Native to Afghanistan ISO 639-3 bsh | Region Kunar Province Glottolog kati1270 | |
Native speakers (19,000 cited 1992–1994) Language family Indo-European
Indo-Iranian
Nuristani
Kamkata-viri
Kata-vari | ||
Kata-vari is a dialect of the Kamkata-viri language spoken by the Kata in parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan. The language is similar to Khowar. The most used alternative names are Kati, Kativiri or Bashgali.
It is spoken by approximately 40,000 people (mostly in Afghanistan, just over 3,700 in Pakistan), and its speakers are Muslim. Literacy rates are low: below 1% for people who have it as a first language, and between 15% to 25% for people who have it as a second language.
There are two main sub-dialects: Eastern Kata-vari and Western Kata-vari. In Afghanistan, Western Kata-vari is spoken in the Ramgal, Kulam, Ktivi and Paruk valleys. Eastern Kata-vari is spoken in the upper Landai Sin Valley. In Pakistan, Eastern Kata-vari is spoken in Chitral District, in Gobar and the upper Bumboret Valley.