Balochi language explained

Balochi
Nativename:Baluchi: بلۏچی / Baluchi: بلوچی / / Baluchi: Балочи
Pronunciation:pronounced as /bal/
Imagescale:0.6
States:Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan
Region:Balochistan
Ethnicity:Baloch
Speakers: million
Date:20172020
Ref:e26
Familycolor:Indo-European
Fam2:Indo-Iranian
Fam3:Iranian
Fam4:Western Iranian
Fam5:Northwestern
Agency:Balochi Academy, Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan
Balochi Academy Sarbaz, Sarbaz, Iran
Iso2:bal
Iso3:bal
Lc1:bgp
Ld1:Eastern Balochi
Lc2:bgn
Ld2:Western Balochi
Lc3:bcc
Ld3:Southern Balochi
Lingua:58-AAB-a > 58-AAB-aa (East Balochi) + 58-AAB-ab (West Balochi) + 58-AAB-ac (South Balochi) + 58-AAB-ad (Bashkardi)
Glotto:balo1260
Glottorefname:Balochic
Map:Idioma baluchi.png
Notice:IPA
Script:Balochi Standard Alphabet

Balochi (Baluchi: بلۏچی|rtl=yes, romanized:) is a Northwestern Iranian language, spoken primarily in the Balochistan region of Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan. In addition, there are speakers in Oman, the Arab states of the Persian Gulf, Turkmenistan, East Africa and in diaspora communities in other parts of the world.[1] The total number of speakers, according to Ethnologue, is million. Of these, 6.28 million are in Pakistan.[2]

According to Brian Spooner,[3]

Balochi belongs to the Western Iranian subgroup, and its original homeland is suggested to be around the central Caspian region.[4]

Classification

Balochi is an Indo-European language, spoken by the Baloch and belonging to the Indo-Iranian branch of the family. As an Iranian language, it is classified in the Northwestern group.

Glottolog classifies four different varieties, namely Koroshi, Southern Balochi and Western Balochi (grouped under a "Southern-Western Balochi" branch), and Eastern Balochi, all under the "Balochic" group.[5]

ISO 639-3 groups Southern, Eastern, and Western Baloch under the Balochi macrolanguage, keeping Koroshi separate.Balochi, somehow near similarity with the Parthian and on the other hand, it has near kinship to the Avestan.[6] [7] [8] [9] [10]

Dialects

There are two main dialects: the dialect of the Mandwani (northern) tribes and the dialect of the Domki (southern) tribes.[11] The dialectal differences are not very significant. One difference is that grammatical terminations in the northern dialect are less distinct compared with those in the southern tribes. An isolated dialect is Koroshi, which is spoken in the Qashqai tribal confederation in the Fars province. Koroshi distinguishes itself in grammar and lexicon among Balochi varieties.[12]

The Balochi Academy Sarbaz has designed a standard alphabet for Balochi.[13]

Phonology

Vowels

The Balochi vowel system has at least eight vowels: five long and three short.[14] These are pronounced as //aː//, pronounced as //eː//, pronounced as //iː//, pronounced as //oː//, pronounced as //uː//, pronounced as //a//, pronounced as //i// and pronounced as //u//. The short vowels have more centralized phonetic quality than the long vowels. The variety spoken in Karachi also has nasalized vowels, most importantly pronounced as //ẽː// and pronounced as //ãː//.[15] In addition to these eight vowels, Balochi has two vowel glides, that is /aw/ and /ay/.

Consonants

The following table shows consonants which are common to both Western (Northern) and Southern Balochi.[16] The consonants /s/, /z/, /n/, /ɾ/ and /l/ are articulated as alveolar in Western Balochi. The plosives /t/ and /d/ are dental in both dialects. Three (f, kh, gh) are very scarcely used. The symbol ń is used to denote nasalization of the preceding vowel.

LabialDental/
Alveolar
RetroflexPalatalVelarGlottal
Plosive/
Affricate
pronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/
pronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/
Fricativepronounced as /link/pronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/
pronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/
Rhoticpronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/
Nasalpronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/
Approximantpronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/

In addition, pronounced as //f// occurs in a few words in Southern Balochi. pronounced as //x// (voiceless velar fricative) in some loanwords in Southern Balochi corresponding to pronounced as //χ// (voiceless uvular fricative) in Western Balochi; and pronounced as //ɣ// (voiced velar fricative) in some loanwords in Southern Balochi corresponding to pronounced as //ʁ// (voiced uvular fricative) in Western Balochi.

