Kholosi
Native toHormozgan Province, Iran
Native speakers
c.1800 (2014)[1]
Perso-Arabic
Language codes
ISO 639-3None (mis)
Glottologkhol1241

Kholosi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken in two villages in southern Iran that was first described in 2008.[2] At its current status, the language is considered endangered. In 2008, it was only spoken in the neighboring villages of Kholus and Gotav. As it is located on the Iranian Plateau and surrounded by Iranian languages, it draws heavily from them.[2]

Classification

Kholosi is definitively known to be an Indo-Aryan language albeit with significant lexical borrowing from Iranian languages given its geographical location. At the lexical level, it seems to share vocabulary largely with the Sindhi languages,[2] which are the source of other Indo-Aryan migrations to the Middle East such as Luwati in Oman.

Phonology

While no published phonology has been found on Kholosi, the following phonology has been constructed from examples provided in the sources below.[2][3][1]

Vowels
Front Central Back
High i u
Mid
Low ɑ ɑː

Kholosi also contains the diphthongs /ɑi, ɑw, ow/ and possibly others.

Consonants
Labial Alveolar Postalveolar Retroflex Palatal Velar Glottal
Nasals m n ɳ ŋ*
Stops p b t d t͡ʃ d͡ʒ k ɡ
Fricatives f v s z ʂ x h
Approximants l j
Taps ɽ
Trills r

Note*: The phonemes marked with an asterisk are assumed based on the structure of the attested phonemes.

Grammar

Anonby and Bahmani (2013)[2] made some brief notes on Kholosi grammar, but so far no grammatical sketch nor a full grammar of the language has been documented.

Morphology

Nouns and noun phrases

Nouns have inherent grammatical gender, and adjectives agree in gender with the head noun. Attributive adjectives follow the head noun, unlike other Indo-Aryan languages. Numerals precede the head noun.[3]

Verbs and verb phrases

Kholosi uses several light verbs to form noun-verb compounds. This is a common feature of Indo-Iranian languages.

The adverb precedes the verb it modifies.[3]

Case and adpositions

Kholosi has noun-suffixed postpositions (e.g. the genitive marker -jo which agrees with the gender of the possessor) as characteristic of Indo-Aryan languages.

Syntax

Kholosi is a verb-final language with SOV word order.[3]

Vocabulary

Kholosi has roughly twice the number of Indo-Aryan terms in its basic lexicon than Iranian borrowings. The primary source of Iranian borrowings is Persian, but Larestani and Bandari (in the same geographical area) also appear to have contributed vocabulary.[2]

A high degree of similarity with Indo-Aryan languages

Indo-Aryan vocabulary in Kholosi

EnglishPersianKholosiSindhiKutchiDomariRomani
earguškānkanukankānkan
stomachšekampētpēʈpēʈpētˤper
throatgalunāɽinaɽīnəɽīqandīkerlo
neckgardangēčiɠičī, ɠātōkandgər(ək)korr
bloodxunrātraturatratrat
urineedrār, šāšmetermuʈrumutarmuturmuter
maternal uncledāimomomāmomāmāmāmkako
dogsagkotorokutōkottrōsnōtadžukel
taildompēčpučʰupučʰ(ɽi)panč(ək)porri
snakemārsapnā̃gusapsapsap
meatguštmāzgūšt/masgōsmāsīmas
eggtoxme morġāɳobēdō/anoīnōānaanro
dirtxākmātimiʈī/mati/dhur/dazu/mermaʈīdūlmel
waterābpunipāɳīpāɳīpānīpani
rainbārānmehmīh̃ãβarsādwārsīndabrišind
old (thing)kohneperoɳopurāɳō, pōɽʰō, jhunijunō, purānōpnārapurano
heavysangingāwroɠarōbʰāɽigrānapharo
dryxošksakosukosukō, sukelōsukho
blacksyāhkārokārōkārōqālakalo

Kholosi Indo-Iranian vocabulary aligned with Indo-Aryan sound changes

EnglishPersianKholosiSindhiKutchiDomariRomani
handdasthāthatʰuhatʰxaštvast
toothdandāndāndᶑãndudəndʰdānddand
fishmāhimāčimačʰīməčʰīmaččamačho
starsetāretarotārōtārōyēldəzčerxaj
threesehteredaʈī/tretrētrəntrin
roundgerdgolāndogōlgōlčōrm-
saygoftanvetaičaβaɳčōnũft-phen-
thisinhekado/a-

A significant proportion of structures shared with neighbouring Iranian languages

