Kashmiri language
Kashmiri (English: /kæʃˈmɪəri/)[7] or Koshur (كٲشُر, कॉशुर, 𑆑𑆳𑆯𑆶𑆫𑇀, /kəːʃur/)[1] is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by around 7 million Kashmiris of the Kashmir region, primarily in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir.[8]
Kashmiri | |
---|---|
كٲشُر, कॉशुर, 𑆑𑆳𑆯𑆶𑆫𑇀 | |
The word "Koshur" in Perso-Arabic script (contemporary, official status), Sharada script (ancient, liturgical) and Devanagari (contemporary) | |
Native to | India and Pakistan |
Region | Kashmir (Kashmir division and parts of Chenab valley, Jammu and Kashmir,[1] parts of northern Azad Kashmir) |
Ethnicity | Kashmiris |
Native speakers | 7.1 million (2011)[1] |
Dialects | |
Perso-Arabic script (contemporary, official status),[4] Devanagari (contemporary),[4] Sharada script (ancient/liturgical)[4] | |
Official status | |
Official language in | India |
Language codes | |
ISO 639-1 | ks |
ISO 639-2 | kas |
ISO 639-3 | kas |
Glottolog | kash1277 |
This article contains IPA phonetic symbols. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Unicode characters. For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see Help:IPA. |
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In 2020, the Parliament of India passed a bill to make Kashmiri an official language of Jammu and Kashmir along with Dogri, Hindi, Urdu and English.[9] Kashmiri is also among the 22 scheduled languages of India.
Kashmiri has split ergativity and the unusual verb-second word order.
Geographic distribution and status
There are about 6.8 million speakers of Kashmiri and related dialects in Jammu and Kashmir and amongst the Kashmiri diaspora in other states of India.[10] Most Kashmiri speakers are located in the Kashmir Valley and other areas of Jammu and Kashmir.[11] In the Kashmir valley, they form a majority.
Kashmiri is spoken by roughly five percent of Azad Kashmir's population.[12] According to the 1998 Pakistan Census, there were 132,450 Kashmiri speakers in Azad Kashmir.[13] Native speakers of the language were dispersed in "pockets" throughout Azad Kashmir,[14][15] particularly in the districts of Muzaffarabad (15%), Neelam (20%) and Hattian (15%), with very small minorities in Haveli (5%) and Bagh (2%).[13] The Kashmiri spoken in Muzaffarabad is distinct from, although still intelligible with, the Kashmiri of the Neelam Valley to the north.[15] In Neelam Valley, Kashmiri is the second most widely spoken language and the majority language in at least a dozen or so villages, where in about half of these, it is the sole mother tongue.[15] The Kashmiri dialect of Neelum is closer to the variety spoken in northern Kashmir Valley, particularly Kupwara.[15] At the 2017 Census of Pakistan, as many as 350,000 people declared their first language to be Kashmiri.[16][17]
A process of language shift is observable among Kashmiri-speakers in Azad Kashmir according to linguist Tariq Rahman, as they gradually adopt local dialects such as Pahari-Pothwari, Hindko or move towards the lingua franca Urdu.[18][14][19][15] This has resulted in these languages gaining ground at the expense of Kashmiri.[20][21] There have been calls for the promotion of Kashmiri at an official level; in 1983, a Kashmiri Language Committee was set up by the government to patronise Kashmiri and impart it in school-level education. However, the limited attempts at introducing the language have not been successful, and it is Urdu, rather than Kashmiri, that Kashmiri Muslims have seen as their identity symbol.[22] Rahman notes that efforts to organise a Kashmiri language movement have been challenged by the scattered nature of the Kashmiri-speaking community in Azad Kashmir.[22]
The Kashmiri language is one of the 22 scheduled languages of India.[23] It was a part of the eighth Schedule in the former constitution of the Jammu and Kashmir. Along with other regional languages mentioned in the Sixth Schedule, as well as Hindi and Urdu, the Kashmiri language was to be developed in the state.[24]
Persian began to be used as the court language in Kashmir during the 14th centuries, under the influence of Islam. It was replaced by Urdu in 1889 during the Dogra rule.[25][26] In 2020, Kashmiri became an official language in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir for the first time.[27][28][29]
Kashmiri is closely related to Poguli and Kishtwari, which are spoken in the mountains to the south of the Kashmir Valley and have sometimes been counted as dialects of Kashmiri.
Phonology
Kashmiri has the following phonemes.[30][31]
Vowels
The oral vowels are as follows:
The short high vowels are near-high, and the low vowels apart from /aː/ are near-low.
Nasalization is phonemic. All sixteen oral vowels have nasal counterparts.
Consonants
Palatalization is phonemic. All consonants apart from those in the post-alveolar/palatal column have palatalized counterparts.
