Waṇetsi (), commonly called Tarīno (), and sometimes Tsalgari (), is a distinct variety of Pashto dialects and is considered by some to be a different language. In some cases, Wanetsi shares similarities with the Pamir languages language of Munji language, being a sort of bridge between the former and Pashto.
It is spoken by the Tareen in Balochistan, Pakistan, primarily in Harnai District (هرنای) (Harnai District) and Chawter (چوتېر) area in Sanjawi Tehsil, Northern Balochistan, Pakistan.
History
Professor Prods Oktor Skjærvø states:
According to Encyclopædia Iranica Waṇetsi branched off from the other Pashto dialects in the Middle Iranian stage:
Research
The first known linguistic research was conducted in 1929 by Georg Morgenstierne on Waṇetsi.
Since then linguists like Josef Elfenbein have worked and researched on this archaic Pashto dialect.
In his book, Syed Khair Muhammad Arif, "Tarin aw Tarīno" has also included a small dictionary of Waṇetsi.
ٙBut much work remains to be done on understanding Waṇetsi.
Poetry
The Waṇetsi Poet Nizamuddin Nizami Tarin, a
Tarin tribe from
Sanjawi Tehsil, has also compiled poetry in the language. An excerpt from his poem in Waṇetsi:
Music
The singer Khayam Tareen (خيام ترين) has also sung songs in Waṇetsi.
Phonology
Consonants
-
Waṇetsi has and for Pashto ښ and ږ, respectively.
-
څ does not merge with s but can be pronounced as and ځ does not merge with z but can be pronounced as .
-
is dropable in Waṇetsi e.g. هغه becomes اغه
Vowels
-
Josef Elfenbein states: " ī and ū are not phonemically distinct from i and u respectively, and are pronounced i and u respectively when unstressed (and not ɪ and ʊ as in Kākaṛī), and
-
There is a marked spontaneous tendency to palatalize "ī" as "yī" and "ē" as "yē"; and to labialize "ū" as "wū" and "ō" as "wo". Initial delabialization is common in "wū" as "ū" and "wō" as "ō".
-
The stressed short "á" is often lengthened, and an unstressed long "ā" shortened.
-
The standard weakening of final vowels in Waṇetsi makes the masculine-feminine gender distinction much less audible: ə and a are not phonemically distinct when unstressed in any position. But stressed final ә́ is kept apart from stressed á as in general Pashto.
Nasalisation
Waṇetsi also has
Nasal vowel which is transcribed as / ̃/ or ں in the Pashto alphabet.
Stress
Verbs
Like Pashto, verbs have final stress in the imperfective aspect and initial stress in the perfective aspect.
|
| چينستي
čīnastī́ | I was sitting | چينستي
čī́nastī | I sat down |
Examples:
Words
Stress can also change the meaning of words, as in Pashto.
Example:
Subdialects
Tarīno is subdivided into the Harnāi variety and the Chawter variety.
Grammatical comparison with general Pashto
Adpositions
Possessive
The possessive postposition غه is used instead of د
|
غه
ğa
(postposition) | د
dә
(preposition) | of |
Example:
Idiomatic Expression
Tareeno also varies from Pashto in idiomatic expression.
Example: نهير /nahī́r/ “thought” - used with the verb to hit
|
|
|
| you this thought hit imperative | you like-this thought do imperative |
Verbal Suffixes
First Person Suffix
The first person verbal suffixes also change:
|
| زې کي
ze ki | زه کوم
zә kawә́m | I do | م ← ي
i ←әm |
| زې وايي
ze wāyi | زه وايم
zә wāyә́m | I say |
Second Person Suffix
Some verbal suffixes like the feminine third person suffix ه are the same:
|
| وياړ ه
wyā́ṛ a | لاړ ه
lā́ṛ a | She went |
| go:Aorist:Past:3Person:Singular:Feminine |
| وياړ ې
wyā́r e | لاړ ې
lā́r e | They females went |
| go:Aorist:Past:3Person:Plural:Feminine |
Third Person Suffix
Past Suffix
Like standard Pashto the third person suffix for verbs with the root
وتل the third person past suffix is different for the singular and plural.
Comparison with general Pashto
Poetry
The following is provided by Zamir Gulbahar (ظمير ګلبهار), a Tareeno poet from
Harnai District:
Lexical Comparison
The following list has been provided by the Waṇetsi poet Nizamuddin Nizami
Sentence Comparison
Sample 1
The following examples have been provided by Nizamuddin Nizami
Sample 2
The following examples have been provided by Nizamuddin Nizami
Sample 3
The following examples have been provided by Nizamuddin Nizami
Sample 4
The following examples have been provided by Nizamuddin Nizami
Grammar
Nouns - Morphology
Class 1
-
Masculine Animate: mə́ser - elder (In general Pashto: mə́sər
-
Masculine Animate: lewә́- wolf
-
Masculine Animate: xar- donkey
-
Masculine Animate: pšə́ - tom-cat (in general Pashto: piš)
-
Masculine Inanimate: dārū́ - medicine
-
Masculine Inanimate: kor - house
-
Feminine Animate: pšī - cat (in general Pashto: piśó)
-
Feminine Inanimate: lyār - way (in general Pashto: lār)
-
Feminine Inanimate: xwā́šī - mother-in-law
-
Feminine Inanimate: čaṛə́ - mother-in-law
-
Feminine Inanimate: lergā́ - stick
Class 2
-
Masculine Animate: yirźá - bear (in general Pashto: يږ yәẓ̌,)
-
Masculine Animate: spa -dog (in general Pashto: spáy)
-
Masculine Inanimate: wagaṛá -village (in general Pashto: kə́lay)
-
Feminine Animate: spī - female-dog (in general Pashto spə́i)
Class 3
-
Masculine Inanimate: špaźmi -moon (in general Pashto spoẓ̌mə́i, a feminine noun)
-
Feminine Inanimate: méle -celebration (in general Pashto melá)
Class 4
-
Masculine Animate: spor- horseman
-
Masculine Inanimate: rebún - shirt
Class 5
Agglutinative Formation
The (e)ya case is agglutinative.
|
| šā ya | də/lə šā nə | from the back |
| tsā́h ya | lə tsā́h nə | from the well |
| from whom |
| xalxó ya | lə xalkó nə | from the people |
Demonstratives
In Waṇetsi اغه aɣa functions for both Pashto دغه (this) and هغه (that).
Verb Infinitive
Where as General Pashto employs the ل ә́l to the past stem to make it infinitive, Waṇetsi employs نګ ang to the past stem to make it infinitive.
|
| xwaṛang | xwaṛә́l | to eat |
| lambedang | lambedә́l | to bathe |
| waźә́l | to kill |
| wayang | wayә́l | to say |
| kṛang | kawә́l | to do |
| cinostang | kṣ̌enāstә́l | to sit |
Bibliography
-
J. H. Elfenbein, (1984). "The Wanetsi Connexion: Part I". Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland (1): 54–76.
-
J. H. Elfenbein, (1984). "The Wanetsi Connexion: Part II". Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland (2): 229–241.
-
J. H Elfenbein, (1967). "Lanḍa Zor Wəla Waṇecī". Archiv Orientální. XXXV: 563–606.
See also
External links
