Shekhani dialect

Eastern Kata-vari also locally known as Shekhani is a variety of the Kata-vari language spoken in Chitral district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan.[3] The Kamviri language is also known as Shekhani. The Khowar name for the dialect is Sheikhwar[4] which means "Language of the Sheikhs or converts."[5] Some linguists consider Shekhani or Eastern Kata-vari a different language due to the isolation from other Nuristani languages other than Kamviri.[6][7] Kamviri Shekhani is different than Eastern Kata-vari which is also called Shekhani.[8]

"Shekhani" redirects here. For the other language with the same name, see Kamviri.
Not to be confused with Shikhany.
Eastern Kata-vari
شیخانی (Shekhani)
Native toPakistan
RegionLutkuh Valley (Gobor, Shekhandeh, Rumbur, Badogar, and Urstsun), Upper Chitral District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Native speakers
1,500 (2003)[1][2]
Khowar alphabet (Perso-Arabic)
Language codes
ISO 639-3–

In August 2022, Pakistani linguist, Rehmat Aziz Chitrali proposed a keyboard to Khowar Academy, Chitral.[9]

Speakers

The speakers of Eastern Kata-vari migrated from Kamdesh in Nuristan in modern-day Afghanistan to Lutkuh Valley in Chitrali Princely State in British Raj during the 19th century.[10] Most Shekhani speakers speak either Pashto or Khowar as a second language. Many Shekhani speakers often marry the minority Pashtuns in the area.[11]

Phonology

Consonants
Labial Dental/
Alveolar		 Palato-
alveolar		 Retroflex Palatal Velar Glottal
Plosive voiceless p t ʈ k
voiced b d ɖ ɡ
Affricate voiceless t͡s t͡ʃ t͡ʂ tɕ
voiced d͡ʒ d͡ʐ
Fricative voiceless (f) s ʃ ʂ ɕ (x) h
voiced v z (ʒ) ʐ ʑ (ɣ)
Nasal m n ɳ ŋ
Tap ɾ (ɽ)
Approximant lateral l
central ɻ (j)
  • Sounds /ʒ ɽ ɣ/ occur from neighboring languages. /f x/ are borrowed from loanwords mainly from Khowar or Yidgha.
  • /ʈ/ can also be heard as an allophone [ɽ].
  • [j] is heard as an allophone of /i/.
  • /v/ can also be heard as bilabial [β] or a labial approximant [w].

Vowels
Front Central Back
High i ə u
Mid e o
Low a
  • Mid /ə/ can be heard as a close central [ɨ].

References
  1. Frawley, William J. (May 1, 2003). International Encyclopedia of Linguistics. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-977178-3 – via Google Books.
  2. "Writing System for Shekhani Language being developed". Pakngos.com.pk. April 15, 2021.
  3. "Experts work to develop writing system in Shekhani language". Chitraltoday.net. April 15, 2021.
  4. "Chitral Times || News Detail ||". Chitraltimes.com.
  5. "The languages of northern Pakistan | Political Economy". Thenews.com.pk.
  6. Baart, Joan (January 1, 2001). "Bibliography of Languages of Northern Pakistan, compiled by Joan L.G. Baart and Esther L. Baart-Bremer". NIPS-SIL Working Paper Series 1.
  7. "Dardic languages – RASHID AHMED GABARO". Rashidgabbaro.com. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
  8. Kati at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) closed access
  9. Chitrali, Rehmat Aziz. "Shekhani Keyboard". Keyman. Khowar Academy. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  10. "Linguistic Diversity, Multilingualism and Social Empowerment in Northern Pakistan" (PDF). Linguapax.org. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
  11. Rensch, Calvin Ross (July 25, 1992). "Sociolinguistic Survey of Northern Pakistan: Languages of Chitral". National Institute of Pakistan Studies, Quaid-i-Azam University – via Google Books.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.