The Dzongkha Development Commission (
རྫོང་ཁ་གོང་འཕེལ་ལྷན་ཚོགས; DDC) is the pre-eminent body on matters pertaining to the
Dzongkha language
Dzongkha (; ) is a Tibeto-Burman languages, Tibeto-Burman language that is the official and national language of Bhutan. It is written using the Tibetan script.
The word means "the language of the fortress", from ' "fortress" and ' "language ...
. The DDC was officially established in 1986 by
Jigme Singye Wangchuck
Jigme Singye Wangchuck (, ; born 11 November 1955) is the fourth Druk Gyalpo ( Dragon King) of Bhutan, reigning from 1972 to 2006. He is the father of the present King of Bhutan Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck. He is the only son of five ch ...
, the fourth king of
Bhutan
Bhutan, officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked country in South Asia, in the Eastern Himalayas between China to the north and northwest and India to the south and southeast. With a population of over 727,145 and a territory of , ...
, to preserve and promote the use of Dzongkha as the national language of Bhutan. The DDC offices are now located in the Kawajangtsa area of
Thimphu
Thimphu (; ) is the capital and largest city of Bhutan. It is situated in the western central part of Bhutan, and the surrounding valley is one of Bhutan's '' dzongkhags'', the Thimphu District. The ancient capital city of Punakha was replac ...
, close to the
National Library of Bhutan and the Ministry of Education.
The Dzongkha Development Commission consists of two parts: the Commission itself having nine eminent members (or commissioners) chaired by the
Prime Minister of Bhutan; and the DDC Secretariat which carries out the day-to-day work of the commission.
The body has the task of acting as an official authority on the language. It is charged with promoting the use of Dzongkha; researching and publishing official dictionaries and grammar of the language; developing new lexical terminology; and developing software and fonts to support the language.
See also
*
Dzongkha language
Dzongkha (; ) is a Tibeto-Burman languages, Tibeto-Burman language that is the official and national language of Bhutan. It is written using the Tibetan script.
The word means "the language of the fortress", from ' "fortress" and ' "language ...
*
Roman Dzongkha
External links
Dzongkha Development CommissionBhutan National Policy and Strategy for Development and Promotion of Dzongkha
Dzongkha language
Government commissions of Bhutan
Language regulators
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