Waṇetsi (Waneci: وڼېڅي), commonly called Tarīno (Waneci: ترينو), and sometimes Tsalgari (Waneci: څلګري), is a distinct variety of Pashto and is considered by some to be a different language. In some cases, Wanetsi shares similarities with the Pamir language of Munji, being a sort of bridge between the former and Pashto.[3] It is perhaps a representation of a more archaic, or very early, form of Pashto.[4]
It is spoken by the Tareen, Mashwani and other Pashtun tribes in Balochistan, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, primarily in Harnai (هرنای) (Harnai District) and Chawter (چوتېر) area in Sanjawi, Northern Balochistan, Pakistan.[3] The language is at risk due to lack of attention and not liking it as a language by foreigners.[5]
"The Pashto area split into two dialect groups at a pre-literary period, represented today on the one hand
by all the dialects of modern Pashto and on the other by Waṇeci and by archaic remains in other Southeast dialects"
Some of Waṇetsi's particularities (e.g. šwī “twenty,” mōš “we,” [a]γa “of;” the pres. endings; retention of rž; loss of -t-) prove that it must have split off from Paṣ̌to at an early Middle Iranic stage, considerably before the constitution of a standard Paṣ̌to. They can scarcely have developed after the arrival of the Waṇetsi speakers in their present home, which is in no way topographically cut off from the rest of Paṣ̌to territory. These speakers must rather represent the forerunners of the main Paṣ̌tūn movement towards the east, but when and where they split off is at present impossible to say.
— Section F.
Research
ترين او ترينو
The first known linguistic research was conducted in 1929 by Georg Morgenstierne on Waṇetsi.[8] Since then linguists like Josef Elfenbein have worked and researched on this archaic Pashto dialect.[9][10][11] In his book, Syed Khair Muhammad Arif, "Tarin aw Tarīno" has also included a small dictionary of Waṇetsi.[12] ٙBut much work remains to be done on understanding Waṇetsi.[13]
The Waṇetsi Poet Nizamuddin Nizami Tarin, a Spin Tarin from Chawter, has also compiled poetry in the language. An excerpt from his poem in Waṇetsi:
نيکۀ څېنه بړ سړا ده څۀ اړ توني چي بسيا ده
خپل وېل مندې دې پای او خپله توره یې ساتیا ده
پیني چرته رسېده ده موش ته پاته اومبې پلا ده
یه وږده توره تارۀ ده پچي هر خپل پرېدا ده
شپون ولس د کوڼ و کونګ ده هر سړا ځان ته بلا ده
نۀ ډاکتر او نۀ طبیب سته با څانګال ده شېخ راغا ده
خپل وطن مو خوارې ورېزې بېل داڼځوني پورې نا ده
دا ورسو ځنګل یه لغ سوه مندې وور نسته وګا ده
موش اوبۀ دې سپه ته خېزين وريځ سته ورکه تنا ده
دا وطنه مرغان ورک سو څۀ ښکار ده که وبا ده
با اغېنه سوړ چوتېر ده با اغه سړه هوا ده
بالمي صدۍ میر خوت ده تا لا اغل شا شوریا ده
راسه ژوېږ که زان ساماکه خيلک ټول سو ده څه دنیا ده
داڅې قبر یې هوار سو ده دا ښاغله تا ابا ده
تر هر چا یه یې مسېر تاغه لوړه جګه خوا ده
ته لا تروسه چرته ورک یې کم پهار ده کم ګړا ده
هله پورته سه لغ وریش سه بې تعلیمه کام تبا ده
ما-و-تا مي پرېدي سوو داني ورېز دا ده راغیا ده
څه بې تا يه يو جټ نۀ وي دا ده هر جټ مې بې تا ده
تا څه خولې يه اېله کړ نظامي ګونه هريا ده
How strong/capable grandfather is, that in a hill-locked place [lit. tied place] he is prosperous.