Archaisms
Kashmiri, as also the other Dardic languages, shows important divergences from the Indo-Aryan mainstream. One is the partial maintenance of the three sibilant consonants s ṣ ś of the Old Indo-Aryan period. For another example, the prefixing form of the number 'two', which is found in Sanskrit as dvi-, has developed into ba-/bi- in most other Indo-Aryan languages, but du- in Kashmiri (preserving the original dental stop d). Seventy-two is dusatath in Kashmiri, bahattar in Hindi-Urdu and Punjabi, and dvisaptati in Sanskrit.[32]
Certain features in Kashmiri even appear to stem from Indo-Aryan even predating the Vedic period. For instance, there was an /s/ > /h/ consonant shift in some words that had already occurred with Vedic Sanskrit (This tendency was complete in the Iranian branch of Indo-Iranian), yet is lacking in Kashmiri equivalents. The word rahit in Vedic Sanskrit and modern Hindi-Urdu (meaning 'excluding' or 'without') corresponds to rost in Kashmiri. Similarly, sahit (meaning 'including' or 'with') corresponds to sost in Kashmiri.[32]
Writing system
There are three orthographical systems used to write the Kashmiri language: the Perso-Arabic script, the Devanagari script and the Sharada script. The Roman script is also sometimes informally used to write Kashmiri, especially online.[4]
The Kashmiri language was traditionally written in the Sharada script after the 8th Century A.D.[33] The script grew increasingly unsuitable for writing Kashmiri because it couldn't adequately represent Kashmiri peculiar sounds by the usage of its vowel signs.[34] Therefore, it is not in common use today and is restricted to religious ceremonies of the Kashmiri Pandits.[35]
Today it is written in Perso-Arabic and Devanagari scripts (with some modifications).[36] Among languages written in the Perso-Arabic script, Kashmiri is one of the scripts that regularly indicates all vowel sounds.[37]
The Perso-Arabic script is recognised as the official script of Kashmiri language by the Jammu and Kashmir government and the Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture and Languages.[38][39][40][41]
Despite, Kashmiri Perso-Arabic script cutting across religious boundaries and being used by both the Kashmiri Hindus and the Kashmiri Muslims,[42] some attempts have been made to give a religious outlook regarding the script and make Kashmiri Perso-Arabic script to be associated with Kashmiri Muslims, while the Kashmiri Devanagari script to be associated with some sections of Kashmiri Hindu community.[43][44][45]
Perso-Arabic script
Consonants
Name | Transliteration | IPA | Isolated glyph | |
---|---|---|---|---|
بے | bē | b | [b] | ب |
پے | pē | p | [p] | پ |
پھَ | pha | ph | [pʰ] | پھ |
تے | tē | t | [t] | ت |
تھَ | tha | th | [tʰ] | تھ |
ٹے | ṭē | ṭ | [ʈ] | ٹ |
ٹھَ | ṭha | ṭh | [ʈʰ] | ٹھ |
ثے | sē | s | [s] | ث |
جیٖم | jīm | j | [d͡ʒ] | ج |
چیٖم | chīm | ch | [t͡ʃ] | چ |
چھَ | chha | chh | [t͡ʃʰ] | چھ |
حَے | hay | h | [h] | ح |
خَے | khay | kh | [x], [kʰ] | خ |
دال | dāl | d | [d] | د |
ڈال | ḍāl | ḍ | [ɖ] | ڈ |
ذال | zāl | z | [z] | ذ |
رے | rē | r | [r] | ر |
ڑے | ṛē | ṛ | [ɽ] | ڑ |
زے | zē | z | [z] | ز |
ژے | tsē | ts | [t͡s] | ژ |
ژھَ | tsha | tsh | [t͡sʰ] | ژھ |
سیٖن | sīn | s | [s] | س |
شـیٖـن | shīn | sh | [ʃ] | ش |
صۄاد | sọ̄d | s | [s] | ص |
ضۄاد | zọ̄d | z | [z] | ض |
طۄے | tọy | t | [t] | ط |
ظۄے | zọy | z | [z] | ظ |
عٲن | ạ̄n | – | [∅] | ع |
غٲن | gạ̄n | g | [ɡ], [ɣ] | غ |
فے | fē | f | [f], [pʰ] | ف |
قاف | qāf | q | [k], [q] | ق |
كیٖف | kīf | k | [k] | ک |
