Zemiaki_language

Zemiaki language

Zemiaki language

Nuristani language of Kunar, Afghanistan


Zemiaki (Zamyaki) is a Nuristani language spoken by some 400–500 people in the Kunar Province of Afghanistan.[1]

Quick Facts Native to, Region ...

It is named after the settlement in which it is spoken, from the Pashto Zemyaki žə́ba "language of Zemyaki", the native equivalent being J̌amlām-am bašā. It is closely related to Waigali, and ancestors of the Zemyakis were, according to local tradition, Waigalis who migrated into the area several centuries ago.[1] The language spoken in the surrounding areas is Pashto, and it has been a source of a large number of lexical borrowings, including several common conjunctions.[2]

There is no grammatical gender, but number and person are marked on the verb,[3] following a split-ergative pattern of agreement.[4]

It was thought that Zemiaki is a dialect of Grangali, an Indo-Aryan language. However, its pronouns are characteristically Nuristani, with a close relationship to Waigali, which is confirmed by local tradition.

Vocabulary

Pronouns

More information Person, Nominative ...

Numbers

  1. yok
  2. du
  3. tre
  4. -
  5. -
  6. -
  7. -
  8. -
  9. -
  10. doš

References

  1. Grünberg 1999, pp. 123, 125.

Bibliography

  • Grünberg, A.L. (1999). "Zemiaki jazyk/dialekt". In Edelman, D.I. (ed.). Jazyki mira: Dardskie i nuristanskie jazyki (in Russian). Moscow: Indrik. pp. 123–125. ISBN 585759085X.

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