Munji language

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Munji[1]
Spoken in: Badakshan, Afghanistan
Total speakers: Not known
Language family: Indo-European
 Indo-Iranian
  Iranian
   Eastern
    Southeastern
     Pamir
      Munji[1] 
Writing system: None
Language codes
ISO 639-1: none
ISO 639-2:
ISO 639-3:

 

The Munji language, also Munjani language, is a Pamir language spoken in Badakshan in Afghanistan. It is similar to the Yidgha language which is spoken in the Upper Lutkuh Valley of Chitral, west of Garam Chishma in Pakistan.[2]

The Garam Chishma area became important during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan because the Soviets were unable to stop the flow of arms and men back and forth across the Dorah Pass that separates Chitral from Badakshan in Afghanistan. Almost the entire Munji-speaking population of Afghanistan fled across the border to Chitral during the War in Afghanistan.[citation needed]

The Pamir Mountains are a high plateau sometimes called "The roof of the world" that joins Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, China and Kashmir. Marco Polo is believed to have crossed the Pamir Mountains on his way to China.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Gordon, Raymond G., Jr. (2005). Ethnologue entry for language code: mnj (Munji, a language of Afghanistan). SIL International. Retrieved on 2006-11-12.
  2. ^ Risley, H.H.; E.A. Gait (1903). Report on the Census of India, 1901. Calcutta: Superintendent of Government Printing, p294. 

[edit] Further reading

  • Decker, Kendall (1992). Languages of Chitral. Islamabad: National Institute of Pakistan Studies, Quaid-i-Azam University and Summer Institute of Linguistics. 
  • Morgenstierne, Georg (1926). Report on a Linguistic Mission to Afghanistan. Oslo: Instituttet for Sammenlignende Kulturforskning, Serie C I-2. ISBN 0-923891-09-9. 
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