| Sarazi | |
|---|---|
| |
 | |
| Native to | Jammu & Kashmir, India |
| Region | Saraz |
| Ethnicity | Sarazis |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | None (mis) |
| Glottolog | sira1264 |
Sarazi orSirazi (also spelledSiraji) is anIndo-Aryan language spoken in theSaraz region of theJammu division ofJammu and Kashmir,India. It is native to theSaraz region, a hilly area taking up the northern half ofDoda district and parts of neighbouringRamban andKishtwar districts.[1]Sarazi is spoken as a first language by 46,000 people (as of 2001),[1] primarily Hindus, but it is also used as alingua franca of the Saraz region and so is also spoken as a second language by Muslims, who are native speakers ofKashmiri.[2]
Sarazi has similarities to the neighbouringWestern Pahari languages likeBhaderwahi, though it is nowadays most often classified with the latter. Various local names for the language, which may represent distinct dialects, includeBhagwali,Deswali, andKorarwali.[3]Sarazi is not often used in writing, but when written, the default choice for a script falls onPerso-Arabic. The Latin script is also common, whereasDevanagari and the historicalTakri script are encountered occasionally.[1]
In the early 20th century,G.A. Grierson observed the similarities with both Kashmiri and with Western Pahari languages, and while noting that Sarazi can almost equally well be classified with either of the two, nonetheless opted to treat it as a dialect of Kashmiri on the basis of shared features in the verbal paradigm and elsewhere.[4]
Although Sarazi is still sometimes perceived as a Kashmiri dialect,[5] recent studies have generally placed it as a member of the Western Pahari group.[6] This further corresponds with the speakers' own perceptions, who do not see their language as related to Kashmiri,[7] and who consider themselves Pahari rather than Kashmiri.[8]
An alternative proposal has seen the language as intermediate between the two groups but independent of either.[9] It has also been conjectured that the language could have originally arisen as acreole.[10]
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on his visit to Saraz region also conversed in "Sarazi" with regional population.His words were "Ku haal cho" which translates to " How are you"in English.
A daily news headlines program is broadcast by anews outletThe Chenab Times in theSarazi andBhadarwahi languages to promote them.[11][12]