Region Kohistan, Swat Writing system Arabic script Glottolog indu1241 | Native speakers (200,000 cited 1992) ISO 639-3 mvy | |
Language family Indo-European
Indo-Iranian
Indo-Aryan
Dardic
Kohistani
Indus Kohistani | ||
Indus Kohistani is a Dardic language spoken in part of the Indus valley in Kohistan District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, Pakistan. The language was referred to as Maiyã (Mayon) or Shuthun by early researchers, but subsequent observations have not verified that these names are known locally. It is also known as Abasin Kohistani.
Contents
Phonology
The phonology of Indus Kohistani varies between its major dialects as shown below.
Vowels
In the Kanyawali dialect, the back vowels /u/ and /o/ are described as variants of each other, as are the front vowels /i/ and /e/.
Consonants
The consonant inventory of Indus Kohistani is shown in the chart below. (Consonants particular to the Kanyawali Dialect of Tangir and those found only in the Kohistan Dialects are color-coded respectively.)
The phonemes /x/, /ɣ/, and /q/ are mainly found in loan words. The status of /q/ in the Kanyawali Dialect is unclear.