کھَ | kha | kh | [kʰ] | کھ |
گاف | gāf | g | [ɡ] | گ |
لام | lām | l | [l] | ل |
میٖم | mīm | m | [m] | م |
نوٗن | nūn | n, ̃ | [n] , [◌̃] | ن |
نوٗن غۄنَہ | nūn gọnā | ̃ | [◌̃] | |
واو | wāw | v/w | [w] | و |
ہے | hē | h | [h] | ہ |
لۄکُٹ یے, بۆڈ یے | lọkuṭ yē, boḍ yē | y | [j] | ی, ے |
گول یایُگ, تالٕرؠ | gōl yāyuk, tālür' | ya, ' | [ʲa], [ʲ] | ؠ |
Vowels
Name | Transliteration | IPA | Vowel combined with consonant ب (be) | Final vowel glyph | Medial vowel glyph | Initial vowel glyph | Isolated vowel glyph | Unicode diacritic glyph details | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
زَبَر | zabar | a | [a] | بَ | –َ | –َ | اَ | اَ | U+064E ARABIC FATHA |
مَد | mad | ā | [aː] | با | ا | ا | آ | آ | (آ) U+0622 ARABIC LETTER ALEF WITH MADDA ABOV (Initial & Isolate) (ا) U+0627 ARABIC LETTER ALEF (Medial & Final) |
اَمالہٕ | amālü | ạ (ö) | [ə] | بٔ | –ٔ | –ٔ | أ | أ | U+0654 ARABIC HAMZA ABOVE |
اَمالہٕ مَد | amālü mad | ạ̄ (ȫ) | [əː] | بٲ | ٲ | ٲ | ٲ | ٲ | (ٲ) U+0672 ARABIC LETTER ALEF WITH WAVY HAMZA ABOVE |
زیر | zēr | i | [i] | بِ | –ِ | –ِ | اِ | اِ | U+0650 ARABIC KASRA |
کَشہِ زیر | kashi zēr | ī | [iː] | بی | ی | ـیٖـ | ایٖـ | ای | (ای) U+06CC ARABIC LETTER FARSI YEH & U+0656 ARABIC SUBSCRIPT ALEF (Initial & Medial) U+06CC ARABIC LETTER FARSI YEH (Final & Isolate) |
سایہِ | sāyi | ụ, u', ü | [ɨ] | بٕ | –ٕ | –ٕ | إ | إ | U+0655 ARABIC HAMZA BELOW |
سایہِ مَد | sāyi mad | ụ̄, ū', ǖ | [ɨː] | بٟ | –ٟ | –ٟ | ٳ | ٳ | (ٳ) U+0673 ARABIC LETTER ALEF WITH WAVY HAMZA BELOW |
پیش | pēsh | u | [u] | بُ | –ُ | –ُ | اُ | اُ | U+064F ARABIC DAMMA |
کَشہِ واوُک | kashi wāwuk | ū | [uː] | بوٗ | ـوٗ | ـوٗ | اوٗ | اوٗ | (وٗ) U+0648 ARABIC LETTER WAW & U+0657 ARABIC INVERTED DAMMA |
نیٖمہٕ واوُک | nīmü wāwuk | o | [o] | بۆ | ـۆ | ـۆ | اۆ | اۆ | (ۆ) U+06C6 ARABIC LETTER OE |
واوُک | wāwuk | ō | [oː] | بو | ـو | ـو | او | او | (و) U+0648 ARABIC LETTER WAW |
لٔٹؠ واوُک | lạṭ' wāwuk | ọ | [ɔ] | بۄ | ـۄ | ۄ | اۄ | اۄ | (ۄ) U+06C4 ARABIC LETTER WAW WITH RING |
لٔٹؠ واوُک مَد | lạṭ' wāwuk mad | ọ̄ | [ɔː] | بۄا | ـۄا | ۄا | اۄا | اۄا | (ۄ + ا) U+06C4 ARABIC LETTER WAW WITH RING & U+0627 ARABIC LETTER ALEF |
نیٖمہٕ یایُک | nīmü yāyuk | e | [e] | بـٚے | ـٚے | ـێـ | ێـ | اےٚ | ( ٚ) U+065A ARABIC VOWEL SIGN SMALL V ABOVE combined with (ے) U+06D2 ARABIC LETTER YEH BARREE |
یایُک | yāyuk | ē | [eː] | بے | ے | ـیـ | یـ | اے | (ی) U+06D2 ARABIC LETTER YEH BARREE |
Devanagari
Consonants
Letter | क | ख | ग | च | छ | ज | च़ | छ़ | ज़ | ट | ठ | ड | त | थ | द | न | प | फ | ब | म | य | र | ल | व | श | स | ह |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
IPA | [k] | [kʰ] | [g] | [t͡ʃ] | [t͡ʃʰ] | [d͡ʒ] | [t͡s] | [t͡sʰ] | [z] | [ʈ] | [ʈʰ] | [ɖ] | [t] | [tʰ] | [d] | [n] | [p] | [pʰ] | [b] | [m] | [j] | [r] | [l] | [w] | [ʃ] | [s] | [h] |
Transliteration | k | kh | g | ch | chh | j | ts | tsh | z | ṭ | ṭh | ḍ | t | th | d | n | p | ph | b | m | y | r | l | w | sh | s | h |
Vowels
There have been a few versions of the devanagari script for Kashmiri.[46] The 2002 version of the proposal is shown below.[47] This version has readers and more content available on the Internet, even though this is an older proposal.[48][49] This version makes use of the vowels ॲ/ऑ and vowel signs कॅ/कॉ for the schwa-like vowel [ə] and elongated schwa-like vowel [əː] that also exist in other Devanagari-based scripts such as Marathi and Hindi but are used for the sound of other vowels.
Letter | अ | आ | ॲ | ऑ | इ | ई | ॶ | ॷ | उ | ऊ | ऎ | ए | ऐ | ऒ | ओ | औ | -व | ँ |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
