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{{Short description|Subfamily of the Sino-Tibetan languages}}
{{Infobox language family
| name = Tibetic
| altname = Tibetan Central Bodish
| ethnicity = [[Tibetan people]], and other Tibetic-speaking peoples such as Bhutanese
| region = China ([[Tibet Autonomous Region]], [[Qinghai]], [[Sichuan]], [[Gansu]], [[Yunnan]]); India ([[Ladakh]], [[Sikkim]], [[Uttarakhand]], [[Himachal Pradesh]], [[Arunachal Pradesh]], [[Assam]]); Pakistan ([[Gilgit-Baltistan]]); [[Nepal]]; [[Bhutan]]
| familycolor = Sino-Tibetan
| fam2 = [[Tibeto-Burman]]
| fam3 = [[Tibeto-Kanauri languages|Tibeto-Kanauri]] (?)
| fam4 = [[Bodish languages|Bodish]]
| ancestor = [[Old Tibetan]]
| ancestor2 = [[Classical Tibetan]]
| child1 = [[Central Tibetan language|Central Tibetan]]
| child2 = [[Amdo Tibetan|Amdo]]
| child3 = [[Khams Tibetan|Khams]]
| child4 = [[Dzongkha]]–Lhokä
| child5 = [[Ladakhi–Balti languages|Ladakhi–Balti]]
| child6 = [[Lahuli–Spiti languages|Lahuli–Spiti]]
| child7 = [[Kyirong–Kagate language|Kyirong–Kagate]]
| child8 = Sherpa–Jirel
| child9 = (various unclassified languages)
| glotto = oldm1245
| glottorefname = Early Old Tibetan
| map = Tibet provinces.png
| mapcaption = Division of Tibetic Cultural Areas
| speakers = 6 million
| date = 2014
| ref = <ref name=speakers/>
}}

The '''Tibetic languages''' form a well-defined group of languages descended from [[Old Tibetan]] (7th to 9th centuries).<ref name= "Tournadre2014">Tournadre, Nicolas. 2014. "The Tibetic languages and their classification." In ''Trans-Himalayan linguistics, historical and descriptive linguistics of the Himalayan area''. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.</ref> According to Tournadre (2014), there are 50 languages, which split into over 200 dialects or could be grouped into 8 [[Dialect continuum|dialect continua]].<ref name= "Tournadre2014" /> These languages are spoken in the [[Tibetan Plateau]] and in the [[Himalayas]] in [[Baltistan|Gilgit-Baltistan]], [[Ladakh|Aksai Chin, Ladakh]], [[Nepal]], [[Himachal Pradesh]], [[Uttarakhand]], and [[Bhutan]]. [[Classical Tibetan]] is the major literary language, particularly for its use in [[Buddhism|Buddhist]] literature.

Tibetan languages are spoken by some 6 million people, not all of whom are [[Tibetan people|Tibetans]].<ref name=speakers>{{cite book |given= Nicolas |surname= Tournadre |chapter= The Tibetic languages and their classification |pages= 103–129 |title= Trans-Himalayan Linguistics: Historical and Descriptive Linguistics of the Himalayan Area |editor1-given=Thomas |editor1-surname=Owen-Smith |editor2-given=Nathan W. |editor2-surname=Hill |publisher=De Gruyter |year=2014 |isbn= 978-3-11-031074-0 }} ([http://www.nicolas-tournadre.net/wp-content/uploads/multimedia/2014-The_Tibetic_languages.pdf preprint])</ref> With the worldwide spread of [[Tibetan Buddhism]], the Tibetan language has spread into the western world and can be found in many [[Buddhist texts|Buddhist publications]] and prayer materials; with some western students learning the language for translation of Tibetan texts. Outside [[Lhasa]] itself, [[Lhasa Tibetan]] is spoken by approximately 200,000 exile speakers who have moved from modern-day Tibet to [[India]] and other countries. Tibetan is also spoken by groups of ethnic minorities in [[Tibet]] who have lived in close proximity to Tibetans for centuries, but nevertheless retain their own languages and cultures.

Although some of the [[Qiang people]]s of [[Kham]] are classified by [[China]] as ethnic Tibetans (see [[Gyalrongic languages]]; [[Gyalrong people]] are identified as 'Tibetan' in China), the [[Qiangic languages]] are not Tibetan, but rather form their own branch of the [[Tibeto-Burman languages |Tibeto-Burman language family]].

[[Classical Tibetan]] was not a [[tone (linguistics)|tonal language]], but many varieties such as [[Central Tibetan|Central]] and [[Khams Tibetan|Khams]] Tibetan have developed tone registers. [[Amdo Tibetan|Amdo]] and [[Ladakhi–Balti languages|Ladakhi-Balti]] are without tone. Tibetan [[Morphology (linguistics)|morphology]] can generally be described as [[agglutination|agglutinative]].

