Wakhi | |
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وخی x̌ik zik, х̌ик зик | |
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Native to | Afghanistan, China, Pakistan, Tajikistan |
Ethnicity | Wakhi |
Native speakers | (20,000 in Pakistan (2016); 58,000 cited 1992–2012)[1] |
Early forms | |
Perso-Arabic, Cyrillic, Latin | |
Language codes | |
ISO 639-3 | wbl |
Glottolog | wakh1245 |
ELP | Wakhi |
Linguasphere | 58-ABD-c |
Wakhi (Wakhi: وخی/В̌aхi, IPA: [waχi]) is an Indo-European language in the Eastern Iranian branch of the language family spoken today in Wakhan District, Northern Afghanistan and also in Tajikistan, Northern Pakistan and China.
Wakhi is one of several languages that belong to the areal Pamir language group. It is believed[by whom?] to be a descendant of the Scytho-Khotanese language that was once spoken in the Kingdom of Khotan.
The Wakhi people are occasionally called Pamiris and Guhjali. It is spoken by the inhabitants of the Wakhan Corridor of Afghanistan, parts of Gilgit-Baltistan (the former NAs) of Pakistan, Gorno-Badakhshan region of Tajikistan and Xinjiang in Western China. The Wakhi use the self-appellation 'X̌ik' (ethnic) and suffix it with 'wor'/'war' to denote their language as 'X̌ik-wor' themselves. The noun 'X̌ik' comes from *waxša-ī̆ka- (an inhabitant of *Waxša- 'Oxus', for Wakhan, in Wakhi 'Wux̌'. There are other equivalents for the name Wakhi (Anglicised) or Wakhani (Arabic and Persian), Vakhantsy (Russian), Gojali/Gojo (Dingrik-wor/Shina), Guyits/Guicho (Burushaski), Wakhigi/Wakhik-war (Kivi-wor/Khow-wor) and Cert (Turki). The language belongs, as yet to be confirmed according to studies and sources, to the southern group of the Pamir languages, in the Iranian group of the Indo-European family (450) of languages, where the Ishkashmi, Shighni/...nani and Wakhi languages are included. A very rough estimate of the population of Wakhis is 58,000 worldwide. The Wakhi live in six countries. In the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan, the Wakhi people mainly live in Gojal, Ishkoman, Darkut and in Chitral District's Broghol. They also live in some parts of Wakhan in Afghanistan, Gorno-Badakhshan in Tajikistan, the Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County in China, Russia and Turkey.
In the Wakhan Corridor of Afghanistan, Wakhi is spoken from Putur, near Ishkashim, to the upper reaches of the Wakhan River.[5]
In Tajikistan, the Wakhi and other communities that speak one of the Pamir languages refer to themselves as Pamiri or Badakhshani and there has been a movement to separate their identity from that of the majority Persian-speaking Tajiks. Linguists universally refer to Wakhi as an East Iranian language independent of Tajik Persian, but many Tajik nationalists insist that Wakhi and other Pamir languages are actually dialects of Tajik.[6]
In Gilgit-Baltistan, Wakhi is spoken in the sparsely populated upper portions of five of the northernmost valleys: Hunza, Gojal, Ishkoman, Yasin, Gupis and Yarkhun. The Hunza valley has the largest Wakhi population in Pakistan. The Wakhis of Ishkoman live primarily in the Karambar valley, in the town of Imit and beyond. In Yasin, they live mostly in the vicinity of Darkot and in Yarhkun, they are found in Baroghil and in a few other small villages in the high, upper portion of valley.
In Pakistan, the central organization of the Wakhi is the Wakhi Cultural Association Pakistan (WCA), an organization that is registered with the Government of Pakistan and which works with the collaboration of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Lok Virsa Pakistan. The Association is working for the preservation of the Wakhi language and culture, as well as documenting their poetry and music.
