Thaḷī is a Lahnda dialect spoken in parts of the

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

i provinces of

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising a ...

and

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ps, خېبر پښتونخوا; Urdu, Hindko: خیبر پختونخوا) commonly abbreviated as KP or KPK, is one of the Administrative units of Pakistan, four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, ...

. It has a widespread area, starting from Tank to Muzzafargarh on the eastern end of the Indus River and from Bannu running down to D I khan at the western end of the Indus River. It is classified as a northern dialect of Saraiki, although it has also been described as transitional between

Shahpuri Shahpuri is a Punjabi dialect spoken in the Sargodha Division of Punjab Province in Pakistan. Grierson considered it to be representative of Lahnda (Western Punjabi), but later opinions have tended to see it as a dialect of Punjabi that is ...

and the central Saraiki

Multani dialect Saraiki ( '; also spelt Siraiki, or Seraiki) is an Indo-Aryan language of the Lahnda group, spoken by 26 million people primarily in the south-western half of the province of Punjab in Pakistan. It was previously known as Multani, after it ...

. Its name derives from the

Thal Desert The Thal desert (Urdu, Punjabi: ) is situated at 31°10’ N and 71°30’ E in the province of Punjab, Pakistan. Located near the Pothohar Plateau, the area falls under the Indomalayan biogeographic realm and stretches for a length of approximat ...

. Thali is one of several Saraiki dialects that are commonly known as ''Jaṭkī''. It is spoken in Khushab District and parts of the former

Shahpur District Shahpur District was a district in current day Pakistan from 1893, during the British Raj, till 1960. From 1893 to 1914 Shahpur was the district headquarters. In 1914 the district headquarters were moved from Shahpur to Sargodha, although the dis ...

where it is known as ''Thaḷī''. Its local name in

Jhang District Jhang District (Punjabi and ur, ) is a district of Faisalabad division in the Punjab province, Pakistan. Jhang city is the capital of district. Geography Jhang District has a triangle-like shape, with its apex at the narrow southwestern co ...

is ''Thaḷochṛī''. In Dera Ismail Khan District it goes by the name of ''Ḍerāwāl'' or '' Derawali'', and in

Mianwali Mianwali (Punjabi/ ur, ) is the capital city of Mianwali District in Punjab, Pakistan. The 81st largest city of Pakistan, it is known for its diverse population of, Punjabi and Pashtun ethnicities. History Mianwali District was an agricult ...

and Bannu districts it is known as ''Hindko'' or ''Mulkī''. A dialect of Thali spoken in the northeast is known as ''Kacchī''. Inhabitants of Dera Ismail Khan District, presumably speakers of this dialect, variously identify their language as Saraiki or Hindko. Likewise for those living in Mianwali District, who identify their language as either Punjabi or Saraiki. Thali is spoken in the following districts of Punjab Province and districts of Kyber Pakhtunkha Province: *

Layyah District Layyah District ( skr, , urd, ), is a district in the Punjab, Pakistan. It is located in the southern part of the province. Layyah City is the district headquarter of Layyah District. Layyah has hot desert climate. The main languages spoke ...

*parts of Muzaffargarh District * Dera Ismail Khan District *

Tank District Tank District ( ps, ټانک ولسوالۍ, ur, '; skr, ') is a district in Dera Ismail Khan Division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan. The city of Tank is the capital of the district, which consists of Union Council City I and U ...

Lakki Marwat District Lakki Marwat ( ps, لکی مروت ولسوالۍ, ur, ) is a district in Bannu Division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan. It was created as an administrative district on July 1, 1992, prior to which it was a tehsil of Bannu District ...

* Bhakkar District *parts of

Mianwali District The Mianwali District ( ur, ), is a district located in Sargodha Division of Punjab province, Pakistan. It was separated from NWFP in 1901, and has a border with the Chakwal, Attock,Kohat, Karak, Lakki Marwat, Dera Ismail Khan, Bhakkar, a ...

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * The account of Thali here is based entirely on Grierson's ''

Linguistic Survey of India The Linguistic Survey of India (LSI) is a comprehensive survey of the languages of British India, describing 364 languages and dialects. The Survey was first proposed by George Abraham Grierson, a member of the Indian Civil Service and a linguist ...

''. * (requires registration). {{Punjabi dialects Languages of Pakistan Punjabi dialects