Kata-vari
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Kata-vari is a dialect of the Kamkata-viri language spoken by the Kata in parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan, which belongs to the Nuristan Kamkata-viri language. The most used alternative names are Kati, Kativiri or Bashgali, which derive from Khowar.
It is spoken by approximately 18,700 people (15,000 in Afghanistan, just over 3,700 in Pakistan), and its speakers are largely Muslim. Literacy rates are low: below 1% for people who have it as a first language, and between 15% to 25% for people who have it as a second language.
There are two main sub-dialects: Eastern Kata-vari and Western Kata-vari. In Afghanistan, Western Kata-vari is spoken in the Ramgal, Kulam, Ktivi and Paruk valleys. Eastern Kata-vari is spoken in the upper Bashgal Valley. In Pakistan, Eastern Kata-vari is spoken in the Chitral District, and in Gobar in the Lutkuh Valley. Eastern Kata-vari is spoken in the Bumboret Valley and in the Urtsun Valley.
References
- The Kâta. Retrieved July 02, 2006, from Richard F. Strand: Nuristan, Hidden Land of the Hindu-Kush [link].
- Kati. Retrieved June 13, 2006, from Ethnologue: Languages of the World, fifteenth edition. SIL International. [Online version].
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