TSL—Part 6/6, "What about Tibetan?"
Channel: esukhiaX
Date: 2017-09-10

What about Tibetan? It's important to note that so-called "classical" Tibetan is often conflated with "classical Sanskrit" -- though both are traditional languages used for Buddhist scripture, they are not related in time (Sanskrit dates to antiquity; Tibetan, the middle ages) nor are they related linguistically (Sanskrit is Indo-European; Tibetan is Tibeto-Burman). On it's face, there's no reason they ought to share a pedagogy. 

Instead, Tibetan shares a lot more with diglossic languages like Arabic -- there is a spectrum from "low"-prestige, vernacular dialects up to "high"-prestige, literary Tibetan. While the gap increases the difficulty of attaining literacy, literacy *is* possible for educated speakers. 

Given what we know about language -- it's basis in speech, social interactions, and sense -- an effective pedagogy for TSL would encourage fluency in spoken Tibetan, while gradually exposing students to more and more sophisticated literary forms. 
Instead, Tibetan shares a lot more with diglossic languages like Arabic -- there is a spectrum from "low"-prestige, vernacular dialects up to "high"-prestige, literary Tibetan. While the gap increases the difficulty of attaining literacy, literacy *is* possible for educated, native speakers. 

Given what we know about language -- it's basis in speech, social interactions, and sense -- an effective pedagogy for TSL would encourage fluency in spoken Tibetan, while gradually exposing students to more and more sophisticated literary forms.