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Ethnologue > Web version > Country index > Asia > Pakistan > Koli, Kachi

Koli, Kachi

A language of Pakistan

ISO 639-3: gjk

Population	170,000 in Pakistan (1998). 80,000–100,000 Kachi Koli, 5,000–6,000 Rabari, 10,000 Kachi Bhil, 50,000 Vagri, 10,000 Katai Meghwar, 1,000 Zalavaria Koli. Population total all countries: 570,000.
Region	Lower Sindh, an area bordered by Sakrand and Nawabshah north, Matli in the south, and east beyond Mirpur Khas and Jamesabad, Tando Allahyar, and Tando Adam town areas. Also in India.
Language map	Southern Pakistan
Alternate names	Kachi, Kachi Gujarati, Katchi, Kohli, Kolhi, Koli, Kori, Kuchi, Vagari, Vagaria
Dialects	Kachi, Rabari (Rahabari), Kachi Bhil, Vagri (Kachi Meghwar), Katai Meghwar, Zalavaria Koli. Intermediate between Sindhi [snd] and Gujarati [guj] and becoming more like Sindhi. The Kachi dialect has 89% intelligibility with Kachi and Rabari, 96% with Kachi Bhil, 86% with Vagri, 92% with Katai Meghwar, 88% with Zalavaria Koli, 78% with Gujarati [guj], 76% with Tharadari Koli.
Classification	Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan, Central zone, Gujarati
Language use	Complex situation: people with basically the same language are socially quite distinct.
Language development	Literacy rate in L1: Below 1%. Literacy rate in L2: Below 5%. NT: 2002.
Writing system	Arabic script. Gujarati script, used by older people.
Comments	Sharecropper agriculturalists. Hindu, Christian.

Also spoken in:

India

Language name	Koli, Kachi
Population	400,000 in India (1998). 100,000 Kachi Koli, 250,000 Rabari, 50,000 or more Vagri Meghwar, Katai Meghwar, and Zalavaria Koli.
Region	Gujarat, Rann of Kachchh District, centered around Bhuj.
Alternate names	Bajania, Kachi, Kachi Gujarati, Katchi, Kohli, Kolhi, Koli, Kori, Kuchi, Kuchikoli, Vagari, Vagaria, Vaghri
Dialects	Kachi, Rabari (Rahabari), Kachi Bhil, Vagri (Kachi Meghwar), Katai Meghwar, Zalavaria Koli.
Comments	Hindu.

Entries from the SIL Bibliography about this language:

Academic Publications

MALONE, Dennis L., author. 2001. Review of: Literacy and development: ethnographic perspectives, by Brian V. Street.

WOODLAND, Andrew, author. 1998. A grammatical description of the Kachi Gujerati language of Sindh, Pakistan.

Vernacular Publications

Avo arathen vadien. 2006.

Hasaa harag ni jalash. 2008.

Jutoi Parab. 2008.