Tibetan script |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | kjz |
The Bumthang language (Dzongkha: བུམ་ཐང་ཁ་; Wylie: Bum-thang-kha; also called "Bhumtam," "Bumtang(kha)," "Bumtanp," "Bumthapkha," and "Kebumtamp") is an East Bodish language spoken by about 36,500 people in Bumthang and surrounding districts in central Bhutan.[1][2] Van Driem (1993) describes Bumthangkha as the dominant language of central Bhutan.[2]
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Historically, Bumthangkha and its speakers have had close contact with speakers of Kurtöpkha, Nupbikha and Khengkha, nearby languages of central and eastern Bhutan, to the extent that they may be considered part of a wider collection of "Bumthang languages."[3][4][5]
Bumthang language is largely lexically similar with Khengkha (92%), Nyenkha (75%–77%), and Kurtöpkha (70%–73%); but less so with Dzongkha (47%–52%) and Tshangla (Sharchop) (40%–50%).[1] It is either closely related to or identical with the East Bodish language of the Tawang Monpa of India and China.[1]
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