Indus Kohistani
AltnameKostaie
Nativename
Kōstaiñ
RegionIndus Kohistan (Upper Kohistan, Lower Kohistan, Kolai-Palas districts as well as Tangir and Darel valleys)[1]
Speakers200,000
EthnicityIndus Kohistanis
Date1992
Refe25
FamilycolorIndo-European
Fam 2Indo-Iranian
Fam 3Indo-Aryan
Fam 4Eastern Dardic
Fam 5Kohistani
Iso 3mvy
Glottoindu1241
GlottorefnameIndus Kohistani
ScriptPerso-Arabic script (Nastaliq)

Indus Kohistani or simply Kohistani (, Kōstaiñ) is an Dardic Indo-Aryan language of Kohistani group spoken by the Indus Kohistani people in the former Kohistan District of Pakistan.[2] The language was referred to as Maiyã (Mayon) or Shuthun by early researchers, but subsequent observations have not verified that these names are known locally.[3]

Geographic distribution

Indus Kohistani is spoken on the west bank of the Indus River, down from but not including Dasu until Ranolia along the Indus valley. The major Indus Kohistani speaking settlements include Pattan, Ranolia, Jijal, Duber, Kandia, Seo, Komila and Bankad. A closely related dialect or language variety called Bateri is also spoken in Kolai-Palas Kohistan, on the east bank of Indus.[4]

Phonology

The phonology of Indus Kohistani varies between its major dialects as shown below.[5]

Vowels

FrontCentralBack
Closei iːu uː
Mide eːo oː
Opena aː

In the Kanyawali dialect, the back vowels /u/ and /o/ are described as variants of each other, as are the front vowels /i/ and /e/.

Consonants

The consonant inventory of Indus Kohistani is shown in the chart below. (Consonants particular to the Kanyawali Dialect of Tangir and those found only in the Kohistan Dialects are color-coded respectively.)

LabialCoronalRetroflexPalatalVelarUvularGlottal
NasalVoicedmnɳ
Breathy Voiced(mʱ)
StopVoicelessptʈk(q)
Aspiratedpʰtʰʈʰkʰ
Voicedbdɖɡ
Breathy Voicedbʱdʱɖʱɡʱ
AffricateVoicelesststʂtʃ
Aspiratedtsʰtʃʰ
Voiceddʒ
FricativeVoicelessfsʂʃxh
Voicedvzʐʒɣ
Laterall
RhoticVoicedrɽ
Breathy Voicedrʱɽʱ
Semivoweljw

The phonemes /x/, /ɣ/, and /q/ are mainly found in loan words. The status of /q/ in the Kanyawali Dialect is unclear. The sounds /f, v/ can also be bilabial [ɸ, β].[6]

Literature

Until recently Indus Kohistani did not have a written tradition. The Forum for Indus Kohistani Research & Culture Development (FIKR&CD) is a Non-Governmental Organization working for standardisation of its script and literature of Indus Kohistani. Shaari (ݜاری) is the first digital journal of Indus Kohistani.[7] Other notable works include "اباسین کوہستئیں ژِبہ مہ علم بلاغت آں علم بیان" (The art of rhetoric and elocution in the Indus Kohistani language), written by Dr. Hussain Ahmad Faizy and Rasheed Ahmad Faizy and published by the Forum for Language Initiatives (FLI).[8]

See also

References

  1. ^ Frembgen, Jurgen Wasin (1999). "Indus Kohistan An Historical and Ethnographie Outline". Central Asiatic Journal. 43 (1): 71. JSTOR 41928174
  2. ^ Jain, Danesh & Cardona, George (26 July 2007). The Indo-Aryan Languages. Routledge. p. 874. ISBN 978-1-135-79711-9.
  3. ^ Zoller 2005, p. 2.
  4. ^ Zoller 2005.
  5. ^ Edelman 1983, pp. 246, 253.
  6. ^ Zoller 2005, p. 36.
  7. ^ Faizy, Rasheed Ahmad & Faizy, Dr. Hussain Ahmad (2025-10-01). "Shaarii 0203". Shaari. Forum for Indus Kohistani Research & Culture Development (FIKR&CD)
  8. ^ "Forum for Language Initiatives -FLI". PakNGOs. Retrieved 2026-02-01.

Bibliography

  • Edelman, D. I. (1983). The Dardic and Nuristani Languages. Moscow: (Institut vostokovedenii︠a︡ (Akademii︠a︡ nauk SSSR)
  • Zoller, Claus Peter (2005). A grammar and dictionary of Indus Kohistani. Vol. 1: Dictionary. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter. ISBN 978-3-11-017947-7.