This thesis is a descriptive grammar of Pashai spoken in the Darrai Nur district of Nangrahar province, Afghanistan. The description encompasses the structural properties of the spoken language, as well as the patterns of use in the language that are emblematic of the speech community as a whole. There are two foci to the dissertation: in addition to the descriptive grammar is an ethnographic account of gendered language use, multilingualism and notions of identity among these minority language speakers within the larger Pashto-speaking community. Beyond Afghanistan, this study looks at language use patterns and identity among Pashai speakers in the regional and Euro-American diasporic communities.
Author(s): Lehr, Rachel
Publisher: The University of Chicago
Year: 2014
Language: English
Pages: 435
City: Chicago
Contents
List of Figures x
List of Tables xi
Acknowledgments xvii
Abstract xx
Abbreviations xxi
1 Introduction 1
1.1 Introduction.................................... 1
1.2 Organization of Dissertation........................... 2
1.2.1 Part One................................. 3
1.2.2 Part Two................................. 4
1.3 Situating Pashai.................................. 5
1.3.1 Pashai Origins............................... 7
1.3.2 What is Dardic.............................. 10
1.3.3 Dardic Features of Pashai........................ 11
1.3.4 Pashai Dialects.............................. 13
1.4 Pashai – What’s in a Name........................... 15
1.5 Risk Factors.................................... 15
1.5.1 Pashtunization.............................. 16
1.5.2 Language Preservation.......................... 18
1.5.3 Documentation and Preservation in Afghanistan. . . . . . . . . . . . 19
1.5.4 Local Efforts............................... 20
1.6 Methodology................................... 21
1.6.1 Personal Background with Pashai Speakers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
1.6.2 Research Design.............................. 21
1.6.3 Additional Field Data.......................... 22
1.6.4 Language Consultants .......................... 23
1.7 Methodology for Diaspora Research....................... 23
1.7.1 Research Design.............................. 24
1.7.2 Methodology............................... 24
1.7.3 Documentation.............................. 25
1.8 Typology of Language and Gender....................... 26
1.8.1 Typology of Minority Languages.................... 26
1.8.2 Demography................................ 28
1.8.3 Communicative Space and Usefulness.................. 32
1.8.4 Geography of Language Use....................... 32
1.8.5 Women and Language in the Diaspora................. 36
2 Language and Context 38
2.1 Language in Context............................... 38
2.2 Introduction.................................... 40
2.3 History of Language Policies in Afghanistan.................. 40
2.4 Ethno-Linguistic Politics............................. 43
2.5 Creating Pashai Identity............................. 45
2.6 Qaum....................................... 46
2.6.1 Weighted Features............................ 48
2.6.2 Ethnic Nomenclature........................... 49
2.7 Language and Identity.............................. 50
2.7.1 Social Hierarchy.............................. 50
2.7.2 ˇs ̄ar ̄e.................................... 51 .
