Katë language
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 and Kamviri 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, is the ethnonym of the Kata people. Cognates of the ethnonym in other Nuristani languages include Nuristani Kalasha Kā̃ta. According to Halfmann, 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 : Western Katë, Northeastern Katë, and Southeastern Katë. 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.Alphabet
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.