IPA | [a] | [aː] | [ə] | [əː] | [i] | [iː] | [ɨ] | [ɨː] | [u] | [uː] | [e] | [eː] | [əi] | [o] | [oː] | [ɔː] | [ɔ] | [◌̃] |
Transliteration | a | ā | ạ | ạ̄ | i | ī | ü | ǖ | u | ū | e | ē | ai | o | ō | ọ̄ | ọ | ̃ |
Vowel mark indicated on consonant k | क | का | कॅ | कॉ | कि | की | कॖ | कॗ | कु | कू | कॆ | के | कै | कॊ | को | कौ | क्व or कव | कं |
Tabulated below is the latest (2009) version of the proposal to spell the Kashmiri vowels with Devanagari.[50][51] The primary change in this version is the changed stand alone characters ॳ / ॴ and vowel signs कऺ / कऻ for the schwa-like vowel [ə] & elongated schwa-like vowel [əː] and a new stand alone vowel ॵ and vowel sign कॏ for the open-mid back rounded vowel [ɔ] which can be used instead of the consonant व standing-in for this vowel.
Letter | अ | आ | ॳ | ॴ | इ | ई | ॶ | ॷ | उ | ऊ | ऎ | ए | ऐ | ऒ | ओ | औ | ॵ | ँ |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
IPA | [a] | [aː] | [ə] | [əː] | [i] | [iː] | [ɨ] | [ɨː] | [u] | [uː] | [e] | [eː] | [əi] | [o] | [oː] | [ɔː] | [ɔ] | [◌̃] |
Transliteration[52] | a | ā | ạ | ạ̄ | i | ī | ü | ǖ | u | ū | e | ē | ai | o | ō | ọ̄ | ọ | ̃ |
Vowel mark indicated on consonant k | क | का | कऺ | कऻ | कि | की | कॖ | कॗ | कु | कू | कॆ | के | कै | कॊ | को | कौ | कॏ | कं |
Sharada script
Consonants
Name | Transliteration | IPA | Isolated glyph | Remarks[53][54] | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
𑆑𑆾𑆮𑇀 𑆑 | kōv kạ | ka | [ka] | 𑆑 | |
𑆒𑇀𑆮𑆤𑆴 𑆒 | khvani khạ | kha | [kʰa] | 𑆒 | |
𑆓𑆓𑆫𑇀 𑆓 | gagar gạ | ga | [ɡa] | 𑆓 | |
𑆓𑆳𑆱𑆴 𑆔 | gāsi ghạ | gha | [ɡʰa] | 𑆔 | The Kashmiri Language does not possess this consonant. |
𑆤𑆳𑆫𑆶𑆓𑇀 𑆕 | nārug ṅạ | ṅa | [ŋa] | 𑆕 | The Kashmiri Language does not possess this consonant. |
𑆖𑆳𑆛𑆶𑆮𑇀 𑆖 | tsāṭuv chạ | cha | [t͡ʃa] | 𑆖 | |
𑆗𑇀𑆮𑆛𑆴𑆚𑇀 𑆗 | tshvaṭiñ chhạ | chha | [t͡ʃʰa] | 𑆗 | |
𑆘𑆪𑆴 𑆘 | zayi jạ | ja | [d͡ʒa] | 𑆘 | |
𑆘𑆳𑆯𑆴𑆚𑇀 𑆙 | zashiñ jhạ | jha | [d͡ʒʰa] | 𑆙 | The Kashmiri Language does not possess this consonant. |
𑆒𑇀𑆮𑆤 𑆦𑆶𑆛𑆴 𑆚 | khvana phuṭi ñạ | ña | [ɲa] | 𑆚 | The Kashmiri Language does not possess this consonant. |
𑆃𑆫𑇀-𑆩𑆳𑆀𑆛 | ar mām̐ṭa | ṭa | [ʈa] | 𑆛 | |
𑆱𑆫𑇀-𑆩𑆳𑆀𑆜 | sar mām̐ṭha | ṭha | [ʈʰa] | 𑆜 | |
𑆝𑆶𑆝𑇀 𑆝 | ḍuḍ ḍạ | ḍa | [ɖa] | 𑆝 | |
𑆝𑆑 𑆞 | ḍaka ḍhạ | ḍha | [ɖʰa] | 𑆞 | The Kashmiri Language does not possess this consonant. |
𑆤𑆳𑆤𑆓𑆶𑆫𑆴 𑆟 | nānaguri ṇạ | ṇa | [ɳa] | 𑆟 | The Kashmiri Language does not possess this consonant. |
𑆠𑆾𑆮𑇀 𑆠 | tov tạ | ta | [ta] | 𑆠 | |
𑆡𑆳𑆯𑆴 𑆡 | thāshi thạ | tha | [tʰa] | 𑆡 | |
𑆢𑆢𑆮𑇀 𑆢 | dadav dạ | da | [da] | 𑆢 | |
𑆢𑆷𑆚𑇀 𑆣 | dūñ dhạ | dha | [dʰa] | 𑆣 | The Kashmiri Language does not possess this consonant. |
𑆤𑆱𑇀𑆠𑆶𑆮𑇀 𑆤 | nastūv nạ | na | [na] | 𑆤 | |
𑆥𑆝𑆶𑆫𑆴 𑆥 | paḍuri pạ | pa | [pa] | 𑆥 | |
𑆦𑆫𑆴𑆚𑇀 𑆦 | phariñ phạ | pha | [pʰa] | 𑆦 | |
𑆧𑆶𑆧𑇀 𑆧 | bub bạ | ba | [ba] | 𑆧 | |
𑆧𑆳𑆪𑆴 𑆨 | bāyi bhạ | bha | [bʰa] | 𑆨 | The Kashmiri Language does not possess this consonant. |
𑆩𑆾𑆮𑇀 𑆩 | mōv mạ | ma | [ma] | 𑆩 | |
𑆪𑆳𑆮 𑆪 | yāva yạ | ya | [ja] | 𑆪 | |
𑆫𑆑 𑆫 | raka rạ | ra | [ra] | 𑆫 | |
𑆬𑆳𑆮 𑆬 | lāva lạ | la | [la] | 𑆬 | |
𑆧𑆝𑆶 𑆝𑆶𑆝𑇀 𑆝 | boḍu ḍuḍ ḍạ | ḷa | [ɭa] | 𑆭 | The Kashmiri Language does not possess this consonant. |
𑆮𑆯𑆴 𑆮 | vashi vạ | va | [wa] | 𑆮 | |
𑆯𑆑𑆫𑇀 𑆯 | shakar shạ | sha | [ʃa] | 𑆯 | |
𑆦𑆳𑆫𑆴 𑆰 | phāri ṣạ | ṣa | [ʂa] | 𑆰 | The Kashmiri Language does not possess this consonant. |
𑆱𑆶𑆱𑇀 𑆱 | sus sạ | sa | [sa] | 𑆱 | |
𑆲𑆳𑆬 𑆲 | hala hạ | ha | [ha] | 𑆲 |
Vowels
Name | Transliteration | IPA | Isolated glyph | Remarks[53] | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
𑆄𑆢𑆿 𑆃 | ādau a | a | [a] | 𑆃 | |
𑆎𑆠𑆮𑇀 𑆄 | aitav ā | ā | [aː] | 𑆄 | |
