kls ISO 639

Kal’as’amon Autonyms

Kalasha

  • Geography

    PK Khyber Pakhtunkwa province: south Chitral district, Urtsun valley (southern Kalasha dialect); Birir, Bumboret, and Rumbur valleys (northern Kalasha dialect).
  • Language Cloud

A language of Pakistan

kls
Calasa, Dardu, Kalasa, Kalash, Kalashamon, Kalashamond, Kalashamondr, Kalashi
Kal’as’amon
5,000 (Heegård Petersen 2006). 3,200 in Northern Kalasha area; unknown and decreasing number in Southern Kalasha area.
Khyber Pakhtunkwa province: south Chitral district, Urtsun valley (southern Kalasha dialect); Birir, Bumboret, and Rumbur valleys (northern Kalasha dialect).
Northern Pakistan
6a* (Vigorous).
Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan, Outer Languages, Northwestern, Dardic, Chitral
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.
SOV.
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].
Literature. Dictionary. Grammar. Texts.
Arabic script, Naskh variant [Arab]. Arabic script, Nastaliq variant [Aran]. Latin script [Latn], used since 2000, primary usage.
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.
OLAC resources in and about Kalasha