Khengkha is a dialect found in the small Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan. Khengkha is part of the larger branch of Sino-Tibetan language family but falls into the subcategories of: Tibetio-Burman, Western Tubeto-Burman, Bodish, East Bodish, Bumthang, and Khengkha.
Geographical distribution
Khengkha is an East Bodish language spoken in the south-central districts of Bhutan. Khengkha is mainly found in the Sarpang district but can also be found in southwest Mongar district, rural areas in southeast Trongsa district and in Zhemgang district.[1]
Dialects
The three main dialects in Bumthang district are Bumthap (Lower Kheng), Khempa (Middle Kheng), and
Kurtop (Upper Kheng). Comprehension between the three dialects differs as Bumthap is the most similarly
related language, however conversation with Kurthop is difficult.
A centralized rounded [ø̈] does appear, but is mostly borrowed from words in Dzongkha.
/a/ can appear slightly back as [ʌ] or [ɑ] within diphthongs or codas.
/i, e/ can be heard as [ɪ, ɛ] when in short form.[4]
Grammar
In most Khengkha sentences, it only marks grammatical relations through word order. The subject constituent precedes the object and the verb constituents follow it. Khengkha follows the same typology as Dzongkha. The example below demonstrates how the grammatical roles of each constituent are marked only by the position relative to the verb:[1]
Ngai
My
meng
name
S
Dorji
Dorji
O
wenn.
is.
V
Ngai meng Dorji wenn.
My name Dorji is.
{} S O V
"My name is Dorji."
When nouns are addressed in Khengkha there are two ways it can be written, depending on the other.
Relatives before noun heads or articles.
Adjectives after noun heads.
Khengkha is an oral language without a writing system, making tones and nuances important during communication.[1]
Language Use
Khengkha is a vigorous language in limited areas. Khengkha is not allowed to be taught in schools around Bhutan, making it only spoken at home, for commerce, local politics, and traditional religion. Due to the increasing modernization of Bhutan, there are negative attitudes towards those who speak Kheng instead of Dzongkha or the English. Lower Kheng is considered to be spoken backward, while Middle Kheng is seen as more prestigious. Middle Kheng region is the strongest and most developed economically, while lower Kheng is least developed.[1]
Language Development
Since Khengkha is an oral language there is a low literacy rate for native Khengkha speakers in Dzongkha. There is literacy rate of 20% in Dzongkha.[1]
Common phrases
As there is no official English romanization of Dzongkha script, many words are spelled out phonetically. Therefore, there may be multiple spellings of the same word.
English
Khengkha
Dzongkha
Hello
Kuzu zangpo
Kuzu zangpo
How are you?
Wed ato nag yo?
Choe gadey be yoe?
My name is Dorji.
Ngai meng Dorji wenn
Ngegi ming Dorji 'ing.
It was nice meeting you.
Nga wed domsay nyeng gas a.
Chö dang je di sem ga-i.
Okay, I will see you again.
Kai nyeng dom.
Yaya, lok shu ley jel gey.
Sorry
Nyeng ma ja yai
Gom ma thay
Who
Aii yo
Ga
What
Ja yo
Gaci
When
Arba
Nam
Where
Aucu ta say/ Aun
Gate
Why
Jai bu say/ Ato bu say
Gaci bey
How
Ato
Gade
Where are you from?
Yoe ah nga yo?
Chö 'ü: gate le mo?
I am from Bumthang.
Nga Bumthang do when.
Nga Bumthang le 'ing.
I am thirsty.
Nga ka kampa
Kha khom chi.
I am hungry.
Nga tog pai say sa.
Toh ke chi.
Morning
Nga si
Droba
Afternoon
Nyen cha
Nyin-che
Evening
So suitlas
Chiru
Night
San
Numo
English translation of the conversation:
Dorji: Hi, my name is Dorji.
Sonam: Hi, my name is Sonam. Where are you from?
Dorji: I’m from Zhemgang.
Sonam: What are you doing nowadays?
Dorji: I’m studying.
Sonam: I’m happy to meet you.
Dorji: I’m also happy to meet you. Let’s meet again.
Sonam: Okay.
Numerical
Khengkha counting system is written in Dzongkha script but pronounced differently. Below is a comparison of Khengkha and Dzongkha numbers.
Khengkha is an oral language without its own written system. But it unofficially borrows from the Tibetan
script and Uchen style of writing. Khengkha and Dzongkha numerical script are written the same.
Related languages
Historically, Kheng and its speakers have had close contact with speakers of the Kurtöp, Nupbi and Bumthang languages, nearby languages of central and eastern Bhutan, to the extent that they may be considered part of a wider collection of "Bumthang languages".[5][6][7]
^Ikeda, Takumi (2021). An Introduction to Khengkha: A Language of Central Bhutan. Nagano, Yasuhiko and Ikeda, Takumi (eds.), Link Languages and Archetypes in Tibeto-Burman: Kyoto: Institute for Research in Humanities, Kyoto University. pp. 71–119.
van Driem, George (2001). Languages of the Himalayas: An Ethnolinguistic Handbook of the Greater Himalayan Region: Containing an Introduction to the Symbiotic Theory of Language. Brill. p. 1412. ISBN90-04-12062-9.
van Driem, George (2007). "Endangerd Languages of Bhutan and Sikkim: East Bodish Languages". In Moseley, Christopher (ed.). Encyclopedia of the World's Endangered Languages. Routledge. pp. 295, 331. ISBN978-0-7007-1197-0.
Namgyel, Singye. The Language Web of Bhutan. Thimphu: KMT.
van Driem, George L; Karma Tshering (1998). Dzongkha. Languages of the Greater Himalayan Region. Leiden: Research School CNWS, School of Asian, African, and Amerindian Studies. ISBN90-5789-002-X.
