| Lepcha | |
|---|---|
| Róng ríng | |
| ᰛᰩᰵᰛᰧᰵᰶ | |
 The word 'Róng ríng' written in Lepcha (Róng) Script | |
| Region | Sikkim, India; parts of Nepal and Bhutan |
Native speakers | 66,500 (2011-2013)[1][2] |
| Lepcha script Tibetan script | |
| Official status | |
Official language in |  India
|
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | lep |
| Glottolog | lepc1244 |
| ELP | Lepcha |
Lepcha language, or Róng language (Lepcha: ᰛᰩᰵᰛᰧᰵᰶ; Róng ríng), is a Himalayish language spoken by the Lepcha people in Sikkim, India and parts of West Bengal, Nepal, and Bhutan.
Despite spirited attempts to preserve the language, Lepcha has already effectively been lost everywhere in favour of Nepali.[citation needed] The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) lists Lepcha as an endangered language with the following characterization.
The Lepcha language is spoken in Sikkim and Darjeeling district in West Bengal of India. The 1991 Indian census counted 39,342 speakers of Lepcha. Lepcha is considered to be one of the indigenous languages of the area in which it is spoken. Unlike most other languages of the Himalayas, the Lepcha people have their own indigenous script (the world's largest collection of old Lepcha manuscripts is kept in Leiden, with over 180 Lepcha books).
Lepcha is the language of instruction in some schools in Sikkim. In comparison to other Tibeto-Burman languages, it has been given considerable attention in the literature. Nevertheless, many important aspects of the Lepcha language and culture still remain undescribed.[citation needed]
There are very few remaining households where the younger generation actively speaks the language. The entire Lepcha area is bilingual. Revitalization efforts are minimal and have had no major impact in conserving the language where it was indigenously spoken. Dwindling population and culture loss have rendered the use of Lepcha superficial and its importance has remained confined to cultural and ceremonial activities where it is required as a part of a tradition that has endured.[citation needed]
- ^ "Lepcha". Ethnologue. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
- ^ "Statement 1: Abstract of speakers' strength of languages and mother tongues - 2011". www.censusindia.gov.in. Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. Retrieved 7 July 2018.