Dzongkha

Dzongkha — literally “the language of the dzong (fortress)” — is Bhutan’s national language. It is a member of the Sino-Tibetan language family and is written in the Tibetan script (Uchen). Native speakers concentrate in western Bhutan; the language is spoken natively by roughly a quarter of the population, though Dzongkha is taught as a subject in all schools and used in certain government communications.

English is the medium of instruction in Bhutanese schools — a decision made in the 1960s — which is the structural backdrop to Chapter Three.

See also: Chapter Three, Paradox #57.