Chitral is a city located in the northern part of Pakistan. It is the capital city of the Chitral District. Before 14 August 1947, it was part of the princely state of Chitral. The area has rich cultural traditions and many ethnic groups can be found in the area. The local language is Dameli, and the dialects spoken here include Madaglashti, Sariquli, and Gojri.
Dameli language
The Dameli language is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by about 5 000 people in Chitral, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The language is largely influenced by its surrounding linguistic context and has a complex gender system. The grammatical gender system is divided into two sex classes: the feminine class for female higher animate nouns, and the masculine class for all other nouns. The two subsystems differ in how they assign gender.
The Dameli language is spoken in isolated villages in the Damel valley. There are twelve distinct language groups in Chitral. Most of these languages are indigenous to the region, while others have migrated from neighbouring regions. The majority of these languages are endangered. Dameli, one of the most endangered languages in the region, is spoken in isolated villages and is classified as Indo-European and Indo-Iranian. It has been heavily influenced by the Nuristani language.
FLI, a non-profit organization based in Chitral, Pakistan, is working on language and heritage preservation in the region. It estimates that there are at least 12 Dameli languages in the area, but most are undocumented. FLI recently organized a workshop for local communities to help document the Dameli language. The workshop was held in the Aspar village in the Damel valley.
The project is supported by USAID and will last one year. It will cover the Gawarbati, Dameli, and Yidgha languages in Chitral, and Ushojo in upper Swat. It will involve both field work and publications in these vernacular languages.
In Chitral, the Dameli language is spoken by about 3,000 people. The Dameli language is the local dialect and is used by locals for conversation. The Kafirs of the region are polytheistic and live in the Berer, Bomboret, and Rumbur valleys. Before Islam, the Kafirs of this area were mostly non-Muslims. The Kafirs were forced to convert to Islam. Today, missionaries from Deoband are actively proselytizing among the remaining Kafirs.
Madaglashti dialect
The Madaglashti dialect is an endangered language spoken by the people of Chitral in Pakistan. Despite efforts to protect the language, it is under threat because it is not written or used in the official language of the country. Though there are some initiatives under way, the work of these communities is not sustainable unless they are recognised by the government. In order to save the language, the government of Pakistan must set up plans and put proper measures in place, such as including the dialect in education and media.
The Madaglashti language is an example of Indo-European and Indo-Iranian languages. It is spoken by the people of the southern part of Chitral, especially in the Ashret and Biori valleys, and in some villages in Dir Kohistan.
The Madaklashti language is spoken by only 3,964 people in Chitral. Historically, the Madaklashti were a part of Afghanistan, and they arrived in the region around 200 years ago. Their language is similar to Dari, but Madaklasht speakers have maintained their identity as the language of Chitral.
This dialect is spoken in the Chitral Mountains of southern Pakistan. The population of the area is around two million. It is a closely related language to Sindhi. It is also spoken in India. The dialect of Chitral is primarily a lowland language, but also includes a number of highland dialects.
The people of Chitral are closely linked to Central Asia and China. The literacy rate of the Chitral region is 98 percent. It is also the highest among the population aged six to ten.
Sariquli language
Chitral Pakistan is the home of 14 languages and cultures, including the Sariquli language. Although the language is not included in the population census, locals speak their language and culture. The region is a crossroads of cultures. Among these 14 communities, the Kho language is the most common, with 82% of the population speaking it. The other groups include Gawarbati, Dameli, Palula, Kerghez, Wakhi, and Sariquli. All of these languages have a unique culture that is still preserved today.
Chitral is a tribal region in northwest Pakistan. The Kalash tribe lived in the south west region of the province. They live in three valleys and have a unique culture and language. Their origin is unknown, but some believe they were originally from Tsiyam, an ancient name of Thailand. Regardless of their origin, they migrated to Chitral and became master craftsmen.
Some of the speakers of the Khowar language can also be found in the Gupis-Yasin and Ghizer districts of Gilgit-Baltistan. Some of these speakers also speak Khowar as a second language. There are significant numbers of Khowar speakers in Peshawar, Islamabad, Lahor, and Karachi.
While the language of the Sariquli region of northern Pakistan is close to being extinct, it is still alive. Some of its speakers were relocated to China during the 1950s. In fact, the majority of Sariquli speakers now live in the Xinjiang-Uygur Autonomous Region of China. Despite this, the language is on the brink of extinction in Chitral. In addition to the recent decline in the number of speakers, the language is being lost by the younger generations of mixed ethnic families.
The Palula language of Chitral is another language spoken in the area. It is geographically located in the lower part of the district, near the Ashret Valley. Other villages in this region also speak the language.
Gojri language
The Gojri language is a language of the Chitral region of Pakistan. It is spoken by around 92% of the local population, and has a rich history. This language is considered to be endangered, but despite being an endangered language, the Gojri people maintain a strong cultural identity. They are a diverse ethnic group and have many different customs and traditions.
Gojri is an Indo-Aryan language with close linguistic ties to Rajasthani. Compared to its nearest neighbors, Gojri shares many features of its neighboring languages. The Gojri language is widely spoken throughout the Kashmir valley, especially in AJK and J&K.
The ancient tribe of Kalash lived in the southwest of Chitral, in three valleys. The tribe now numbers about 3,000 and has a unique culture. Its origins are unknown, but there are theories that the tribe originated in Syria or Tsiyam, an ancient name for Thailand. Despite their remote location, Kalash people are highly skilled craftsmen and masons, and their language is called Kalasha.
The Gojri language is also a highly-respected language in the region. It is spoken in the Lower and Upper Chitral areas of Chitral, where the literacy rate is high, at 98 percent. Among those groups, children aged six to ten have the highest literacy rates.
There are approximately 3,700-5,000 Gojri speakers in Pakistan. The dialects are similar to those of the Kolai Shina, Palas Shina, and Gilgiti Shina languages. They are also related to the Kutchi and Kalkoti languages.
Kalasha language
The Kalasha language is an Indo-Aryan language that is spoken by the Kalash people of the Chitral District of Pakistan. It has about 5,000 speakers and is an endangered language. Many of the Kalasha people are now relocating to Khowar. The language is a valuable cultural resource and is in danger of disappearing.
The Kalasha language has a unique vowel system, characterized by retroflex vowels. The Kalasha language may be the only language in the world that has symmetric retroflex vowels. To produce the retroflex vowel, the tongue tip curls upwards.
The Kalasha language is closely related to the Dardic language family. The language has five vowel qualities. In addition to these, it uses a set of five plain vowels. These vowels are placed on a cardinal vowel chart, where the front mid vowel /e/ is placed lower than the back mid vowel /o/.
Literature and resources are needed to learn and study this unique language. There are several books available on the subject. The first is a dictionary by R.L. Trail and G.R. Cooper, which includes both English and Urdu versions. Another reference work is by Colin P. Masica, who describes the language as the closest relative of Khowar and Ancient Sanskrit. It also retains voiced aspirate consonants.
While some Kalasha language experts consider themselves descendants of Alexander the Great, most historians believe they were indigenous to the area of Nuristan, also known as Kafiristan. Nuristan was conquered by the Amir Abdul Rahman in 1895, forcing many of its residents to convert to Islam. As a result, many fled to Chitral. The traditional home of the Kalash people is Tsiam, which is in the province of Kafiristan.
