Kata-vari

Infobox Language
name= Kata-vari
familycolor= Indo-European
states= Afghanistan
region= Kunar Province
speakers= 18,700 (Ethnologue)
fam2=Indo-Iranian
fam3=Nuristani
fam4= Kamkata-viri
nation="none"
iso1="none"|iso2="none"|iso3= bsh|notice=Indic

Kata-vari is a dialect of the Kamkata-viri language spoken by the Kata in parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan. The most used alternative names are "Kati", "Kativiri" or "Bashgali", which derive from Khowar.

It is spoken by approximately 18,700 people (15,000 in Afghanistan, just over 3,700 in Pakistan), and its speakers are largely Muslim. Literacy rates are low: below 1% for people who have it as a first language, and between 15% to 25% for people who have it as a second language.

There are two main sub-dialects: Eastern Kata-vari and Western Kata-vari. In Afghanistan, Western Kata-vari is spoken in the Ramgal, Kulam, Ktivi and Paruk valleys. Eastern Kata-vari is spoken in the upper Bashgal Valley. In Pakistan, Eastern Kata-vari is spoken in the Chitral District, and in Gobar in the Lutkuh Valley. Eastern Kata-vari is spoken in the Bumboret Valley and in the Urtsun Valley.

References

* The Kâta. Retrieved July 02, 2006, from "Richard F. Strand: Nuristan, Hidden Land of the Hindu-Kush" [http://users.sedona.net/~strand/Nuristani/Kamkata/Kata/kata.html] .
* Kati. Retrieved June 13, 2006, from "Ethnologue: Languages of the World", fifteenth edition. SIL International. [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=bsh Online version] .