Preliminaries on Nuristani comparative reconstruction: Vowel correspondences

Continuing the previous post on Nuristani comparative reconstruction, focusing on single consonant correspondences, we will now turn on to the vocalic correspondences of the Nuristani languages, which are very complicated to understand.

We will start with single normative (excluding conditioned reflexes) vowel correspondences for the Nuristani languages, based on clearly inherited forms. For practical reasons, only attested forms alongside a Proto-Indo-Iranian reconstruction will be cited below. Richard Strand's website (https://nuristan.info/lngFrameL.html) will be used alongside sources for Ashkun (Morgenstierne 1929, 1934), Katë (Halfmann 2024), Prasun (Buddruss & Degener 2017), Nuristani Kalasha (Degener 1998, Tāza 2017), and Tregami (Morgenstierne 1952, Degener 2022). Orthography may be inconsistent, so different letters may represent the same phoneme (eg. v/w and â/ā in NKal.) When orthography is uncertain, the symbols <> are used to indicate the word being written on the source (except Halfmann 2024, Buddruss & Degener 2017, and Tāza 2017). Not all Nuristani dialects are listed for the sake of simplicity. Note that stress in Nuristani is generally considered to fall on the last syllable. Syllabic *r̥ is considered to be a vowel in this post.

M = Masegal dialect, T = Titin dialect, S = Sama/Wama dialect

W = Western dialect, NE = Northeastern dialect, SE = Southeastern dialect

Wg = Waigal dialect, Zh = Zhonchigal dialect, N = Nisheigram dialect

G = Gambir dialect, D = Devoz dialect, K = Katar dialect

PIIr. *a

Stressed synchronic monosyllables: Ash. o, Kt. u, Pr. u, NKal. o, Tr. å/o ~ vo/wo

PIIr. *ȷ́ʰasta- > *dasta- "hand"

> Ash. (M) <dus>, (T) <dọ̄s>, (S) <dʹost>

> Kt. (W) dušt, (NE) dušt, (SE) düš(t)

> Pr. lust

> NKal. (Wg) <dōšt>, (Zh) došt, (N) <dost>

(PIIr. *du̯ar-a- "door") > Tr. (G) <d′år>, (D) <dōr>

Stressed synchronic disyllables: Ash. ä/e/ə (Strand <a> [ɨ]), Kt. ë, Pr. u, NKal. (Wg/Zh) ë/ə, (N) a, Tr. a (?)

PIIr. *mastra- "brain"

> Ash. (M) <'mōstə>, (S) <moːst′a>

> Kt. (W) mřëštë́, (NE) mřëštë́, (SE) mřaštë́

(PIIr. *nada- "reed" + *-ka-) > Pr. nūlˈu

> NKal. (Wg) <muštə>, (Zh) muštë́, (N) <must'a>

Pretonic: Ash. ō, Kt. (W/NE) ë, (SE) a, Pr. ∅ (or vowel copy), NKal. a, Tr. a (?)

PIIr. *pra-dHta- "given" + *-ka-

> Ash. (M) <plōte>, (T) <pŕōtä>, (S) <přoː-ta>

(PIIr. *mastra- "brain") > Kt. (W) mřëštë́, (NE) mřëštë́, (SE) mřaštë́

(PIIr. *nada- "reed" + *-ka-) > Pr. nūlˈu

> NKal. (Wg/Zh) <partō>, (N) <prato->

Word-initial in disyllables: Ash. a/â, Kt. a, Pr. ∅ (> vowel copy), NKal. a, Tr. a (?)

PIIr. *Haćru- "tear" + *-ka-

(PIIr. *Harȷ́una- "bright" > "millet") > Ash. (S) <âẓʹu˜>

> Kt. (W) ac̣í ~ ac̣yú, (NE) ac̣í, (SE) ac̣ǘ

> Pr. üč'ǖ

(PIIr. *Harȷ́una- "bright" > "millet") > NKal. (Wg) <anj'ǖ>, (N) <a˜zü> ~ <anz'ü>

PIIr. *aH/*ā

Stressed: Ash. a/â ~ ā, Kt. o, Pr. ə, NKal. ā/â, Tr. ā/â

PIIr. *bʰraHtar- "brother"

> Ash. (M) <bla>, (T) <bŕa>, (S) <bř′â>

> Kt. (W/NE/SE) břo

(PIIr. *Hnāman- "name") > Pr. nəm

> NKal. (Wg/Zh) <brā>, (N) <brâ> ~ <brā>

> Tr. (G) <br′â> ~ <brā>

Pretonic: Ash. a/â ~ ā, Kt. a, Pr. a, NKal. ā, Tr. ā (?)

PIIr. *pra-gāma-ka- "kid"

> Ash. (S) <přâːm′a>

(PIIr. *ȷ́ā-naH- "to know") > Kt. (W) zařé-, (NE) zaňé-, (SE) j̈aňë́-

(PIIr. *maHas- + *-iH- + *-kaH-) > Pr. masˈig

> NKal. (Zh) prāmë́

PIIr. *ai̯/*ai̯a

Stressed: Ash. ä/e/ɛ (Strand <a> [ɨ]), Kt. e, Pr. i/ī, NKal. e/ē, Tr. e

PIIr. *trai̯as "three" 

> Ash. (M) <trɛ>, (T) <trä> ~ <tre>, (S) <tr′a>

> Kt. (W/SE) tre, (NE) tëré

> Pr. tčī

> NKal. (Wg/Zh) trē, (N) <tre>

> Tr. <tr′e>

Pretonic: Ash. e/ē (Strand <ia> [jɨ]), Kt. ë, Pr. ∅ (or vowel copy) (?), NKal. e (?), Tr. e (?)

