KALASHA - KHOWAR - NURISTANI WORD LIST

KALASHA - KHOWAR - NURISTANI WORD LIST

Kalasha is spoken by the so-called "Black Kafirs" who live in the valleys of Bumboret, Birir and Rumbur in Chitral, Northwest Pakistan.

Map of Nuristan - Please be thankful for this map, because maps of this area were illegal to sell either in Afghanistan or Pakistan. Go up the Kunar River. When it crosses the red dotted line (very hard to see) you have gone from Afghanistan back into Pakistan. If you do not cross the dotted line but take the smaller river to the left, you reach the valleys of Nuristan. If you want to go visit my wife, Honzagool, you cross the red dotted line, keep to the left (West) side of the river, and you will see two rivers branching West near the brown line which comes from the word MUMO. The first river is called Urtsun. The second river is called Jinjoret. Honzagool lives between the Urtsun and Jinjoret rivers, but much closer to Jinjoret. There is a small bend in the river < which is the exact spot where the house of Honzagool is located. This map is Copyright © 1997 by Richard F. Strand.

There are only 3,000 people left who still practice the Kalash religion. However, there are about 3,000 others who have converted from Kalash to Islam but who have reverted to speaking Kalasha. Thus, there are a total of 6,000 speakers of Kalasha. Traditionally, when a person changed his religion from Kalash to Islam, he stopped speaking Kalasha and started speaking Khowar.

The Kalash say that they came from a place called Tsyam, but nobody knows where that place is or was.

Those who have reverted to speaking Kalasha live primarily in Urtsun and Jinjoret Valleys south of Drosh and in the Village of Kalkatak in Chitral.

Nuristani is spoken by the former so-called "Red Kafirs" who live primarily in the Kunar Province of Afghanistan. There are 100,000 speakers of Nuristani. There are three varieties of Nuristani: Kativiri, Kamviri and Mumviri. It is not clear whether these three are dialects or are independent languages, but they are related. Kativiri is used in my word list below.

The Nuristanis are an old tribe who, it is believed, were encountered by Alexander the Great when he came through the area in 327 BC. Some claim that the Nuristanis are actual descendants of the soldiers of Alexander of Macedonia. This claim is almost certainly not true, as it seems clear that the Nuristanis were already there when Alexander arrived, and that his historians wrote about them.

There is a popular movie entitled "The Man Who Would Be King" staring Sean Connery which is based upon the legend that the Nuristanis came from Alexander the Great.

The Nuristanis themselves claim that they are the original Qureish, the tribe of Muhammad, the Prophet. When the people of Mecca converted to Islam, there were a few who kept the old religion and were therefore driven out of Mecca. They migrated to Afghanistan and became the Nuristanis, or so the Nuristanis say. However, nobody other then the Nuristanis themselves seem to believe this story to be true.

The man to the left is a Kalash mountain goat herder who says that he almost shot me by mistake when I encountered him by night in the high mountains above Achulga Valley

Nuristan was conquered by King Abdul Rehman of Afghanistan in 1893, who forcibly converted the Nuristanis to Islam. Previously, their land was known as Kafirstan and their language as Kafirstani.

Kalasha is classified as being closely related to Khowar but, as this word list demonstrates, they are far apart and only distantly related. Nuristani is even more distantly related. These three languages are all classified as "Dardic" languages.

Included herein are also my Hindi-Urdu and Pashtu word lists. The purpose for inclusion is simply to demonstrate that Kalasha, Khowar and Nuristani are not related to Urdu or Pashtu.

Credit is due to Kendall Decker of the Summer Institute of Linguistics for providing data, although I doubt that Mr. Decker wants to take the credit (and blame) for my method of transcription.