That on his own sustenance he survives, he has kept his own bravery [lit. sword].
The world has reached where [advanced], how much of a journey we have left for us.
There is a long darkness, in it every relative is a stranger.
The shephard nation is blind and dumb, every man is a constitution to oneself.
Neither is their a doctor nor a traditional-doctor, there is a tsāngā́l [an animal-sacrifice conducted to ward off evil], the sacrificer [lit.holyman] has come.
Our own land on a wretched day, till there is no bel-dāndzuṇí [a confederation formed in defence; made up of different tribes].
These meadows have become barren [lit. shaved-off] than a wasteland, on it there is no rain: there is wind.
Our water is climbing down, there are clouds: lost is the thunder.
From this country birds are lost, is it the hunt or the plague.
Again it is like that cold Chawter, again that cold air.
The preceding century's sun has risen, you still like that are laying on your back.
Come make noise, make yourself known. People have gathered all around.
That whose grave has been flattened that gentlemen is your father
From everyone you are chief, your aspect is high and tall.
Yet till now where are you lost: which season is it, which hour.
Come-on go ahead wake-up a bit, without education a nation is destroyed.
Me and you have also become strangers, such a day has come
That from without you there was no moment, this every moment of mine is without you.
That you have left from reality, Nizami has lost sin.
Josef Elfenbein states: "ī and ū are not phonemically distinct from i and u respectively, and are pronounced [i] and [u] respectively when unstressed (and not [ɪ] and [ʊ] as in Kākaṛī), and [iː] and [uː] when stressed."[16]
There is a marked spontaneous tendency to palatalize "ī" as "yī" and "ē" as "yē"; and to labialize "ū" as "wū" and "ō" as "wo". Initial delabialization is common in "wū" as "ū" and "wō" as "ō".[15]
The stressed short "á" is often lengthened, and an unstressed long "ā" shortened.[15]
The standard weakening of final vowels in Waṇetsi makes the masculine-feminine gender distinction much less audible: [ə] and [a] are not phonemically distinct when unstressed in any position. But stressed final ә́ is kept apart from stressed á as in general Pashto.[15]
Some verbal suffixes like the feminine third person suffix [ه and ې] are the same:
Waṇetsi
Pashto
Translation
وياړه
wyā́ṛa
لاړه
lā́ṛa
She went
go:Aorist:Past:3Person:Singular:Feminine
وياړې
wyā́re
لاړې
lā́re
They [females] went
go:Aorist:Past:3Person:Plural:Feminine
Third Person Suffix
Past Suffix
Like standard Pashto the third person suffix for verbs with the root وتل the third person past suffix is different for the singular and plural.
Waṇetsi
Meaning
Standard
دغه سړا وته چووت
dága saṛá watə čə́wot
that man entered it
دغه سړی ور ته ننووت
dága saṛáy war tə nə́nawot
دغه سړي وته چواته
dága saṛí watə čə́wātə
those men entered it
دغه سړی ور ته ننواته
dága saṛí war tə nə́nātə
Comparison with general Pashto
Poetry
The following is provided by Zamir Gulbahar (ظمير ګلبهار), a Tareeno poet from Harnai:
