Ishkashimi

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A language of Afghanistan

ISO 639-3
isk
Alternate Names
Eshkashimi, Ishkashim, Ishkashmi
Population

2,500 in Afghanistan (2009 S. Beck), decreasing. No monolinguals. Population total all countries: 3,000.

Location

North of the town of Ishkashim, Xermani, Bahar Bazar, Zargaran, Darwan, Zayad, Qaz Deh villages. Also in Tajikistan.

Language Maps
Language Status

6b (Threatened).

Classification
Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Iranian, Eastern, Southeastern, Pamir
Dialects

Ishkashimi intelligible to Sanglechi [sgy] speakers, but Sanglechi not intelligible to Ishkashimi speakers. Lexical similarity: 70% with Sanglechi [sgy].

Language Use

Some parents used Dari [prs] with their children to provide them with better chances in school. Only now do the people realize that this might cause the language to become endangered. About half the households use Ishkashimi with the younger generation. Home, village. Older and middle generations; some younger people only speak Dari [prs]. Positive attitudes. Almost 100% bilingual in Dari [prs].

Language Development
Literacy rate in L2: 15%–25%. Most children now become literate in Dari [prs] because they attend school.
Language Resources
OLAC resources in and about Ishkashimi
Writing
Unwritten.
Other Comments

Most Sanglechi [sgy] have a positive attitude toward Ishkashimi and consider it closely related, whereas the Ishkashimi do not have a good attitude toward Sanglechi. Muslim (Ismaili).

Also spoken in:

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