| dc.description.abstract | Tibetan Buddhist teachings are transmitted through a sacred grammar ascribed to the seventh century
treatise, sum rtags (the root grammar in thirty versus), composed by Thonmi Sambhota, historically believed to
be a manifestation of the celestial deity Manjusri. Exiled Tibetans now encourage literacy in this grammar
amongst the laity, albeit in a modified style. Across the Tibetan speaking Himalaya, however, regional dialects
diverge considerably from these rules. The Indian region of Ladakh has linguistic connections with Tibet.
Education reformists Students’ Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh (SECMOL) began publishing
a local language magazine, Ladags Melong, to stimulate interest in the indigenous script. The magazine’s
colloquial style angered Buddhist scholars, who fear that altering written styles will result in the eradication of
the sacred grammar. SECMOL argues that grammar is separate from religion, and literature in the
vernacular is more accessible for the majority of Ladakhis. Drawing upon fifteen months of fieldwork, the
paper examines the political, cultural, and religious ramifications inherent in the distinctive definitions of
grammar through the controversial experience in Ladakh. | en_GB |
