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Conference Presentation on Qiangic and Macro-Gyalrongic Languages

18 August 2025

On 18 August 2025, James Engels of the University of Edinburgh and Lo-Rig Principal Investigator Tim Bodt presented a paper titled "Qiangic interrelatedness and Macro-Gyalrongic: new insights from Songlin" at the 27th International Conference on Historical Linguistics in Santiago de Chile, Chile.

The conference brought together around 500 historical linguists from around the world. The presentation contributed to ongoing discussions on the historical relationships among Trans-Himalayan languages, with particular attention to Songlin and its position in relation to Qiangic, Chamdoic, and Macro-Gyalrongic languages.

More information about the conference is available on the official conference website:

27th International Conference on Historical Linguistics

Proposed phylogenetic tree showing Songlin and related Chamdoic languages within the Trans-Himalayan language family

Proposed phylogenetic tree showing Songlin and its related Chamdoic languages within the Trans-Himalayan language family.

Start of the Research Assistants

August-September 2025

The two Research Assistants of the Lo-Rig project, Sonam Lhamo and Rinchen Wangdi, officially took up their positions on 01 August 2025.

They started their work by conducting a linguistic survey of their respective speech communities, Monkha and Gongduk. This linguistic survey has already resulted in valuable data on the total number of speakers of these languages and their proficiency, the inter-generational transmission of the languages, and the reasons for the decline in the speaker populations.

While the situation of Monkha was found to be more positive than expected, the Gongduk language was found to be in a more dire position than was initially assumed.

Formal Commencement and Set Up of the Project

July-September 2025

The Lo-Rig project officially commenced on 01 July 2025.

In the subsequent months, the project was formally set up at Trinity College Dublin and at the Centre for Bhutan and GNH Studies (CBS) in Bhutan.

Opening Talk at the First Summer School for Ancient Trans-Himalayan Languages

15 June 2025

On 15 June 2025, Lo-Rig Principal Investigator Tim Bodt gave the opening talk for the First Summer School for Ancient Trans-Himalayan Languages, organised by the Trinity Centre for Asian Studies at Trinity College Dublin.

The talk focused on the possible use of the Tibetan script for writing Tshangla, a language spoken in eastern Bhutan, western Arunachal Pradesh, and southeastern Tibet. The talk was attended by around 80 on-site and online participants of the Summer School.

More information about the 2025 Summer School is available on the Trinity Centre for Asian Studies website:

2025 Summer School for Ancient Trans-Himalayan Languages