| Kohistani (Indus Kohistani) | |
|---|---|
| Kostaie | |
| کوستَیں Kōstaiñ | |
 | |
| Region | Indus Kohistan (Upper Kohistan,Lower Kohistan,Kolai-Palas districts as well as Tangir and Darel valleys)[1] |
| Ethnicity | Indus Kohistanis |
Native speakers | (200,000 cited 1992)[2] |
Indo-European
| |
| Perso-Arabic script (Nastaliq) | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | mvy |
| Glottolog | indu1241 |
 Kohistani is a minor language of Pakistan which is mainly spoken in the Kohistan region, it is given a space in this map. | |
Indus Kohistani or simplyKohistani (کوستَیں ژیب, Kōstaiñ) is anIndo-Aryan language ofKohistani group spoken by theIndus Kohistani people in the formerKohistan District ofPakistan.[3] The language was referred to asMaiyã (Mayon) orShuthun by early researchers, but subsequent observations have not verified that these names are known locally.[4]
Indus Kohistani is spoken on the west bank of theIndus River, down from but not includingDasu untilRanolia along the Indus valley. The major Indus Kohistani speaking settlements includePattan, Ranolia,Jijal,Duber,Kandia,Seo,Komila and Bankad. A closely related dialect or language variety calledBateri is also spoken inKolai-Palas Kohistan, on the east bank of Indus.[5]
The phonology of Indus Kohistani varies between its major dialects as shown below.[6]
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Close | iiː | uuː | |
| Mid | eeː | ooː | |
| Open | aaː |
In the Kanyawali dialect, the back vowels /u/ and /o/ are described as variants of each other, as are the front vowels /i/ and /e/.
Theconsonant inventory of Indus Kohistani is shown in the chart below. (Consonants particular to theKanyawali Dialect of Tangir and those found only in theKohistan Dialects are color-coded respectively.)
The phonemes /x/, /ɣ/, and /q/ are mainly found in loan words. The status of /q/ in theKanyawali Dialect is unclear. The sounds /f, v/ can also be bilabial [ɸ, β].[7]
Until recently Indus Kohistani did not have a written tradition. The Forum for Indus Kohistani Research & Culture Development (FIKR&CD) is aNon-Governmental Organization working for standardisation of its script and literature of Indus Kohistani. Shaari (ݜاری) is the first digital journal of Indus Kohistani.[8] Other notable works include "اباسین کوہستئیںجیبہ مہ علم بلاغت آں علمبیان" (The art of rhetoric and elocution in the Indus Kohistani language), written by Ahmad Rashid Faizi and published by the Forum for Language Initiatives (FLI).[9]
