Saraiki language
 | This December 2007 needs additional citations for verification. (December 2007) |
| Saraiki | |
|---|---|
| Native to | Pakistan,[1], Afghanistan[2] |
Native speakers | ~30,000,000 |
Indo-European
| |
| Arabic alphabet,[3] Gurmukhi script,[3] Devanagari script[3] | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-2 | inc |
| ISO 639-3 | skr |
Saraiki (Perso-Arabic: سراییکی, Gurmukhi: ਸਰਾਇਕੀ), also called Multani (Perso-Arabic: ملتانی, is an Indo-Aryan (Indic)[4] language mostly spoken in Southern Punjab and northern Sindh in central Pakistan by about 30 million people (according to 1998 census),[5] and by a small minority in Afghanistan.[2]
Classification
Saraiki is part of a dialect continuum with Punjabi and Sindhi. Saraiki, Punjabi and Sindhi are members of the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European family.
Geographic distribution
Saraiki is widely spoken and understood as a second language in northern and western Sindh down to the suburbs of Karachi and in the Kachhi plain of Balochistan. It is also known as Derawali in Derajat area. Saraiki is also spoken in North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) and it is third popular language after Pashtu and Punjabi. Saraiki is widely spoken in southern NWFP areas specially in Dera Ismail Khan, Kulachi and in Tank District and also spoken widely in Lakki Marwat. It is mostly spoken in the south of Punjab in Dera Ghazi Khan, Multan, Mailsi, Mianwali, Vehari, Rahim Yar Khan, Rajan Pur and Bahawalpur in Pakistan.
In Afghanistan, Kandahari, a dialect of Multani/Saraiki is a mother tongue of Afghan Hindus.[2]
Phonology
Vowels
Saraiki has three short vowels, seven long vowels and six nasal vowels.
Consonants
| Bilabial | Labiodental | Dental | Alveolar | Retroflex | Palatal | Velar | Glottal | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stops and affricates |
Voiceless | p pʰ | t̪ t̪ʰ | t tʰ | ʧ ʧʰ | k kʰ | ʔ | ||
| Voiced | b bʰ | d̪ d̪ʰ | d dʰ | ʤ ʤʰ | ɡ ɡʰ | ||||
| Implosives | ɓ | ɗ | ʄ | ɠ | |||||
| Nasals | m mʰ | n nʰ | ɳ | ɲ | ŋ | ||||
| Fricatives | Voiceless | f | s | ʃ | x | h | |||
| Voiced | v | z | ʒ | ɣ | |||||
| Trills | r rʰ | ||||||||
| Flaps | ɽ ɽʰ | ||||||||
| Laterals | l lʰ | ||||||||
| Semivowel | j | ||||||||
Writing system
There are two writing systems for Multani / Saraiki. One is a variant of the Arabic script, which is in vogue today. Very few Saraiki speakers are literate in their own language, however, although some may be able to write other languages.
See also
References
- ^ "Siraiki Language, Literature, Art and Culture". Siraikipoint. Retrieved 2007-07-14.
- ^ a b c "Introduction". Afghan Hindu. Retrieved 2007-12-08.
- ^ a b c "An Article about Siraiki Scripts". Siraiki Language. Retrieved 2007-12-08.
- ^ "Seraiki". Ethnologue. Retrieved 2007-07-14.
- ^ Abstract of speakers’ strength of languages and mother tongues – 2001, Census of India (retrieved 19 March 2008)
Bibliography
- Ahsan, Wagha (1990). The Seraiki Language: Its Growth and Development. Islamabad: Dderawar Publications.
- Gardezi, Hassan N. (1996). Seraiki Language and its poetics: An Introduction. London: Sangat Publishers.
- Shackle, Christopher (1976). The Seraiki Language of Central Pakistan: A Reference Grammar. London: School of Oriental and African Studies.
- Shackle, Christopher (1977). "Siariki: A Language Movement in Pakistan". Modern Asian Studies. 11 (3): 279–403.
External links
- Ethnologue report for language code:skr
- Western Punjabi (Seraiki) Alphabet with Gurmukhi equivalents
- Wasaib.com Collection of Articles and other resources on Seraiki language & culture
- Phonemic Inventory of Seraiki Language and Acoustic Analysis of Voiced Implosives (PDF)
- Voice of Seraiki
- Saraiki Video Portal