བོད་སྐད་
Tibetan
Walden (NY)What is commonly called Tibetan is increasingly known to linguists as Tibetic, a substantial and diverse branch of the Tibeto-Burman language family with over 50 varieties of often limited mutual intelligibility spoken across the traditional Tibetan cultural sphere of the Himalaya in today’s China, Pakistan, India, Nepal, and Bhutan — and, increasingly, around the world. For many, not only Tibetan Buddhism and the Tibetan alphabet, but also the Classical Tibetan of religious scripture and the modern "Diaspora Standard" Tibetan (based on the Lhasa variety), and sometimes a mixed Ramaluk all serve as common lingua francas uniting people whose home languages are quite different. Among the large groups in New York for whom Tibetan is a common second or third language are speakers of Sherpa, Loke, Dzongkha, and varieties of Amdo and Kham Tibetan (themselves very internally diverse).
S
everal important Tibetan Buddhist institutions have been established in upstate New York to serve both Tibetan-speaking and non-Tibetan-speaking Buddhists. For those following the Sakya tradition (regarded as one of the four Tibetan Buddhist Schools), Tsechen Kunchab Ling (the Temple of All-Encompassing Great Compassion) in Walden is an important center. (ELA recognizes that the Chinese government's rule in Tibet, where this language is spoken, is disputed.)
Note that the language above may be used throughout the New York area — this is just one significant site.