Suitcase and World: How do you say......?

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

How do you say......?

My morning started with breakfast under the gazebo and a lesson in basic Dzongkha from Tenzing.

Dzongkha is the national language of Bhutan. The word "dzongkha" means the language (kha) spoken in the dzong....dzong being the fortress-like monasteries that are found throughout Bhutan.


Dongzkha has its in the Tibetan language. According to Tenzing, the written language of Bhutan is basically Tibetan script but the oral language is different. Basicallly, the same character is pronounced differently depending if you're from Tibet or you're from Bhutan.

Everywhere I go, I try to learn at least some basic phrases like greetings. So, when Tenzing joined me at breakfast one morning, I took the opportunity to teach me some basic Dzongkha. I recorded my brief lesson so I could play it back later to learn the phrases that Tenzing taught me. I have to admit that I got the basic "hello", "good morning" and "good night" down pat but I still can't count to 10 :-(

And while I was at it, I also had Tenzing explain his gho to me. He looked very dashing this morning in his dark charcoal gray gho ;-)

Ready for your lesson?