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Brahui language

 

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Brahui language



 
 
The Brahui or Bravi is language
Language

A language is a form of symbol communication in which elements are combined to represents something other than themselves. Language can also refer to the use of such systems as a general phenomenon....
, spoken by the Brahui People
Brahui people

The Brahui people or Brohi people are a distinct ethnic group of about 2.2 million people with the majority found in Kalat District, Pakistan, but also found in smaller numbers in neighboring Afghanistan and Iran....
, is believed to be a remnant of Dravidian languages spoken in northern South Asia. It is mainly spoken in southwest Pakistan
Pakistan

Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia and borders Central Asia and the Middle East. It has a 1,046 kilometre coastline along the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman in the south, and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and People's Republic of China in th...
, although it is also spoken in neighboring areas of Afghanistan
Afghanistan

Afghanistan , officially the Islamic republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country that is located approximately in the center of Asia....
 and Iran
Iran

Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran and formerly known internationally as Persian Empire until 1935, is a country in Central Eurasia, located on the northeastern shore of the Persian Gulf and the southern shore of the Caspian Sea....
. The 2005 edition of Ethnologue
Ethnologue

Ethnologue: Languages of the World is a web and print publication of SIL International , a Christianity linguistics service organization, which studies lesser-known languages, primarily to provide the speakers with Bibles, in their native language....
 reports some 2.2 million speakers, 90% of whom live in Pakistan. In Pakistan it is mainly spoken in the Kalat
Kalat District

Kalat or Qalat is a Districts of Pakistan in Balochistan , Pakistan. It is one of 26 in that province, and encompasses an area of 6,621 square kilometre....
 region of Balochistan.

Brahui belongs, like Kurukh (Oraon) and Malto, to the northern subfamily of the Dravidan family of languages. It has been influenced by the Iranian languages
Iranian languages

The Iranian languages are a branch of the Indo-European languages and its subfamily, Indo-Iranian languages. These languages are mainly spoken by the Iranian Peoples....
 spoken in the area, especially Balochi
Balochi language

Balochi is a Northwestern Iranian language. It is the principal language of the Baloch of Balochistan , Pakistan, eastern Iran and southern Afghanistan....
.

Brahui is widely suggested to be a remnant of a formerly widespread Dravidian language family that is believed to have been reduced or replaced during the influx of Iranian/Indo-Aryan languages upon their arrival in South Asia.






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Encyclopedia


The Brahui or Bravi is language
Language

A language is a form of symbol communication in which elements are combined to represents something other than themselves. Language can also refer to the use of such systems as a general phenomenon....
, spoken by the Brahui People
Brahui people

The Brahui people or Brohi people are a distinct ethnic group of about 2.2 million people with the majority found in Kalat District, Pakistan, but also found in smaller numbers in neighboring Afghanistan and Iran....
, is believed to be a remnant of Dravidian languages spoken in northern South Asia. It is mainly spoken in southwest Pakistan
Pakistan

Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia and borders Central Asia and the Middle East. It has a 1,046 kilometre coastline along the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman in the south, and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and People's Republic of China in th...
, although it is also spoken in neighboring areas of Afghanistan
Afghanistan

Afghanistan , officially the Islamic republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country that is located approximately in the center of Asia....
 and Iran
Iran

Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran and formerly known internationally as Persian Empire until 1935, is a country in Central Eurasia, located on the northeastern shore of the Persian Gulf and the southern shore of the Caspian Sea....
. The 2005 edition of Ethnologue
Ethnologue

Ethnologue: Languages of the World is a web and print publication of SIL International , a Christianity linguistics service organization, which studies lesser-known languages, primarily to provide the speakers with Bibles, in their native language....
 reports some 2.2 million speakers, 90% of whom live in Pakistan. In Pakistan it is mainly spoken in the Kalat
Kalat District

Kalat or Qalat is a Districts of Pakistan in Balochistan , Pakistan. It is one of 26 in that province, and encompasses an area of 6,621 square kilometre....
 region of Balochistan.

Brahui belongs, like Kurukh (Oraon) and Malto, to the northern subfamily of the Dravidan family of languages. It has been influenced by the Iranian languages
Iranian languages

The Iranian languages are a branch of the Indo-European languages and its subfamily, Indo-Iranian languages. These languages are mainly spoken by the Iranian Peoples....
 spoken in the area, especially Balochi
Balochi language

Balochi is a Northwestern Iranian language. It is the principal language of the Baloch of Balochistan , Pakistan, eastern Iran and southern Afghanistan....
.

Brahui is widely suggested to be a remnant of a formerly widespread Dravidian language family that is believed to have been reduced or replaced during the influx of Iranian/Indo-Aryan languages upon their arrival in South Asia. It has been suggested that Brahui might be a remnant of the language spoken in the Indus Valley Civilisation. Conversely, it has been indicated that the Brahuis could only have migrated to Baluchistan from central India after 1000 CE. The absence of any older Iranian (Avestan) loanwords in Brahui support this theory. The main Iranian contribtor to Brahui vocabulary, Baluchi, is a western Iranian language like Kurdish
Kurdish

Kurdish may refer to:*The Kurdish people*The Kurdish language*The Kurdish alphabet*Kurdistan, the land of the Kurdish people which includes:*Yazidi, the religion of some Kurds...
, and has moved to the area from the west only about 1000 CE. . One scholar places the migration only in the 13 or 14th century CE.

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