- Ismail Sloan

English	Kalasha	Khowar	Nuristani	Hindi-Urdu	Pashtu
body	Che	qalip	jith	jism	badan
head	shish	kapal	she	sar	sar
hair	chawar	phur	zhu	bal	wextu
face	ru	mox	naskor	chehra	max
eye	ech	ghech	ache	akh	starga
ear	ka	kar	kor	ekkan	ghwag
nose	nast	neskar	naso	nak	poza
mouth	ashi	apak	ashi	muh	zolu
tooth	dandorik	don	duth	ekdat	ghax
tounge	jiph	ligini	dits	zaban	jiba
breast	chuchu	pap	chuk	chati	sina
belly	kuch	shkama	kutal	pet	xeta
arm/hand	baza	bazu	gotar	bazu	las
elbow	harkin	kurkun	apti	kohni	sangal
palm	pe	phan	dushpar	hatheli	tale
finger	agu	chamut	ayu	ungli	gota
fingernail	nanguzhek	dughur	nachi	naxun	nukh
leg	khur	dek	zapo	tan	xpaq
skin	post	phost	chum	jidl	sarman
bone	athi	kol	ati	hadi	aduke
heart	hia	hardi	ziri	dil	zaru
blood	lui	lei	lui	xun	wina
urine	mutra	miru	tsuio	peshab	mutiaze
feces	rich	rich	gii	puxana	dake-mutiaze
village	grom	deh	grom	gau	kale
house	dur	dur	amu	ghar	kor
roof	drami	istan	krum	chat	chath
door	dur	dowaht	du	darwaza	war
firewood	shula	dar	da	lakri	largi
broom	shashkoni	mazhini	ska	jharu	jaru
mortar	dipa	andor	aru	langri	langarei
pestle	muso	musul	wo	hathi	chetu
hammer	balka	chota	budil	hathera	satak
knife	chaku	chaku	chaku	chaqu	chaku
axe	badok	bardox	wuza	kulhara	tabar
rope	rajuk	shimeni	mina	rasi	pare
thread	sutr	sutur	pchiche	dhaga	tar
needle	suzhik	shunj	chimchich	sui	stan
cloth	chelegar	zap	pizisna	kapra	kapra
ring	angushtyer	pulungushtu	angishti	anguthi	gota
sun	suri	yor	su	suraj	nwar
moon	mastruk	mas	mos	chand	spogmai
sky	di	asman	asma	asman	asman
star	tari	istari	rushto	sitara	store
rain	piliwe	boshik	agol	baris	baran
water	ukh	ugh	o	pani	ubu
river	patisholi	sin	nao	darya	sind
cloud	minji	kot	naru	badal	waryaz
lighting	indochik	bilpak	dashpulsela	bijili	prakigi
rainbow	indru	dronhanu	indro	quzah	tal
wind	sira	gan	dimi	hawa	hawa
stone	bath	boht	wat	pathar	kane
path	pon	pon	puth	rasta	lar
sand	shigo	shughur	tsuyu	ret	shaga
fire	angar	angar	ango	ag	our
smoke	thum	kushun	dyum	dhua	luge
ash	shutik	pheru	asi	rakh	ira
mud	tuk	toq	shur	kichar	xata
dust	khatur	gihth	paras	miti	gard
gold	sue	sorum	sun	sona	zar
tree	muth	kan	kanu	daraxt	wana
leaf	pu	chan	pur	pata	pana
root	iznos	iwak	lu	jhar	jarare
thorn	chuk	zux	tai	kata	azghe
flower	gamburi	gamburi	pish	phul	gwal
fruit	mewa	mewa	miwa	phal	mewa
mango	am	am	am	am	am
banana	kela	kela	kila	kela	kela
wheat	ghum	gom	gum	gehu	ghanam
millet	ain	gras	ro	bajra	warbashi
rice	grinzh	grinj	mo	chawal	wrije
potato	alu	alu	aluk	alu	alu
eggplant	khalia	patigan	banjon	baenan	tor-batingar
groundnut	bum-pali	mum-phali	mom-phali	mun-phali	mumpali
chili	mach	mahch	murch	mirch	marchake
turmeric	zechawa	zehchawa	zarchawa	haldi	kurkaman
garlic	weshnu	wrezhnu	wezhnu	lehsan	uga
onion	kachenduk	trashtu	cheknuk	piaz	piaz
cauliflower	gobi	gobi	gulpi	gobi	gobi
tomato	patingel	patingel	patingal	tamatar	sur-batingar
oil	tel	tel	til	tel	tel
salt	lu	trup	zhukh	namak	malga
meat	mos	phushur	bete	gosht	ghwaxa
fat	me	ghap	ske	cherbi	wazda
fish	matsi	matsi	omatsa	machli	kab
chicken	kakawak	kahak	kok	murghi	charga
egg	ayukun	ayukun	puduk	anda	hu
cow	gakh	leshu	go	gae	ghwa
buffalo	gamesh	gamesh	mashigo	bhes	mexa
milk	chhir	chhir	zu	dudh	pe
horns	shin	surung	shin	sing	xkar
tail	dameri	rum	demee	dum	lake
goat	pai	pai	washi	bakri	biza
dog	shua	reni	kui	kuta	spe
snake	gokh	ai	bibimsta	saap	mar
monkey	meka	mukul	maka	bandar	bizo
mosquito	trakmangash	kagunu	tarak	machar	mashe
ant	pililak	pilili	ramikh	chiuti	mege
spider	upalak	shubinak	parkemuk	makri	jola
