The Lepcha language has been shrouded in a veil of tantalising mystique ever since Colonel George Mainwaring in the 1870s disseminated the myth that Lepcha was the most perfect of tongues and represented the primordial language of men and fairies. The present book is the first ever comprehensive reference grammar of this language, spoken by the indigenous tribal people of Darjeeling, Sikkim and Kalimpong. Some popular lore about Lepcha has a firm basis in fact, however. Lepcha represents a branch unto itself within the Tibeto-Burman languages. Lepcha is written in its own unique script. This highly readable grammar explains the structure of the language, its sound system and salient features, and includes a lexicon and cultural history. With financial support of the International Institute for Asian Studies (www.iias.nl).

This highly readable book is the first comprehensive reference grammar of the Lepcha language of Darjeeling, Sikkim and Kalimpong. This grammar explains the structure of the language, its sound system and salient features, and includes a lexicon and cultural history.

Excerpt from A Grammar of the Rong (Lepcha) Language, as It Exists in the Dorjeling and Sikim Hills Before presenting to the public a grammar of a language, it may be considered meet to give some information regarding the country and people, especially where, as in the present instance, little is known respecting either. Relating to the Lepchas and country, however, little information can be imparted. Sikim is in Lat. 27 2' 53 N. Lon. 88 18' 41 E. And is bounded on the North by Tibet on the East by prti(b1'1tan) on the West by Nepal; and formerly extended on the South to near Titalyah in the Plains. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works."