Timo Schmitz - My Archive of Languages (2021 Edition)

Spoken in: Ladakh (India), Baltistan (Pakistan), probably also spoken by the Changpa who live in Ngari Prefecture in the PRC

Official language in: Ladakh (India) – Balti and Standard Tibetan are official languages as well

Speakers: c. 130,000

Scripts: Tibetan

Standard Tibetan/ Wü-Zang Tibetan

Spoken in: naturally spoken in the northwest, centre and south of the Tibet Autonomous Region (China); as language of education taught and used in the whole Tibet Autonomous Region; as language of religion in the Tibet Autonomous Region, Qinghai, Sichuan and Yunnan (China), as well as Ladakh and Sikkim (India), Baltistan (Pakistan), Bhutan and Nepal

Official language in: Tibet Autonomous Region (China), Upper Mustang (Nepal), Ladakh (India), Sikkim (India) – Standard forms of Kam Tibetan and Amdo Tibetan are official languages in parts of Qinghai, Yunnan, Gansu and Sichuan Provinces in China

Speakers: c. 1-3 million

Scripts: Tibetan

Eastern Kham: Yajiang speech

Spoken in: Yajiang County in Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture (Sichuan, China)

Official language in: Kam Tibetan is officially used in the media and taught in schools, the Tibetan language is an official language in Yajiang County

Speakers: c. 35,000-40,000

Scripts: Tibetan

Northern Kham: Yushu dialect

Spoken in: Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture (Qinghai, China)

Official language in: Kam Tibetan is officially used in the media and taught in schools, the Tibetan language is the official language in Tibetan areas in Qinghai

Speakers: c. 280,000

Scripts: Tibetan

Southern Tibetan: Dzongkha

Spoken in: Bhutan, probably also a few speakers in Sikkim (India)

Official language in: Bhutan

Speakers: c. 600,000

Scripts: Tibetan

Southern Tibetan: Sikkimese

Spoken in: Sikkim and Darjeeling (India), Nepal, probably also a few speakers in Bhutan

Official language in: Sikkim (India)

Speakers: c. 70,000

Scripts: Tibetan

Amdo Tibetan

Spoken in: Qinghai Province, Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan Province, partially in Naqu City in Tibet Autonomous Region and Xiahe County in the Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Gansu Province (China)

Official language in: Amdo Tibetan is officially used in the media and taught in schools in Qinghai

Speakers: c. 1.5-2 million

Scripts: Tibetan

Adopted from: Timo Schmitz: Sorry, I don’t speak Tibetan, self-published online publication, 23 March 2013

j [ɕ]

yi [i:]

ng [ŋ]

e [ɛ] ?

é [e:]

ny [ɲ]

ä [æ]

o [ɔ]

zh [tɕ], [ts]

êu [ejy], nasalized [ɛ]

ê [ǝ] ?

ö [ø]

q [tɕ]

yue [jyɛ]

Ji ro de mo ying – Hello!

Nya sa ädé – Good morning!

de mo ying – very good

zhuo ma de mo ying – everything is fine

zhuo ma – everything

gan na dêu? – Where do you live?

tu zê ma nong – You’re welcome!

gan na, gan na – That’s not a big matter (lit.: ‘where, where’)

ji mä syêu – No problem!, Not a big deal!

yā – Okay!

go – Yes!

dö ji rê? – What is this?

dö bêqa rê – This is a book!

dê ji rê? – What is that?

dê...rê. – That is...

ma rê – no; it is not; it isn’t

xê – yes; it is

na yi xê – It’s mine!

Qa kong ganna yuerê? – Where is the toilet?

Toxem bu rou ma xê – Not far away!

... ganna yuerê? – Where is...?

Que kacho jierê! – Thank you!

Phrases taken from: Timo Schmitz: Sorry, I don’t speak Tibetan, self-published online publication, 23 March 2013, pp. 36-38

Conversation:

Baima: Ji ro de mo ying!

Deji: Nya sa ädé!

Baima: Ganna dêu?

Deji: Garzê dêu. Ganna dêu?

Baima: Qamdo dêu. Dö jirê?

Deji: Dö bêqa rê.

Baima: Dê jirê?

Deji: Dê bêqa rê. Bêqa nayi xê!

Conversation modified, taken from: Timo Schmitz, 23 March 2013, pp. 36-37

j [ɕ]

yi [i:]

ng [ŋ]

e [ɛ] ?

é [e:]

ny [ɲ]

ä [æ]

o [ɔ]

zh [tɕ]

êu [ejy], nasalized [ɛ]

ê [ǝ] ?

ö [ø]

q [tɕʰ]

yue [jyɛ]

dr like a Chinese “r”

êa probably like a nasalised [ɛ]

ue [w]

ao [au]

ui [wɛɪ]

ou [ɔu], [ɔʊ]

nê a sih xê – Hello!

sih xê – good; I’m fine!

nê a, ne – you

ne han de ming – What’s your name?

ne han – you [are] called

ming, mêa – name

ne guen de di de zhao oâ – How old are you ?

de di, dê dey – what

guen, gui – age

zhao oâ – to become

ne na de bu zi, ne la de bê zi – Where are you from ?

na de, la de – where ?

nen de chuk fê dre – What do you want to eat ?

ngeâ degui de bu zi， nge deguy de bê zi – I am from Germany

nga choukeli chuk song dre – I want to eat chocolate

ne ha ming sing ku qea, ne ha mêa sing kou che – Your name sounds so good!

na gkhro – Thank you!

de khro – you are welcome

duy gu che – What is this ?

nen dui gu qi – What did you eat?

ngea choukeli gu qu – I ate chocolate

ne choukeli a go – Do you like chocolate ?

go – like

na gen dou kei zan zha go der, ne gen dou ke san sha go der – Nice to meet you

ne shuai go zhe – You are a handsome man (shuaige) [zhe = xê]

jü zê – time

chi, she – money

xinghwaji – skin cosmetics

ho cho – hair comb

a lo(u) – ring

kung kou – pretty, beautiful, good-looking