Pronunciation [kʰælkoːʈ] Region Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ISO 639-3 xka | Native speakers 6,000 (2006) | |
Language family Indo-EuropeanIndo-IranianIndo-AryanDardicShinaKalkoti | ||
Kalkoti is a Dardic language of the Shina group spoken in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It is surrounded by languages predominantly in the Kohistani group.It is only spoken in a few villages of Kalkot
Contents
Phonology
The following tables outline the phonology of Kalkoti.
Vowels
Short vowels are slightly centralized; nasalization of vowels may be phonemic.
Consonants
The phonemes /q, ʦ, x, z, ɣ, ɽ/ have likely been introduced by loanwords. The voiceless aspirate series is secure, and, unlike the neighboring Palula language, Kalkoti does not have a breathy voiced series. The phonemic status of /ʔ/ is unclear and is likely tied to tone in Kalkoti.
Tone
Kalkoti's system of tone likely was similar to Shina's two tone system; however, under pressure from its Kohistani neighbors it may now have a more complex tone inventory.