𝗚𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗱𝘂𝗸, 𝗮 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝘀𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗹𝘆 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗻 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗴𝗮𝗿

In the southern reaches of Monggar district, a quiet crisis is unfolding, not of roads or harvest, but of words. Gongduk, a language older than any written record of it, is falling silent. Registered population shrinking and empty households on the rise, they fear that when the older generation goes, the language will go with them. According to the Department of Culture and Dzongkha Development, the office is documenting endangered dialects, including Gongduk, to preserve them in books. Of around 25 dialects in the country, they have recorded around 19 so far. To discuss the preservation efforts, our reporter Singye Dema talked to the Chief Programme Officer of the Department, Namgay Thinley.