بُروشَسکی
Burushaski
Language isolate
Burushaski is a language isolate spoken in the Hunza, Nagar, and Yasin valleys of the Karakoram mountains in northern Pakistan. Despite over a century of comparative work attempting to link it with Caucasian, Yeniseian, or Indo-European, no convincing genetic relations have been established. Burushaski has four noun classes (human male, human female, countable non-human, mass) and an extraordinarily rich verb-prefix pronominal system, plus retroflex consonants from areal contact.
Where it is spoken
31 core words in Burushaski
Water
čhil
/ʈʂʰil/
Fire
phu
/pʰu/
Sun
sá
/saː/
Moon
hálance
/halantse/
Star
asé
/aˈse/
Mother
ámi
/ami/
Father
ússa
/usːa/
I
je
/dʑe/
You
un
/un/
Name
ik
/ik/
Eye
-lčin
/lʈʂin/
Hand
-rin
/rin/
Heart
-us
/us/
Love
yarum
/jarum/
Tree
tom
/tom/
House
ha
/ha/
Dog
huk
/huk/
Cat
bushi
/buʂi/
Eat
ši-
/ʂi/
Drink
minas
/minas/
One
hin
/hin/
Two
altó
/alˈto/
Hello
šuá
/ʂuaː/
Thank you
shukria
/ʃukrija/
Good
shua
/ʂua/
Words compared
Compared with related Language isolate languages
| Meaning | Burushaski | Rapanui | Niuean | Bislama | Tok Pisin | Pashai | Tuvaluan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | čhil /ʈʂʰil/ | vai /vai/ | vai /vai/ | wota /wota/ | wara /waɾa/ | واری /waːri/ | vai /vai/ |
| Fire | phu /pʰu/ | ahi /ahi/ | afi /afi/ | faea /faea/ | paia /paja/ | انگاری /aŋɡaːri/ | afi /afi/ |
| Sun | sá /saː/ | raʻā /raʔaː/ | lā /laː/ | san /san/ | san /san/ | سور /sur/ | laa /laː/ |
| Moon | hálance /halantse/ | mahina /mahina/ | mahina /mahina/ | mun /mun/ | mun /mun/ | مس /mas/ | masina /masina/ |
| Star | asé /aˈse/ | hetuʻu /heˈtuʔu/ | fetū /feˈtuː/ | sta /sta/ | sta /sta/ | تارا /taːraː/ | fetū /feˈtuː/ |
| Mother | ámi /ami/ | matuʻa vahine /matuʔa vahine/ | matua fifine /matua fifine/ | mama /mama/ | mama /mama/ | نا /naː/ | maatua /maːtua/ |
| Father | ússa /usːa/ | matuʻa tāne /matuʔa taːne/ | matua taane /matua taːne/ | papa /papa/ | papa /papa/ | تاتا /taːtaː/ | tamana /tamana/ |
| I | je /dʑe/ | au /au/ | au /au/ | mi /mi/ | mi /mi/ | آ /aː/ | au /au/ |
| You | un /un/ | koe /koe/ | koe /koe/ | yu /ju/ | yu /ju/ | تو /tu/ | koe /koe/ |
| Name | ik /ik/ | ingoa /iˈŋoa/ | higoa /hiˈŋoa/ | nem /nem/ | nem /nem/ | نام /naːm/ | igoa /iˈŋoa/ |
| Eye | -lčin /lʈʂin/ | mata /mata/ | mata /mata/ | ae /ae/ | ai /aj/ | اچی /atʃiː/ | mata /mata/ |
| Hand | -rin /rin/ | rima /ɾima/ | lima /lima/ | han /han/ | han /han/ | دست /dast/ | lima /lima/ |
| Heart | -us /us/ | mahatu /mahatu/ | fatu /fatu/ | bel /bel/ | bel /bel/ | دل /dil/ | fatu /fatu/ |
| Love | yarum /jarum/ | hanga /haŋa/ | fakaalofa /fakaalofa/ | laekem /laekem/ | laikim /lajkim/ | پیار /pjaːr/ | alofa /alofa/ |
| Tree | tom /tom/ | tumu rākau /tumu raːkau/ | akau /akau/ | tri /tri/ | diwai /diwaj/ | درغ /darʁ/ | laakau /laːkau/ |
| House | ha /ha/ | hare /haɾe/ | fale /fale/ | haos /haos/ | haus /haʊs/ | جوغ /dʒoʁ/ | fale /fale/ |
| Dog | huk /huk/ | paihega /paiheŋa/ | kuli /kuli/ | dog /doɡ/ | dok /dok/ | کوتا /kotaː/ | kuli /kuli/ |
| Cat | bushi /buʂi/ | kati /kati/ | pusi /pusi/ | pusi /pusi/ | pusi /pusi/ | بلور /baloːr/ | pusi /pusi/ |
| Eat | ši- /ʂi/ | kai /kai/ | kai /kai/ | kakae /kakae/ | kaikai /kajkaj/ | کخن- /kxn/ | kai /kai/ |
| Drink | minas /minas/ | unu /unu/ | inu /inu/ | dring /driŋ/ | dring /dɾiŋ/ | پی- /piː/ | inu /inu/ |
| One | hin /hin/ | tahi /tahi/ | taha /taha/ | wan /wan/ | wanpela /wanpɛla/ | ایک /eːk/ | tasi /tasi/ |
| Two | altó /alˈto/ | rua /ˈrua/ | ua /ua/ | tu /tu/ | tu /tu/ | دو /duː/ | lua /ˈlua/ |
| Hello | šuá /ʂuaː/ | ʻiorana /ʔioɾana/ | fakaalofa atu /fakaalofa atu/ | halo /halo/ | halo /halo/ | سلام /salaːm/ | taalofa /taːlofa/ |
| Thank you | shukria /ʃukrija/ | maururu /mauɾuɾu/ | fakaaue /fakaaue/ | tangkyu /taŋkju/ | tenkyu /tɛŋkju/ | شکریه /ʃukrija/ | fakafetai /fakafetai/ |
| Good | shua /ʂua/ | riva /ɾiva/ | mitaki /mitaki/ | gud /ɡud/ | gutpela /ɡutpɛla/ | شو /ʃoː/ | lei /lei/ |
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