Gongduk language
Encyclopedia
Gongduk or Gongdu is an endangered
Tibeto-Burman language
spoken by about 1,000 people in a few inaccessible villages located near the Kuri Chhu
river in the Gongdu Gewog of Mongar District
in eastern Bhutan
. The language appears to be the sole representative of a unique branch of the Tibeto-Burman
language family and retains the complex verbal agreement system of Proto-Tibeto-Burman.
Currently, George van Driem
is working towards the completion of a description of Gongduk based on his work with native speakers in the Gongduk area.
Endangered language
An endangered language is a language that is at risk of falling out of use. If it loses all its native speakers, it becomes a dead language. If eventually no one speaks the language at all it becomes an "extinct language"....
Tibeto-Burman language
Tibeto-Burman languages
The Tibeto-Burman languages are the non-Chinese members of the Sino-Tibetan language family, over 400 of which are spoken thoughout the highlands of southeast Asia, as well as lowland areas in Burma ....
spoken by about 1,000 people in a few inaccessible villages located near the Kuri Chhu
Kuri Chhu
The Kuri Chhu, also known as the Lhobrak, is a major river of eastern Bhutan, that has formed a scenic valley with high peaks and steep hills...
river in the Gongdu Gewog of Mongar District
Mongar District
Mongar District is one of the 20 dzongkhags comprising Bhutan. Mongar is the fastest-developing dzongkhag in eastern Bhutan. A regional hospital has been constructed and the region is bustling with many economic activities. Mongar is noted for its lemon grass, a plant that can be used to produce...
in eastern Bhutan
Bhutan
Bhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...
. The language appears to be the sole representative of a unique branch of the Tibeto-Burman
Tibeto-Burman languages
The Tibeto-Burman languages are the non-Chinese members of the Sino-Tibetan language family, over 400 of which are spoken thoughout the highlands of southeast Asia, as well as lowland areas in Burma ....
language family and retains the complex verbal agreement system of Proto-Tibeto-Burman.
Currently, George van Driem
George van Driem
George van Driem, born 1957, is a linguist at , where he holds the chair of Historical Linguistics and directs the .-Background:George van Driem has conducted field research in the Himalayas since 1983...
is working towards the completion of a description of Gongduk based on his work with native speakers in the Gongduk area.