Return to Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan language may refer to:
The Tibetic languages form a well-defined group of languages descending from Old Tibetan (7th to 9th centuries, or to the 11th/12th centuries). According to Nicolas Tournadre, there are 50 Tibetic languages, which branch into more than 200 dialects, which could be grouped into eight dialect continua. These Tibetic languages are spoken in Tibet, the greater Tibetan Plateau, and in the Himalayas in Gilgit-Baltistan, Ladakh, Aksai Chin, Nepal, and in India at Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand. Classical Tibetan is the major literary language, particularly for its use in Tibetan Buddhist scriptures and literature.
Tibetan languages are spoken by some 6 million people, not all of whom are Tibetan people. With the worldwide spread of Tibetan Buddhism, the Tibetan language has also spread into the western world and can be found in many Buddhist publications and prayer materials, while western students also learn the language for the translation of Tibetan texts. Outside of Lhasa itself, Lhasa Tibetan is spoken by approximately 200,000 exiled Tibetans who have moved from Tibet to India, Nepal and other countries. Tibetan is also spoken by groups of ethnic minorities in Tibet who have lived in close proximity to Tibetans for centuries, but nevertheless retain their own languages and cultures.
Although some of the Qiang peoples of Kham are classified by China as ethnic Tibetans (see Gyalrongic languages; Gyalrong people are identified as 'Tibetan' in China), the Qiangic languages are not Tibetan, but rather form their own branch of the Tibeto-Burman language family.
Classical Tibetan was not a tonal language, but many varieties such as Central and Khams Tibetan have developed tone registers. Amdo and Ladakhi-Balti are without tone. Tibetan morphology can generally be described as agglutinative.
Tibetan language may refer to:
- Lhasa Tibetan or Standard Tibetan, the most widely used spoken dialect
- Classical Tibetan, the classical language used also as a contemporary written standard
- Any of the other Tibetic languages
Tibet: Tibetan Buddhism (Nyingma, Kagyu, Sakya, Jonang, Gelug), Vajrayana, Tibetan, Tibetan Language, Tibetan People, GitHub Tibet, Awesome Tibet. (navbar_tibet - see also navbar_buddhism)
Buddhism (Buddha-Dharma-Sangha): Buddhist Masters (See navbar_buddhist_masters), Buddha Dharma topics, Buddhist glossary, Being a Buddhist means Taking Refuge with Triple Jewel, Buddhas (The Buddha - Shakyamuni - Gautama Buddha - Maitreya - Amitabha - Medicine Buddha - Bhaisajya Guru - Amoghasiddhi - Ratnasambhava), Buddha Dharma - Buddhist Paths - Tripitaka (Sutra - Shastra - Sutrayana - Mahayana - Sravakayana - Pratyekabuddhayana - Pratyekabuddhas - Vinaya-Pratimoksha - Tantra - Buddhist Tantra - Vajrayana - Mantrayana - Mantras, Dharani), Sangha (Buddhist Monks - Buddhist Nuns - Buddhist Laypersons - Upasaka and Upasika), Buddhist Morality and Vows in Buddhism (Five Moral Precepts - Vinaya Buddhist Monk Vows - Buddhist Nun Vows - Pratimoksha - Bodhisattva Vows - Tantric Samaya Vows, Paramitas - Ten Perfections, Four Immeasurables, Four Noble Truths, Two Collections (Merit and Virtue and Wisdom), Blessings, Merit, Virtue; (Vajrayana Buddhism: Tibetan Buddhism, Mongolian Buddhism, Mahayana Buddhism: Chinese Buddhism, Vietnamese Buddhism, Japanese Buddhism, Korean Buddhism, Theravada Buddhism: Thai Buddhism, Cambodian Buddhism, Sri Lankan Buddhism, What the Future Holds: European Buddhism, American Buddhism), Awesome Buddhism, Buddhism Mobile App. (navbar_buddhism - see also navbar_buddhist_masters, navbar_sangha, navbar_noble_truths, navbar_paramita, navbar_precepts, navbar_immeasurables, navbar_tantra)
Buddha with you. © Beginningless Time - Infinity by The Gurus, The Triple Jewel, The Buddhas, The Bodhisattvas, The Sangha; or Fair Use, Disclaimers