Waṇetsi
Pashto
دلته مزي کزي کار ده
يو بي خولې ګولې دې کانين
پرېدي خلک' دې څه کې'
خپل خپلوان دې يو بي نانين
څه مټانو چي زور وين
اغه خلک ټول پوره دي
څه نستمن وين لايګړ وين
اغه خلک ټول ماندۀ دي
دا بې مايله خلک وکسه
يو بي کاپن دې کانين
دلته ټول تلهټ تلهټ دي
که خواران دي که مال دار دي
نه ې يې ګړي ډکتوب سته
ټول روپيو پلس ګار دي
بس دغه ډول خلک خوش دي
بس دغني زوند دې نانين
هر سړا هړکې هړکې ده
ټولو خلکو کا هبره ده
شور ده زونګه دې لګيا دي
هر سړي غه کار ماندۀ ده
زې دا وايي که دا زوند وين
بس دغني زوند دې ما نين
سدو بدو وسره نسته
څه دا کمې خوا روان دي
يو بي هګا نه دي
بس زوېندي بنديګانان دي
ګلبهاره ټول بې خوش سين
که يو بي ته څه لار وانين
دلته زورور او کمزوری کار دی
د يو بل خولې څخه خواړۀ کاږي
پردي خلک' څه کوې'
خپل خپلوان يو بل نه پرېږدي
چې په مټو کې زور لري
هغه خلک ګړد پوره دي
چې بې وسه وي بې کسه (لا يوازی) وي
هغه خلک ټول ماندۀ دي
دا بې مينې خلک وګوره
د يو بل څخه پرده اخلي
دلته ګړد ستړي ستومانه دي
که خواران دي که مال دار دي
نه يې يو ساعت مړېدۀ شته
ګړد په پيسو پسې ورک دي
بس دغه شان خلک خوښ دي
بس دغه شان ژوند نه پرېږدي
هر سړی په تعضيله دی
ټولو خلکو کړی بې صبري ده
شور دی غوغه ده غوبل دی
د هر سړي کار ماندۀ دی
زه دا واييم که دغه ژوند وي
بس دغه شان ژوند دې زما نه وي
دا درک ور سره نشته
دوی په کومې خوا روان دي
له يو بل څخه خبر نه دي
هسې ژوندي انسانان دي
ګلبهاره ګړد به خوشحاله شي
که يو بل ته څه نه څه لار پرېږدي
Lexical Comparison
The following list has been provided by the Waṇetsi poet Nizamuddin Nizami
In Waṇetsi اغه [aɣa] functions for both Pashto دغه (this) and هغه (that).[15]
Singular
Plural
Masc.
Fem.
Direct
áğa
áğa
áğә
áğa
áğe
Oblique
áğә
áğe
áğo
áğu
Verb Infinitive
Where as General Pashto employs the ل [ә́l] to the past stem to make it infinitive, Waṇetsi employs نګ [ang] to the past stem to make it infinitive.[15]
Waṇetsi
General Pashto
Translation
xwaṛang
xwaṛә́l
to eat
lambedang
lambedә́l
to bathe
wezang
waźә́l
to kill
wayang
wayә́l
to say
kṛang
kawә́l
to do
cinostang
kṣ̌enāstә́l
to sit
Bibliography
J. H. Elfenbein, (1984). "The Wanetsi Connexion: Part I". Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland (1): 54–76.
J. H. Elfenbein, (1984). "The Wanetsi Connexion: Part II". Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland (2): 229–241.
J. H Elfenbein, (1967). "Lanḍa Zor Wəla Waṇecī". Archiv Orientální. XXXV: 563–606.
^ abc"AFGHANISTAN vi. Paṧto, F. Waṇecī". G. Morgenstierne. Encyclopaedia Iranica Online Version. Archived from the original on 2012-01-22. Retrieved 2012-02-15. Phonology. Ir. -d- > -l- as in Paṣ̌tō (mlā "waist," xwala "sweat") but -t- > y/0 (sī "one hundred," šwī < *wšī "twenty," piyār "father," left as relicts in Kāk. pyār and plyār). In this respect Waṇeci agrees with Munǰī, but not with Paṣ̌to.
^Morgenstierne, G. "AFGHANISTAN vi. Paṣ̌tō". Encyclopaedia Iranica. Retrieved 2021-05-20. F. Waṇecī. (63) Except for a few details, Paṣ̌tō dialects can be derived from a prototype not essentially different from the classical 10th/16th century literary language; they do not to any significant extent help us to reconstruct a more archaic form of Paṣ̌tō. There is only one dialect which stands decidedly apart, i.e., Waṇ(ecī) (or Tarīno)
