Kalkoti language

Kalkoti, also known as Goedijaa,^[3] is an Indo-Aryan language spoken in the Kalkot Tehsil, in the Upper Dir district in Pakistan.^[4]

Kalkoti
کلکوٹی / کھلکوٹی / کھعلکوٹی
Pronunciation	[kʰælkoːʈ]
Native to	Pakistan
Region	Kalkot Tehsil
Native speakers	6,000 (2018)[1]
Language family	Indo-European Indo-Iranian Indo-Aryan Eastern Dardic Shinaic Sawi–Kalkoti–Palula?[2] Kalkoti–Palula?[2] Kalkoti
Language codes
ISO 639-3	xka
Glottolog	kalk1245

Phonology

The following tables outline the phonology of Kalkoti.^[5]

Vowels

	Front	Back
Close	ɪ~i(ː)	ʊ~u(ː)
Mid	eː	oː
Open	ə~æ(ː)~aː	ɑ(ː)~ɒ(ː)

Short vowels are slightly centralized; nasalization of vowels may be phonemic.^[5]

Consonants

		Labial	Dental	Retroflex	Palatal	Velar	Uvular	Glottal
Nasal		m	n	ɳ (?)		ŋ (?)
Plosive	voiceless	p	t	ʈ		k	q	ʔ (?)
	aspirated	pʰ	tʰ	ʈʰ (?)		kʰ
	voiced	b	d	ɖ		ɡ
Affricate	voiceless		ts	tʂ	tʃ
	aspirated			tʂʰ (?)	tʃʰ
	voiced				dʒ
Fricative	voiceless	(f)	s	ʂ	ʃ	x
	voiced		z			ɣ
Lateral			l
Flap			ɾ	ɽ (?)
Approximant		ʋ			j

The phonemes /q, ʦ, x, z, ɣ, ɽ/ have likely been introduced by loanwords. The voiceless aspirate series is secure, and, unlike the neighboring Palula language, Kalkoti does not have a breathy voiced series. The phonemic status of /ʔ/ is unclear and is likely tied to tone in Kalkoti.

Tone

Kalkoti's system of tone likely was similar to Shina's two tone system; however, under pressure from its Kohistani neighbors it may now have a more complex tone inventory.^[5]