In Eastern Balochi, it is noted that the stop and glide consonants may also occur as aspirated allophones in word initial position as pronounced as /[pʰ tʰ ʈʰ t͡ʃʰ kʰ]/ and pronounced as /[wʱ]/. Allophones of stops in postvocalic position include for voiceless stops, pronounced as /[f θ x]/ and for voiced stops pronounced as /[β ð ɣ]/. pronounced as //n l// are also dentalized as pronounced as /[n̪ l̪]/.[17]

Intonation

Difference between a question and a statement is marked will the tone, when there is no question word. Rising tone marks the question and falling tone the statement. Statements and questions with a question word are characterized by falling intonation at the end of the sentence.

Falling Intonation – Statement!Language!Example
Latin(Á) wassh ent.
Perso-Arabic with Urdu alphabet .آ) وشّ اِنت)
EnglishHe is well.
Falling Intonation – Question!Language!Example
Latin(Taw) kojá raway?
Perso-Arabic with Urdu alphabet تئو) کجا رئوئے؟)
EnglishWhere are you going?
Questions without a question word are characterized by rising intonation at the end of the sentence.[18]
Rising Intonation – Question!Language!Example
Latin(Á) wassh ent?
Perso-Arabic with Urdu alphabetآ) وشّ اِنت؟)
EnglishIs he well?
Both coordinate and subordinate clauses that precede the final clause in the sentence have rising intonation. The final clause in the sentence has falling intonation.
Rising Intonation – In clauses that precede the final clause!Language!Example
LatinShahray kuchah o damkán hechkas gendaga nabut o bázár angat band at.
Perso-Arabic with Urdu alphabet شهرئے کوچه ءُ دمکان هچکَس گندگَ نبوت ءُ بازار انگت بند اَت.
EnglishNobody was seen in the streets of the town, and the marketplace was still closed.

Grammar

The normal word order is subject–object–verb. Like many other Indo-Iranian languages, Balochi also features split ergativity. The subject is marked as nominative except for the past tense constructions where the subject of a transitive verb is marked as oblique and the verb agrees with the object.[19] Balochi, like many Western Iranian languages, has lost the Old Iranian gender distinctions.[4]

Numerals

Much of the Balochi number system is identical to Persian.[20] According to Mansel Longworth Dames, Balochi writes the first twelve numbers as follows:[21]

Cardinal numerals!Balochi!Standard Alphabet(Balòrabi)!English
YakیکّOne
DoدوTwo
SaeسئThree
ChàrچارFour
PanchپنچFive
ShashششSix
HaptھپتSeven
HashtھشتEight
NohنُھNine
DahدَہTen
YàzhdahیازدہEleven
DwàzhdahدوازدھTwelve
Ordinal numerals!Balochi!Standard Alphabet(Balòrabi)!English
Awali / Pèsariاولی / پݔسَریFirst
DomiدومیSecond
SayomiسئیُمیThird
CháromiچارمیFourth
PanchomiپنچُمیFifth
ShashomiشَشُمیSixth
HaptomiھپتُمیSeventh
HashtomiھشتمیEighth
NohmiنُھمیNinth
DahomiدھمیTenth
YázdahomiیازدھمیEleventh
DwázdahomiدوازدھمیTwelfth
GoďďiگُڈڈیLast
Notes

Writing system

Balochi was not a written language before the 19th century,[22] and the Persian script was used to write Balochi wherever necessary. However, Balochi was still spoken at the Baloch courts.

British colonial officers first wrote Balochi with the Latin script.[23] Following the creation of Pakistan, Baloch scholars adopted the Persian alphabet. The first collection of poetry in Balochi, Gulbang by Mir Gul Khan Nasir was published in 1951 and incorporated the Arabic Script. It was much later that Sayad Zahoor Shah Hashemi wrote a comprehensive guidance on the usage of Arabic script and standardized it as the Balochi Orthography in Pakistan and Iran. This earned him the title of the 'Father of Balochi'. His guidelines are widely used in Eastern and Western Balochistan. In Afghanistan, Balochi is still written in a modified Arabic script based on Persian.

In 2002, a conference was held to help standardize the script that would be used for Balochi.[24]

Old Balochi Alphabet

The following alphabet was used by Syed Zahoor Shah Hashmi in his lexicon of Balochi Sayad Ganj (Baluchi: {{nq|سید گنج) (lit. Sayad's Treasure).[25] [26] Until the creation of the Balochi Standard Alphabet, it was by far the most widely used alphabet for writing Balochi, and is still used very frequently.

