Jadgali language
Jaḍgālī (also called Jatgali, Jatki, Zadjali) is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Jadgal, an ethno-linguistic group of Pakistan and Iran also spoken by few hundreds in Oman. It is one of only two Indo-Aryan languages found on the Iranian plateau. It is a dialect of Sindhi language most closely related to Lasi.
| Jadgali | |
|---|---|
| Nummaṛī | |
Jadgali in Arabic script, in the three names of the language, Jadgali (Baloch name) and Numari (Native name) | |
| Native to | Pakistan, Iran |
| Ethnicity | Jadgals |
Native speakers | no reliable data (2008) |
Indo-European
| |
Writing system | Arabic script (Nastaʿlīq) |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | jdg |
| Glottolog | jadg1238 |
The majority of the Jadgali population is found in Pakistan, where a 2004 estimate placed it at 15,600, and in Iran, where according to a 2008 estimate it is at least 25,000. There are also immigrant communities in Oman and the United Arab Emirates, where the Jadgal are known as az-zighālī or az-zijālī. In Iran at least two varieties are spoken, which are reportedly not easily intercomprehensible.
The term Jadgal is of Balochi origin, but it is nowadays used by the Jadgal themselves, alongside their earlier endonym Nummaṛ, which is the source of the language names Nummaṛī and Nummaṛikī.
Jadgali is underdocumented. According to Emeneau, it is likely to have been the source of early Indo-Aryan influences on Balochi and Brahui and therefore studies of the language could help bring insights into the linguistic history of the area.