Radio Pakistan Gilgit relays the Wakhi radio programme "Sadoyah Boomy Dunyo", the voice of the roof of the world. The Wakhi Cultural Association has arranged more than twenty programmes since 1984, which includes cultural shows, musical nights and large-scale musical festivals with the collaboration of Lok Virsa Pakistan, the Aga Khan Cultural Service Pakistan (AKCSP) and Pakistan television. In 2000, the WCA won a "Best Programme" organizer award in the Silk Road Festival from the President of Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf. A computerized codification of the Wakhi script has been released, which will help to promote the language development programme and documentation of Wakhi poetry, literature and history.[7]
See also: Tajiks of Xinjiang |
Wakhi is also spoken in the Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, in Xinjiang of China, mainly in the township of Dafdar.
There are approximately 6,000 Wakhi in Russia, Most of them have migrated from Tajikistan and Afghanistan.
There are some Wakhi villages in Turkey in the eastern regions, where they have migrated from Afghanistan in 1979 during the Afghan and Russian war.[8]
Traditionally, Wakhi was not a written language. Writing systems have been developed for the language using Arabic, Cyrillic and Latin scripts.
This Arabic alphabet is mainly used in Afghanistan and Pakistan:[9][10]
Letter | ا | آ | ب | پ | ت | ټ | ث | ج | ڃ | چ | ڇ | څ | ځ | ح | خ | د | ډ | ذ | ر | ز | ږ | ژ | ڙ | س |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
IPA | [a], Ø | [o] | [b] | [p] | [t̪] | [ʈ] | [θ] | [d͡ʒ] | [ɖ͡ʐ] | [t͡ʃ] | [ʈ͡ʂ] | [t͡s] | [d͡z] | [h] | [χ] | [d̪] | [ɖ] | [ð] | [r] | [z] | [ɣ] | [ʒ] | [ʐ] | [s] |
Letter | ښ | ش | ڜ | ص | ض | ط | ظ | ع | غ | ف | ڤ | ق | ک | گ | ل | م | ن | ه | و | ؤ | وْ | ي | ی | |
IPA | [x] | [ʃ] | [ʂ] | [s] | [z] | [t] | [z] | Ø | [ʁ] | [f] | [v] | [q] | [k] | [g] | [l] | [m] | [n] | [h] | [w], [ə] | [u] | [ɨ] | [i] | [j], [e] |
When Wakhi is written in Cyrillic, the sounds are usually represented by these letters:
Letter | А а | Б б | В в | В̌ в̌ | Г г | Ғ ғ | Г̌ г̌ | Д д | Д̣ д̣ | Д̌ д̌ | Е е | Ё ё | Ж ж | Ж̣ ж̣ | З з | Ҙ ҙ | И и | Й й | К к | Қ қ | Л л | М м | Н н | О о | П п |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
IPA | [a] | [b] | [v] | [w] | [g] | [ʁ] | [ɣ] | [d̪] | [ɖ] | [ð] | [e], [je] | [jo] | [ʒ] | [ʐ] | [z] | [d͡z] | [i] | [j] | [k] | [q] | [l] | [m] | [n] | [o] | [p] |