name	nom	nam	nom	nam	num
man	much	mosh	manshi	admi	sare
woman	istizha	kimeri	jukur	urat	xaza
child	suda	tsiq	pirmi	bacha	mashum
father	dada	tat	to	bap	plar
mother	aya	nan	nu	ma	mor
brother	baya	brar	bro	bhai	ror
sister	baba	ispisar	sus	bahen	xor
son	putr	zhao	pitr	beta	zwe
daughter	chu	zhur	jukh	beti	lur
husband	beru	mosh	mach	shohar	xawand
wife	ja	bok	shtiri	bivi	xaza
boy	purushguek	daq	midi	larka	halak
girl	shtrizhaguek	kumoru	jukh	larki	jine
day	bas	anus	gijur	din	wraz
night	rat	chhui	radur	rat	shpa
morning	adua	chhuchhi	puchkul	subah	sahar
noon	hulukuna	granish	grish	dopaher	gharma
afternoon	chakdiwio	sham	shom	sham	maxam
yesterday	dosh	dosh	dus	kal	parun
today	oja	hanun	shirakgijur	aj	nan
tomorrow	chopo	pengachui	dalke	ainda-kal	saba
week	sat-bas	hafta	agar	hafta	hafta
month	mastruk	mas	mos	mihana	miasht
year	kao	sal	si	sal	kal
old	shumberan	paranu	syuma	purana	zor
new	noa	nogh	nui	nea	nawe
good	prusht	jam	lasta	acha	xu
bad	shum	shum	digar	xarab	xarab
wet	grila	zah	zheli	bhiga	lund
dry	shushta	ChuChhu	drisht	xushk	wach
long	driga	drung	darga	lamba	ugud
short	betsak	iskurdi	moti	chota	lund
hot	tapala	pech	pech	garam	tod
cold	osh	ushak	yuz	thanda	yax
right	drach	hoski	dachin	dae	xe
left	kawri	kholi	ka	bae	gas
near	shoiuna	shoi	tevire	qarib	nizde
far	desha	duderi	badyur	dur	lare
big	gada	Lot	alr	bara	ghat
small	chutyak	tsiq	parmi	chota	warkote
heavy	anguraka	qai	gamwo	bhari	drund
light	lots	lots	luka	halka	spak
above	tara	sora	ula	upar	uchat
below	nuna	mula	viri	niche	lande
white	goirak	shpiru	kashir	sufed	spin
black	krizhna	sha	zhi	kala	tor
red	lachia	krui	za	lal	sur
one	ek	i	ew	ek	yao
two	du	ju	dui	do	dwa
three	tre	troi	tere	tin	dre
four	chao	Chor	shtewo	char	salor
five	poin	poch	puch	pach	pinza
six	sho	Chhoi	shu	che	shpag
seven	sat	sot	suth	sat	uwe
eight	asht	usht	ushth	ath	atu
nine	no	niu	nu	nao	naha
ten	dash	jush	duts	das	las
eleven	dashyega	sushi	yanits	gyara	yaolas
twelve	dashyedua	johju	dits	bara	dolas
twenty	bishi	bishir	vatsi	bis	shal
one-hundred	shor	shor	putsi	ekso	sal
who	kura	ka	katsi	kun	sok
what	kia	kiagh	kai	kya	su
where	kawa	kura	kor	kidhar	charta
when	kayo	kiawaht	koi	kab	kala
how-many	kimon	kanduri	chuk	kitne	somra
which	kure	kiwali	gajista	kensa	kam
this	ia	haya	eni	ye	da
that	se	hes	iki	wo	agha
these	emi	hamit	amni	ye	da
those	eli	het	amki	wo	agha
same	barubar	barabar	erngest	ekhi	yaoshan
whole	taza	pura	pura	mukamal	rogh
broken	chhina	Chhirdu	patingusti	tuta	mat
few	chutyak	kam	echok	thora	lag
many	bo	bo	baluk	ziada	der
all	sao	saf	tsak	sab	tol
eat	zhuk	zhibik	yu	tumkhao	xoral
bite	ashato	oyoi	atushio	katna	chichal
hungry	anora	Chuyi	io	bhukh	lagna
drink	pi	pik	pi	pina	skal
thirsty	dan	trush	opi	lagna	kedal
sleep	dudi	oreik	prush	sona	udakedal
lay	drekda	porik	chi	letna	samlastal
sit	nas	nishik	nis	baethna	kenastal
give	pra	dik	pre	dena	warkawal
burn	upweik	paleik	lush	jalana	talargi
die	anashi	brik	misi	marna	mrakedal
kill	nash	mareik	jai	marna	wajal
fly	upul	ulik	undr	urna	alwatal
walk!	kasi	kosik	esti	chalna	paidalarsha
run	adyae	deik	achu	durna	mandawahal
go	par	bik	etu	jana	talal
come	a	gik	hatsi	ana	ratlal
speak	ama	ludik	wila	bolna	wayal
heard	sanga	kara	singa	suna	awredal
see	pashi	poshik	waa	dekhna	katal
I	a	awa	uts	mae	zu
you	tu	tu	twi	tum	tu
you-(formal)	tu	tu	twi	ap	taso
he/she	asa	hes	iki	vo	hagha
we	abi	spa	imu	ham	munga
you-(plural)	abi	pisa	sho	tum	taso
they	eli	het	amki	vo	haghwi

Source : http://www.anusha.com/kalasha.htm