Katë language

Not to be confused with Kâte language.

Katë
Kati, Kâmkata-vari, Kâmkata-mumkṣta-vari
File:Kamkatavari.svg
Native to	Afghanistan, Pakistan
Region	Nuristan, Kunar, Chitral
Native speakers	150,000 (2011-2017)
Language family	Indo-European Indo-Iranian Nuristani Katë
Early forms	Proto-Indo-European Proto-Indo-Iranian Proto-Nuristani
Dialects	Western Northeastern Southeastern
Writing system	Arabic script (Nastaliq)
Language codes
ISO 639-3	Either: bsh – Kati xvi – Kamviri
Glottolog	kati1270
ELP
Linguasphere	58-ACB-a
File:Lang Status 60-DE.svg Katë is classified as Definitely Endangered by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger

Katë, also known as Kati or Kamkata-vari, is a Nuristani language. It is a dialect continuum comprising three separate dialects spoken mostly in Afghanistan, with additional speakers in the Chitral District of Pakistan deriving from recent migrations a century ago. The Kata-vari (comprising Western and Northeastern) and Kamviri (comprising Southeastern) dialects are sometimes erroneously reckoned as two separate languages, but according to linguist Richard Strand they form one language.

The Katë language is the largest Nuristani language, spoken by 40,000–60,000 people, from the Kata, Kom, Mumo, Kshto and some smaller Black-Robed tribes in parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan. The most used alternative names for the language are Kati or Bashgali.

A descriptive grammar of Katë was written by Jakob Halfmann in 2024.

Name

The name, pronounced [kaˈtɘ], is the ethnonym of the Kata people. Cognates of the ethnonym in other Nuristani languages include Nuristani Kalasha Kā̃ta [kãːˈta]. According to Halfmann (2024, p. 3), the names descend from a Proto-Nuristani form *Kānta-ka-.

Classification

It belongs to the Indo-European language family and is in the Nuristani group of the Indo-Iranian branch.

Dialects

There are three main dialects according to Halfmann (2024): Western Katë, Northeastern Katë, and Southeastern Katë (including Kamviri and Mumviri). The dialects are sometimes erroneously defined as separate languages. The Northeastern Katë dialect is commonly referred to as Shekhani in Chitral. In older literature, Southeastern Katë is split into Kamviri and Mumviri.

Status

Literacy rates are low: below 1% for people who have it as a first language and between 15% and 25% for people who have it as a second language. The Kata-vari dialect can be heard on radio in Afghanistan.