Wakhi language
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Wakhi x̌ik zik | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spoken in: | Afghanistan (9,600), China (6,000), Pakistan (9,100), Tajikistan (7,000) | |
| Total speakers: | approximately 31,700 | |
| Language family: | Indo-European Indo-Iranian Iranian Eastern Iranian Southeastern Iranian Pamir Wakhi | |
| Writing system: | Arabic, Cyrillic, Latin | |
| Language codes | ||
| ISO 639-1: | none | |
| ISO 639-2: | to be added | |
| ISO/FDIS 639-3: | — | |
Wakhi is an Iranian language in the subbranch of Southeastern Iranian languages (see Pamir languages).
Contents |
[edit] Classification and Distribution
The Wakhi are of several languages that belong to the Pamir language group. A reflection of this is the fact that the Wakhi are occasional called Pamiris or Mountain Tajiks. The origin of this language is Wakhan, an area divided between in the extreme northeast of Afghanistan and Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province in Tajikistan. A very rough estimate of the population of Wakhi Tajiks is 50,000 worldwide. The Wakhi live in four different countries. In the northern areas of Pakistan the Wakhi people mainly live in Gojal, Ishkoman, Darkut, and Broghol. They also live in many parts of Tajikistan, Afghanistan, and China. The religion of the Wakhi is Shia Ismaili Islam; they are followers of His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan.
[edit] In Tajikistan
There is some controversy surrounding the ethnic and linguistic designation of the Wakhi. In Tajikistan the Wakhi and other communities that speak one of the Pamir languages refer to themselves as Pamiri or Badakhshani and there has been a movement to separate their identity from that of the majority Tajiks. Conversely, in Pakistan the Wakhi refer to themselves as Tajiks. Whether Wakhi is a separate language from Tajik or a dialect of Tajik has been equally controversial. Linguists universally refer to Wakhi as an Iranian language independent of Tajik, but many Tajik nationalists insist that Wakhi and other Pamir languages are actually dialects of Tajik.<ref>Viires, Ants, Lauri Vahtre (2001). The Red Book of the Peoples of the Russian Empire. Tallinn: NGO Red Book. ISBN 9985-936922. </ref>
[edit] In Pakistan
In Pakistan, the central organization of the Wakhi is the Wakhi Tajik Cultural Association Pakistan (WTCA), an organization that is registered with the Government of Pakistan and which works with the collaboration of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Lok Virsa Pakistan. The Association is working for the preservation of the Wakhi Tajiki language and culture, as well as documenting their poetry and music. The literacy rate among Wakhi Tajiks in the northern areas of Pakistan is about 60%.
Radio Pakistan Gilgit relays the Wakhi radio programme "Sadaye Baamy Dunya", the voice of the roof of the world. The Wakhi Tajik Cultural Association has arranged more than twenty programmes since 1984, which includes cultural shows, musical nights, and large-scale musical festivals with the collaboration of Lok Virsa Pakistan, the Aga Khan Cultural Service Pakistan (AKCSP), and Pakistan television. In 2000, the WTCA won a "Best Programme" organizer award in the Silk Road Festival from the President of Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf. A computerized codification of the Wakhi script has been released, which will help to promote the language development programme and documentation of Wakhi poetry, literature, and history. <ref> (2001) Wakhi Tajik Cultural Association report 1991–2001. Pakistan: Wakhi Tajik Cultural Association.</ref>
[edit] Vocabulary
The Wakhi lexicon exhibits significant differences with both Western Iranian languages such as Persian or Tajik, and also with the other Pamir languages. Gawarjon's comparison of the dialects of Sarikoli and Wakhi spoken in China and the Western Iranian languages is reproduced below.
| English gloss | Persian | Tajik | Shughni | Sarikoli | Wakhi |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| son | pisær (پسر) | pisar (писар) | puts | pɯts | putr |
| fire | atiʃ (اتش) | otaʃ (оташ) | joːts | juts | rɯχnig |
| water | ab (اب) | ob (ов) | xats | xats | jupk |
| hand | dæst (دست) | dast (даѕт) | ðust | ðɯst | ðast |
| foot | pa (پا) | po (по) | poːð | peð | pɯð |
| tooth | dændan (دندان) | dandon (дандон) | ðinðʉn | ðanðun | ðɯnðɯk |
| eye | tʃæʃm (چشم) | tʃaʃm (чашм) | tsem | tsem | tʂəʐm |
| horse | æsb (اسب) | asp (асп) | voːrdʒ | vurdʒ | jaʃ |
| cloud | æbr (ابر) | abr (абр) | abri | varm | mur |
| wheat | gændum (گندم) | gandum (гандум) | ʒindam | ʒandam | ɣɯdim |
| meat | gʉʃt (گوشت) | gʉʃt (гушт) | guːxt | gɯxt | guʂt |
| many | bisjar (بسيار) | bisjor (бисйор) | bisjoːr | pɯr | təqi |
| high | bulænd (بلند) | baland (баланд) | biland | bɯland | bɯland |
| far | dʉr (دور) | dur (дур) | ðar | ðar | ðir |
| good | χʉb (خوب) | χub (хуб) | χub | tʃardʒ | baf |
| small | χurd (خرد) | χurd (хурд) | dzul | dzɯl | dzɘqlai |
| to say | guft (گفت) | guft (гуфт) | lʉvd | levd | xɘnak |
| to do | kærd (كرد) | kard (кард) | tʃiːd | tʃeig | tsɘrak |
| to see | did (ديد) | did (дид) | wiːnt | wand | wing |
[edit] References
<references/>
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Gojal Valley
- Ethnologue data: Languages of the World, 15th Edition
- The Wakhis: Article from the Ismaili dot net
- Wakhi people group statistics
- English-Ishkashimi-Zebaki-Wakhi-Yazghulami Vocabularybr:Wakheg
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