Also Known As:
Kalasa, Kalashamon, Kalash, Dardu
Dialects & Varieties
- Northern Kalasha spoken in the valleys of Birir
- Bumburet
- and Rumbur
- Southern Kalasha spoken in the valleys of Jinjiret and Urtsun
Kalasha (Pakistan) - Language Snapshot
Hussain, Qandeel & Jeff Mielke. 2020. Kalasha (Pakistan) – Language Snapshot. In Peter K. Austin (ed.) Language Documentation and Description 17, 66-75. London: EL Publishing.
Threatened
100 percent certain, based on the evidence available
3,000-5,000
Native Speakers Worldwide
Speaker Number Trends
Speaker Number Trend 2
A majority of community members speak the language. Speaker numbers are gradually decreasing.
2
Domains of Use
Domain Of Use 2
Used in some non-official domains along with other languages, and remains the primary language used in the home for many community members.
2
Transmission
Transmission -1
All members of the community, including children, speak the language.
-1
Speakers
Native or fluent speakers:
No results found.
Second-language speakers and learners
No results found.
Semi-speakers or rememberers
No results found.
Children:
No results found.
Young adults
No results found.
Older adults
No results found.
Elders
No results found.
Ethnic or community population
No results found.
Year information was gathered
No results found.
Comments on speakers
No results found.
Location and Context
Countries
Bumburet Valley, Chitral, Northern Pakistan
Location Description
No results found.
Government Support
No results found.
Institutional Support
No results found.
Speakers' Attitude
Community members actively preserve and teach Kalasha, using it in conversation, ceremonies, and festivals. Recent linguistic documentations projects are collecting and analyzing stories, narratives, and other spontaneous speech data. Males members are multilingual; middle-aged or older female members are monolingual, while young female can also speak Khowar and Urdu.
Other Languages Used By The Community
Khowar, Kati, Pashto, Urdu, English, Punjabi
Number of Other Language Speakers:
None
Domains of Other Languages:
None
Writing Systems
Standard orthography:
No results found.
Writing system:
Roman
Other writing systems used:
No results text.
Comments on writing systems:
Script developed with Gregory and Elsa Cooper
Recent Resources
Original Song in Drazailak Style (with Interlinear Transcription). Modified Praise Poem.
Short video about the pressures that the Kalasha face preserving their language and culture today.