Katë language

Katë
Kamkata-vari, Kati
Native to	Afghanistan, Pakistan
Region	Nuristan, Kunar, Chitral
Native speakers	150,000 (2011-2017)
Language family	Indo-European Indo-Iranian Nuristani Katë
Dialects	Western Northeastern Southeastern
Writing system	Arabic script (Nastaliq)
Language codes
ISO 639-3	Either: bsh – Kati xvi – Kamviri
Glottolog	kati1270
ELP	Kati
Linguasphere	58-ACB-a

Katë, also known as Kamkata-vari or Kati, is the largest Nuristani language. It is a dialect continuum comprising three separate dialects spoken mostly in Afghanistan, with additional speakers in the Chitral District of Pakistan deriving from recent migrations a century ago. The Kata-vari (comprising Western and Northeastern) and Kamviri (comprising Southeastern) dialects are sometimes erroneously reckoned as two separate languages, but according to linguist Richard Strand they form one language.

The Katë language is spoken by 40,000–60,000 people, from the Kata, Kom, Mumo, Kshto and some smaller Black-Robed tribes in parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan. The most used alternative names for the language are Kati or Bashgali.

A descriptive grammar of this language was written by Jakob Halfmann in 2024.

Name

The name, pronounced [kaˈtɘ], is the ethnonym of the Kata people. Cognates of the ethnonym in other Nuristani languages include Waigali Kā̃ta [kãːˈta]. According to Halfmann (2024, p. 3), the names descend from a Proto-Nuristani form *Kānta-ka-.

Classification

It belongs to the Indo-European language family and is in the Nuristani group of the Indo-Iranian branch.

Dialects

There are three main dialects according to Halfmann (2024): Western Katë, Northeastern Katë, and Southeastern Katë (including Kamviri and Mumviri). The dialects are sometimes erroneously defined as separate languages. The Northeastern Katë dialect is commonly referred to as Shekhani in Chitral. In older literature, Southeastern Katë is split into Kamviri and Mumviri.

Status

Literacy rates are low: below 1% for people who have it as a first language and between 15% and 25% for people who have it as a second language. The Kata-vari dialect can be heard on radio in Afghanistan.

References

• Strand, Richard F. (2010). "Nurestâni Languages". Encyclopaedia Iranica, Online Edition. Archived from the original on 2016-11-06. Retrieved 2012-01-16.
• Strand, Richard F. (2022). "Ethnolinguistic and Genetic Clues to Nûristânî Origins". International Journal of Diachronic Linguistics and Linguistic Reconstruction. 19: 267–353.

Further reading

• Halfmann, Jakob (2024). A Grammatical Description of the Katë Language (Nuristani) (PhD thesis). Köln: Universität zu Köln.

External links

• Strand, Richard F. (1997). "Nuristan: Hidden Land of the Hindu-Kush". Retrieved 2012-01-16.
• Strand, Richard F. (1997). "The kâtʹa, kʹom, mumʹo, kṣtʹo, biniʹo, ǰâmčʹo, and ǰâšʹa". Retrieved 2012-01-16.
• Strand, Richard F. (1999). "Kâmvʹiri Lexicon". Retrieved 2012-01-16.
• Strand, Richard F. (1997). "The Sound System of Kâmvʹiri". Retrieved 2012-01-16.
• Strand, Richard F. (2011). "Kâtʹa-vari Lexicon". Retrieved 2012-01-16.
• Strand, Richard F. (2011). "The Sound System of Kt'ivřâ·i vari". Retrieved 2012-01-16.