(PIIr. *pHai̯na- "foam" + *-ka-) > Ash. (M) <pē̃ṛe>, (T) <piē̃ṛe>, (S) <přiaň′a>

(PIIr. *dr̥Hga- "long" + suffix) > Kt. (W) drëgéř ~ drëgë́ř, (NE) dërëgéň, (SE) drëŋë́ň

PIIr. *i

Stressed: Ash. i, Kt. i, Pr. i, NKal. (Wg/N) i, (Zh) ë ~ ɨ, Tr. i

PIIr. *ȷ́ʰima- "snow"

> Ash. (M) <žim> ~ <žīm>, (T) <žīm>, (S) <ž′im>

> Kt. (W/NE) zim, (SE) j̈im

(PIIr. *striH- "woman") > Pr. wəstˈī

> NKal. (Wg) <zīm>, (Zh) zëm ~ zɨm, (N) <zim>

> Tr. <ź′im>

Pretonic: Ash. i, Kt. (W/NE) ë, (SE) e, Pr. ∅ (or vowel copy), NKal. i, Tr. i (?)

PIIr. *Hu̯iHćati "twenty"

> Ash. (M/T) <wi'šī>, (S) <višʹi>

> Kt. (W/NE) vëċë́, (SE) viċí

(earlier *wj̈u?) > Pr. jū ~ zū

(PIIr. *Hu̯i-štr̥ta- "broad, wide") > NKal. (N) <vište>

PIIr. *au̯/*au̯a

In general: Ash. (M/T) u/ū, (S) o, Kt. u, Pr. u, NKal. u, Tr. u

PIIr. *Hi̯au̯Hasa- "grass"

> Ash. (M/T) <yūs>, (S) <i′os>

> Kt. (W/NE/SE) yus

(PIIr. *dau̯šaH- "yesterday") > Pr. wulˈus

> NKal. (Wg/Zh) <yǖs>, (N) <ius> ~ <yus>

> Tr. (D) <žus>

PIIr. *u

In general: Ash. u/ū, Kt. (W/NE) (y)u, (SE) ü, Pr. ü, NKal. ü/ǖ, Tr. u

PIIr. *tuH-am "you (singular)"

> Ash. (M/T) <tū>, (S) <t′u>

> Kt. (W/NE) tyu, (SE) tü

> Pr. üo ~ <üy′u>

> NKal. (Wg/Zh) <tǖ>, (N) <tü>

> Tr. (G/D) tu

PIIr. *r̥

Stressed: Ash. i/ī, Kt. i, Pr. i, NKal. o, Tr. o ~ vo/wo

PIIr. *ćákr̥-t- "dung, manure"

> Ash. (S) <šʹiːṭ> 

> Kt. (W/NE/SE) ċiṭ

> Pr. žič ~ žičˈə

> NKal. (N) <ćoṭ>

(PIIr. *Hr̥ćša- "bear") > Tr. <v′oć>

Proto-Nuristani single vowels

Based on the above correspondence sets, a Proto-Nuristani vowel system can be tentatively established. Numerous changes in the vowel systems of the modern Nuristani languages, whether normative or conditioned, greatly obscure the reconstructability of the ancestral vowel system.

Since the aforementioned vowel changes also affect Middle Indo-Aryan loanwords (Halfmann 2025), the Proto-Nuristani vowel system must have been fairly conservative relative to Proto-Indo-Iranian.

PIIr. > PNur.

*a > *a

*a/*aH > *ā

*ai̯/*ai̯a > *e

*i > *i

*au̯/*au̯a > *o

*u > *u

*r̥ > *r̥

Edit: This post adds a new Proto-Nuristani phoneme first theorized by Halfmann (2025): *ã.

References

  • Morgenstierne, Georg. (1929). The Language of the Ashkun Kafirs. Oslo, Norway: Norsk Tidsskrift for Sprogvidenskap 2.
  • Morgenstierne, Georg. (1934). Additional Notes on Ashkun. Oslo, Norway: Norsk Tidsskrift for Sprogvidenskap 7.
  • Morgenstierne, Georg. (1952). Linguistic Gleanings from Nuristan. Oslo, Norway: Norsk Tidsskrift for Sprogvidenskap 16.
  • Morgenstierne, Georg. (1954). The Waigali Language. Oslo, Norway: Norsk Tidsskrift for Sprogvidenskap 17.
  • Strand, Richard F. (1999-2024). Richard Strand's Nuristân Site. https://nuristan.info/
  • Buddruss, G.; Degener, A. (2017). Materialien zur Prasun-Sprache des afghanischen Hindukusch. Harvard Oriental Series 80. Harvard University Press. Cambridge, MA. 
  • Tāza, Samī'ullāh. (2017). Farhang-i Zabān-i Nuristānī (Kalaṣə-alā). Kabul: Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL).
  • Degener, Almuth (2022). The Wolf and the Kids in the Devozi dialect of Tregami. International Journal of Diachronic Linguistics and Linguistic Reconstruction, vol. 19. 
  • Halfmann, Jakob (2024). A Grammatical Description of the Katë Language (Nuristani) (PhD thesis). Cologne: University of Cologne.
  • Halfmann, Jakob (2025). The Diversification of Indo-Iranian and the Position of the Nuristani Languages. Wiesbaden: Reichert.


 

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