Language Information
Tibetan is spoken by peoples across a wide area of eastern Central Asia bordering the Indian subcontinent, including the Tibetan Plateau and the northern Indian subcontinent in Baltistan, Ladakh, Nepal, Sikkim, and Bhutan. The classical written form is a major regional literary language, particularly for its use in Buddhist literature.
The dialects of U-Tsang (otherwise known as Central Tibet, including Lhasa), Kham, and Amdo are generally considered to be dialects of a single Tibetan language, especially since they all share the same literary language. Dzongkha, Sikkimese, Sherpa, and Ladakhi are generally considered to be separate languages.
The Tibetic languages are spoken by over 8 million people. With the worldwide spread of Tibetan Buddhism, the Tibetan language has spread into the Western world and can be found in many Buddhist publications and prayer materials; with some Western students learning the language for translation of Tibetan texts.
Indiana University is one of only a handful of American Universities that offer classes in the Tibetan language. Every year, the Department of Central Eurasian Studies offers introductory, intermediate, and advanced Tibetan language courses, as well as more courses in literary Tibetan! You can learn more about Tibet and IU's course offerings from the Inner Asian and Uralic National Resource Center.