==Origins==
[[Marius Zemp]] (2018)<ref>Zemp, Marius. 2018. [http://hdl.handle.net/2433/235316 On the origins of Tibetan]. ''Proceedings of the 51st International Conference on Sino-Tibetan Languages and Linguistics (2018)''. Kyoto: Kyoto University.</ref> hypothesizes that Tibetan originated as a [[pidgin]] with the [[West Himalayish languages|West Himalayish]] language [[Zhangzhung language|Zhangzhung]] as its [[superstratum]], and [[Rgyalrongic languages|Rgyalrongic]] as its [[substratum]] (both languages are part of the broader [[Sino-Tibetan]] family). Similarly, [[Tamangic languages|Tamangic]] also has a West Himalayish superstratum, but its substratum is derived from a different [[Sino-Tibetan languages|Sino-Tibetan]] branch.

Only a few language clusters in the world are derived from a common language which is identical to or closely related to an old literary language. This small group includes the Tibetic languages, as descendents from [[Old Tibetan]] (7th–9th centuries), but also the [[Romance languages]] with [[Latin]], the [[Arabic languages]] (or "dialects") with [[Classical Arabic]], the [[Sinitic languages]] with [[Middle Chinese]], the modern [[Indo-Aryan languages|Indic languages]] with [[Vedic Sanskrit]].<ref name="Tournadre2014"/>

==Classification==

[[File:"TIBETO-BURMAN" GROUPS 1967 map with group key, "COMMUNIST CHINA ETHNOLINGUISTIC GROUPS" by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, Directorate of Intelligence, Office of Basic Geographic Intelligence, 1967 (cropped).jpg|thumb|Ethnolinguistic map of Tibet]]

The more divergent languages are spoken in the north and east, likely due to [[language contact]] with the [[Qiangic languages|Qiangic]], [[Rgyalrongic languages]]. The divergence exhibited in [[Khalong Tibetan language|Khalong]] may also be due to [[language shift]]. In addition, there is [[Baima language|Baima]], which retains an apparent Qiangic [[Stratum (linguistics)|substratum]], and has multiple layers of [[Loanword|borrowing]] from [[Amdo Tibetan|Amdo]], [[Khams Tibetan|Khams]], and [[Zhongu Tibetan language|Zhongu]], but does not correspond to any established branch of Tibetic.<ref>Katia Chirkova, 2008, "On the position of Báimǎ within Tibetan", in Lubotsky et al. (eds), ''Evidence and Counter-Evidence'', vol. 2.</ref>

The two major Tibetic languages used for broadcasting within China are [[Standard Tibetan]] and [[Amdo Tibetan]].

===Tournadre (2014)===
[[Nicolas Tournadre|Tournadre]] (2014)<ref name="Tournadre2014">Tournadre, Nicolas. 2014. "The Tibetic languages and their classification." In ''Trans-Himalayan linguistics, historical and descriptive linguistics of the Himalayan area''. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.</ref> classifies the Tibetic languages as eight [[Dialect continuum|geolinguistic continua]], consisting of 50 languages and over 200 dialects. This is an updated version of his work in 2008.<ref name="2008Tournadre">{{cite book|first=Nicolas|last=Tournadre|date=2008|chapter=Arguments against the Concept of 'Conjunct'/'Disjunct' in Tibetan|title=Chomolangma, Demawend und Kasbek: Festschrift für Roland Bielmeier zu Seinem 65. Geburtstag, Vol. 1 |editor=B. Huber |editor2=M. Volkart |editor3=P. Widmer |editor4=P. Schwieger|chapter-url=http://tournadre.nicolas.free.fr/fichiers/2008-Conjunct.pdf|pages=282–283|location=Halle|publisher=International Institute for Tibetan and Buddhist Studies|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720224934/http://tournadre.nicolas.free.fr/fichiers/2008-Conjunct.pdf|archive-date=2011-07-20}}</ref> The Eastern and Southeastern branches have lower internal [[mutual intelligibility]], but it is more limited in the Northwestern branch and between certain southern and northern [[Khams Tibetan|Khams]] dialects. These continua are spread across five countries with one exception, this being Sangdam, a [[Khams Tibetan|Khams]] dialect in [[Kachin State|Kachin]], [[Myanmar]].