Iranian vocabulary in Kholosi

EnglishPersianKholosiSindhiKutchiDomariRomani
headsar, kallekallomatʰōmatʰōsəršero
nosebini, damāġdomāġnakupannāknakh
boneostoxānassaxānhaɖōhəɖxar(ək)kokalo
leafbargbargpanupankāġatˤpatrin
rootrišerišopāɽamūɽdrab
dustgardgarddʰuɽrajj, dʰuɽġabareporrik
cloudabrawrjʰuɽ, kakarβəɖarġēmlučh
summertābestāntābesānunahāɽoūnārōawasārnilaj
winterzemestānzemesānsiārosiyārōslālajivend
ironāhanāhanlohuḥadīdsastro
thinkfekr kardfeker kaisōčaɳsōčiɳũfikr kar-

Words illustrating the local character of Iranian vocabulary in Kholosi

EnglishPersianKholosiRemarks
scorpionaġrabakrabcf. Lārestani (Evaz), Keshmi akrab
cloudabrawrcf. Bushehri, Keshmi, S. Luri awr
sandšen, māselamercf. Lārestani (Lār) lamr
chickenmorġčūkicf. Lārestani (Lār) čikala
whistlingsutfitak, sūtcf. Bandari (Bushehr) fike, Keshmi fištak

Lack of contrastive aspiration on stops in Kholosi

EnglishPersianKholosiSindhiKutchiDomariRomani
tallbolandtaɽgoɖrigholamō, dʰərgōdərga, drōnga
skinpustxālkʰala, čamɽīčam, čamɽiqalmorthi
coldsardtāzotʰādʰōtʰādʰōsīldatato
weavebāftsībaiuɳaɳusibʰīnũsīw-khuv-
handdasthāthatʰuhatʰxaštvast
taildompēčpučʰupučʰ, pučʰɽipanč(ək)porri
fishmāhimāčimačʰīməčʰīmaččamačho

A full fricative series in Kholosi

EnglishPersianKholosiSindhiKutchiDomariRomani
allhamesāfsabh

sabʰai

marē, mərēsasa
grassalaf(/giyāh)xāzgāhugāsčar
antmurčemoxoromakoɽomākuɽōmōrī, mˤōrikiri
bigbozorgvazzoVaᶑōβaᶑōdrōngabaro
nearnazdikvāzovējʰōbājūmečanč-paš-

Lack of an implosive series in Kholosi

EnglishPersianKholosiSindhiKutchiDomariRomani
heavysangingāwroɠarōbʰāɽigrānapharo
neckgardangēčiɠičī, ɠātōkandgər(ək)kerlo
twodobāroɓadī, dədīduj
buyxaridgenaivathanuɠəɳnũpār-kin-
swellmotavarrem šodsojosuʄaɳsoʄnũšuvľ-

Complex predicates in Kholosi

EnglishPersianKholosiSindhiKutchiDomariRomani
walkġadam zadvāt viyohalaɳhalnũraw-phir-
stand upboland šodbolan tobīhaɳuʈʰinũ, ubʰotʰīnũšt-ašt-
lie downderāz kešidsɑ̄ tohalaɳhalnũpašl-
flyparvāz kardpall kerɑmaiuᶑraɳ, ūᶑaɳuɖnũfər-urn-
swimšenā kardšenow kaitaraɳβenjinũ, tar karīnũnan-

Distinctive structures in Kholosi

Distinctive Kholosi vocabulary

EnglishPersianKholosiSindhiKutchiDomariRomani
hairmuβāraβāɽwālbal
mouthdahān, dahanvātmuhũ, vatməhmuj
kneezānuāɽakgōᶑōgū̃nʈʰōlūləkkoč
manmardkozoromaɳʰū̃bʰāi māɽū, maradmnəsmurš
childbačeviyowɓārubačōqər, putrčhavo
stonesangrōxopaʈʰarpaʈʰar, paʈʈʰarwāʈbarr
fireātešmangalbāhiʈānɖʰōāgjag
smallkučeknōkonanɖʰōnənɖʰoqətˤkacikno
fullpordangbʰaryalbʰarelō, pūrō, saʄōbardˤapherdo
oneyekpokohikakroyēka, yōkajekh
tiebastanpālaiɓadʰaɳbandʰinũphand-

References

  1. 1 2 Anonby, Erik; Bahmani, Hassan Mohebbi (2013). "Shipwrecked and Landlocked: A Description of Kholosi, an Indo-Aryan language of Southwest Iran" (PDF). Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Iranian Linguistics. Further Topics in Iranian Linguistics.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Shipwrecked and landlocked : Discovery of an Indo-Aryan language in southwest Iran" (PDF). Bamling-research.de. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 August 2016. Retrieved 2016-05-20.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Tahereh Rezaei. "First notes on the syntax of Kholosi as a heritage language in the south of Iran" (PDF).

Further reading

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