𑆪𑆪𑆮𑇀 𑆪𑆼 | yeyev yē | i | [i] | 𑆅 | |
𑆅𑆯𑆫𑆮𑇀 𑆆 | yisherav yī | ī | [iː] | 𑆆 | |
𑆮𑇀𑆮𑆥𑆬𑇀 𑆮𑆾 | vọpal vō | u | [u] | 𑆇 | |
𑆮𑇀𑆮𑆥𑆬𑇀 𑆧𑆳 𑆈 | vọpal bā ū | ū | [uː] | 𑆈 | |
𑆉𑆤𑆮𑇀 𑆉 | r̥enav | r̥ | [r̩] | 𑆉 | The Kashmiri Language does not possess this vowel. |
𑆫𑆒𑆮𑇀 𑆊 | rakhav | r̥̄ | [r̩ː] | 𑆊 | The Kashmiri Language does not possess this vowel. |
𑆬𑇀𑆪𑆪𑆮𑇀 𑆋 | leyev | l̥ | [l̩] | 𑆋 | The Kashmiri Language does not possess this vowel. |
𑆬𑆵𑆪𑆮𑇀 𑆌 | līsav | l̥̄ | [l̩ː] | 𑆌 | The Kashmiri Language does not possess this vowel. |
𑆠𑆬𑆮𑇀𑆪𑇀 𑆍 | talavya yē | ē | [eː] | 𑆍 | |
𑆠𑆳𑆬𑆵 𑆎 | tolī ai | ai | [əi] | 𑆎 | |
𑆮𑆶𑆜𑆾 𑆏 | vuṭhō ō | ō | [oː] | 𑆏 | |
𑆃𑆯𑆴𑆢𑆵 𑆐 | ashidī au | au | [ɔː] | 𑆐 | |
𑆃𑆝𑆴 𑆖𑆤𑆢𑇀𑆫 𑆦𑇀𑆪𑆫𑆶 | aḍi tsandra phyor | am̐ | [◌̃] | 𑆃𑆀 | |
𑆩𑆱𑇀 𑆦𑇀𑆪𑆫𑆴 𑆃𑆁 | mas phyori aṃ | aṃ | [n],[m] | 𑆃𑆁 | |
𑆢𑆾 𑆦𑇀𑆪𑆫𑆴 𑆃𑆂 | dō phyori aḥ | aḥ | [h] | 𑆃𑆂 |
Vowel mark
Name | Transliteration | IPA | Isolated vowel mark | Vowel mark indicated on consonant pa | Distinct ways of indicating vowel marks on special consonants | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
𑆮𑆲𑆳𑆪𑇀 | vahāy | -ā | [aː] | 𑆳 | 𑆥𑆳 | 𑆕 = 𑆕𑆳 𑆘 = 𑆘𑆳 𑆛 = 𑆛𑆳 𑆟 = 𑆟𑆳 |
𑆩𑆷𑆤𑇀𑆡𑆫𑇀 | mūnthar | -i | [i] | 𑆴 | 𑆥𑆴 | |
𑆃𑆫𑇀 𑆩𑆷𑆤𑇀𑆡𑆫𑇀 | ar mūnthar | -ī | [iː] | 𑆵 | 𑆥𑆵 | |
𑆒𑆶𑆫𑆶 | khuru | -u | [u] | 𑆶 | 𑆥𑆶 | 𑆑 = 𑆑𑆶 𑆓 = 𑆓𑆶 𑆙 = 𑆙𑆶 𑆚 = 𑆚𑆶 𑆝 = 𑆝𑆶 𑆠 = 𑆠𑆶 𑆨 = 𑆨𑆶 𑆫 = 𑆫𑆶 𑆯 = 𑆯𑆶 |
𑆃𑆫𑇀 𑆒𑆷𑆫𑆷 | ar khūrū | -ū | [uː] | 𑆷 | 𑆥𑆷 | 𑆑 = 𑆑𑆷 𑆓 = 𑆓𑆷 𑆙 = 𑆙𑆷 𑆚 = 𑆚𑆷 𑆝 = 𑆝𑆷 𑆠 = 𑆠𑆷 𑆨 = 𑆨𑆷 𑆫 = 𑆫𑆷 𑆯 = 𑆯𑆷 |
𑆉𑆤𑆮𑇀 𑆉 | r̥enav r̥a | -r̥ | [r̩] | 𑆸 | 𑆥𑆸 | 𑆑 = 𑆑𑆸 |
𑆫𑆒𑆮𑇀 𑆊 | rakhav ru | -r̥̄ | [r̩ː] | 𑆹 | 𑆥𑆹 | 𑆑 = 𑆑𑆹 |
𑆬𑇀𑆪𑆪𑆮𑇀 𑆋 | leyev l̥a | -l̥ | [l̩] | 𑆺 | 𑆥𑆺 | |
𑆬𑆵𑆱𑆮𑇀 𑆌 | līsav l̥̄a | -l̥̄ | [l̩ː] | 𑆻 | 𑆥𑆻 | |
𑆲𑇀𑆮𑆁𑆝𑆷 | hvanḍū | -ē | [eː] | 𑆼 | 𑆥𑆼 | |
𑆲𑇀𑆮𑆁𑆘𑆾𑆫𑇀 | hvanjōr | -ai | [əi] | 𑆽 | 𑆥𑆽 | |
𑆃𑆑𑆶 𑆯𑇀𑆪𑆷𑆫𑆶 | oku shyūr | -ō | [oː] | 𑆾 | 𑆥𑆾 | |
𑆃𑆑𑆶𑆯𑆴 𑆮𑆲𑆳𑆪𑇀 | okushi vahāy | -au | [ɔː] | 𑆿 | 𑆥𑆿 | |
𑆃𑆝𑆴 𑆖𑆤𑇀𑆢𑇀𑆫 𑆦𑇀𑆪𑆫𑆶 | aḍi tsandra phyor | -am̐ | [◌̃] | 𑆀 | 𑆥𑆀 | |
𑆩𑆱𑇀 𑆦𑇀𑆪𑆫𑆴 𑆃𑆁 | mas phyori aṃ | -aṃ | [n],[m] | 𑆁 | 𑆥𑆁 | |
𑆢𑆾 𑆦𑇀𑆪𑆫𑆴 𑆃𑆂 | dō phyori aḥ | -aḥ | [h] | 𑆂 | 𑆥𑆂 |
Grammar
Kashmiri is a fusional language[55] with verb-second (V2) word order.[56] Several of Kashmiri's grammatical features distinguish it from other Indo-Aryan languages.[57]
Nouns
Kashmiri nouns are inflected according to gender, number and case. There are no articles, nor is there any grammatical distinction for definiteness, although there is some optional adverbial marking for indefinite or "generic" noun qualities.[55]
Gender
The Kashmiri gender system is divided into masculine and feminine. Feminine forms are typically generated by the addition of a suffix (or in most cases, a morphophonemic change, or both) to a masculine noun.[55] A relatively small group of feminine nouns have unique suppletion forms that are totally different from the corresponding masculine forms.[58] The following table illustrates the range of possible gender forms:[59]
Process Masculine Feminine Meaning Adding of affix [huːn] ہوٗن
[huːnʲ] ہوٗنؠ
dog/bitch vowel change [gagur] گَگُر
[gagɨr] گَگٕر
rat consonant change [hokʰ] ہۆکھ
[hot͡ʃʰ] ہۆچھ
dry vowel/consonant change [tot] تۆت
[tət͡s] تٔژ
hot suppletive form [marɨd] مَرٕد
[zanaːn] زَنان
man/woman masculine only [kaːw] کاو
--- crow feminine only --- [mət͡ʃʰ] مٔچھ
housefly
Some nouns borrowed from other languages, such as Persian, Arabic, Sanskrit, Urdu or English, follow a slightly different gender system. Notably, many words borrowed from Urdu have different genders in Kashmiri.[58]
Case
There are five cases in Kashmiri: nominative, dative, ergative, ablative and vocative.[60] Case is expressed via suffixation of the noun.
