LINGUIST List 9.11

Wed Jan 7 1998

FYI: Kalasha-Khowar-Nuristani Word List

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  • Sam Sloan, Kalasha-Khowar-Nuristani Word List

    Message 1: Kalasha-Khowar-Nuristani Word List

     Date: Sun, 28 Dec 1997 16:13:50 -0500
    From: Sam Sloan <sloanishipress.com>
    Subject: Kalasha-Khowar-Nuristani Word List


    KALASHA - KHOWAR - NURISTANI WORD LIST

    This is a comparative list of 205 words in English, Kalasha, Khowar, Nuristani, Hindi-Urdu and Pashtu.

    Kalasha is spoken by the so-called "Black Kafirs" who live in the valleys of Bumboret, Birir and Rumbur in Chitral, Northwest Pakistan.

    There are only 3,000 people left who still practice the Kalash religion. However, there are about 3,000 others who have converted from Kalash to Islam but who have reverted to speaking Kalasha. Thus, there are a total of 6,000 speakers of Kalasha.

    Traditionally, when a person changed his religion from Kalash to Islam, he stopped speaking Kalasha and started speaking Khowar. The Kalash say that they came from a place called Tsyam, but nobody knows where that place is or was.

    Those who have reverted to speaking Kalasha live primarily in Urtsun and Jinjoret Valleys south of Drosh and in the Village of Kalkatak in Chitral.

    Nuristani is spoken by the former so-called "Red Kafirs" who live primarily in the Kunar Province of Afghanistan. There are 100,000 speakers of Nuristani. There are three varieties of Nuristani: Kativiri, Kamviri and Mumviri. It is not clear whether these three are dialects or are independent languages, but they are related. Kativiri is used in my word list below.

    The Nuristanis are an old tribe who, it is believed, were encountered by Alexander the Great when he came through the area in 327 BC. Some claim that the Nuristanis are actual descendants of the soldiers of Alexander of Macedonia. This claim is almost certainly not true, as it seems clear that the Nuristanis were already there when Alexander arrived, and that his historians wrote about them.

    There is a popular movie entitled "The Man Who Would Be King" staring Sean Connery which is based upon the legend that the Nuristanis came from Alexander the Great.

    The Nuristanis themselves claim that they are the original Qureish, the tribe of Muhammad, the Prophet. When the people of Mecca converted to Islam, there were a few who kept the old religion and were therefore driven out of Mecca. They migrated to Afghanistan and became the Nuristanis, or so the Nuristanis say. However, nobody other than the Nuristanis themselves seem to believe this story to be true.

    Nuristan was conquered by King Abdul Rehman of Afghanistan in 1893, who forcibly converted the Nuristanis to Islam. Previously, their land was known as Kafirstan and their language as Kafirstani.

    Kalasha is classified as being closely related to Khowar but, as this word list demonstrates, they are far apart and only distantly related. Nuristani is even more distantly related. These three languages are all classified as "Dardic" languages.

    Included herein are also my Hindi-Urdu and Pashtu word lists. The purpose for inclusion is simply to demonstrate that Kalasha, Khowar and Nuristani are not related to Urdu or Pashtu.

    Credit is due to Kendall Decker of the Summer Institute of Linguistics for providing data, although I doubt that Mr. Decker wants to take the credit (and blame) for my method of transcription.

