Tibetanབོད་སྐད་/Dzongkhaརྫོང་ཁ

[księżycowy]

If anyone would care to know, there are several native Tibetan speakers on Lang-8, I'm sure if you tried hard enough you could get one or more over here, or at least ask them questions about the culture and language.

Thanks, I'll keep that in mind when I start Tibetan back up.

[księżycowy]

I haven't started my Tibetan studies back up yet, but I figured I'd pass on the following link for anyone interested. It teaches Amdo Tibetan, which is different from Standard (Lhasa) Tibetan.
Amdo Tibetan Lessons

[モモンガ]

We have a book in Poland on learning Tibetan!
It looks quite nice, has script and is quite thick.

[księżycowy]

That's cool.
The Tibetan writing system really awesome. And it's not as hard as it may seem at first glance.
Are you working on Tibetan now?

[モモンガ]

I was tempted, but I think maybe I should end my other languages first...

I like the Tibetan Alphabet too.

[księżycowy]

Yeah, I decided that same thing too.
I want to get through some of my other languages (especially NA langs) then get back around to Tibetan.

[Formiko]

I was in Tibet for 4 or 5 months. I learned enough Tibetan to get myself in trouble. While Tibetan is almost impossible to read, most natives write as it sounds. So,if you write it that way, you WILL be understood. So don't get too hard on yourself.

[księżycowy]

I was in Tibet for 4 or 5 months. I learned enough Tibetan to get myself in trouble. While Tibetan is almost impossible to read, most natives write as it sounds. So,if you write it that way, you WILL be understood. So don't get too hard on yourself.

Yes that is true.
The book I have for learning Tibetan doesn't write things quite phonetically (it uses the traditional spelling), but it does teach the relationship between sound and writing. It's actually not impossible, but it is harder then doing it phonetically.

[Formiko]

I was in Tibet for 4 or 5 months. I learned enough Tibetan to get myself in trouble. While Tibetan is almost impossible to read, most natives write as it sounds. So,if you write it that way, you WILL be understood. So don't get too hard on yourself.

Yes that is true.
The book I have for learning Tibetan doesn't write things quite phonetically (it uses the traditional spelling), but it does teach the relationship between sound and writing. It's actually not impossible, but it is harder then doing it phonetically.

Most signs are in Chinese too. The natives who aren't illiterate will understand your phonetic spelling. Because it's all they could understand anyway. Most Tibetans will read in Chinese but speak Tibetan.

[księżycowy]

Most signs are in Chinese too. The natives who aren't illiterate will understand your phonetic spelling. Because it's all they could understand anyway. Most Tibetans will read in Chinese but speak Tibetan.

I feared as much.
But hopefully they'll keep their language. (Not that they'd lose it overnight or anything)

[Formiko]

But hopefully they'll keep their language. (Not that they'd lose it overnight or anything)

No, but Chinese is every where. It's almost as if China allows them their "cute little language", as long as they realize that Chinese is king. While you probably can't kill the spoken language, it was rare to find a young person (less than 30 yrs old) who spoke Tibetan BETTER than Chinese. Everyone spoke Tibetan, but it seemed like those days are numbered. Parents will most likely teach their kids only Chinese. (I'm sorry, I don't remember which dialect.I'm assuming everyone spoke Mandarin)

[księżycowy]

No, but Chinese is every where. It's almost as if China allows them their "cute little language", as long as they realize that Chinese is king. While you probably can't kill the spoken language, it was rare to find a young person (less than 30 yrs old) who spoke Tibetan BETTER than Chinese. Everyone spoke Tibetan, but it seemed like those days are numbered. Parents will most likely teach their kids only Chinese. (I'm sorry, I don't remember which dialect.I'm assuming everyone spoke Mandarin)

Which SUCKS!
I can understand the Chinese idea of having everyone communicating in one language, but that tends to kill the 'lesser' languages. Just like the N.A. languages in the wake of English!
Why can't everyone be like, say, the Europeans and just learn a few languages!

[Formiko]

No, but Chinese is every where. It's almost as if China allows them their "cute little language", as long as they realize that Chinese is king. While you probably can't kill the spoken language, it was rare to find a young person (less than 30 yrs old) who spoke Tibetan BETTER than Chinese. Everyone spoke Tibetan, but it seemed like those days are numbered. Parents will most likely teach their kids only Chinese. (I'm sorry, I don't remember which dialect.I'm assuming everyone spoke Mandarin)

Which SUCKS!
I can understand the Chinese idea of having everyone communicating in one language, but that tends to kill the 'lesser' languages. Just like the N.A. languages in the wake of English!
Why can't everyone be like, say, the Europeans and just learn a few languages!

Because the Anglo-Saxon ideas of conquering are different than most others.

[księżycowy]

That's one way to put it.

[księżycowy]

I think I might have linked to the Dzongkha Development Commission site before, but they now have a nice Dzongkha - English pdf dictionary now!
They also have a Dzongkha grammar (in three parts) and a searchable online dictionary, but most of the stuff is only in Dzongkha.

[Formiko]

I think I might have linked to the Dzongkha Development Commission site before, but they now have a nice Dzongkha - English pdf dictionary now!

Thanks.

[księżycowy]

Always happy to help!
You know or learning any Dzongkha?

[Formiko]

Always happy to help!
You know or learning any Dzongkha?

No and No. I have interest just because I learned Tibetan (and it's fading away.....), and I'd like to see how different it is from Standard Lhasa Tibetan.

[księżycowy]

Interesting none-the-less. I've often wondered the same thing myself.
From my previous musings I do know the phonology is different, but I have no idea about the grammar.

[Formiko]

Interesting none-the-less. I've often wondered the same thing myself.
From my previous musings I do know the phonology is different, but I have no idea about the grammar.

The Mon-Khmer and Sino-Tibetan families are one of my least studied languages, but Dzongkha and Tibetan are largely mutually unintelligible.