*'''North-Western''': [[Ladakhi language|Ladakhi]], [[Zangskari language|Zangskari]], [[Balti language|Balti]], [[Purki language|Purki]]
*'''Western''': [[Lahuli–Spiti language|Spiti]], [[Stod Bhoti|Garzha]], Khunu, [[Jad language|Jad]]
*'''Central''': [[Central Tibetan language|Dbus]], [[Tsang language|Tsang]], Phenpo, Lhokha, [[Tö language|Tö]], [[Kongpo language|Kongpo]] (in [[Kongpo]] with [[Basum language|Basum]])
*'''South-Western''': [[Sherpa language|Sherpa]] and [[Jirel language|Jirel]]; other languages/dialects along the Sino-Nepalese border: [[Humla language|Humla]], [[Mugom dialect|Mugu]], [[Dolpo language|Dolpo]], [[Loke language|Lo-ke]], [[Nubri language|Nubri]], [[Tsum language|Tsum]], [[Langtang language|Langtang]], [[Kyirong language|Kyirong]], [[Yolmo language|Yolmo]], [[Gyalsumdo language|Gyalsumdo]], [[Kagate language|Kagate]], [[Lhomi]], [[Walung people|Walungge]], [[Walung people|Tokpe Gola]].
*'''Southern''': [[Dzongkha]], [[Sikkimese language|Drengjong]], [[Chochangachakha language|Tsamang]], [[Groma language|Dhromo Lakha]], [[Brokkat language|Dur Brokkat]], [[Brokpa language|Mera Sakteng Brokpa-ke]]
*'''South-Eastern''': [[Khams Tibetan|Hor Nagchu]], [[Khams Tibetan|Hor Bachen]], [[Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture|Yushu]], Pembar, Rongdrak, Minyak, [[Zayü County|Dzayul]], Derong-Jol, Chaktreng, Muli-Dappa, Semkyi Nyida
**'Northern route' dialects: '[[Chamdo]] (Chab-mdo), [[Dêgê County|Derge]] (sde-dge), and [[Garzê County|Kandze]] (dkar-mdzes)
**'Southern route' dialects: [[Barkam|Markham]] (smar-khams), [[Batang County|Bathang]] ('ba'-thang), [[Litang County|Lithang]] (li-thang)
*'''Eastern''': [[Drugchu language|Drugchu]], [[Khöpokhok language|Khöpokhok]], [[Choni language|Thewo-Chone]], [[Baima language|Baima]], [[Sharkhok language|Sharkhok]], [[Palkyi language|Palkyi]] (or Pashi; four [[Dialect|dialects]], including Chos-rje), and [[Zhongu Tibetan language|Zhongu]]
*'''North-Eastern'''
**[[Amdo Tibetan|Amdo]]
**'''Gser-Rdo''':<ref name="Sun">Sun, Jackson T.-S. 2021. ''[https://www.academia.edu/47755528/Gser_Rdo_A_New_Tibetic_Language_Across_the_Rngaba_Dkarmdzes_Border Gser-Rdo: A New Tibetic Language Across the Rngaba-Dkarmdzes Border]''.</ref> [[Gserpa language|Gserpa]], [[Khalong language|Khalong]]

===Tournadre (2005, 2008)===
[[Nicolas Tournadre|Tournadre]] (2005)<ref>N. Tournadre (2005) "L'aire linguistique tibétaine et ses divers dialectes." ''Lalies'', 2005, n°25, p. 7–56 [http://tournadre.nicolas.free.fr/fichiers/2005-aire.pdf]</ref> classifies the Tibetic languages as follows.

*'''[[Central Tibetan language|Central Tibetan]]'''
*:The basis of [[Standard Tibetan]] that includes various Nepalese varieties
*'''[[Khams Tibetan|Khams]]'''
*'''[[Amdo Tibetan|Amdo]]'''
*'''Dzongkha–Lhokä'''
*:[[Dzongkha]], [[Sikkimese language|Sikkimese]], [[Lakha language|Lakha]], [[Naapa language|Naapa]], [[Chocangaca language|Chocangaca]], [[Brokkat language|Brokkat]], [[Brokpa language|Brokpa]] and probably [[Groma language|Groma]]
*'''[[Ladakhi–Balti languages|Ladakhi–Balti]]'''
*:[[Ladakhi language|Ladakhi]], [[Burig]], [[Zangskari language|Zangskari]], [[Balti language|Balti]]
*'''[[Lahuli–Spiti languages|Lahuli–Spiti]]'''
*'''[[Kyirong–Kagate language|Kyirong–Kagate]]'''
*'''Sherpa–Jirel'''
*:[[Sherpa language|Sherpa]], [[Jirel language|Jirel]]

