Burushaski Language

BURUSHASKI LANGUAGE. Burushaski (Burusnski) is the mother tongue of some 17,60o people inhabiting the central portion of the states of Hunza and Nagir which lie to the north of Kashmir where the Hindu Kush and Karakoram ranges meet.

A distinct dialect, known as Werchikwar (Warcikwa'r) or Wershikwar, is spoken by the (some 7,000) people of Wershegum, part of the Yasin valley.

No affinity has yet been proved between Burushaski, and any other language.

The principal sounds of Burushaski are: Vowels a n a æ e e i i o zi u ai (æi and ai) and the longer a' c' e' i' o' u' Consonants k x g7 q 1) t d n pf (pf) b w m c j y s z g z is 1 r There is also a series of sounds made with tip of the tongue retracted which may amount in some cases to "cerebrals" on the stricter definition of the term. So c J s z Natives recognize d (passing into medial There is a curious sound which seems to be a cerebral or re tracted y.

Natives claim to recognize the aspirates: kh th ph ch jh. In a few words there appears to be a velar g corresponding to q. Werchikwar has an additional 1, probably cerebral.

Initial g d b y and w are changed to k t p q and p after certain prefixes.

Among the many distinctive features of grammar and con struction are the following:— Nouns are divided into four categories according as they rep resent: male human beings (mh), female human beings (fh), animals of both sexes and some inanimate objects (x), the re maining inanimate objects (y).

The principles underlying the differentiation of the x and y categories cannot at present be fully stated but in general names of fruit and wood and articles made of wood are x. Names of liquids, plastic and finely divided substances, trees, metals, abstract ideas and "immaterial" objects are y.

The following vary to a greater or less extent, according

to the category of the noun to which they refer: I. Plural suffixes of nouns (and occasionally adjectives).

2. Demonstrative pronouns and adjectives.

3. Third person singular and plural of the finite tenses of verbs. Case inflection is effected by the use of suffixes and post posi tions.

Agglutinative Pronouns

are used as pronominal prefixes with certain nouns and verbs. With nouns they indicate the possessor, with intransitive verbs the subject, and with transi tive verbs sometimes the direct, sometimes the indirect object, and occasionally the subject. With a large series of verbs they are used as infixes after an initial d.

Verbs

are conjugated by the use of terminal inflections added to two bases, present and past. The imperative is founded on the past base.

Transitive and causative verbs are formed from intransitive verbs by prefixing an element *—A— or *—AS —(*— indicates the presence of a pronominal prefix) .

Numerals.

The numeral system consists of a series of num bers from 1 to io. The numbers from 20 to 99 are based on the numbers 20 and 4o, to which are added the numbers 1 to 19, while 20 and 4o are themselves multiplied as required by a pre ceding number, e.g., 95= 2 X 40-1-(10±5). The element of 2 is emphasized: 2, 4, 8, 20 and 4o being all obviously related. There is a special series of forms of the numerals used in counting, as multiplicators and with certain nouns of measure, etc.

The numbers 1 and 3 are also differentiated for h as opposed to x and y, and 2 has special forms for h, x and y.

Vocabulary.

Excluding obvious loan words taken chiefly from Persian, Shina and Khowar, the vocabulary of Burushaski and the whole of its inflectional system are, so far as is known, peculiar to itself. It would probably be impossible to point out an alien among its pronouns, numerals (except saes i,000), verbs and nouns relating to the common objects of daily life.

BIBLIOGRAPHY.-The Linguistic Survey of India (vol. viii., ii., Bibliography.-The Linguistic Survey of India (vol. viii., ii., Calcutta, 1919), has a bibliography of works relating to Burushaski and Werchikwar ; D. L. R. Lorimer, "A Burushaski Text from Hunza" Bulletin of the School of Oriental Studies, iv. 3, 1927, pp. 505-531 I. Zarubin, "Vershikskoe Narechie Kandzhutskovo Yazika," Zapiski Kollegii Vostokovedov, Akademii Nauk, ii. 2. pp. 275-364, 1927, an important work on Werchikwar, with a bibliography including Russian authorities and documents. (D. L. R. L.)