Languages of Bhutan
| Languages of Bhutan | |
|---|---|
| Official | Dzongkha |
| Recognised | Tshangla (Sharchop), Nepali, Dzala, Kheng, Bantawa |
| Minority | Brokkat, Brokpa, Chocangacakha, Khams Tibetan, Lakha, Sikkimese, Bumthang, Chali, Dakpa, Nyenkha, Gurung, Kiranti, Lepcha, Newar, Tamang, Gongduk, Lhokpu, 'Ole |
| Foreign | English, Hindi |
| Signed | Bhutanese Sign Language |
| Keyboard layout | |
There are two dozen languages of Bhutan, all members of the Tibeto-Burman language family except for Nepali, which is an Indo-Aryan language, and the Bhutanese Sign Language. Dzongkha, the national language, is the only native language of Bhutan with a literary tradition, though Lepcha and Nepali are literary languages in other countries. Other non-Bhutanese minority languages are also spoken along Bhutan's borders and among the primarily Nepali-speaking Lhotshampa community in South and East Bhutan. Chöke (or Classical Tibetan) is the language of the traditional literature and learning of the Buddhist monastics.