Gawar-Bati language

Gawar-Bati
Gawar-Bati
Narsati
Native to	Afghanistan, Pakistan
Region	Kunar,province, Chitral
Native speakers	75,000 (2017–2024)
Language family	Indo-European Indo-Iranian Indo-Aryan Dardic Kunar Gawar-Bati; ; ; ; ;
Language codes
ISO 639-3	gwt
Glottolog	gawa1247
ELP	Gawar-Bati
	Gawar-Bati is classified as Definitely Endangered by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger

Gawar-Bati or Narsati is an Indo-Aryan language spoken in Kunar Province of eastern Afghanistan and across the border in Pakistan. It is also known as Kohistani in Kunar. Gawar-Bati has an estimated 75,000 speakers, of whom 50,000 are in Kunar and 25,000 in Chitral, Pakistan. Gawari ( Gawar-Bati) Language first Writer is Mohammad Nawaz Haqiqat Sanin is a prominent figure in Gawari literature and poetry. He is known for his contributions to the promotion and preservation of the Gawari language. His works have played a significant role in the development of modern Gawari literature. Mohammad Nawaz Haqiqat Sanin has written numerous books in Gawari literature. His works often focus on the culture, history, and traditions of the Gawari-speaking people. He has contributed significantly to the development of Gawari poetry and prose. His books are well-regarded for their literary quality and their role in preserving Gawari language and heritage.

Study and classification

The Gawar-Bati language has not been given serious study by linguists, except that it is mentioned by George Morgenstierne (1926) and Kendall Decker (1992).

It is classified as an Indo-Aryan language of the Dardic subgroup. However, the term Dardic is not linguistic but merely geographic.^[2]

Phonology

The following tables set out the phonology of the Gawar-Bati language:^[3]

Vowels

	Front	Central	Back
Close	i iː		u uː
Mid	(e) eː		(o) oː
Open		a aː

The status of short /e/ and /o/ is unclear.

Consonants

A breathy voiced series, /bʱ dʱ gʱ/, existed recently in older speakers—and may still do so.

		Labial	Coronal	Retroflex	Palatal	Velar	Glottal
Nasal		m	n	ɳ
Stop	voiceless	p	t	ʈ		k
	voiced	b	d	ɖ		ɡ
	aspirated	pʰ [pf f]	tʰ	ʈʰ		kʰ
Affricate	voiceless		ts	tʂ	tʃ
	voiced		dz	dʐ	dʒ
	aspirated		tsʰ	tʂʰ	tʃʰ
Fricative	voiceless		s	ʂ	ʃ	x	h
Fricative	voiced		z	ʐ	ʒ	ɣ
Approximant					j	w
Lateral	plain		l
Lateral	Fricative		ɬ ~ l̥
Rhotic			r	ɽ

Orthography

It is rarely written. This alphabet is used in Pakistan:^[4]

Letter	ا	ب	پ	ت	ٹ	ث	ج	چ	ح	خ	ڄ	ݮ	څ	ځ	د	ڈ	ذ	ر	ڑ	ز	ژ	ݫ	س
Transliteration	ā, Ø	b	p	t	ṭ	s	ǰ	č	h	x	c̣	j̣	c	j	d	ḍ	z	r	ṛ	z	ẓ	ž	s
IPA	[aː], Ø	[b]	[p]	[t]	[ʈ]	[s]	[d͡ʒ]	[t͡ʃ]	[h]	[x]	[ʈ͡ʂ]	[ɖ͡ʐ]	[t͡s]	[d͡z]	[d]	[ɖ]	[z]	[r~ɾ]	[ɽ]	[z]	[ʐ]	[ʒ]	[s]
Letter	ش	ݭ	ص	ض	ط	ظ	ع	غ	ف	ق	ک	گ	ل	ݪ	م	ن	ݨ	ں	ه	ء	و	ی	ے
Transliteration	š	ṣ	s	z	t	z	ʔ	ǧ	f	q	k	g	l	ł	m	n	ṇ	˜	h	ʔ	w, ū, o	y, ī	e
IPA	[ʃ]	[ʂ]	[s]	[z]	[t]	[z]	[ʔ]	[ɣ]	[f]	[q]	[k]	[ɡ]	[l]	[ɬ~l]	[m]	[n]	[ɳ]	[˜]	[h]	[ʔ]	[w], [uː], [oː]	[j], [iː]	[eː]
Letter	تھ	پھ	ٹھ	چھ	ڄھ	څھ	کھ	َ	ِ	ُ
Transliteration	th	ph	ṭh	čh	c̣h	ch	kh	a	i	u
IPA	[tʰ]	[pʰ]	[ʈʰ]	[t͡ʃʰ]	[ʈ͡ʂʰ]	[t͡sʰ]	[kʰ]	[a]	[i]	[u]

Notes and references

^ Gawar-Bati at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)
^ Bashir, Elena (2007). Jain, Danesh; Cardona, George (eds.). The Indo-Aryan languages. Routledge. p. 905. ISBN 978-0415772945. 'Dardic' is a geographic cover term for those Northwest Indo-Aryan languages which [..] developed new characteristics different from the IA languages of the Indo-Gangetic plain. Although the Dardic and Nuristani (previously 'Kafiri') languages were formerly grouped together, Morgenstierne (1965) has established that the Dardic languages are Indo-Aryan, and that the Nuristani languages constitute a separate subgroup of Indo-Iranian.
^ Edelman, D. I. (1983). The Dardic and Nuristani Languages. Moscow: Institut vostokovedenii︠a︡ (Akademii︠a︡ nauk SSSR). p. 139.
^ Gawarbati Alif Be fli-online.org

External links

35°19′38″N 71°35′05″E / 35.32722°N 71.58472°E / 35.32722; 71.58472

[e25-1] Gawar-Bati at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

[jain-cardona-2007-2] Bashir, Elena (2007). Jain, Danesh; Cardona, George (eds.). The Indo-Aryan languages. Routledge. p. 905. ISBN 978-0415772945. 'Dardic' is a geographic cover term for those Northwest Indo-Aryan languages which [..] developed new characteristics different from the IA languages of the Indo-Gangetic plain. Although the Dardic and Nuristani (previously 'Kafiri') languages were formerly grouped together, Morgenstierne (1965) has established that the Dardic languages are Indo-Aryan, and that the Nuristani languages constitute a separate subgroup of Indo-Iranian.

[3] Edelman, D. I. (1983). The Dardic and Nuristani Languages. Moscow: Institut vostokovedenii︠a︡ (Akademii︠a︡ nauk SSSR). p. 139.

[4] Gawarbati Alif Be fli-online.org

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