Kashmiri utilizes an ergative-absolutive case structure when the verb is in simple past tense.[60] Thus, in these sentences, the subject of a transitive verb is marked in the ergative case and the object in nominative, which is identical to how the subject of an intransitive verb is marked.[60][61][62] However, in sentences constructed in any other tense, or in past tense sentences with intransitive verbs, a nominative-dative paradigm is adopted, with objects (whether direct or indirect) generally marked in dative case.[63]
Other case distinctions, such as locative, instrumental, genitive, comitative and allative, are marked by postpositions rather than suffixation.[64]
Noun morphology
The following table illustrates Kashmiri noun declension according to gender, number and case.[63][65]
Masculine Feminine singular plural singular plural Nom. -Ø -Ø -Ø -Ø Erg. -[an]
اَن-[aw]
اَو-[i]
اِ-[aw]
اَوDat. -[as] or -[is]
اَس or اِس-[an]
اَن-[i]
اِ-[an]
اَنAbl. -[i] or -[ɨ]
اِ or إ-[aw]
اَو-[i]
اِ-[aw]
اَوVoc. -[aː]
ا-[aw]
اَو-[ij]
اِے-[aw]
اَو
Verbs
Kashmiri verbs are declined according to tense and person, and to a lesser extent, gender. Tense, along with certain distinctions of aspect, is formed by the addition of suffixes to the verb stem (minus the infinitive ending - /un/), and in many cases by the addition of various modal auxiliaries.[66] Postpositions fulfill numerous adverbial and semantic roles.[67]
Tense
Present tense in Kashmiri is an auxiliary construction formed by a combination of the copula and the imperfective suffix -/aːn/ added to the verb stem. The various copula forms agree with their subject according to gender and number, and are provided below with the verb /jun/ (to come):[68]
Present Masculine Feminine 1st Person Sing. [t͡ʃʰus jiwaːn]
چھُس یِوان[t͡ʃʰas jiwaːn]
چھَس یِوان2nd Person Sing. [t͡ʃʰukʰ jiwaːn]
چھُکھ یِوان[t͡ʃʰakʰ jiwaːn]
چھَکھ یِوان3rd Person Sing. [t͡ʃʰu jiwaːn]
چھُ یِوان[t͡ʃʰe jiwaːn]
چھےٚ یِوان1st Person Pl. [t͡ʃʰi jiwaːn]
چھِ یِوان[t͡ʃʰa jiwaːn]
چھَ یِوان2nd Person Pl. [t͡ʃʰiw jiwaːn]
چھِو یِوان[t͡ʃʰaw jiwaːn]
چھَو یِوان3rd Person Pl. [t͡ʃʰi jiwaːn]
چھِ یِوان[t͡ʃʰe jiwaːn]
چھےٚ یِوان
Past tense in Kashmiri is significantly more complex than the other tenses, and is subdivided into three past tense distinctions.[69] The simple (sometimes called proximate) past refers to completed past actions. Remote past refers to actions that lack this in-built perfective aspect. Indefinite past refers to actions performed a long time ago, and is often used in historical narrative or storytelling contexts.[70]
As described above, Kashmiri is a split-ergative language; in all three of these past tense forms, the subjects of transitive verbs are marked in the ergative case and direct objects in the nominative. Intransitive subjects are marked in the nominative.[70] Nominative arguments, whether subjects or objects, dictate gender, number and person marking on the verb.[70][71]
Verbs of the simple past tense are formed via the addition of a suffix to the verb stem, which usually undergoes certain uniform morphophonemic changes. First and third person verbs of this type do not take suffixes and agree with the nominative object in gender and number, but there are second person verb endings. The entire simple past tense paradigm of transitive verbs is illustrated below using the verb /parun/ ("to read"):[72]
Simple Past (Transitive) Masculine Feminine singular plural singular plural 1st Person [por]
پۆر[pərʲ]
پٔرؠ[pər]
پٔر[pari]
پَرِ2nd Person Non-honorific [porutʰ]
پۆرُتھ[pəritʰ]
پٔرِتھ[pərɨtʰ]
پٔرٕتھ[parʲatʰ]
پَرؠتھHonorific [porwɨ]
پۆروٕ[pəriwɨ]
پٔرِوٕ[pərwɨ]
پٔروٕ[pariwɨ]
پَرِوٕ3rd Person [por]
پۆر[pərʲ]
پٔرؠ[pər]
پٔر[pari]
پَرِ
A group of irregular intransitive verbs (special intransitives), take a different set of endings in addition to the morphophonemic changes that affect most past tense verbs.[73]
Simple Past (Special Intransitive) Masculine Feminine singular plural singular plural 1st Person -[us]
اُس-[ʲ]
ؠ-[as]
اَس-[i]
اِ2nd Person -[kʰ]
کھ-[wɨ]
وٕ-[kʰ]
کھ-[wɨ]
وٕ3rd Person -Ø -Ø -[t͡ʃʰ]
چھ-[i]
اِ
Intransitive verbs in the simple past are conjugated the same as intransitives in the indefinite past tense form.[74]
