Kata-vari is a
dialect of the
Kamkata-vari language spoken by the
Kata
''Kata'' is a Japanese word ( 型 or 形) meaning "form". It refers to a detailed choreographed pattern of martial arts movements made to be practised alone. It can also be reviewed within groups and in unison when training. It is practised ...
in parts of
Afghanistan and
Pakistan. The most used alternative names are ''Kati'', ''Kativiri'' or ''Bashgali''.
It is spoken by approximately 40,000 people (mostly in Afghanistan, just over 3,700 in Pakistan), and its speakers are
Muslim
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
. Literacy rates are low: below 1% for people who have it as a
first language, and between 15% to 25% for people who have it as a
second language.
There are two main sub-dialects: Eastern Kata-vari and Western Kata-vari. In Afghanistan, Western Kata-vari is spoken in the
Ramgal,
Kulam,
Ktivi and
Paruk valleys of
Nuristan. Eastern Kata-vari is spoken in the upper
Landai Sin Valley. In Pakistan, Eastern Kata-vari or
Shekhani is spoken in
Chitral District, in
Gobor and the upper
Bumboret Valley
Bumburet (Kalasha: ', ur, وادی پمپوریت) is the largest valley of Kalasha Desh in Lower Chitral District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa the province of Pakistan.
The Bumburet valley joins the Rumbur valley at , and then joins the Kunar Valley ...
.
Phonology
Consonants
* Sounds /ʒ ɽ ɣ/ occur from neighboring languages. /f x/ are borrowed from loanwords.
*/ʈ/ can also be heard as an allophone
*
is heard as an allophone of /i/.
* /v/ can also be heard as bilabial
or a labial approximant
Vowels
* Mid /ə/ can be heard as a close central
Vocabulary
Pronouns:
1sg. uze (nominative), ie (accusative), iema (genitive)
1pl. imu (nominative/accusative/genitive)
2sg. tiu (nominative), tu (accusative), tuma (genitive)
2pl. šo (nominative/accusative/genitive)
Numbers:
1: ev
2: diu
3: tre
4: štavo
5: puč
6: ṣu
7: sut
8: uṣṭ
9: nu
10: duć
References
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External links
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{{Languages of Pakistan
Nuristani languages of Afghanistan
Languages of Afghanistan
Languages of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Languages of Chitral
Nuristani languages