The other languages ([[Choni language|Thewo-Chone]], [[Zhongu language|Zhongu]], [[Khalong language|Khalong]], [[Dongwang language|Dongwang]], [[Gserpa language|Gserpa]], [[Zitsadegu language|Zitsadegu]], [[Drugchu language|Drugchu]], [[Baima language|Baima]]) are not [[Mutual intelligibility|mutually intelligible]], but are not known well enough to classify. [[mDungnag language|mDungnag]], a Tibetan language spoken in [[Gansu]], is also divergent and is not mutually intelligible with either [[Khams Tibetan|Khams]] or [[Amdo Tibetan|Amdo]].<ref name="Shao2018">Shao, Mingyuan 邵明园 (2018). ''Hexi Zoulang binwei Zangyu Dongnahua yanjiu'' 河西走廊濒危藏语东纳话研究 [Study on the mDungnag dialect, an endangered Tibetan language in Hexi Corridor]. Guangzhou: Zhongshan University Publishing House 中山大学出版社.</ref>

Tournadre (2013) adds [[Tseku language|Tseku]] and [[Khampa Tibetan|Khamba]] to [[Khams Tibetan|Khams]], and groups [[Choni language|Thewo-Chone]], [[Zhongu language|Zhongu]], and [[Baima language|Baima]] as an Eastern branch of Tibetic.

===Bradley (1997)===
According to Bradley,<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070623162537/http://www.isw2.unibe.ch/tibet/Dialects.htm Bradley (1997)]</ref> the languages cluster as follows (dialect information from the ''Tibetan Dialects Project'' at the University of Bern):

*'''Western Archaic Tibetan''' (non-tonal), including [[Ladakhi language|Ladakhi]], [[Balti language|Balti]] and [[Burig]]
*'''[[Amdo Tibetan]]''' (including [[Choni language|Thewo-Chone]]) (non-tonal)
*'''[[Khams Tibetan]]''' (tonal)
*'''[[Lahuli–Spiti language|Western Innovative Tibetan]]''' (Lahuli–Spiti) (slightly tonal)
*:Dialects of Upper [[Ladakh]] and [[Zanskar]], of the Northwest Indian Border Area ([[Lahaul and Spiti district]] and [[Uttarakhand]]), and of [[Zanda County]] (westernmost Tibet)
*'''[[Central Tibetan language|Central Tibetan]]''' (slightly tonal)
*:Most dialects of [[Ngari Prefecture]] in western Tibet, of the northern Nepalese border area in Nepal, [[Ü-Tsang|Tsang]] dialects of [[Shigatse Prefecture]], and [[Ü (region)|Ü]] dialects ([[Lhoka (Shannan) Prefecture|Lhokha]], [[Lhasa]], etc.). The basis of [[Standard Tibetan]].
*'''Northern Tibetan''' (slightly tonal)
*:Dialects of [[Gêrzê County|Gêrzê]], of [[Nagqu Prefecture]] in north-central Tibet, and of [[Nangqên County]] in South [[Qinghai]] (Considered dialects of Khams by Tournadre)
*'''Southern Tibetan''' (slightly tonal)
*:[[Groma language]] of [[Chumbi Valley]] in southern Tsang, [[Sikkimese language|Sikkimese]] in India, [[Sherpa language|Sherpa]] and [[Jirel language|Jirel]] in Nepal, and various languages of [[Bhutan]]: [[Dzongkha]], [[Brokkat language|Brokkat]], [[Brokpa language|Brokpa]], [[Chocangaca language|Chocangaca]], [[Lakha language|Lakha]], [[Laya dialect]], [[Lunana dialect]].

;Other
Some classifications group Khams and Amdo together as Eastern Tibetan (not to be confused with [[East Bodish languages|East Bodish]], whose speakers are not ethnically Tibetan). Some, like Tournadre, break up Central Tibetan. Phrases such as 'Central Tibetan' and 'Central Bodish' may or may not be synonymous: Southern (Central) Tibetan can be found as Southern Bodish, for example; 'Central Tibetan' may mean dBus or all tonal lects apart from Khams; 'Western Bodish' may be used for the non-tonal western lects while 'Western Tibetan' is used for the tonal lects, or 'Bodish' may even be used for other branches of the [[Tibeto-Kanauri languages]].

