ABSTRACT
The Lepcha people call themselves Róng or Róngkup ‘children of the Róng’, in full Mútuncí Róngkup Rumkup ‘Children of the Róng and of God’, and their language is called Róng-ríng. The term ‘Lepcha’ derives from Nepali L%pce or L%pc%, which originally had the derogatory connotation of ‘inarticulate speech’. Nowadays, the term ‘Lepcha’ is widely used without this connotation.
