Alternate Names: Chiarong, Gyarong, Gyarung, Jarong, Jyarung, Keru, Rgyarong
Dialects: Chabao (Central Jiarong, Dazang, Northeastern Jiarong, Northern Jiarong), Sidaba (Caodeng, Northwestern Jiarong, Western Jiarong), Situ (Eastern Jiarong). Varieties of Situ are: Ma’erkang, Lixian, Jinchuan (Dajin), and Xiaojin. Varieties of Sidaba are Caodeng and Ribu. Western and Northern phonology are fairly similar but differ greatly from Eastern. Dialects are likely three separate mutually unintelligible languages. Lexical similarity: 75% between Eastern and Northern Jiarong (with significant phonological differences), 60% between Western and Northern, 13% between the Situ dialect and Horpa ,.
Status Notes: Language of recognized nationality: Tibetan.
Genealogy:
Demographics: 83,000 (1999 Sun Hong Kai). 25,000 monolinguals. Ethnic population: 151,000 (Lin Xiangrong 1993). Includes 139,000 in Situ Jiarong, 12,200 in Chabao and Sidaba.
Language Use: Vigorous. All domains. All ages. Positive attitudes, but intellectuals worry about diminishing use. 950 also use Central Tibetan [bod]. 56,000 also use Mandarin Chinese [cmn]. 50 also use Northern Qiang [cng].
Language Development: Radio programs. Dictionary.
Typology: SOV; phonologically and lexically similar to Tibetan, grammatically more similar to Pumi and Qiang; complex consonant clusters; limited pitch contrast.
Writing System: Tibetan
Nation of Origin: China
Other Comments: Traditional religion, Buddhist (Lamaist).