=== Lexical similarity ===
Amdo Tibetan has 70% lexical similarity with Central Tibetan and Khams Tibetan, while Khams Tibetan has 80% lexical similarity with Central Tibetan.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016 |title=China |url=http://www.ethnologue.com/country/CN/languages |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160909075938/http://www.ethnologue.com/country/CN/languages |archive-date=2016-09-09 |website=Ethnologue: Languages of the World, Nineteenth Edition}}</ref>

== Writing systems ==
{{Main|Tibetan script|Tibetan braille}}
Most Tibetic languages are written in one of two [[Indic script]]s. [[Standard Tibetan]] and most other Tibetic languages are written in the [[Tibetan script]] with a historically conservative orthography (see below) that helps unify the Tibetan-language area. Some other Tibetan languages (in India and Nepal) are written in the related [[Devanagari]] script, which is also used to write [[Hindi]], [[Nepali language|Nepali]] and many other languages. However, some [[Ladakhi language|Ladakhi]] and [[Balti language|Balti]] speakers write with the [[Urdu alphabet|Urdu script]]; this occurs almost exclusively in [[Pakistan]]. The Tibetan script fell out of use in Pakistani [[Baltistan]] hundreds of years ago upon the region's adoption of [[Islam]]. However, increased concern among [[Balti people]] for the preservation of their [[Balti language|language]] and traditions, especially in the face of strong [[Punjabis|Punjabi]] cultural influence throughout Pakistan, has fostered renewed interest in reviving the Tibetan script and using it alongside the [[Persian alphabet|Perso-Arabic script]]. Many shops in Baltistan's capital [[Skardu]] in Pakistan's "Northern Areas" region have begun supplementing signs written in the Perso-Arabic script with signs written in the Tibetan script. Baltis see this initiative not as separatist but rather as part of an attempt to preserve the cultural aspects of their region which has shared a close history with neighbours like [[Kashmiris]] and Punjabis since the arrival of Islam in the region many centuries ago.

== Historical phonology ==
[[Old Tibetan]] phonology is rather accurately rendered by the script. The finals were pronounced devoiced although they are written as voiced, the prefix letters assimilated their voicing to the root letters. The graphic combinations ''hr'' and ''lh'' represent voiceless and not necessarily aspirate correspondences to ''r'' and ''l'' respectively. The letter ' was pronounced as a voiced guttural fricative before vowels but as homorganic prenasalization before consonants. Whether the gigu ''verso'' had phonetic meaning or not remains controversial.

For instance, ''Srongbtsan Sgampo'' would have been pronounced {{IPA|[sroŋpʦan zɡampo]}} (now pronounced {{IPA|[sɔ́ŋʦɛ̃ ɡʌ̀mpo]}} in Lhasa Tibetan) and '''babs'' would have been pronounced {{IPA|[mbaps]}} (pronounced {{IPA|[bapˤ]}}{{Dubious|date=February 2009}} in Lhasa Tibetan).

Already in the 9th century the process of cluster simplification, [[Consonant voicing and devoicing|devoicing]] and [[Tone (linguistics)|tonogenesis]] had begun in the central dialects can be shown with Tibetan words transliterated in other languages, particularly [[Middle Chinese]] but also [[Uyghur language|Uyghur]].

The concurrence of the evidence indicated above enables us to form the following outline of the evolution of Tibetan. In the 9th century, as shown by the bilingual Tibetan–[[Chinese language|Chinese]] treaty of 821–822 found in front of [[Lhasa]]'s [[Jokhang]], the complex initial clusters had already been reduced, and the process of tonogenesis was likely well underway.

The next change took place in Tsang (Gtsang) dialects: The ''ra''-tags were altered into [[retroflex consonant|retroflex]] consonants, and the ''ya''-tags became palatals.

Later on the superscribed letters and finals ''d'' and ''s'' disappeared, except in the east and west. It was at this stage that the language spread in Lahul and Spiti, where the superscribed letters were silent, the ''d'' and ''g'' finals were hardly heard, and ''as'', ''os'', ''us'' were ''ai'', ''oi'', ''ui''. The words introduced from Tibet into the border languages at that time differ greatly from those introduced at an earlier period.

The other changes are more recent and restricted to Ü and Tsang. In Ü, the vowel sounds ''a'', ''o'', ''u'' have now mostly [[Umlaut (diacritic)|umlauted]] to ''ä'', ''ö'', ''ü'' when followed by the coronal sounds ''i'', ''d'', ''s'', ''l'' and ''n''. The same holds for Tsang with the exception of ''l'' which merely lengthens the vowel. The medials have become [[Aspiration (phonetics)|aspirate]] tenues with a low intonation, which also marks the words having a simple initial consonant; while the former aspirates and the complex initials simplified in speech are uttered with a high tone, shrill and rapidly.