Baluchi: {{nq|آ، ا، ب، پ، ت، ٹ، ج، چ، د، ڈ، ر، ز، ژ، س، ش، ک، گ، ل، م، ن، و، ھ ہ، ء، ی ے

Standard Perso-Arabic Alphabet

See main article: Balochi Standard Alphabet. The Balochi Standard Alphabet, standardized by Balochi Academy Sarbaz, consists of 29 letters.[27] It is an extension of the Perso-Arabic script and borrows a few glyphs from Urdu. It is also sometimes referred to as Balo-Rabi or Balòrabi. Today, it is the preferred script to use in a professional setting and by educated folk.

Latin alphabet

The following Latin-based alphabet was adopted by the International Workshop on "Balochi Roman Orthography" (University of Uppsala, Sweden, 28–30 May 2000).[28]

Alphabetical order:

(33 letters and 2 digraphs)

LetterIPAExample words[29]
A / apronounced as /link/asp (horse), garm (warm), mard (man)
Á / ápronounced as /link/áp (water), kár (work)
B / b ()pronounced as /link/barp (snow, ice), bám (dawn), bágpán (gardener), baktáwar (lucky)
Ch / ch (ché)pronounced as /link/chamm (eye), bacch (son), kárch (knife)
D / d (de)pronounced as /link/dard (pain), drad (rainshower), pád (foot), wád (salt)
Dh / dhpronounced as /link/dhawl (shape), gwandh (short), chondh (piece)
E / epronounced as /link/esh (this), pet (father), bale (but)
É / é éraht (harvest), bér (revenge), shér (tiger) dér (late, delay), dém (face, front),
F / f (fe)pronounced as /link/Only used for loanwords: fármaysí (pharmacy).
G / g (ge)pronounced as /link/gapp (talk), ganók (mad), bág (garden), bagg (herd of camels), pádag (foot), Bagdád (Baghdad)
Gh / ghpronounced as /link/Like ĝhaen in Perso-Arabic script.
Used for loanwords and in eastern dialects: ghair (others), ghali (carpet), ghaza (noise)
H / h (he)pronounced as /link/hár (flood), máh (moon), kóh (mountain), mahár (rein), hón (blood)
I / i (i)pronounced as /link/imán (faith), shir (milk), pakir (beggar), samin (breeze), gáli (carpet)
J / j ()pronounced as /link/jang (war), janag (to beat), jeng (lark), ganj (treasure), sajji (roasted meat)
K / k ()pronounced as /link/Kermán (Kirman), kárch (knife), nákó (uncle), gwask (calf), kasán (small)
L / l ()pronounced as /link/láp (stomach), gal (joy), gal (party, organization), goll (cheek), gol (rose)
M / m ()pronounced as /link/mát (mother), bám (dawn), chamm (eye), master (leader, bigger)
N / n ()pronounced as /link/nagan (bread), nók (new, new moon), dhann (outside), kwahn (old), nákó (uncle)
O / opronounced as /link/oshter (camel), shomá (you), ostád (teacher), gozhn (hunger), boz (goat)
Ó / ó (ó)pronounced as /link/óshtag (to stop), ózhnág (swim), róch (sun), dór (pain), sochag (to burn)
P / p ()pronounced as /link/Pád (foot), shap (night), shapád (bare-footed), gapp (talk), haptád (70)
R / r ()pronounced as /link/rék (sand), barag (to take away), sharr (good), sarag (head)
Rh / rh (rhé)pronounced as /link/márhi (building), nájórh (sick)
S / s ()pronounced as /link/sarag (head), kass (someone), kasán (little), bass (enough), ás (fire)
Sh / sh (shé)pronounced as /link/shap (night), shád (happy), mésh (sheep), shwánag (shepherd), wašš (happy, tasty)
T / t ()pronounced as /link/tagerd (mat), tahná (alone) tás (bowl), kelitt (key)
Th / th (thé)pronounced as /link/thong (hole), thilló (bell), batth (cooked rice), batthág (eggplant)
U / u (u)pronounced as /link/zurag (to take), bezur (take), dur (distant)
W / w ()pronounced as /link/warag (food, to eat), warden (provision), dawár (abode), wád (salt), kawwás (learned)
Y / y ()pronounced as /link/yád (remembrance), yár (friend), yázdah (eleven), beryáni (roasted meat), yakk (one)
Z / z ()pronounced as /link/zarr (monay), zi (yesterday), mozz (wages), móz (banana), nazzíkk (nearby)
Zh / zh (zhé)pronounced as /link/zhand (tired), zháng (bells), pazhm (wool), gazzhag (to swell), gozhnag (hungry)
Latin digraphs
Ay / ay[aj]ayb (fault), say (three), kay (who)
Aw / aw[aw]awali (first), hawr (rain), kawl (promise), gawk (neck)

