Kata-vari is a
dialect
The term dialect (from Latin , , from the Ancient Greek word , 'discourse', from , 'through' and , 'I speak') can refer to either of two distinctly different types of linguistic phenomena:
One usage refers to a variety of a language that ...
of the
Kamkata-vari language
Kamkata-vari (') is the largest Nuristani language. It contains the main dialects Kata-vari, Kamviri and Mumviri. Kata-vari and Kamviri are sometimes erroneously reckoned as two separate languages, but according to linguist Richard Strand the ...
spoken by the
Kata
''Kata'' is a Japanese word ( 型 or 形) meaning "form". It refers to a detailed choreographed pattern of martial arts movements made to be practised alone. It can also be reviewed within groups and in unison when training. It is practis ...
in parts of
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bord ...
and
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
. The most used alternative names are ''Kati'', ''Kativiri'' or ''Bashgali''.
It is spoken by approximately 40,000 people (mostly in Afghanistan, just over 3,700 in Pakistan), and its speakers are
Muslim. Literacy rates are low: below 1% for people who have it as a
first language
A first language, native tongue, native language, mother tongue or L1 is the first language or dialect that a person has been exposed to from birth or within the critical period. In some countries, the term ''native language'' or ''mother tong ...
, and between 15% to 25% for people who have it as a
second language
A person's second language, or L2, is a language that is not the native language ( first language or L1) of the speaker, but is learned later. A second language may be a neighbouring language, another language of the speaker's home country, or a ...
.
There are two main sub-dialects: Eastern Kata-vari and Western Kata-vari. In Afghanistan, Western Kata-vari is spoken in the
Ramgal,
Kulam,
Ktivi and
Paruk valleys of
Nuristan
Nuristan, also spelled as Nurestan or Nooristan (Dari: ; Kamkata-vari: ), is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the eastern part of the country. It is divided into seven districts and is Afghanistan's least populous province, w ...
. Eastern Kata-vari is spoken in the upper
Landai Sin Valley. In Pakistan, Eastern Kata-vari or
Shekhani is spoken in
Chitral District
Chitral District ( ur, ) was the largest district in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, covering an area of 14,850 km², before splitting into Upper Chitral District and Lower Chitral District in 2018. Part of the Malakand Div ...
, in
Gobor and the upper
Bumboret Valley.
Phonology
Consonants
* Sounds /ʒ ɽ ɣ/ occur from neighboring languages. /f x/ are borrowed from loanwords.
*/ʈ/ can also be heard as an allophone
�
*
is heard as an allophone of /i/.
* /v/ can also be heard as bilabial
�or a labial approximant
Vowels
* Mid /ə/ can be heard as a close central
�
Vocabulary
Pronouns:
1sg. uze (nominative), ie (accusative), iema (genitive)
1pl. imu (nominative/accusative/genitive)
2sg. tiu (nominative), tu (accusative), tuma (genitive)
2pl. šo (nominative/accusative/genitive)
Numbers:
1: ev
2: diu
3: tre
4: štavo
5: puč
6: ṣu
7: sut
8: uṣṭ
9: nu
10: duć
References
*
*
*
*
External links
*
*
*
*
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{{Languages of Pakistan
Nuristani languages of Afghanistan
Languages of Afghanistan
Languages of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Languages of Chitral
Nuristani languages