    - Ismail Sloan

    English Kalasha Khowar Nuristani Hindi-Urdu Pashtu

    body Che qalip jith jism badan head shish kapal she sar sar hair chawar phur zhu bal wextu face ru mox naskor chehra max eye ech ghech ache akh starga ear ka kar kor ekkan ghwag nose nast neskar naso nak poza mouth ashi apak ashi muh zolu tooth dandorik don duth ekdat ghax tounge jiph ligini dits zaban jiba breast chuchu pap chuk chati sina belly kuch shkama kutal pet xeta arm/hand baza bazu gotar bazu las elbow harkin kurkun apti kohni sangal palm pe phan dushpar hatheli tale finger agu chamut ayu ungli gota fingelnail nanguzhek dughur nachi naxun nukh leg khur dek zapo tan xpaq skin post phost chum jidl sarman bone athi kol ati hadi aduke heart hia hardi ziri dil zaru blood lui lei lui xun wina urine mutra miru tsuio peshab mutiaze feces rich rich gii puxana dake-mutiaze village grom deh grom gau kale house dur dur amu ghar kor roof drami istan krum chat chath door dur dowaht du darwaza war firewood shula dar da lakri largi broom shashkoni mazhini ska jharu jaru mortar dipa andor aru langri langarei pestle muso musul wo hathi chetu hammer balka chota budil hathera satak knife chaku chaku chaku chaqu chaku axe badok bardox wuza kulhara tabar rope rajuk shimeni mina rasi pare thread sutr sutur pchiche dhaga tar needle suzhik shunj chimchich sui stan cloth chelegar zap pizisna kapra kapra ring angushtyer pulungushtu angishti anguthi gota sun suri yor su suraj nwar moon mastruk mas mos chand spogmai sky di asman asma asman asman star tari istari rushto sitara store rain piliwe boshik agol baris baran water ukh ugh o pani ubu river patisholi sin nao darya sind cloud minji kot naru badal waryaz lighting indochik bilpak dashpulsela bijili prakigi rainbow indru dronhanu indro quzah tal wind sira gan dimi hawa hawa stone bath boht wat pathar kane path pon pon puth rasta lar sand shigo shughur tsuyu ret shaga fire angar angar ango ag our smoke thum kushun dyum dhua luge ash shutik pheru asi rakh ira mud tuk toq shur kichar xata dust khatur gihth paras miti gard gold sue sorum sun sona zar tree muth kan kanu daraxt wana leaf pu chan pur pata pana root iznos iwak lu jhar jarare thorn chuk zux tai kata azghe flower gamburi gamburi pish phul gwal fruit mewa mewa miwa phal mewa mango am am am am am banana kela kela kila kela kela wheat ghum gom gum gehu ghanam millet ain gras ro bajra warbashi rice grinzh grinj mo chawal wrije potato alu alu aluk alu alu eggplant khalia patigan banjon baenan tor-batingar groundnut bum-pali mum-phali mom-phali mun-phali mumpali chili mach mahch murch mirch marchake turmeric zechawa zehchawa zarchawa haldi kurkaman garlic weshnu wrezhnu wezhnu lehsan uga onion kachenduk trashtu cheknuk piaz piaz cauliflower gobi gobi gulpi gobi gobi tomato patingel patingel patingal tamatar sur-batingar oil tel tel til tel tel salt lu trup zhukh namak malga meat mos phushur bete gosht ghwaxa fat me ghap ske cherbi wazda fish matsi matsi omatsa machli kab chicken kakawak kahak kok murghi charga egg ayukun ayukun puduk anda hu cow gakh leshu go gae ghwa buffalo gamesh gamesh mashigo bhes mexa milk chhir chhir zu dudh pe horns shin surung shin sing xkar tail dameri rum demee dum lake goat pai pai washi bakri biza dog shua reni kui kuta spe snake gokh ai bibimsta saap mar monkey meka mukul maka bandar bizo mosquito trakmangash kagunu tarak machar mashe ant pililak pilili ramikh chiuti mege spider upalak shubinak parkemuk makri jola name nom nam nom nam num man much mosh manshi admi sare woman istizha kimeri jukur urat xaza child suda tsiq pirmi bacha mashum father dada tat to bap plar mother aya nan nu ma mor brother baya brar bro bhai ror sister baba ispisar sus bahen xor son putr zhao pitr beta zwe daughter chu zhur jukh beti lur husband beru mosh mach shohar xawand wife ja bok shtiri bivi xaza boy purushguek daq midi larka halak girl shtrizhaguek kumoru jukh larki jine day bas anus gijur din wraz night rat chhui radur rat shpa morning adua chhuchhi puchkul subah sahar noon hulukuna granish grish dopaher gharma afternoon chakdiwio sham shom sham maxam yesterday dosh dosh dus kal parun today oja hanun shirakgijur aj nan tomorrow chopo pengachui dalke ainda-kal saba week sat-bas hafta agar hafta hafta month mastruk mas mos mihana miasht year kao sal si sal kal old shumberan paranu syuma purana zor new noa nogh nui nea nawe good prusht jam lasta acha xu bad shum shum digar xarab xarab wet grila zah zheli bhiga lund dry shushta ChuChhu drisht xushk wach long driga drung darga lamba ugud short betsak iskurdi moti chota lund hot tapala pech pech garam tod cold osh ushak yuz thanda yax right drach hoski dachin dae xe left kawri kholi ka bae gas near shoiuna shoi tevire qarib nizde far desha duderi badyur dur lare big gada Lot alr bara ghat small chutyak tsiq parmi chota warkote heavy anguraka qai gamwo bhari drund light lots lots luka halka spak above tara sora ula upar uchat below nuna mula viri niche lande white goirak shpiru kashir sufed spin black krizhna sha zhi kala tor red lachia krui za lal sur one ek i ew ek yao two du ju dui do dwa three tre troi tere tin dre four chao Chor shtewo char salor five poin poch puch pach pinza six sho Chhoi shu che shpag seven sat sot suth sat uwe eight asht usht ushth ath atu nine no niu nu nao naha ten dash jush duts das las eleven dashyega sushi yanits gyara yaolas twelve dashyedua johju dits bara dolas twenty bishi bishir vatsi bis shal one-hundred shor shor putsi ekso sal who kura ka katsi kun sok what kia kiagh kai kya su where kawa kura kor kidhar charta when kayo kiawaht koi kab kala how-many kimon kanduri chuk kitne somra which kure kiwali gajista kensa kam this ia haya eni ye da that se hes iki wo agha these emi hamit amni ye da those eli het amki wo agha same barubar barabar erngest ekhi yaoshan whole taza pura pura mukamal rogh broken chhina Chhirdu patingusti tuta mat few chutyak kam echok thora lag many bo bo baluk ziada der all sao saf tsak sab tol eat zhuk zhibik yu tumkhao xoral bite ashato oyoi atushio katna chichal hungry anora Chuyi io bhukh lagna drink pi pik pi pina skal thirsty dan trush opi lagna kedal sleep dudi oreik prush sona udakedal lay drekda porik chi letna samlastal sit nas nishik nis baethna kenastal give pra dik pre dena warkawal burn upweik paleik lush jalana talargi die anashi brik misi marna mrakedal kill nash mareik jai marna wajal fly upul ulik undr urna alwatal walk! kasi kosik esti chalna paidalarsha run adyae deik achu durna mandawahal go par bik etu jana talal come a gik hatsi ana ratlal speak ama ludik wila bolna wayal heard sanga kara singa suna awredal see pashi poshik waa dekhna katal I a awa uts mae zu you tu tu twi tum tu you-(formal) tu tu twi ap taso he/she asa hes iki vo hagha we abi spa imu ham munga you-(plural) abi pisa sho tum taso they eli het amki vo haghwi