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<font size="+1">Dear all,<br>
<br>
I would like to know what you all think about this:<br>
<br>
When choosing a language/ script in Fieldworks (SIL) you get the
following options for Ladakhi:<br>
Changtang Ladakhi India cna<br>
Ladakhi China lbj<br>
Ladakhi India lbj<br>
<b>Central Ladakhi China lbj</b><b><br>
</b></font><font size="+1"><font size="+1">Central Ladakhi India
lbj<br>
</font><b>Lower Ladakhi China lbj</b><b><br>
</b>Lower Ladakhi India lbj<br>
<b>Nubra Ladakhi China lbj</b><b><br>
</b></font><font size="+1"><font size="+1">Nubra Ladakhi India lbj<br>
Upper Ladkhi India lbj<br>
<br>
The entry in the ethnologue is different, though the section
"also spoken in" is highly misleading. Most probably it means
that Ladakhi, of which one not further specified dialect is
spoken in China (in the eastern Changthang), has several
dialects, namely those listed, but it could equally well be
understood that all these dialects were spoken in China:<br>
</font></font><br>
<font size="+1"><font size="+1">Also spoken in: </font></font>
<div class="view-header"> </div>
<div class="view-content">
<div class="views-row views-row-1 views-row-odd views-row-first
views-row-last">
<fieldset class="fieldset views-fieldset collapsible
collapse-processed" data-module="views_fieldsets"> <legend><span
class="fieldset-legend"><a class="fieldset-title"
href="https://www.ethnologue.com/language/lbj#"><span
class="fieldset-legend-prefix element-invisible">Hide
Details</span> <span>China</span></a></span></legend>
<div style="" class="fieldset-wrapper">
<div class="views-field views-field-title"><strong
class="views-label views-label-title">Language name</strong><span
class="field-content">Ladakhi</span></div>
<div class="views-field views-field-field-population-1"><strong
class="views-label views-label-field-population-1">Population</strong>
<div class="field-content">12,000 in China (1995). </div>
</div>
<div class="views-field views-field-field-region"><strong
class="views-label views-label-field-region">Location</strong>
<div class="field-content">Western Xizang Tibet Autonomous
Region. </div>
</div>
<div class="views-field views-field-field-alternate-names"><strong
class="views-label views-label-field-alternate-names">Alternate
Names</strong>
<div class="field-content">Ladak, Ladaphi, Ladhakhi,
Ladwags</div>
</div>
<div class="views-field views-field-field-dialects"><strong
class="views-label views-label-field-dialects">Dialects</strong>
<div class="field-content">Leh (Central Ladakhi), Nubra
Ladakhi, Shamma (Lower Ladakhi, Sham, Shamskat). </div>
</div>
<div class="views-field views-field-field-egids-comments"><strong
class="views-label views-label-field-egids-comments">Status</strong>
<div class="field-content">6b (Threatened). Language of
recognized nationality: Tibetan.</div>
</div>
<div class="views-field views-field-field-writing"><strong
class="views-label views-label-field-writing">Writing</strong>
<div class="field-content">
<p>Tibetan script <a
href="http://www.scriptsource.org/scr/Tibt"
target="\"_blank\">[Tibt]</a>.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div class="views-field views-field-field-comments"><strong
class="views-label views-label-field-comments">Other
Comments</strong>
<div class="field-content">Buddhist (Lamaist). </div>
</div>
<div class="views-field views-field-field-country-1">
<div class="field-content"><a
href="https://www.ethnologue.com/country/cn/languages">View
other languages of China</a></div>
</div>
</div>
</fieldset>
</div>
</div>
<font size="+1"><font size="+1"><br>
</font></font><font size="+1"><font size="+1">While one can ask
the question whether the language spoken in the eastern part of
the Changthang (in the VR China) should be called Ladakhi at all
(what are actually the defining properties?),<br>
it is in no way acceptable to claim that the dialects of Nubra,
Central and Lower Ladakh are spoken in China.<br>
No part of Lower Ladakh is in China (or if so this can only be
bits of non-inhabited mountain ranges).<br>
As for Nubra, the Aksai Chin with </font></font><font size="+1"><font
size="+1"><font size="+1"><font size="+1">the upper course of
the Shayok </font></font> has come into the hands of China,
but the area is not inhabited.<br>
What is spoken at the Shayok river that reaches into Ladakh,
e.g. in Shayok or Laga, is not a Nubra dialect but a Changthang
dialect.<br>
I also wonder which parts of Central Ladakh could possibly reach
into China, so that its dialects could be spoken there.<br>
(Interestingly enough the Upper Ladakhi/ Changthang dialects are
assigned solely to India.)<br>
</font></font><br>
<font size="+1"><font size="+1"><font size="+1"><font size="+1">I
would like to hear your oppinion whether such
classifications are made out of sheer ignorance and/or what
would be worse:<br>
this kind of ignorance and neglect or the apparent political
servitude towards China (which in the last years gave rise
to the impression that it wants to claim more and more parts
of what is actually Indian territory)?<br>
<br>
I also wonder what kind of consequences we linguists should
draw.<br>
Should we just laugh and shrug our shoulders?<br>
I, for my part, just wanted to test Fieldworks, but I am not
sure whether I really want to go on with it.<br>
</font></font><br>
Kind regards<br>
Bettina Zeisler <br>
</font><br>
</font><br>
<img src="cid:part4.07000407.00080906@uni-tuebingen.de" alt="">
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