5 One of the four major languages literally known as the natural or native language.

espite its small size, Bhutan has several vernaculars spoken in different regions. In the past, the geography of the country with steep mountains, cliffs, gorges, dense forests and rivers have been a natural barrier, preventing frequent movement of people from one region to another. These communities remained isolated from each other for many years. As a result, vernaculars of each community could not spread far to other regions and thus remained confined to their own locality. Even today, these dialects exist, some of which are spoken by a handful of people. D ”As you catch your first glimpse of Bhutan from the air, it is easy to see why such diverse ethnic groups should have survived in this tiny Himalayan kingdom. Jutting southwards from the main mountain range, ridges kept the valley isolated for centuries. Even today, many remain several days walk from the nearest road”, writes Solange Hando, Kent, UK in the Tashi Delek in-flight magazine of Druk Air3 April-May-June issue, 2003. She also adds, “Archeological finds suggest that people inhabited these mountains as early as 2000 BC and a Monyul4 state may have existed around 500 BC, long before the first recorded settlers 1400 years ago”. Of all the languages in the country, Dzongkha is established and accepted as the national language of Bhutan. Its history dates back to the times of the Buddha or even much before. It is identified as one of the native languages, the so-called Prakriti5. The twelfth century records reveal that spoken Dzongkha was used as the language of the royal court, the military elite, and erudite scholars. It is spoken by a majority of people as their native language in the eight of the twenty districts viz