Languages of Chitral
Encyclopedia
Chitral is the northernmost district in Pakistan's Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province and is a former Princely State
. Despite being in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chitral is not a Pashtun area. Chitral shares much of its history and culture with the neighboring territory of Gilgit-Baltistan. The major language of Chitral is Khowar, a Dardic langanuage known as Chitrali language. Accoording to the research of Rehmat Aziz Chitrali, Director Khowar Academy
most of the minority languages spoken in Chitral are also Dardic including Kalasha
, Gawarbati, Dameli
, Madaklashti, Kirghizi and Phalula. Iranic
languages spoken by immigrant groups in Chitral include Pashto, Persian
, and Wakhi
. An indigenous Iranic language spoken in Chitral is Yidgha
. There are also migrants form Nuristan who speak several Nuristani
dialects. Finally there is a large community if Gujjar
herdmen who were originally nomadic, but have now settled permanently in parts of Lower Chitral and they speak the Indo-Aryan
Gojri
Language.
Thus Chitral is considered to be one of the most lingusitically diverse regions in the world, but nearly all of these groups use Khowar as a lingua-franca for inter-ethnic communication, except for the southernmost part of the district where Pashto plays that role.
Princely state
A Princely State was a nominally sovereign entitity of British rule in India that was not directly governed by the British, but rather by an Indian ruler under a form of indirect rule such as suzerainty or paramountcy.-British relationship with the Princely States:India under the British Raj ...
. Despite being in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chitral is not a Pashtun area. Chitral shares much of its history and culture with the neighboring territory of Gilgit-Baltistan. The major language of Chitral is Khowar, a Dardic langanuage known as Chitrali language. Accoording to the research of Rehmat Aziz Chitrali, Director Khowar Academy
Khowar Academy
Khowar Academy is an Khowar language organisation founded by Rehmat Aziz Chitrali in 1996 in Karachi for the promotion of Khowar language and other fourteen languages of Chitral Pakistan...
most of the minority languages spoken in Chitral are also Dardic including Kalasha
Kalasha
Kalasha, also spelled as Kalash and kalasa , is a metal pot with a large base and small mouth, large enough to hold a coconut. Sometimes "Kalasha" also refers to such a pot filled with water and topped with a coronet of mango leaves and a coconut...
, Gawarbati, Dameli
Dameli
Dameli is a language spoken by approximately 5,000 people in the Domel Valley, in the Chitral District of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan....
, Madaklashti, Kirghizi and Phalula. Iranic
Iranian languages
The Iranian languages form a subfamily of the Indo-Iranian languages which in turn is a subgroup of Indo-European language family. They have been and are spoken by Iranian peoples....
languages spoken by immigrant groups in Chitral include Pashto, Persian
Persian people
The Persian people are part of the Iranian peoples who speak the modern Persian language and closely akin Iranian dialects and languages. The origin of the ethnic Iranian/Persian peoples are traced to the Ancient Iranian peoples, who were part of the ancient Indo-Iranians and themselves part of...
, and Wakhi
Wakhi
Wakhi may be:* The Wakhi language, the language of the majority of the people of Wakhan* Wakhi, an ethnic group in Wakhan, Afghanistan* An adjective; of or relating to Wakhan, the extreme northeastern region of Afghanistan that borders China, Tajikistan, and Pakistan...
. An indigenous Iranic language spoken in Chitral is Yidgha
Yidgha
The Yidgha language is a Pamir language spoken in the Upper Lutkuh Valley of Chitral, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa west of Garam Chashma in Pakistan...
. There are also migrants form Nuristan who speak several Nuristani
Nuristani
The Nuristani people are an ethnic group Aryan-Iranian to the Nuristan region of northeastern Iran and Afghanistan. The Nuristanis are a people whose ancestors practiced what was apparently an ancient Indo-Iranian polytheistic religion until they were conquered and converted to Islam in the late...
dialects. Finally there is a large community if Gujjar
Gujjar
The Gurjar are an ethnic group in India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Alternative spellings include Gurjara, Gujar, Gurjjara and Gūrjara. The spelling Gurjara or Gurjar is preferable to the rest....
herdmen who were originally nomadic, but have now settled permanently in parts of Lower Chitral and they speak the Indo-Aryan
Indo-Aryan languages
The Indo-Aryan languages constitutes a branch of the Indo-Iranian languages, itself a branch of the Indo-European language family...
Gojri
Gojri
Gojri, also known as Gujari is a variety of Rajasthani spoken by the Gujjars of Northern-Pakistan, India and Afghanistan.Rajasthani, Marwari and Gujarati are evolved from Gujari. The language was known as Gujjar bhakha or Gurjar Apabhramsha lately. It was used as literary language as early as 12th...
Language.
Thus Chitral is considered to be one of the most lingusitically diverse regions in the world, but nearly all of these groups use Khowar as a lingua-franca for inter-ethnic communication, except for the southernmost part of the district where Pashto plays that role.