kls ISO 639
Kal’as’amon Autonyms
Kalasha
Visualizations
A language of Pakistan
- ISO 639
- kls
- Alternate Names
- Calasa, Dardu, Kalasa, Kalash, Kalashamon, Kalashamond, Kalashamondr, Kalashi
- Autonym
- Kal’as’amon
- Population
- 5,000 (Heegård Petersen 2006). 3,200 in Northern Kalasha area; unknown and decreasing number in Southern Kalasha area.
- Location
- Khyber Pakhtunkwa province: south Chitral district, Urtsun valley (southern Kalasha dialect); Birir, Bumboret, and Rumbur valleys (northern Kalasha dialect).
- Language Maps
- Northern Pakistan
- Language Status
- 6a* (Vigorous).
- Classification
- Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan, Outer Languages, Northwestern, Dardic, Chitral
- Dialects
- Southern Kalasha (Urchuniwar, Urtsun, Urtsuniwar), Northern Kalasha (Birir, Bumboret, Rumbur). Very little contact between northern and southern dialects of Kalasha, so there are difficulties in communication now. Lexical similarity: 75% southern dialect with northern dialects.
- Typology
- SOV.
- Language Use
- In the south, Kalasha is being supplanted by Khowar [khw] or Kati [bsh]. Home, in-group communication in the north. All also use Khowar [khw], in the south in the home, for in-group communication and elsewhere but with low proficiency; men in Birir do not speak it, but women there are learning the language. Many also use Urdu [urd], especially by women. Some also use Kati [bsh], especially in the south, in the home, and for in-group communication. Used as L2 by Kati [bsh].
- Language Development
- Literature. Dictionary. Grammar. Texts.
- Writing
- Arabic script, Naskh variant [Arab]. Arabic script, Nastaliq variant [Aran]. Latin script [Latn], used since 2000, primary usage.
- Other Comments
- Originally Kalasha was the language of most of the southern Chitral district. Now Khowar [khw] is the predominant language, with earlier languages just used in villages of the side valleys. Traditional religion, Muslim.
- Language Resources
- OLAC resources in and about Kalasha
