[clarification needed] Grierson termed the language the "Lahaul dialect".
The language was first studied after the foundation of a Moravian Church mission office in 1854.
Jaeschke published a Tibetan–English dictionary that included a comparative table of words from different languages spoken in the region, including Stod Bhoti, but without explicitly mentioning the name of the language.
In 1934, Roerich studied this language extensively, naming it 'Kolong' after its chief village.
The People's Linguistic Survey of India (PLSI) identified two prominent features of the language: a distinct tone and simplification of compound consonants.