Katë, also known as Kamkata-vari or Kati, is the largest Nuristani language. It is a dialect continuum comprising three separate dialects spoken mostly in Afghanistan, with additional speakers in the Chitral District of Pakistan deriving from recent migrations a century ago. The Kata-vari (comprising Western and Northeastern) and Kamviri (comprising Southeastern) dialects are sometimes erroneously reckoned as two separate languages, but according to linguist Richard Strand they form one language.[2]
| Katë | |
|---|---|
| Kamkata-vari, Kati | |
 | |
| Native to | Afghanistan, Pakistan |
| Region | Nuristan, Kunar, Chitral |
Native speakers | 150,000 (2011-2017)[1] |
| Dialects | |
| Arabic script (Nastaliq) | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | Either:bsh – Katixvi – Kamviri |
| Glottolog | kati1270 |
| ELP | Kati |
| Linguasphere | 58-ACB-a |
The Katë 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. The most used alternative names for the language are Kati or Bashgali.
A descriptive grammar of this language was written by Jakob Halfmann in 2024.
Name
editThe name, pronounced [kaˈtɘ], is the ethnonym of the Kata people. Cognates of the ethnonym in other Nuristani languages include Waigali Kā̃ta [kãːˈta]. According to Halfmann (2024, p. 3), the names descend from a Proto-Nuristani form *Kānta-ka-.
Classification
editIt belongs to the Indo-European language family and is in the Nuristani group of the Indo-Iranian branch.
Dialects
editThere are three main dialects according to Halfmann (2024): Western Katë, Northeastern Katë, and Southeastern Katë (including Kamviri and Mumviri). The dialects are sometimes erroneously defined as separate languages. The Northeastern Katë dialect is commonly referred to as Shekhani in Chitral. In older literature, Southeastern Katë is split into Kamviri and Mumviri.[3]
Status
editLiteracy 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
edit- ^ 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.
- Strand, Richard F. (2022). "Ethnolinguistic and Genetic Clues to Nûristânî Origins". International Journal of Diachronic Linguistics and Linguistic Reconstruction. 19: 267–353.
Further reading
edit- Halfmann, Jakob (2024). A Grammatical Description of the Katë Language (Nuristani) (PhD thesis). Köln: Universität zu Köln.
External links
edit- 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.
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