==Reconstruction==
===Proto-Tibetic===
Proto-Tibetic, the hypothetical [[proto-language]] ancestral to the Tibetic languages, has been reconstructed by Tournadre (2014).<ref name="Tournadre2014"/> Proto-Tibetic is similar to, but not identical to, written [[Classical Tibetan|Classical Literary Tibetan]]. The following phonological features are characteristic of Proto-Tibetic (Tournadre 2014: 113).
*The prefixes <nowiki>*s(ǝ)-, *d(ǝ)-/g(ǝ)-, *m(ǝ)-, and *b(ǝ)-</nowiki>, which have been retained from [[Proto-Tibeto-Burman]]. *s(ǝ)- is primarily used with animals and body parts, as well as *d(ǝ)-/*g(ǝ)- and *m(ǝ)-/*r(ǝ)-.
*[[Palatalization (sound change)|Palatalization]] of [[dental consonant|dental]] and [[alveolar consonant]]s before ''y'' (/j/).
*Consonant change from [[lateral consonant|lateral]] to [[dental consonant|dental]] position after /m/ (e.g., *ml > *md).
*Distinctive aspirated initial stops. This phenomenon is attested by alternating aspirated and non-aspirated consonants in [[Old Tibetan]] orthography. Examples include gcig ~ gchig (གཅིག་ ~ གཆིག་) 'one'; phyin-chad ~ phyin-cad (ཕྱིན་ཆད་ ~ ཕྱིན་ཅད་) 'from now on'; ci ~ chi (ཅི་ ~ ཆི་) 'what'; and cu ~ chu (ཅུ་ ~ ཆུ་) 'water'.

Reconstructed Proto-Tibetic forms from Tournadre (2014) include:
{{refbegin|3}}
* *g(ǝ)-tɕik 'one'
* *g(ǝ)-nyis 'two'
* *g(ǝ)-su- 'three'
* *b(ǝ)-ʑi 'four'
* *l(ǝ)-ŋa 'five'
* *d(ǝ)-ruk 'six'
* *b(ǝ)-dun 'seven'
* *b(ǝ)-rgyat 'eight'
* *d(ǝ)-gu 'nine'
* *b(ǝ)-tɕu 'ten'
* *s(ǝ)-dik-pa 'scorpion'
* *s(ǝ)-bal 'frog'
* *s(ǝ)-tak 'tiger'
* *s(ǝ)-b-rul 'snake'
* *s(ǝ)-pra 'monkey'
* *s(ǝ)-kra 'hair'
* *s(ǝ)-nyiŋ 'heart'
* *s(ǝ)-na 'nose'
* *d(ǝ)-myik 'eye'
* *m(ǝ)-go 'head'
* *r(ǝ)-na 'ear'
{{refend}}

===Pre-Tibetic===
Pre-Tibetic is a hypothetical pre-formation stage of Proto-Tibetic.<ref name="Tournadre2014"/>

<nowiki>*ty-, *ly-, *sy-</nowiki> were not palatalized in Pre-Tibetic, but underwent [[Palatalization (sound change)|palatalization]] in Proto-Tibetic (Tournadre 2014: 113-114).<ref name="Tournadre2014"/> Posited [[sound change]]s from Pre-Tibetic to Proto-Tibetic include *ty- > *tɕ-, *sy- > *ɕ-, *tsy- > *tɕ-, and *ly- > *ʑ-. However, Tournadre (2014: 114) notes that many [[Bodish languages]] such as [[Basum language|Basum]], [[Tamang language|Tamang]], and [[Kurtöp language|Kurtöp]] ([[East Bodish languages|East Bodish]]) have not undergone these changes (e.g., Bake ([[Basum language|Basum]]) ''ti'' 'what' vs. Proto-Tibetic *tɕ(h)i and Bake ''tɨ'' 'one' vs. Proto-Tibetic *g(ǝ)-tɕ(h)ik; Kurtöp ''Hla:'' 'iron' and [[Bumthang language|Bumthap]] ''lak'' 'iron' vs. Proto-Tibetic *ltɕaks).

Some Pre-Tibetic reconstructions, along with reconstructed Proto-Tibetic forms and orthographic Classical Literary Tibetan, from Tournadre (2014: 114-116) are listed below.

