| Aer | |
|---|---|
| آیر | |
 | |
| Region | Sindh,Pakistan |
Native speakers | (100 cited 1998)[1] |
| Dialects |
|
| Arabic script | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | aeq |
| Glottolog | aerr1238 |
| ELP | Aer |
Aer (/ˈaɪər/YRE) is anIndo-Aryan language spoken by around 100 people inSindh,Pakistan andGujarat,India.[1] It is one of the smallest languages of Pakistan in terms of number of speakers,[2][3] and is spoken in rural areas of Sindh includingHyderabad,Kot Ghulam Muhammad, andKunri. Some speakers are also reported to be living inShaheed Benazirabad, but they have a different culture.[4]
After thePartition of India in 1947, theMuslim speakers of the language migrated to Pakistan, while theHindu speakers stayed in India. Most of the Aer speakers in Pakistan live in Deh 333,[5] nearHyderabad in lower Sindh. The language was formed in theIndian subcontinent during theDelhi Sultanate andMughal Empire due to the influence ofPersian,Arabic, andTurkish on Indian languages.[6]
A 1998 estimate concluded there were around 200 native speakers.[7] Current estimates, however, put the number of speakers at 150, further cementing its 'endangered' status.[8]
Aer has been classified as one of theGujarati languages.Ethnologue reports that the closest language isKachi Koli and especially its dialectsKatai Meghwar andKachi Bhil,[1] and that most Aer speakers are bilingual inSindhi. Two varieties of Aer are Jikrio Goth Aer and Jamesabad Aer.[7]
Aer is commonly not written, but when it is, it is written in a variety of theArabic script.[9]
| Letter | Name of Letter | Transcription | IPA |
|---|---|---|---|
| ا | alif | a | /a/ |
| ب | be | b | /b/ |
| پ | pe | p | /p/ |
| ت | te | t | /t/ |
| ٹ | ṭe | ṭ | /ʈ/ |
| ث | se | (s) | /s/ |
| ج | jīm | j | /d͡ʒ/ |
| چ | če | č | /t͡ʃ/ |
| ح | he | (h) | /h/ |
| خ | khe | kh | /kʱ/ |
| د | dāl | d | /d/ |
| ڈ | ḍāl | ḍ | /ɖ/ |
| ۮ | ɗāl | ɗ | /ɗ/ |
| ذ | zāl | (z) | /z/ |
| ر | re | r | /r/ |
| ڑ | ṛe | ṛ | /ɽ/ |
| ۯ | ɭe | ɭ | /ɭ/ |
| ز | ze | z | /z/ |
| ژ | je | j | /d͡ʒ/ |
| س | sīn | s | /s/ |
| ش | šīn | š | /ʃ/ |
| ص | swād | (s) | /s/ |
| ض | zwād | (z) | /z/ |
| ط | to'e | (t) | /t/ |
| ظ | zo'e | (z) | /z/ |
| ع | ‘ayn | ʿ | /ʔ/ |
| غ | ghayn | gh | /gʱ/ |
| ف | fe | f | /f/ |
| ق | kāf | k | /k/ |
| ک | kāf | k | /k/ |
| گ | gāf | g | /g/ |
| ل | lām | l | /l/ |
| م | mīm | m | /m/ |
| ن | nūn | n | /n/ |
| ݨ | ṇūn | ṇ | /ɳ/ |
| ں | ˜ | ˜ | /˜/ |
| و | waw | w | /w/ |
| ہ | he | h | /h/ |
| ھ | _he | _h | /ʰ/ |
| ۿ | ɦ | ɦ | /ɦ/ |
| ء | hamza | ʿ | /ʔ/ |
| ی | ye | y | /j/,/i/ |
| ے | ye | e, ē | /ɛ/ |
