- Yidgha language
Infobox Language
name=Yidgha
states=Pakistan
speakers=6,145 (2000)
familycolor=Indo-European
fam2=Indo-Iranian
fam3=Iranian
fam4=Eastern
fam5=Southeastern
fam6=Pamir
script=None
notice=nonoticeThe Yidgha language is a Pamir language spoken in the Upper Lutkuh Valley of Chitral, west of Garam Chishma in
Pakistan . Yidgha is similar to theMunji language spoken on the Afghan side of the border.The Garam Chashma area became important during the
Soviet invasion of Afghanistan because the Soviets were unable to stop the flow of arms and men back and forth across theDorah Pass that separates Chitral fromBadakshan in Afghanistan. Almost the entire Munji-speaking population of Afghanistan fled across the border to Chitral during the War in Afghanistan.The Pamir is a high plateau sometimes called "the roof of the world" that joins
Pakistan ,Afghanistan ,Tajikistan ,China andKashmir .Marco Polo is believed to have crossed the Pamir Mountains on his way to China.The Yidgha language has not been given serious study by linguists, except that it is mentioned by
Georg Morgenstierne (1926),Kendall Decker (1992), andBadshah Munir Bukhari (2005).Norwegian linguist Georg Morgenstiern wrote that Chitral is the area of the greatest linguistic diversity in the world. [http://www.nb.no/baser/morgenstierne/nirmali/nirmali/Imra/Text/sacrifice/sacrifice29.html ] Although Khowar is the predominant language of Chitral, more than ten other languages are spoken here. These include Kalasha-mun,
Palula , Dameli, Gawar-Bati, Nuristani, Yidgha, Burushaski, Gujar, Wakhi, Kyrgyz, Persian and Pashto. Since many of these languages have no written form, letters are usually written inUrdu or Persian.ee also
*
Languages of Pakistan Further reading
*Decker, Kendall D. (1992) Languages of Chitral ISBN 969-8023-15-1 http://www.ethnologue.com/show_work.asp?id=32850
*Morgenstierne, Georg (1926) Report on a Linguistic Mission to Afghanistan. Instituttet for Sammenlignende Kulturforskning, Serie C I-2. Oslo. ISBN 0-923891-09-9External links
* [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=ydg Yidgha, A Language of Pakistan]
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