Âṣkuňu (Saňu-vīri) is a language of Afghanistan spoken by the Ashkun people – also known as the Âṣkun, Ashkun, Askina, Saňu, Sainu, Yeshkun, Wamas, or Grâmsaňâ – from the region of the central Pech Valley around Wâmâ and in some eastern tributary valleys of the upper Alingar River in Afghanistan's Nuristan Province. Other major places where the language of Ashkun is spoken are Nuristan Province, Pech Valley in Wama District, eastern side of the Lower Alingar Valley in Nurgaram and Duab districts, Malil wa Mushfa, Titin, Kolatan and Bajagal valleys.

It is classified as a member of the Nuristani sub-family of the Indo-Iranian languages.

Name

The name Ashkun comes from Âṣkuňu [aʂkuˈɽ̃u] in the local language. The alternative name Saňu [sɘˈɽ̃u] in Ashkun, denoting a group of people living in Wâmâ, has cognates in other Nuristani languages, such as Kamviri Ćâňu [t͡saˈɽ̃u], Kata-vari Ćâvřu [t͡saˈβɻu], and Prasuni Zünyu [zyn̪ˈju].

Demographics

Current status: There are currently about 40,000 ethnic people who speak this language. None of the mentioned people are monolinguals. Illiteracy rate among this group of people is around 5%-15%.

Location: Upper-middle Pech Valley and over the watershed into the Bâźâigal, Mâsēgal, and Titin valleys of upper Laghmân.

Dialects/Varieties: Âṣkuňu-veri (Kolâtâ̄, Titin, Bâźâigal), Gřâmsaňâ-vīri, Saňu-vīri (Wâmâî). Not intelligible with the other Nuristani languages.

Dialects

Âṣkuňu can be split into several dialects spoken in southwestern Nuristan, including Âṣkuňu-veri (Kolâtâ̄), Gřâmsaňâ-vīri, Saňu-vīri (Wâmâî), Titin, and Bâźâigal. The main body of the Âṣkuňu tribe inhabits the Aṣkũgal (Kolâtâ̄, Mâsēgal) Valley, which drains southwestward into the Alingar River. These people speak a dialect which differs from that of their neighbors in the Titin Valley to the south (cf. Morgenstierne 1929). The inhabitants of the Bâźâigal Valley further up the Alingar are reported to speak a third dialect. Across a mountain ridge to the east of the Âṣkuňu two tribal groups, each with its own dialect, center on the villages of Wâmâ and Gřâmsaňâgřām (Ačaṇu) off the Pech River.^[2] For this article, most cited forms will be based on the Wâmâ dialect (Saňu-vīri).

Phonology

Consonants

• /ɽ/ can be heard as nasalized [ɽ̃] or as a nasal tap [ɳ̆], when within nasalized vowel positions.
• /t͡ɕ, d͡ʑ/ can have fronted allophones of [t͡s, d͡z] in free variation.
• The tap [ɾ] is in complementary distribution with /ɽ/.
• Sounds [f, x, ɣ, q, ħ, ʕ, ʔ, h] also may occur, but they are not fully integrated in the sound system.

Vowels

• Vowels may also be nasalized as /ĩ, ẽ, ə̃, ã, õ, ũ/
• /ə, ə̃/ can have allophones of [ɨ, ɨ̃].

Orthography

The Ashkun language is strictly passed on orally and has no written resources that can be traced.

Vocabulary

Pronouns

Numbers

1. âc̣
2. du
3. tra
4. ćâtâ̄
5. põć
6. ṣo
7. sōt
8. ōṣṭ
9. no
10. dos

Words

Hello is “Salam” How are you is “Kaigases”