Lakha language

{{Short description|Southern Tibetic language of Bhutan}}

{{other uses|Lakha (disambiguation)}}

{{Infobox language

|name=Lakha

|nativename=ལ་ཁ་, la kha

|region= Bhutan

|familycolor=Sino-Tibetan

|speakers=8,000

|ref=

|date=1993

|fam2=Tibeto-Kanauri ?

|fam3=Bodish

|fam4=Tibetic

|fam5=Dzongkha–Lhokä

|script=Tibetan script

|iso3=lkh

|glotto=lakh1240

|glottorefname=Lakha

}}

Lakha ({{bo|t=ལ་ཁ་|w=la kha}} "language of the mountain pass", also called "Tshangkha") is a Southern Tibetic language spoken by about 8,000 people in Wangdue Phodrang and Trongsa Districts in central Bhutan.{{cite web |url=http://repository.forcedmigration.org/pdf/?pid=fmo:3003 |format=PDF |last=van Driem |first=George L. |author-link=George van Driem |title=Language Policy in Bhutan |publisher=SOAS |location=London |year=1993 |access-date=2011-01-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101101084255/http://repository.forcedmigration.org/pdf/?pid=fmo%3A3003 |archive-date=2010-11-01 |url-status=dead }}{{e18|lkh}} Lakha is spoken by descendants of pastoral yakherd communities.