Pamir languages

The Pamir languages of the Pamir Mountains of Central Asia are Shughni, Sarikoli, Yazgulyam, Munji, Sanglechi-Ishkashimi, Wakhi, and Yidgha. These are Southeastern Iranian languages and have the SOV syntactic typology. The vast majority of these Muslim people also speak the Tajik language (one of the Southwestern Iranian {Persid} languages). The proto-Bulgar language spoken by the ancestors of modern-day Bulgarians is believed to have been a Pamirian language originally, but after the Bulgars migrated to the Balkans and mixed with the Slavic-speaking inhabitants there, they gradually adopted the local Slavic language, while retaining some words and structures from their old language.

Shugni-Yazgulami

The Shughni, Sarikoli and Yazgulyam languages belong to the Shugni-Yazgulami sub-branch. There are about 60,000 speakers of Shughni in Tajikistan and Afghanistan (including the dialects of Rushani, Oroshani, Bartangi, Oroshor, Khufi and Shughni). As of 1982, there were about 20,000 speakers of Sarikoli in the Sarikol Valley of southwest Xinjiang Province, China. Shughni and Sarikoli are not mutually intelligible. In 1994, there were 4000 speakers of Yazgulyam along the Yazgulyam River in Tajikistan. Yazgulyam is not written.

Munji

The Munji language is closely related to Yidgha, and in 1992 there were around 2500 speakers in the Munjan and Mamalgha Valleys of northeastern Afghanistan.

Sanglechi-Ishkashimi

There are about 2500 speakers of Sanglechi-Ishkashimi in Afghanistan and Tajikistan (dialects: Sanglechi, Ishkashimi, Zebaki). Sanglechi-Ishkashimi is not a written language.

Wakhi

There are around 29,000 speakers of the Wakhi language in Pakistan, Tajikistan, China, and possibly still in Afghanistan.

Yidgha

There are about 6000 speakers of Yidgha in Pakistan. Yidgha is closely related to the Munji language of Afghanistan.

See also

*Pamir Mountains *Wakhan

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