Indus Kohistani

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Kohistani language
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Kohistani (Indus Kohistani)
Maiyã
کوستَیں
Kōstaiñ
Indus Kohistanis
Native speakers
(200,000 cited 1992)[2]
Language codes
ISO 639-3mvy
Glottologindu1241

Indus Kohistani or simply Kohistani (کوستَیں ژباں, Kōstaiñ) is an Indo-Aryan language spoken in the former Kohistan District of Pakistan.[3] The language was referred to as Maiyã (Mayon) or Shuthun by early researchers, but subsequent observations have not verified that these names are known locally.[4]

Phonology

The phonology of Indus Kohistani varies between its major dialects as shown below.[5]

Vowels

Front Central Back
Close i u
Mid e o
Open a

In the Kanyawali dialect, the back vowels /u/ and /o/ are described as variants of each other, as are the front vowels /i/ and /e/.

Consonants

2017 Pakistan Census

The consonant inventory of Indus Kohistani is shown in the chart below. (Consonants particular to the Kanyawali Dialect of Tangir and those found only in the Kohistan Dialects are color-coded respectively.)

Labial Coronal Retroflex Palatal Velar Uvular Glottal
Nasal
Voiced
m n ɳ
Breathy Voiced ()
Stop
Voiceless
p t ʈ k (q)
Aspirated
ʈʰ
Voiced
b d ɖ ɡ
Breathy Voiced ɖʱ ɡʱ
Affricate
Voiceless
ts
Aspirated
tsʰ tʃʰ
Voiced
Fricative
Voiceless
f s ʂ ʃ x h
Voiced
v z ʐ ʒ ɣ
Lateral l
Rhotic
Voiced
r ɽ
Breathy Voiced ɽʱ
Semivowel j w

The phonemes /x/, /ɣ/, and /q/ are mainly found in loan words. The status of /q/ in the Kanyawali Dialect is unclear. The sounds /f, v/ can also be bilabial [ɸ, β].[6]

See also

References

  1. JSTOR 41928174
    .
  2. ^ Kohistani (Indus Kohistani) at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) Closed access icon
  3. .
  4. ^ Zoller 2005, p. 2.
  5. ^ Edelman 1983, pp. 246, 253.
  6. ^ Zoller 2005, p. 36.

Bibliography

  • Edelman, D. I. (1983). The Dardic and Nuristani Languages. Moscow: (Institut vostokovedenii︠a︡ (Akademii︠a︡ nauk SSSR).
  • Zoller, Claus Peter (2005). A grammar and dictionary of Indus Kohistani. Vol. 1: Dictionary. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter. .