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Gloss !! Pre-Tibetic !! Proto-Tibetic !! [[Classical Tibetan|Classical Literary Tibetan]]
|-
| one || *g(ǝ)-tyik || *g(ǝ)-tɕ(h)ik || gcig / gchig གཅིག་ / གཆིག ([[Old Tibetan]])
|-
| big || *tye || *tɕ(h)e || che ཆེ་ (Old Tibetan)
|-
| ten || *b(ǝ)-tyu || *b(ǝ)-tɕu || bcu / bchu བཅུ་ / བཆུ་ (Old Tibetan)
|-
| what || *tyi || *tɕ(h)i || ci / chi ཅི་ / ཆི་ (Old Tibetan)
|-
| flesh || *sya || *ɕa || sha ཤ་
|-
| know || *syes || *ɕes || shes ཤེས་
|-
| wood || *sying || *ɕiŋ || shing ཤིང་
|-
| to cut (past stem) || *b(ǝ)-tsyat || *b(ǝ)-tɕat || bcad བཅད་
|-
| spittle || *m(ǝ)-tsyil-ma || *m(ǝ)-tɕ(h)il-ma || mchil-ma མཆིལ་མ་
|-
| liver || *m(ǝ)-tsin-pa || *m(ǝ)-tɕ(h)in-pa || mchin-pa མཆིན་པ
|-
| four || *b(ǝ)-lyi || *b(ǝ)ʑi || bzhi བཞི་
|-
| field || *lying || *ʑiŋ || zhing ཞིང་
|-
| flea || *ldi || *ldʑi || lji ལྗི་, 'ji ་འཇི་
|-
| iron || *s(ǝ)-lak(s) > *l-sak(s) > *l-tsyak(s) || *ltɕaks || lcags ལྕགས་
|-
| arrow || || *mda || mda' མདའ་
|-
| to suppress || *bnans || *mnans || mnand (Old Tibetan)
|-
| to listen || *bnyan || *nyan || mnyand
|-
| eye || || *d(ǝ)myik || dmyig དམྱིག་ (Old Tibetan); mig
|-
| flower || || *mentok || men-tog མེན་ཏོག (Old Tibetan); ་me-tog
|}
== Comparison of numerals ==
The [[numeral (linguistics)|numerals]] in different Tibetan/Tibetic languages are:<ref>{{cite web |url=http://lingweb.eva.mpg.de/numeral/Sino-Tibetan.htm |title=Bodish Numerals (Eugene Chan). |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120305030131/http://lingweb.eva.mpg.de/numeral/Sino-Tibetan.htm |archive-date=2012-03-05}}</ref>

{|class=wikitable style="text-align:center"
|-
! rowspan=2| GLOSS
! colspan=7| Ü-Tsang (Middle)
! rowspan=2| Amdo
! rowspan=2| Khams
! rowspan=2| CLASSICAL TIBETAN
|-
! Lhasa !! Cheng Zhang !! Dolpo !! Jirel !! Mugom !! Sherpa !! Yohlmo
|-
| '1' || ʨiʔ53 || ʨi53 || ʂik || dokpoi || ʧɪk || ʦɪk55 || ʨīː || xʨɨx || ʨi55 || *xʨik ''gtšig''
|-
| '2' || ȵi55 || ȵi55 || ɲiː || ŋi || ŋi || ŋi55 || ɲìː || ɦȵi || ɲɯ53 || *gnis ''gnis''
|-
| '3' || sum55 || sɔ̃53 || sum || sum || sum || sum55 || sūm || sɘm || sũ53 || *xsum ''gsum''
|-
| '4' || ɕi13 || ɣɯ31 || ɕi̤ː || si || ɕi || ʣi55 || ʑì̤ || ɦʑɘ || ʐə33 || *βʑi ''bži''
|-
| '5' || ŋa53 || ɴɐ53 || ŋa || ŋa || ŋá || ŋɑ55 || ŋɑ̀ || ɦŋa || ŋɑ53 || *ɬŋɑ ''lŋa''
|-
| '6' || tʂʰuʔ13 || tʂu31 || ʈṳk || tʰuk || duk || ɖʊk11 || ʈṳ̀ː || tʂəx || tʂo33 || *dɽuk ''drug''
|-
| '7' || tỹ15 || dɛ̃24 || ty̤n || duin || dun || dɪn55 || t̪ì̤n || ɦdɘn || dĩ33 || *βdun ''bdun''
|-
| '8' || ɕɛʔ13 || dʑe31 || ce̤ʔ || get || ket || gæ55 || cē̤ː || ɦdʑʲɛ || ʑe33 || *βɽgjat ''brgyad''
|-
| '9' || ku13 || ɡɯ31 || kṳ || gu || gu || gu55 || kṳ̀ || ɦgɘ || gə33 || *dgu ''dgu''
|-
| '10' || ʨu53 || ʨɯ53 || tɕu || ʦutʰambaː || ʧú || ʦi55tʰɑm11ba11 || ʨʉ̄ || ʨɘ || ʨə55 || *ɸʨu ''btšu''
|}

