Kundal Shahi (, Kunḍal Šāhī) is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by about 700 people in the Kundal Shahi village of Neelam Valley in Azad Kashmir, Pakistan. It is an endangered language and its speakers are shifting to Hindko.
Phonology
The following tables set out the phonology of Kundal Shahi.
Vowels
Kundal Shahi is unusual amongst Dardic languages in that it has front rounded vowels.
Front Central Back unrounded rounded unrounded rounded Close Close-Mid Open-Mid Open
Consonants
Like Kashmiri, Kundal Shahi is unusual amongst Dardic languages in that it lacks retroflex fricatives and affricates.
Labial Alveolar Retroflex Palatal Velar Glottal Nasal () Plosive/Affricate voiceless aspirated voiced Fricative voiceless voiced Lateral Flap Approximant
Tone
Kundal Shahi, like many Dardic languages, has either phonemic tone or, as in Kundal Shahi, pitch accent. Words may have only one accented mora, which is associated with high pitch; the remaining mora have a default or low pitch.
Endangered Kundal Shahi is severely endangered with less than 500 speakers, most of whom are over the age of 40.
References
Bibliography
Further reading
External links ELAR archive of Documentation of the Kundal Shahi Language, Kundal Shahi, Pakistan