Simple Past (Intransitive) Masculine Feminine singular plural singular plural 1st Person -[jas]
یَس-[jeːji]
یے یہِ-[jeːjas]
یے یَس-[jeːji]
یے یہِ2nd Person -[jaːkʰ]
یاکھ-[jeːjiwɨ]
یے یِوٕ-[jeːjakʰ]
یے یَکھ-[jeːjiwɨ]
یے یِوٕ3rd Person -[joːw]
یوو-[jeːji]
یے یہِ-[jeːji]
یے یہِ-[jeːji]
یے یہِ
In contrast to the simple past, verb stems are unchanged in the indefinite and remote past, although the addition of the tense suffixes does cause some morphophonetic change.[75] Transitive verbs are declined according to the following paradigm:[76]
Indefinite Past (Transitive) Masculine Feminine singular plural singular plural 1st/3rd Person -[joːw]
یوو-[eːji]
ے یہِ-[eːji]
ے یہِ-[eːji]
ے یہِ2nd Person -[joːtʰ]
یوتھ-[eːjatʰ]
ے یَتھ-[eːjatʰ]
ے یَتھ-[eːjatʰ]
ے یَتھ
Remote Past (Transitive) Masculine Feminine singular plural singular plural 1st/3rd Person -[eːjoːw]
ے یوو-[eːjaːji]
ے یایہِ-[eːjaːji]
ے یایہِ-[eːjaːji]
ے یایہِ2nd Person -[eːjoːtʰ]
ے یوتھ-[eːjeːjatʰ]
ے یے یَتھ-[eːjeːjatʰ]
ے یے یَتھ-[eːjeːjatʰ]
ے یے یَتھ
As in the simple past, "special intransitive" verbs take a different set of endings in the indefinite and remote past:[77]
Indefinite Past (Special Intransitive) Masculine Feminine singular plural singular plural 1st Person -[aːs]
اس-[aːjas]
ایَس-[aːjas]
ایَس-[aːji]
ایہِ2nd Person -[kʰ]
کھ-[kʰ]
کھ-[aːjakʰ]
ایَکھ-[aːjiwɨ]
ایِوٕ3rd Person -[aw]
اَو-[aːji]
ایہِ-[aːji]
ایہِ-[aːji]
ایہِ
Remote Past (Special Intransitive) Masculine Feminine singular plural singular plural 1st Perso -[aːjaːs]
ایاس-[eːjaːji]
ے یایہِ-[eːjeːjas]
ے یے یَس-[eːjeːji]
ے یے یہِ2nd Person -[aːkʰ]
اکھ-[eːjiwɨ]
ے یِوٕ-[aːjakʰ]
ایَکھ-[aːjiwɨ]
ایِوٕ3rd Person -[eːjoːw]
ے یوو-[eːjeːji]
ے یے یہِ-[eːjaːjɨ]
ے یایہٕ-[eːjaːjɨ]
ے یایہٕ
Regular intransitive verbs also take a different set of endings in the indefinite and remote past, subject to some morphophonetic variation:[78]
Indefinite Past (Intransitive) Masculine Feminine singular plural singular plural 1st Person -[jas]
یَس-[jeːji]
یے یہِ-[jeːjas]
یے یَس-[jeːji]
یے یہِ2nd Person -[jaːkʰ]
یاکھ-[jeːjiwɨ]
یے یِوٕ-[jeːjakʰ]
یے یَکھ-[jeːjiwɨ]
یے یِوٕ3rd Person -[joːw]
یوو-[jeːji]
یے یہِ-[jeːji]
یے یہِ-[jeːji]
یے یہِ
Remote Past (Intransitive) Masculine Feminine singular plural singular plural 1st Person -[jeːjaːs]
یے یاس-[jeːji]
یے یہِ-[jeːjaːs]
یے یاس-[jeːji]
یے یہِ2nd Person -[jeːjakʰ]
یے یَکھ-[jeːjiwɨ]
یے یِوٕ-[jeːjakʰ]
یے یَکھ-[jeːjiwɨ]
یے یِوٕ3rd Person -[jeːjoːw]
یے یوو-[jeːji]
یے یہِ-[jeːjaːjɨ]
یے یایہٕ-[jeːjɨ]
یے یہٕ
Future tense intransitive verbs are formed by the addition of suffixes to the verb stem:[79]
Future (Intransitive) Singular Plural 1st Person -[mɨ]
مہٕ-[maw]
مَو2nd Person -[akʰ]
اَکھ-[jiw]
یِو3rd Person -[ji]
یِہ-[an]
اَن
The future tense of transitive verbs, however, is formed by adding suffixes that agree with both the subject and direct object according to number, in a complex fashion:[80]
Future (Transitive) Singular Object Plural Object 1st Person Sing. -[an]
اَن-[akʰ]
اَکھ1st Person Pl. -[ɨhoːn]
إہون-[ɨhoːkʰ]
إہوکھ2nd Person Sing. -[ɨhǝn]
إۂن-[ɨhǝkʰ]
إۂکھ2nd Person Pl. -[ɨhuːn]
إہوٗن-[ɨhuːkʰ]
إہوٗکھ3rd Person Sing. -[jas]
یَس-[jakʰ]
یَکھ3rd Person Pl. -[ɨnas]
إنَس-[ɨnakʰ]
إنَکھ
Aspect
There are two main aspectual distinctions in Kashmiri, perfective and imperfective. Both employ a participle formed by the addition of a suffix to the verb stem, as well as the fully conjugated auxiliary /aːsun/ ("to be")—which agrees according to gender, number and person with the object (for transitive verbs) or the subject (for intransitive verbs).[81]
Like the auxiliary, the participle suffix used with the perfective aspect (expressing completed or concluded action) agrees in gender and number with the object (for transitive verbs) or subject (for intransitives) as illustrated below:[81]
Masculine Feminine singular plural singular plural -[mut]
مُت-[mɨtʲ]
مٕتؠ-[mɨt͡s]
مٕژ-[mat͡sɨ]
مَژٕ
The imperfective (expressing habitual or progressive action) is simpler, taking the participle suffix -/aːn/ in all forms, with only the auxiliary showing agreement.[82] A type of iterative aspect can be expressed by reduplicating the imperfective participle.[83]