For the Central or Eastern Tibetic languages:
{|class=wikitable style="text-align:center"
|-
! rowspan=2| GLOSS
! colspan=2| Dzongkha-Lakha
! colspan=5| Balti-Ladakhi
! rowspan=2| Spiti bhoti
|-
! Dzongkha !! Sikkimese !! Balti !! Changthang !! Ladakhi !! Purik !! Zangskari
|-
| '1' || ʨí || ʧi || ʧik || ʧik || ʧik || ʧik || ʧiʔ || ʧík
|-
| '2' || ɲí || ni || ɲis || ɲis || ɲis || ɲis || ɲiː || ɲiː
|-
| '3' || súm || súm || xsum || sum || sum || sum || sum || súm
|-
| '4' || ʃi̤ || ʒe || βʒi || zi || zi || ʒi || ʒi || ʒì
|-
| '5' || ŋə || ŋa || ɣɑ || ŋa || ʂŋa || ʂŋə || ŋa || ŋá
|-
| '6' || dʑo || tʰu || truk || ɖruk || ʈuk || ʈuk || ʈuʔ || ʈùk
|-
| '7' || ty̤n || dĩ || βdun || dun || rdun || rdun || ðun || dùn
|-
| '8' || kæ̤ || gɛ || βgyʌt || gʲat || rgʲat || rgyət || ʝət || ɟèt
|-
| '9' || kṳ || go || rgu || gu || rgu || rgu || ɣu || gù
|-
| '10' || ʨu tʰam || ʧɔːmba || ɸʧu || ʧu || rʧu || rču || ʧu || ʧú
|}

== References ==
* {{citation
| surname1 = Sagart | given1 = Laurent | author1-link = Laurent Sagart
| surname2 = Jacques | given2 = Guillaume | author2-link = Guillaume Jacques
| surname3 = Lai | given3 = Yunfan
| surname4 = Ryder | given4 = Robin
| surname5 = Thouzeau | given5 = Valentin
| surname6 = Greenhill | given6 = Simon J.
| surname7 = List | given7 = Johann-Mattis
| title = Dated language phylogenies shed light on the history of Sino-Tibetan
| journal = Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
| volume = 116 | issue = 21 | pages = 10317–10322 | year = 2019
| doi = 10.1073/pnas.1817972116 | doi-access = free | pmid = 31061123 | pmc = 6534992
| postscript = .
}}
**{{cite press release |date=May 6, 2019 |title=Origin of Sino-Tibetan language family revealed by new research |website=ScienceDaily |url=https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/05/190506151822.htm}}
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
*{{cite book
| last = Beyer
| first = Stephan V.
| title = The Classical Tibetan Language
| publisher = SUNY Press
| year = 1992
| isbn = 0-7914-1099-4}}
*{{cite book
| last = Denwood
| first = Philip
| title = Tibetan
| publisher = John Benjamins Publishing
| year = 1999
| isbn = 90-272-3803-0}}
* {{cite book
| first=Philip
| last=Denwood
| chapter=The Language History of Tibetan
| title=Linguistics of the Himalayas and beyond
|editor1=Roland Bielmeier |editor2=Felix Haller
| publisher=Walter de Gruyter
| pages=47–70
| year= 2007
| isbn=978-3-11-019828-7 }}
*{{cite book
| last = van Driem
| first = George
| author-link = George van Driem
| title = Languages of the Himalayas: An Ethnolinguistic Handbook of the Greater Himalayan Region containing an Introduction to the Symbiotic Theory of Language
| publisher = Brill
| year = 2001
| isbn = 9004103902}}
*[http://tibetanplateau.wikischolars.columbia.edu/VOLUME+43/ AHP43 Amdo Tibetan Language]

== External links ==
{{Wikibooks|Research on Tibetan Languages: A Bibliography}}
*[http://www.himalayanlanguages.org/cdtd Comparative Dictionary of Tibetan Dialects (CDTD)]
*[http://www.thdl.org/xml/show.php?xml=/collections/langling/languages/index.xml&l=9 Languages on the Tibetan Plateau and the Himalayas] — Nicolas Tournadre
*[http://eprints.soas.ac.uk/8964/1/Hill_2010_overview_of_Old_Tibetan_phonology.pdf Overview of Old Tibetan Synchronic phonology] by Nathan Hill
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20120318215914/http://lacito.vjf.cnrs.fr/colloque/deserts/videos_gestion/nt.htm L'évolution des langues et les facteurs écolinguistiques : le cas des langues d'éleveurs et des langues d'agriculteurs sur le Haut Plateau tibétain] at CNRS-LACITO
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20140324094654/http://thetibetpost.com/en/outlook/opinions-and-columns/3811-chinas-tibet-policy-continued-attempt-at-erasing-tibetan-language China's Tibet policy continued attempt at erasing Tibetan language]

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Tibetic languages - Revision history

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