Indus Kohistani


Indus Kohistani is a Dardic language spoken in part of the Indus valley in Kohistan District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, Pakistan. The language was referred to as Maiyã or Shuthun by early researchers, but subsequent observations have not verified that these names are known locally. It is also known as Abasin Kohistani.

Phonology

The phonology of Indus Kohistani varies between its major dialects as shown below.

Vowels

FrontCentralBack
Close
Mid
Open

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/.

Consonants

The consonant inventory of Indus Kohistani is shown in the chart below.
The phonemes /x/, /ɣ/, and /q/ are mainly found in loan words. The status of /q/ in the Kanyawali Dialect is unclear.