Kurtöp language

Kurtöp, also known as Zhâke or Au Gemale, is an endangered East Bodish language spoken by about 4,500 people primarily in the Lhüntse District of Bhutan. It is spoken by the Kurtöps, a group of subsistence and dairy farmers in the traditional Kurtö region near the Bhutan–China border, though some local Kurtöps speak Dzala or Chocangacakha instead. The language is traditionally considered a dialect of Bumthang, but more recent research has categorized Bumthang and Kurtöp, along with Kheng and Nupbi, as distinct languages within a larger Bumthangic subfamily.