Tshangla

Tshangla, also called Sharchha or Sharchop, is a Bodish language of the Tibeto-Burman branch spoken by the Sharchha people in eastern Bhutan and in parts of northeastern India, including Arunachal Pradesh and Assam. It is one of the region’s major languages and serves as a lingua franca in several communities where speakers of different languages interact.

Linguistically, Tshangla is classified within the Bodish subgroup of Tibeto-Burman languages and is closely related to other Bodish languages such as Dzongkha and Sikkimese. The language has several regional varieties, and while speakers across dialects can communicate, there are notable phonological and lexical differences that affect mutual intelligibility. No single standardized form is universally accepted, and local varieties often reflect community identity.

Writing has traditionally used a Tibetan-derived script, and this script remains common in educational and religious contexts in Bhutan. In linguistic research and language planning, romanization and descriptive grammars are also used to document its features.

In terms of sociolinguistic status, Tshangla remains a vital means of daily communication for many communities in its core regions. However, like many regional languages, it faces pressures from larger languages such as Dzongkha and English, which influence education, media, and public life. Despite these pressures, Tshangla maintains a strong presence in rural areas and continues to play a key role in cultural expression and local networks.