With its many and diverse languages, including some with very long documented histories, its cultural diversity, and its widespread multilingualism- both the stable and transient kind- the Himalayan region is a treasure trove of empirical data for linguistic research on language typology and universals, historical linguistics, language contact and areal linguistics. Himalayan Languages contains contributions on Himalayan linguistics written by some of the leading experts in the field. The volume is divided into three parts: First, a general overview is given of the linguistic study of Himalayan languages and language communities. The second part offers synchronic studies of individual languages of the region (Indo-Aryan languages Shina and Kalasha, and Tibeto-Burman languages Belhare, Magar, Kinnauri, Classical Tibetan and Thangmi). The papers in the third part of the volume address topics in historical and areal linguistics, with an emphasis on the Tibeto-Burman languages of the region, discussing grammaticalization processes (in Sunwar, Newar, Seke, Tshangla and Bantawa) and the subgrouping of Tibeto-Burman.

The survey work Languages of the Himalayas provides a bird's eye view of Himalayan languages and language communities. It also constitutes a primary source for much new, hitherto unpublished data on several languages. The demographic mosaic of the Himalayas today is viewed in a historical and comparative linguistic perspective. The reader will find an outline of the historical and prehistorical developments that have determined the modern ethnolinguistic composition of the Himalayan region, involving various independent linguistics stocks or language families. Maps illustrate the distribution of language communities and trace the routes of ancient migrations. There is an illuminating discussion of grammatical features found in Himalayan languages. The print edition is available as a set of two volumes (9789004103900).

Himalayan Languages and Linguistics gathers together nine outstanding and original contributions on the Tibeto-Burman and Indo-Aryan languages of this important and culturally diverse mountainous area. Filling a marked gap in our understanding of the languages of this underdocumented region, the collection offers a snapshot of the state of the field of Himalayan language research and linguistic comparison. Drawing on primary fieldwork in China, India, Nepal and Pakistan, as well as on comparative sources, the new analyses outlined in these contributions will interest a readership of linguists, philologists, anthropologists, historians, lexicographers and specialists in the languages and cultures of Inner and South Asia. Contributions cover topics as diverse as linguistic palaeontology, orthographical standardisation, dialectology, phonology, morphology, semantics and syntax.

Excerpt from The Languages of the Northern Himalayas: Being Studies in the Grammar of Twenty-Six Himalayan Dialects I have endeavoured to make the representation of pronunciation rigidly accurate. This has entailed considerable labour. Only those who have tried to reproduce with absolute accuracy the nuances of pronunciation found in a language which has never been reduced to writing can understand what it means. In order to catch exactly the sounds produced by various speakers not only must one listen with unfailing care, but one must lay aside all prepossessions derived from a study of other dialects. It is dangerous to infer the pronunciation of a word in any new dialect. The value of the services of a literate speaker of a hill language is often lessened by his unconscious tendency to assimilate his words to some better-known literary form of speech. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

This highly readable book is the first comprehensive reference grammar of the Lepcha language of Darjeeling, Sikkim and Kalimpong. This grammar explains the structure of the language, its sound system and salient features, and includes a lexicon and cultural history.