Dardian languages

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The Dardic languages are a subgroup of the Indo-Aryan languages ​​which, together with the Iranian languages, form a branch of Indo-European . The 25 or so Dardic languages ​​are spoken by around 6 million people in the Hindu Kush region of Pakistan , Afghanistan and in the Indian and Pakistani parts of Kashmir .

With 4.6 million speakers by far the largest Dardic language and the only one with a literary tradition is Kashmiri , which is mainly spoken in northern India (Kashmir region) . Other important Dardic languages ​​in Pakistan are the Shina with 500,000 speakers in the Gilgit region, the Khowar (220,000) in Chitral, Indus-Kohistani (220,000) in Kohistan and the Pashai ( 110,000 ) in the province Kunar.

Scope and positioning of Dardian

It has not yet been definitively clarified which languages ​​should belong to "Dardic". If the Nuristani languages ​​were included up until the 1970s - the former name Kafiri languages ​​is no longer used because it means "language of the unbelievers" - the majority of researchers today tend towards the Nuristani languages ​​as a separate third The branch of Indo-Iranian should be understood as being on an equal footing with Iranian and Indo-Aryan and should no longer be assigned to the Dardic languages. The position of the (remaining) Dardic languages ​​within New Indo Aryan is still in dispute . While some researchers regard it as a sub-branch of Northwest Indian ( e.g. together with Lahnda , Sindhi and Dogri ), while others consider it to be one of the North Indian languages ​​(together with Nepali , Kumauni and Garhwali ), the positioning of Dardic continues as an independent branch of Indo Aryan by. This leads to the following situation, which is shared by the majority of researchers:

  • Indo-European
    • Indo-Iranian
      • Iranian
      • Nuristani
      • Indo-Aryan
        • Dardian
        • further branches of Indo-Aryan

Classification of the Dardic languages

This classification of the Dardic languages ​​and the language names used are based on the representations of the individual languages ​​in the Sociolinguistic Survey of Northern Pakistan and Studies in Languages ​​of Northern Pakistan . The direct source is the web link given below. The classification in Ethnologue is partly out of date, and the differentiation between language and dialect does not correspond to the more recent research results.

  • Dardish (23 languages ​​with 6 million speakers)
    • Kunar : Widespread in the catchment area of ​​the Kunar River in West Pakistan and East Afghanistan
      • Pashai (110 thousand speakers)
      • Gawarbati (10 thousand)
      • Dameli (5 thousand)
      • Shumasti (1 thousand)
    • Chitral : widespread in the catchment area of ​​the Chitral valley in West Pakistan
      • Khowar (Chitrali) (240k)
      • Kalash (5k)
    • Kohistani : widespread in Kohistan and in the catchment area of ​​the Indus in northern Pakistan
      • Indus Kohistani (220 thousand)
      • Kalami Kohistani (Bashkarik, Garwi) (40k)
      • Torwali (60k)
      • Bateri (30 thousand)
      • Kalkoti (4 thousand)
      • Chilisso (3 thousand)
      • Gowro (200)
      • Wotapuri-Katarqalai (2 thousand)
      • Tirahi (100)
    • Shina : common in the Gilgit area of northern Pakistan and the adjacent valleys
      • Shina (500k)
      • Brokshat (Brokskat, Brokpa ) (3 thousand)
      • Ushojo (2 thousand)
      • Dumaki (500) [ also considered the Domari dialect ]
      • Phalura (Dangarik) (10 thousand)
      • Sawi (sow) (3 thousand)
    • Kashmiri : widespread mainly in the Indian, but also in the Pakistani part of Kashmir
      • Kashmiri (Keshur) (4.6 million; in India 4.5 million, in Pakistan 100 thousand)

literature

General

  • Elena Bashir: Dardic. In: George Cardona, Dhanesh Jain (Ed.): The Indo-Aryan Languages. Routledge, London 2003.
  • Omkar N. Koul: Kashmiri. In: George Cardona, Dhanesh Jain (Ed.): The Indo-Aryan Languages. Routledge, London 2003.
  • Colin P. Masica: The Indo-Aryan Languages. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 1991.

Sociolinguistic Survey of Northern Pakistan

  • Calvin Rensch et al: Languages ​​of Kohistan. (= Sociolinguistic Survey of Northern Pakistan. Vol. 1). Islamabad 2002. ( Treatment of the languages ​​Kalami, Torwali, Ushojo, Indus Kostani, Chilisso, Gowro and Bateri .)
  • Peter Backstrom et al: Languages ​​of Northern Areas. (= Sociolinguistic Survey of Northern Pakistan. Vol. 2). Islamabad 2002. ( Treatment of the Dumaki and Shina languages .)
  • Kendall Decker: Languages ​​of Chitral. (= Sociolinguistic Survey of Northern Pakistan. Vol. 5). Islamabad 2004. ( Treatment of the languages ​​Khowar, Phalura, Sawi, Kalasha, Dameli and Gawarbati .)

Studies in Languages ​​of Northern Pakistan (SLNP)

  • Joan LG Baart: The Sounds and Tones of Kalam Kohistani. (= Studies in languages ​​of Northern Pakistan. Vol. 1). Islamabad 1997.
  • Carla F. Radloff et al: Folktales in the Shina of Gilgit. Text, Grammatical Analysis and Commentary. (= Studies in languages ​​of Northern Pakistan. Vol. 2). Islamabad 1998.
  • Carla F. Radloff: Aspects of the Sound System of Gilgiti Shina. (= Studies in languages ​​of Northern Pakistan. Vol. 4). Islamabad 1999.
  • Joan LG Baart: A Sketch of Kalam Kohistani Grammar. (= Studies in languages ​​of Northern Pakistan. Vol. 5). Islamabad 1999.
  • Ronald L. Trail et al .: Kalasha Dictionary - with English and Urdu. (= Studies in languages ​​of Northern Pakistan. Vol. 7). Islamabad 1999.
  • Daniel G. Hallberg and others: Indus Kohistani. A Preliminary Phonological and Morphological Analysis. (= Studies in languages ​​of Northern Pakistan. Vol. 8). Islamabad 1999.
  • Joan LG Baart among others: Kalam Kohistani Texts. (= Studies in languages ​​of Northern Pakistan. Vol. 9). Islamabad 2004.

Web links