The Nuristani languages are a subgroup of the Indo-Iranian language family, spoken in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

History

The Nuristani languages were not described in the literature until the 19th century. The older name for the region was Kafiristan and the languages were termed Kafiiri or Kafiristani, but the terms have been replaced by the present ones as being less pejorative, for kafir means "infidel", while Nur means "light".

The recent view is to classify Nuristani as an independent branch of the Indo-Iranian language family,^[1] but a few classified it with the Indic group, while another characterized it as originally Iranian, but greatly influenced by the nearby Dardic languages. In any event, it would seem they arrived in their present homeland at a very early date, and unlike the Indo-Aryans, never entered the western Punjab of Pakistan.

The languages are spoken by tribal peoples in an extremely isolated mountainous region of the Hindukush, one that has never been subject to any real central authority in modern times. This area is located along the northeastern border of Afghanistan and adjacent portions of northwest Pakistan. These languages have not received the attention Western linguists like to give them. Considering the very small number of peoples estimated to speak them, they must be considered endangered languages.

There are five Nuristani languages, each spoken in several dialects. Major dialects include Kata-vari, Kamviri, and Vai-ala. Most of the Nuristanis in Pakistan speak Kamviri. These are influenced by, and sometimes classified as, Dardic languages; but this is more of a geographical classification than a linguistic one.

The Norwegian Iranist Georg Morgenstierne wrote that Chitral in Pakistan is the area of the greatest linguistic diversity in the world. Although Khowar is the predominant language of Chitral and northwestern Pakistan, more than ten other languages are spoken here. These include Kalasha-mun, Palula, Dameli, Gawar-Bati, Nuristani, Yidgha, Burushaski, Gujar, Wakhi, Kyrgyz, Persian and Pashto. Since many of these languages have no written form, letters are usually written in a modified Arabic alphabet.

List of Nuristani languages

• Askunu language (Ashkun) 2000 speakers
• Kamkata-viri language (Bashgali, includes the dialects Kata-vari, Kamviri & Mumviri) 24,200 speakers
• Vasi-vari language (Prasuni) 2000 speakers
• Tregami language (Gambiri) 1000 speakers
• Kalasha-ala language (Waigali) 2000 speakers

Literature

• Decker, Kendall D. (1992) Languages of Chitral http://www.ethnologue.com/show_work.asp?id=32850
• Morgenstierne, Georg (1926) Report on a Linguistic Mission to Afghanistan. Instituttet for Sammenlignende Kulturforskning, Serie C I-2. Oslo. ISBN 0-923891-09-9
• Jettmar, Karl (1985) Religions of the Hindu Kush ISBN 0-85668-163-6
• J. P. Mallory, In Search of the Indo-Europeans: Language, Archaeology and Myth, Thames and Hudson, 1989.
• James P. Mallory & Douglas Q. Adams, "Indo-Iranian Languages", Encyclopedia of Indo-European Culture, Fitzroy Dearborn, 1997.
• SIL Ethnologue http://www.ethnologue.com/show_family.asp?subid=90795
  • Nuristani Languages
  • Kamviri, a Language of Afghanistan
  • Kati, a Language of Afghanistan
  • Prasuni, a Language of Afghanistan
• Strand, Richard F. (1973) "Notes on the Nūristānī and Dardic Languages." Journal of the American Oriental Society, 93.3: 297-305.

References

External links

• Reiko and Jun's Japanese Kalash Page
• Hindi/Urdu-English-Kalasha-Khowar-Nuristani-Pashtu Comparative Word List
• Richard Strand's Nuristān Site This site is the primary source on the linguistics and ethnography of Nuristān and neighboring regions, collected and analyzed over the last forty years by the leading scholar on Nuristān.

See also

• Dardic languages
• Pamir languages
• Kalasha-mun language
• Garhwali

bn:?????????? ???????? de:Nuristani-Sprachen fa:???? ???????? gl:Linguas nuristanias ko:?????? hsb:Nuristanske r??e ku:Zimanźn nūristanī ja:????????? no:Nuristanispråk nn:Nuristanske språk ru:???????????? ????? th:?????????????????