2.7.3 Pashai Dissimulation and Aspirational Pashtuns. . . . . . . . . . . . 51
2.8 Origin Myth.................................... 54
2.8.1 Gurbuz Safi Story............................. 54
2.8.2 Soom Shenganek Story.......................... 55
2.9 Social Status................................... 56
2.10 Construction of Identity in the Diaspora.................... 58
2.10.1 Women and Language in the Diaspora ................. 58
2.10.2 Status, Language Choice, and Legitimacy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
2.10.3 Language and Prestige.......................... 60
2.11 Models of Multilingualism–Diglossia...................... 60
2.11.1 Pashai in Urban Context......................... 65
2.11.2 Pashai in a Rural Context........................ 66
2.11.3 A Visit to the Doctor........................... 68
2.12 Summary..................................... 68
3 Phonology 70
3.1 Introduction.................................... 70
3.2 Consonants.................................... 71
3.3 Phonemic Contrast................................ 72
3.3.1 Plosives.................................. 72
3.3.2 Waveforms................................. 73
3.3.3 Affricates................................. 80
3.3.4 Fricatives................................. 81
3.3.5 Nasals................................... 85
3.3.6 Laterals.................................. 85
3.3.7 Rhotic Liquids.............................. 87
3.3.8 Approximants............................... 87
3.4 Vowels....................................... 88
3.4.1 Vowel Phonemes............................. 92
3.4.2 Vowel Distribution............................ 97
3.5 Syllable Structure................................. 100
3.5.1 Minimal Word............................... 100
3.5.2 Syllable Templates............................ 101
3.5.3 Syllable Weight.............................. 105
3.5.4 Stress................................... 105
3.5.5 Tone.................................... 108
3.6 Sequence Constraints............................... 111
3.6.1 Consonant Sequences........................... 111
3.6.2 Nasal Sequences.............................. 112
3.6.3 Liquid Sequences............................. 113
3.6.4 Fricative Clusters............................. 114
3.6.5 Vowel Clusters.............................. 114
3.7 Phonological Processes.............................. 115
3.7.1 Cluster Simplification........................... 115
3.7.2 Stem-Final Devoicing........................... 116
3.7.3 Vowel Shortening ............................. 117
3.7.4 Voicing Assimilation........................... 119
3.7.5 Morphophonemic Alternations...................... 119
3.7.6 Vowel Copying.............................. 126
3.7.7 Adjacent Vowels ............................. 127
3.8 Areal Features................................... 128
3.9 Loanword Phonology............................... 129
3.9.1 Nativization................................ 130
3.9.2 Cluster Simplification........................... 131
3.10 Conclusions.................................... 136
4 Nominal Morphology 137
4.1 Introduction.................................... 137
4.2 WordFormation.................................. 137
4.2.1 Introduction................................ 137
4.2.2 Compounding............................... 138
4.2.3 Derivation................................. 138
4.2.4 Diminutive Formation.......................... 142
4.3 Inflectional Morphology............................. 144
4.3.1 Introduction................................ 144
4.3.2 Case Morphology............................. 145
4.3.3 Postpositions............................... 157
4.3.4 Definiteness................................ 161
4.3.5 Possessive Suffixes............................ 162
4.3.6 Direct Case Possessive Suffix Function................. 168
4.3.7 Oblique/Genitive Possessive Suffixes.................. 170
4.3.8 Inherent Possession............................ 171
4.3.9 Possessive Suffixes for Kinship Terms.................. 173
4.3.10 Nominal Gender............................. 176
4.3.11 Number Inflection............................. 181
4.4 Adjectives and Adverbs.............................. 184
4.4.1 Adjectives................................. 184
4.4.2 Adverbs.................................. 187
4.4.3 Quantifiers................................. 190
4.5 Pronouns..................................... 191
4.5.1 Personal Pronouns............................ 191
4.5.2 Bound Pronouns............................. 191
4.5.3 Demonstratives.............................. 193
4.5.4 Reflexive Form.............................. 195
4.6 Deixis....................................... 197
4.6.1 Spatial Location............................. 200
4.6.2 Temporal Location............................ 202
4.6.3 Location and Movement......................... 203
4.6.4 Demonstratives se/ti and me...................... 204
4.6.5 Summary................................. 206
4.7 Conclusion..................................... 207
5 Verbal Morphology 208
5.1 Introduction.................................... 208
5.1.1 Verbal Template............................. 209
5.1.2 Verbal System............................... 211