Pronouns
Pronouns are declined according to person, gender, number and case, although only third person pronouns are overtly gendered. Also in third person, a distinction is made between three degrees of proximity, called proximate, remote I and remote II.[84]
Nominative Masculine Feminine singular plural singular plural 1st Person [bɨ]
بہٕ[ǝsʲ]
أسؠ[bɨ]
بہٕ[ǝsʲ]
أسؠ2nd Person [t͡sɨ]
ژٕ[tohʲ] or [tuhʲ]
تۆہؠ or تُہؠ[t͡sɨ]
ژٕ[tohʲ] or [tuhʲ]
تۆہؠ or تُہؠ3rd Person proximate [ji]
یہِ[jim]
یِم[ji]
یہِ[jimɨ]
یِمہٕremote I [hu]
ہُہ[hum]
ہُم[hɔ]
ہۄ[humɨ]
ہُمہٕremote II [su]
سُہ[tim]
تِم/sɔ/
سۄ[timɨ]
تِمہٕ
Ergative Masculine Feminine singular plural singular plural 1st Person [me]
مےٚ[asi]
اَسہِ[me]
مےٚ[asi]
اَسہِ2nd Person [t͡se]
ژےٚ[tɔhi]
تۄہِہ[t͡se]
ژےٚ[tɔhi]
تۄہِہ3rd Person proximate [jemʲ]
یێمؠ[jimaw]
یِمَو[jemi]
یێمِہ[jimaw]
یِمَوremote I [humʲ]
ہُمؠ[humaw]
ہُمَو[humi]
ہُمہِ[humaw]
ہُمَوremote II [tǝmʲ]
تٔمؠ[timaw]
تِمَو[tami]
تَمہِ[timaw]
تِمَو
Dative Masculine Feminine singular plural singular plural 1st Person [me]
مےٚ[asi]
اَسہِ[me]
مےٚ[asi]
اَسہِ2nd Person [t͡se]
ژےٚ[tɔhi]
تۄہہِ[t͡se]
ژےٚ[tɔhi]
تۄہہِ3rd Person proximate [jemis]
یێمِس[jiman]
یِمَن[jemis]
یێمِس[jiman]
یِمَنremote I [humis]
ہُمِس[human]
ہُمَن[humis]
ہُمِس[human]
ہُمَنremote II [tǝmis]
تٔمِس[timan]
تِمَن[tǝmis]
تٔمِس[timan]
تِمَن
Ablative Masculine Feminine singular plural singular plural 1st Person [me]
مےٚ[asi]
اَسہِ[me]
مےٚ[asi]
اَسہِ2nd Person [t͡se]
ژےٚ[tɔhi]
تۄہہِ[t͡se]
ژےٚ[tɔhi]
تۄہہِ3rd Person proximate [jemi]
یێمہِ[jimaw]
یِمَو[jemi]
یێمہِ[jimaw]
یِمَوremote I [humi]
ہُمہِ[humaw]
ہُمَو[humi]
ہُمہِ[humaw]
ہُمَوremote II [tǝmi]
تٔمہِ[timaw]
تِمَو[tǝmi]
تٔمہِ[timaw]
تِمَو
There is also a dedicated genitive pronoun set, in contrast to the way that the genitive is constructed adverbially elsewhere. As with future tense, these forms agree with both the subject and direct object in person and number.[85]
Masculine Feminine singular plural singular plural 1st Sing. [mjoːn] میٛون
[mjəːnʲ] میٛٲنؠ
[mjəːnʲ] میٛٲنؠ
[mjaːni] میٛانہِ
1st Pl. [soːn] سون
[səːnʲ] سٲنؠ
[səːnʲ] سٲنؠ
[saːni] سانہِ
2nd Sing. [t͡ʃoːn] چون
[t͡ʃəːnʲ] چٲنؠ
[t͡ʃəːnʲ] چٲنؠ
[t͡ʃaːni] چانہِ
2nd Pl. [tuhund] تُہُنٛد
[tuhɨndʲ] تُہٕنٛدؠ
[tuhɨnz] تُہٕنٛز
[tuhnzɨ] تُہنٛزٕ
3rd Sing. Prox. [jemʲ sund] یێمؠ سُنٛد
[jemʲ sɨndʲ] یێمؠ سٕنٛدؠ
[jemʲ sɨnz] یێمؠ سٕنٛز
[jemʲ sɨnzɨ] یێمؠ سٕنٛزٕ
3rd Pl. Prox. [jihund] یِہُنٛد
[jihɨndʲ] یِہٕنٛدؠ
[jihɨnz] یِہٕنٛز
[jihnzɨ] یِہنٛزٕ
3rd Sing. R I [humʲ sund] ہُمؠ سُنٛد
[humʲ sɨndʲ] ہُمؠ سٕنٛدؠ
[humʲ sɨnz] ہُمؠ سٕنٛز
[humʲ sɨnzɨ] ہُمؠ سٕنٛزٕ
3rd Pl. R I [huhund] ہُہُنٛد
[huhɨndʲ] ہُہٕنٛدؠ
[huhɨnz] ہُہٕنٛز
[huhnzɨ] ہُہنٛزٕ
3rd Sing. R II [tǝmʲ sund] تٔمؠ سُنٛد
[tǝmʲ sɨndʲ] تٔمؠ سٕنٛدؠ
[tǝmʲ sɨnz] تٔمؠ سٕنٛز
[tǝmʲ sɨnzɨ] تٔمؠ سٕنٛزٕ
3rd Pl. R II [tihɨnd] تِہٕنٛد
[tihɨndʲ] تِہٕنٛدؠ
[tihɨnz] تِہٕنٛز
[tihnzɨ] تِہنٛزٕ
Adjectives
There are two kinds of adjectives in Kashmiri, those that agree with their referent noun (according to case, gender and number) and those that are not declined at all.[86] Most adjectives are declined, and generally take the same endings and gender-specific stem changes as nouns.[87] The declinable adjective endings are provided in the table below, using the adjective /wɔzul/ ("red"):[88][89]
Masculine Feminine singular plural singular plural Nom. [wɔzul]
وۄزُل[wɔzɨlʲ]
وۄزٕلؠ[wɔzɨd͡ʒ]
وۄزٕج[wɔzd͡ʒi]
وۄزجہِErg. [wɔzlɨ]
وۄزلہٕ[wɔzlʲaw]
وۄزلؠو[wɔzd͡ʒi]
وۄزجہِ[wɔzd͡ʒaw]
وۄزجَوDat. [wɔzlis]
وۄزلِس[wɔzlʲan]
وۄزلؠن[wɔzd͡ʒi]
وۄزجہِ[wɔzd͡ʒan]
وۄزجَنAbl. [wɔzlɨ]
وۄزلہٕ[wɔzlʲaw]
وۄزلؠو[wɔzd͡ʒi]
وۄزجہِ[wɔzd͡ʒaw]
وۄزجَو
Among those adjectives not declined are adjectives that end in -lad or -a, adjectives borrowed from other languages, and a few isolated irregulars.[88]
The comparative and superlative forms of adjectives are formed with the words tsor ("more") and sitha ("most"), respectively.[90]
Numerals
Within the Kashmir language, numerals are separated into cardinal numbers and ordinal numbers.[91] These numeral forms, as well as their aggregative (both, all the five, etc.), multiplicative (two times, four times, etc.), and emphatic forms (only one, only three, etc.) are provided by the table below.[91]