Gawar-Bati language

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Gawar-Bati
Narsati
Gawar-Bati.svg
Native toAfghanistan, Pakistan
Region Kunar,province, Chitral
Native speakers
75,000 (2017–2024) [1]
Language codes
ISO 639-3 gwt
Glottolog gawa1247
ELP Gawar-Bati
Lang Status 60-DE.svg
Gawar-Bati is classified as Definitely Endangered by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger

Gawar-Bati or Narsati is an Indo-Aryan language spoken in Kunar Province of eastern Afghanistan and across the border in Pakistan. It is also known as Kohistani in Kunar. Gawar-Bati has an estimated 75,000 speakers, of whom 50,000 are in Kunar and 25,000 in Chitral, Pakistan. Gawari ( Gawar-Bati) Language first Writer is Mohammad Nawaz Haqiqat Sanin is a prominent figure in Gawari literature and poetry. He is known for his contributions to the promotion and preservation of the Gawari language. His works have played a significant role in the development of modern Gawari literature. Mohammad Nawaz Haqiqat Sanin has written numerous books in Gawari literature. His works often focus on the culture, history, and traditions of the Gawari-speaking people. He has contributed significantly to the development of Gawari poetry and prose. His books are well-regarded for their literary quality and their role in preserving Gawari language and heritage.

Contents

Study and classification

The Gawar-Bati language has not been given serious study by linguists, except that it is mentioned by George Morgenstierne (1926) and Kendall Decker (1992).

It is classified as an Indo-Aryan language of the Dardic subgroup. However, the term Dardic is not linguistic but merely geographic. [2]

Phonology

The following tables set out the phonology of the Gawar-Bati language: [3]

Vowels

Front Central Back
Close iu
Mid (e)(o)
Open a

The status of short /e/ and /o/ is unclear.

Consonants

A breathy voiced series, /bʱ dʱ gʱ/, existed recently in older speakers—and may still do so.

Labial Coronal Retroflex Palatal Velar Glottal
Nasal mnɳ
Stop voiceless ptʈk
voiced bdɖɡ
aspirated [pff]ʈʰ
Affricate voiceless ts
voiced dz
aspirated tsʰtʂʰtʃʰ
Fricative voiceless sʂʃxh
voiced zʐʒɣ
Approximant jw
Lateral plainl
Fricative ɬ~
Rhotic rɽ

Orthography

It is rarely written. This alphabet is used in Pakistan: [4]

Letterابپتٹثجچحخڄݮڅځدڈذرڑزژݫس
Transliteration ā, Øbptsǰčhxcjdzrzžs
IPA [aː], Ø[b][p][t][ʈ][s][d͡ʒ][t͡ʃ][h][x][ʈ͡ʂ][ɖ͡ʐ][t͡s][d͡z][d][ɖ][z][r~ɾ][ɽ][z][ʐ][ʒ][s]
Letterشݭصضطظعغفقکگلݪمنݨںهءویے
Transliteration šsztzʔǧfqkglłmn˜hʔw, ū, oy, īe
IPA [ʃ][ʂ][s][z][t][z][ʔ][ɣ][f][q][k][ɡ][l][ɬ~l][m][n][ɳ][˜][h][ʔ][w], [uː], [oː][j], [iː][eː]
Letterتھپھٹھچھڄھڅھکھَُِ
Transliteration thphṭhčhc̣hchkhaiu
IPA [tʰ][pʰ][ʈʰ][t͡ʃʰ][ʈ͡ʂʰ][t͡sʰ][kʰ][a][i][u]

Notes and references

  1. Gawar-Bati at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) Closed Access logo transparent.svg
  2. Bashir, Elena (2007). Jain, Danesh; Cardona, George (eds.). The Indo-Aryan languages. Routledge. p. 905. ISBN   978-0415772945. 'Dardic' is a geographic cover term for those Northwest Indo-Aryan languages which [..] developed new characteristics different from the IA languages of the Indo-Gangetic plain. Although the Dardic and Nuristani (previously 'Kafiri') languages were formerly grouped together, Morgenstierne (1965) has established that the Dardic languages are Indo-Aryan, and that the Nuristani languages constitute a separate subgroup of Indo-Iranian.
  3. Edelman, D. I. (1983). The Dardic and Nuristani Languages. Moscow: Institut vostokovedenii︠a︡ (Akademii︠a︡ nauk SSSR). p. 139.
  4. Gawarbati Alif Be fli-online.org

Further reading

35°19′38″N71°35′05″E / 35.32722°N 71.58472°E / 35.32722; 71.58472