Bibliography

Further reading

Dictionaries and lexicographical works
Orthography
Courses and study guides
Etymological and historical studies
Dialectology
Language contact
Grammar and morphology
Semantics
Miscellaneous and surveys

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Spooner . Brian . Schiffman . Harold F. . Language Policy and Language Conflict in Afghanistan and Its Neighbors . 2011 . Brill . 978-9004201453 . 319 . 10. Balochi: Towards a Biography of the Language . It [Balochi] is spoken by three to five million people in Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, Oman and the Persian Gulf states, Turkmenistan, East Africa, and diaspora communities in other parts of the world..
  2. Web site: 2017 . Table 11 – Population by Mother Tongue, Sex and Rural/Urban . 2023-11-25 . Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
  3. Book: Spooner . Brian . Schiffman . Harold F. . Language Policy and Language Conflict in Afghanistan and Its Neighbors . 2011 . Brill . 978-9004201453 . 320 . 10. Balochi: Towards a Biography of the Language.
  4. Encyclopedia: Baluchistan iii. Baluchi Language and Literature . J. . Elfenbein . 1988 . . 30 December 2014.
  5. Web site: Glottolog 4.3 – Balochic. 2021-05-13. glottolog.org.
  6. Web site: Towards a Historical Grammar of Balochi : Studies in Balochi Historical Phonology and Vocabulary. . January 31, 2024.
  7. Web site: Discourse Features in Balochi of Sistan: (Oral Narratives). . January 31, 2024.
  8. Web site: An Old Phonological Study of Balochi and Persian. . January 31, 2024.
  9. Web site: Getting to know the dialects of Sistan and Baluchistan; from north to south. . January 31, 2024. fa-IR.
  10. Web site: A discussion in Iranian linguistics. January 31, 2024. fa-IR.
  11. .
  12. Borjian . Habib . December 2014 . The Balochi dialect of the Korosh . Acta Orientalia Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae . 67 . 4 . 453–465 . 10.1556/AOrient.67.2014.4.4.
  13. Web site: 2023-02-16 . Main Balochi Language(Rèdagèn Balòci Zubàn) . 2023-11-25 . Balochi Academy Sarbaz.
  14. . .
  15. .
  16. . .
  17. .
  18. Book: Jahani, Carina . A Grammar of Modern Standard Balochi . 2019 . Acta Universitatis Upsaliensis.
  19. Web site: Balochi . National Virtual Translation Center . 20 June 2015 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20071118155049/http://www.nvtc.gov/lotw/months/february/balochi.html . 18 November 2007 . en-US.
  20. Book: Korn . Agnes . Indoiranskoe jazykoznanie i tipologija jazykovyx situacij. Sbornik statej k 75-letiju professora A. L. Grjunberga (1930–1995) . 2006 . Nauka . 201–212 . https://halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr/halshs-01500154 . Counting Sheep and Camels in Balochi . 16 January 2020 . en.
  21. .
  22. .
  23. News: Hussain . Sajid . Faith and politics of Balochi script . 16 January 2020 . Balochistan Times . 18 March 2016 . en.
  24. News: Script for Balochi language discussed . 16 January 2020 . Dawn . 28 October 2002 . Quetta . en.
  25. Web site: Shah Hashemi . Sayad Zahoor . The First Complete Balochi Dictionary . Sayad Ganj . 16 January 2020.
  26. News: Sayad Zahoor Shah Hashmi: A one-man institution . 16 January 2020 . Balochistan Times . 14 November 2016 . en.
  27. Web site: Balochi Standarded Alphabet . BalochiAcademy.ir . 16 January 2020.
  28. Web site: Baluchi Roman ORTHOGRAPHY . Phrasebase.com . 23 October 2015 . 23 November 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20151123080603/http://www.phrasebase.com/archive/baluchi/45-baluchi-roman-orthography.html . dead .
  29. Book: Jahani, Carina . A grammar of modern standard Balochi . 2019 . Uppsala Universitet . 978-91-513-0820-3 . Acta Universitatis Upsaliensis. Studia Iranica Upsaliensia . Uppsala.