Bodish languages

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June 22, 2026

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The Bodish languages are a subgroup of the Tibetic languages, which are part of the larger Sino-Tibetan language family. The Bodish-Himalayish group, which includes Bodish languages, is considered part of the Himalayish group.123

Written Tibetan, dating back to the 7th century CE, is the most archaic of the attested Tibeto-Burman languages. It preserves initial consonant clusters and final sounds like -s, -r, and -l that have disappeared from Chinese.3

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Sino-Tibetan languages
Classification
…present their subdivisions (such as Bodish, Himalayish, Kirantish, Burmish, Kachinish, and Kukish) should be considered as the classificatory peaks around which other Sino-Tibetan languages group themselves as members or more or less distant relatives. Certainly the stage has not yet been reached in which definite boundaries can be laid down…
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…present their subdivisions (such as Bodish, Himalayish, Kirantish, Burmish, Kachinish, and Kukish) should be considered as the classificatory peaks around which other Sino-Tibetan languages group themselves as members or more or less distant relatives. Certainly the stage has not yet been reached in which definite boundaries can be laid down…
Read More