Letter | Р р | С с | Т т | Т̣ т̣ | Т̌ т̌ | У у | Ф ф | Х х | Х̌ х̌ | Ҳ ҳ | Ц ц | Ч ч | Ч̣ ч̣ | Ҷ ҷ | Ҷ̣ ҷ̣ | Ш ш | Ш̣ ш̣ | Щ щ | Ъ ъ | Ы ы | Ә ә | Ь ь | Э э | Ю ю | Я я |
IPA | [r] | [s] | [t̪] | [ʈ] | [θ] | [u] | [f] | [χ] | [x] | [h] | [t͡s] | [t͡ʃ] | [ʈ͡ʂ] | [d͡ʒ] | [ɖ͡ʐ] | [ʃ] | [ʂ] | [ʃt͡ʃ] | Ø | [ɨ] | [ə] | Ø | [e] | [ju] | [ja] |
A Latin alphabet, which in some variants includes Cyrillic and Greek letters, was developed in 1953 by I.I. Zaroubine and V. S. Sokolova, and further developed by A.L Grünberg and I.M Stéblinn-Kamensky in the early 1960s:[12][13]
Letter | A a | Ā ā | Ā̒ ā̒ | B b | C c | Č č | Č̣ č̣ | D d | Ḍ ḍ | Δ δ | E e | Ə ə | F f | G g | Ɣ γ | Ɣ̌ ɣ̌ | H h | I i | J̌ ǰ | J̣̌ ǰ̣ | K k | L l | M m | N n | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
IPA | [a] | [b] | [t͡s] | [t͡ʃ] | [ʈ͡ʂ] | [d̪] | [ɖ] | [ð] | [e] | [ə] | [f] | [g] | [ʁ] | [ɣ] | [h] | [i] | [d͡ʒ] | [ɖ͡ʐ] | [k] | [l] | [m] | [n] | |||
Letter | O o | Ō ō | Ō̒ ō̒ | P p | Q q | R r | S s | Š š | Ṣ̌ ṣ̌ | T t | Ṭ ṭ | Θ θ | U u | U̒ u̒ | Ū̒ ū̒ | V v | W w | X x | X̌ x̌ | Y y | Z z | Ž ž | Ẓ̌ ẓ̌ | Ʒ ʒ | Ы ы |
IPA | [o] | [p] | [q] | [r] | [s] | [ʃ] | [ʂ] | [t̪] | [ʈ] | [θ] | [u] | [v] | [w] | [χ] | [x] | [j] | [z] | [ʒ] | [ʐ] | [d͡z] | [ɨ] |
Sample text from a Bible translation published in 2001 is shown below:[12]
Wakhi in Latin alphabet | Wakhi in Cyrillic alphabet | English (KJV) |
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2Yiso yavər x̌atəy: «Sayišt ʒi dəo carəv, x̌anəv: „Ey bzыrgwor Tat ki də osmonət cəy! Ti bəzыrg nung bər olam ыmыt! Ləcər dəwroni Ti podšoyi γ̌at-ət, zəmin-ət zəmon də hыkmi taw ыmыt! | 2Йисо йавəр х̌атəй: «Сайишт ҙи дəо царəв, х̌анəв: „Ей бзыргв̌ор Тат ки дə осмонəт цəй! Ти бəзырг нунг бəр олам ымыт! Лəцəр дəв̌рони Ти подшойи г̌ат-əт, зəмин-əт зəмон дə ҳыкми тав̌ ымыт! | 2And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, "Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. |
3Spo rыsq-ət rыzi sakər nəsib car! | 3Спо рысқ-əт рызи сакəр нəсиб цар! | 3Give us day by day our daily bread. |
4Cə spo gənoən šəxs! Sak bə kuy, ki sakər šakiγ̌ cə kərk! kыx̌tər baxṣ̌əṣ̌ carən. Cə bandi nafs-ət awasən, Cə waswasayi Iblisən saki niga δыr!“» | 4Цə спо гəноəн шəхс! Сак бə куй, ки сакəр шакиг̌ цə кəрк! Кых̌тəр бахш̣əш̣ царəн. Цə банди нафс-əт ав̌асəн, Цə в̌асв̌асайи Иблисəн саки нига д̌ыр!“» | 4And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil." |
The Wakhi lexicon exhibits significant differences with the other Pamir languages. Gawarjon's comparison of the dialects of Sarikoli and Wakhi spoken in China is reproduced below.
