Language

A number of dialects are spoken by the inhabitants of district Kinnaur which came under 'Kinnauri' or 'Kanauri'. According to classification of languages made by the Linguistic Survey of India, 'Kanauri' comes under Tibet-Chinese Family of Languages. It has further been classified as language belonging to Western Sub-Group of Pronominalized Himalayan Group belonging to Tibeto-Himalayan Branch under Tibeto-Burnab Sub-Family (Census of India 1961, Vol. 1 India, Part II-C(ii). Languages Tables.P.CL.XVI). In Shimla Hill States Gazetteer, 1910, there is mention of three dialects spoken in Kinnaur. These are Hindi, Kinnauri and English Also there are as many as nine different dialects used by various sections in district Kinnaur.

The villagers on the Tibetan Border speak Tibetan dialects of western Tibet. The extent of spoken Tibetan is limited to the village of Nesang, Kunu and Charang adjoining Tibet. Jangram dialect is spoken in Jangi, Lippa and Asrang villages of Moorang tehsil. The Shumceho dialect is spoken in the villages of Kanam, Labrang, Spilo, Shyaso and Rushkalang of Pooh tehsil. A Kinnauri-Jangram mixture is the language used in Rakchham and Chhitkul villages of Sangla tehsil. The Scheduled castes speak a language which is closer to that of certain parts of the adjoining districts of Kinnaur. Besides these dialects the educated people of Kinnaur can speak Hindi also. Both men and women, specially in Sangla and Kalpa valley can speak English in addition to their mother tongue and Hindi--