Tibetan vocabulary continues to expand
"WeChat," "Shared bike" and "high-speed rail" are among more than 10,000 new terms and words that have been added to the Tibetan vocabulary in China.
Over the past 30 years, the regional Tibetan language working committee has been collecting, reviewing and translating words that were absent in the existing Tibetan language, which has a history of over 1,300 years.
According to committee member Yeshe Sangpo, 24 experts from media, scientific research institutions and universities participated in the translation.
"A list of at least 100 new words is published every month now," Yeshe Sangpo said.
The committee has stepped up efforts to popularize new words and promote their use. Three mini dictionaries have been compiled since 2016.
The timely update of the Tibetan vocabulary is conducive to the development of the millennia-old language, said Norbu, head of the committee.
About 6 million Tibetan speakers live mostly in five Chinese provinces and regions including Tibet, Sichuan, Gansu, Yunnan and Qinghai.