Kamkata-vari language
Kamkata-vari (Kâmkata-vari) is the largest Nuristani language. It contains the main dialects Kata-vari, Kamviri and Mumviri. Kata-vari and Kamviri are sometimes erroneously reckoned as two separate languages, but according to linguist Richard Strand they form one language.[2]
| Kamkata-vari | |
|---|---|
| Kati | |
| Kâmkata-vari | |
 | |
| Native to | Afghanistan, Pakistan |
| Region | Nuristan, Kunar, Chitral |
Native speakers | 150,000 (2011-2017)[1] |
Indo-European
| |
| Dialects | |
| Arabic script (Nastaliq) | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | Either:bsh – Katixvi – Kamviri |
| Glottolog | kati1270 |
| ELP | Kati |
| Linguasphere | 58-ACB-a |
The Kamkata-vari language is spoken by 40,000–60,000 people, from the Kata, Kom, Mumo, Kshto and some smaller Black-Robed tribes in parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan. There are dialectal differences of the Kamkata-vari speakers of Pakistan. The most used alternative names for the language are Kati or Bashgali.
Classification
It belongs to the Indo-European language family and is in the Nuristani group of the Indo-Iranian branch.
Dialects
There are four main dialects: Eastern Kata-vari, Western Kata-vari, Kamviri and Mumviri. The last two are sometimes erroneously defined as separate languages. Eastern Kata-vari and Kamviri are commonly both referred to as Shekhani in Chitral.[3]
Status
Literacy rates are low: below 1% for people who have it as a first language and between 15% and 25% for people who have it as a second language. The Kata-vari dialect can be heard on radio in Afghanistan.
References
- Kati at Ethnologue (21st ed., 2018)
Kamviri at Ethnologue (21st ed., 2018) - "Richard Strand's Nuristân Site: Peoples and Languages of Nuristan". nuristan.info. Retrieved 2022-06-04.
- Torwali, Zubair (2020). "Countering the challenges of globalization faced by endangered languages of North Pakistan". Language Documentation and Description. 17: 51.
- Strand, Richard F. (2010). "Nurestâni Languages". Encyclopaedia Iranica, Online Edition. Archived from the original on 2016-11-06. Retrieved 2012-01-16.
External links
- Strand, Richard F. (1997). "Nuristan: Hidden Land of the Hindu-Kush". Retrieved 2012-01-16.
- Strand, Richard F. (1997). "The kâtʹa, kʹom, mumʹo, kṣtʹo, biniʹo, ǰâmčʹo, and ǰâšʹa". Retrieved 2012-01-16.
- Strand, Richard F. (1999). "Kâmvʹiri Lexicon". Retrieved 2012-01-16.
- Strand, Richard F. (1997). "The Sound System of Kâmvʹiri". Retrieved 2012-01-16.
- Strand, Richard F. (2011). "Kâtʹa-vari Lexicon". Retrieved 2012-01-16.
- Strand, Richard F. (2011). "The Sound System of Kt'ivřâ·i vari". Retrieved 2012-01-16.