English gloss | Persian | Tajik | Shughni | Sarikoli | Pashto | Wakhi | Avestan |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
one | jæk (یک) | jak (як) | jiw | iw | jaw (يو) | ji | aēuua- |
meat | ɡuʃt (گوشت) | ɡuʃt (гушт) | ɡuːxt | ɡɯxt | ɣwaxa, ɣwaʂa (غوښه) | ɡuʂt | ? |
son | pesær (پسر) | pisar (писар) | puts | pɯts | zoi (زوی) | putr | puθra- |
fire | ɒtæʃ (اتش) | otaʃ (оташ) | joːts | juts | or (اور) | rɯχniɡ | ātar- |
water | ɒb (اب) | ob (об) | xats | xats | obə (اوبه) | jupk | āp-, ap- |
hand | dæst (دست) | dast (даѕт) | ðust | ðɯst | lɑs (لاس) | ðast | zasta- |
foot | pɒ (پا) | po (по) | poːð | peð | pxa, pʂa (پښه) | pɯð | pāδ- |
tooth | dændɒn (دندان) | dandon (дандон) | ðinðʉn | ðanðun | ɣɑx, ɣɑʂ (غاښ) | ðɯnðɯk | daṇt- |
eye | tʃæʃm (چشم) | tʃaʃm (чашм) | tsem | tsem | stərɡa (سترګه) | tʂəʐm | cašman- |
horse | æsb (اسب) | asp (асп) | voːrdʒ | vurdʒ | ɑs (masculine), aspa (feminine) (آس,اسپه) | jaʃ | aspa- |
cloud | æbr (ابر) | abr (абр) | abri | varm | urjadz (اوريځ) | mur | maēγa-, aβra- |
wheat | ɡændom (گندم) | ɡandum (гандум) | ʒindam | ʒandam | ɣanam (غنم) | ɣɯdim | gaṇtuma- |
many | besjɒr (بسيار) | bisjor (бисёр) | bisjoːr | pɯr | ɖer (ډېر) | təqi | pouru- |
high | bolænd (بلند) | baland (баланд) | biland | bɯland | lwaɻ (لوړ) | bɯland | bərəzaṇt- |
far | dur (دور) | dur (дур) | ðar | ðar | ləre (لرې) | ðir | dūra- |
good | χub (خوب) | χub (хуб) | χub | tʃardʒ | xə, ʂə (ښه) | baf | vohu-, vaŋhu- |
small | kutʃik (کوچک) | χurd (хурд) | dzul | dzɯl | ləɡ, ləʐ (لږ) | dzəqlai | ? |
to say | ɡoft (گفت) | ɡuft (гуфт) | lʉvd | levd | wajəl (ويل) | xənak | aoj-, mrū-, saŋh- |
to do | kærd (کرد) | kard (кард) | tʃiːd | tʃeiɡ | kawəl (کول) | tsərak | kar- |
easiness | ɒsɒni (آسانی) | osonj (осонй) | os:uni | ossoni | asanatiya (اسانتیا) | ossony | usi- |
to see | did (ديد)/ bin (present stem) | did (дид)/ bin(бин) | wiːnt | wand | lid (لید)/ win (present stem) | wiŋɡ | dī-, vaēn- |
Front | Central | Back | |
---|---|---|---|
Close | i | ɨ | u |
Mid | e | ə | o |
Open | a |
Labial | Dental | Alveolar | Alveolo- palatal |
Retroflex | Velar | Uvular | Glottal | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nasal | m | n | ||||||
Plosive | p b | t̪ d̪ | ʈ ɖ | k ɡ | q | |||
Affricate | t͡s d͡z | t͡ʃ d͡ʒ | ʈ͡ʂ ɖ͡ʐ | |||||
Fricative | f v | θ ð | s z | ʃ ʒ | ʂ ʐ | x ɣ | χ ʁ | h |
Approximant | l | j | w | |||||
Rhotic | r |
In Pakistan multiple books have been published since 1980s. X̌ikwor zik by Master Haqiqat, Religious hymes by Riaz Ahmed Riaz. Qaida e Wakhi Zaban by Ahmed Jami Sakhi. Magzines and Parlon Wakhi by Karim Khan Saka. "Beyoz-e-Bulbul" by Nazir Ahmad Bulbul. A collection of old and new poems folklores compiled by Bulbulik Heritage Center, Gulmit.