Sherpa Conversation & Basic Words

Publisher: Unger Bros
Date: 2006
Pages: 174The Sherpa language is only a spoken language. There have been attempts in recent years to introduce a written form of this language based on the Tibetan script. But this is not an easy undertaking. The Sherpa language definitely goes back to a Tibetan dialect spoken in the eastern Tibetan Kham province in the 15th century, but it has developed in its own way for the last 500 years. So, it must be regarded as a language of its own separate from Tibetan. In modern times, Sherpa language has been enriched by a number of words taken from Nepali or English. Even within the Sherpa area one finds a lot of regional differences in the current use of the language. In Khumbu, for example, the use of words is a bit different from that of Pharak,Shorung (nep.: Solu), Helambu, Rolwaling, the Arun valley, Darjeeling etc. In the following list, the words have been written in the way they are used in Lhakpa's and Tendi’s home area, the Takshindu region of
Shorung.