Pahari-Potwari

A language of Pakistan

Pahari, Pahari-Pothowari, Pothohari, Potohari, Potwari

2,500,000 in Pakistan (Lothers and Lothers 2007). Total users in all countries: 3,541,900.

Azad Kashmir province: all but far north; Khyber Pakhtunkwa province: Abbottabad district; Punjab province: Gujarat, Jhelum, and Rawalpindi districts; Islamabad.

Language Maps

6a* (Vigorous).

Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan, Intermediate Divisions, Western, Panjabi, Western Panjabi

Dialects

Pahari (Chibhali, Dhundi-Kairali), Pothwari (Chhachhi, Potwari), Punchhi (Poonchi), Mirpuri, Gujar Khan. ’Pahari’, hill language; Potwari is the language of the Pothwar Plateau. A chain of related varieties with Punjabi [pnb], Hindko [hno], [hnd], and Saraiki [skr], also called Greater Punjabi. Degree of similarity to Western Pahari varieties in India unknown. Lexical similarity: 76%–84% among varieties called, Pahari, Potwari, and some called Hindko in Mansehra, Muzzaffarabad, and Mirpuri in Jammu. A member of macrolanguage Lahnda [lah].

Language Development

Radio. Bible portions: 2021.

Language Resources

OLAC resources in and about Pahari-Potwari

Writing

Arabic script, Naskh variant [Arab]. Arabic script, Nastaliq variant [Aran], primary usage.

Other Comments

Muslim.