5.2 Verb Stem..................................... 212
5.3 Pronominal Suffixes................................ 213
5.4 Non-Perfective Tenses.............................. 214
5.4.1 Present-Future Non-Specific....................... 214
5.4.2 Present-Future Specific......................... 219
5.4.3 Past Imperfect.............................. 224
5.5 Perfective Tenses................................. 227
5.5.1 Perfective Intransitive.......................... 230
5.5.2 Perfective Transitive ........................... 231
5.5.3 Distal Perfect and Remote Perfect.................... 235
5.5.4 Summary................................. 237
5.6 Valency-Changing Suffixes............................ 237
5.6.1 Transitivizing Suffix........................... 237
5.6.2 Causative Suffix.............................. 239
5.7 Nonfinite VerbMorphology........................... 240
5.7.1 Adjectival Participles........................... 240
5.7.2 Adverbial Participles........................... 249
5.7.3 Infinitive.................................. 251
5.8 Conclusions .................................... 252
6 Tense and Aspect 253
6.1 Introduction.................................... 253
6.2 Terminology.................................... 253
6.3 Verbal Morphology and Conjugational Elements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255
6.4 Copula and Auxiliary Verbs........................... 255
6.4.1 The Verb ̄a-‘be’............................. 256
6.4.2 The Verb-‘be(come)’.......................... 258
6.4.3 The Verb-‘be’ Presumptive...................... 264
6.4.4 Equational Construction(x=y).................... 270
6.4.5 Existential Construction(∃x)...................... 271
6.4.6 Summary................................. 272
6.5 Tense-Aspect Forms............................... 273
6.5.1 Non-Perfective.............................. 275
6.5.2 Perfective................................. 283
6.6 Specificity..................................... 291
6.7 Evidentiality.................................... 295
6.8 Non-IndicativeMood............................... 298
6.8.1 Imperative................................. 298
6.8.2 Optative.................................. 300
6.8.3 Subjunctive................................ 301
6.9 Conclusions.................................... 302
7 Syntax 303
7.1 Introduction.................................... 303
7.2 Word Order.................................... 303
7.2.1 Word Order–Not Strictly SOV..................... 305
7.2.2 Ergativity and Word Order....................... 307
7.3 Verbal Constructions............................... 308
7.3.1 Verb Serialization............................. 309
7.3.2 Light Verb Construction ......................... 310
7.4 Negation...................................... 312
7.4.1 Introduction................................ 312
7.4.2 Verbal Negation.............................. 313
7.4.3 Derived Adjectival Negation....................... 317
7.4.4 Indefinite Pronouns and Negation.................... 318
7.4.5 Non-IndicativeNegation ......................... 323
7.4.6 Summary ................................. 325
7.5 QuestionFormation................................ 326
7.5.1 Yes/NoQuestions............................. 326
7.5.2 Wh-Questions............................... 327
7.5.3 Summary.................................339
7.6 Coordination................................... 339
7.6.1 ConjunctiveCoordination........................ 339
7.6.2 DisjunctiveCoordination......................... 341
7.6.3 AdversativeCoordination........................ 342
7.7 Subordination................................... 342
7.7.1 AdverbialClause............................. 343
7.7.2 ConditionalClauses............................ 347
7.7.3 RelativeClauses............................. 353
7.7.4 ComplementClauses........................... 359
7.7.5 SententialComplements......................... 359
7.7.6 InfinitivalComplements......................... 363
7.8 Conclusion..................................... 364
8 Concluding Remarks..................................... 365
8.1 Introduction.................................... 365
8.2 Language, Gender, Space and Identity..................... 365
8.3 Phonology..................................... 366
8.4 Areal Typology and Regional Languages.................... 367
8.5 Symmetries.................................... 367
8.6 Asymmetries ................................... 368
8.7 Language Change................................. 369
8.8 Orthography.................................... 369
Appendix A Supplementary Maps 371
Appendix B Gurbuz Origin Story 376
B.1 SummaryofTexts ................................ 376
B.1.1 Narrative Story 1............................. 376
B.1.2 Narrative Story 2............................. 377
B.2 Introduction to the Texts............................. 378
B.2.1 The Narrator............................... 378
B.2.2 Gurbuz Text............................... 378
B.3 Loan words in Pashai............................... 385
Appendix C Women’s Wedding Song 387
Appendix D Primary Verb Roots 389
Appendix E How to Talk to Animals 394
Appendix F Kinship Terms 397
Appendix G Pashai Counting System 400
Appendix H Participants 403
References
