Thali dialect

Not to be confused with the Thali dialect of Marwari.
Thali
Native toPakistan
Language codes
ISO 639-3–
Glottologthal1241
Approximate location where the language is spoken
Approximate location where the language is spoken
Thali dialect
Coordinates: 31°N 71°E / 31°N 71°E / 31; 71

Thaḷī is a Western Punjabi dialect spoken in parts of the Pakistani provinces of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It is classified by some linguists as a northern dialect of Saraiki,[1][2] although it has also been described as transitional between Multani and Shahpuri Punjabi.[3] Its name derives from the Thal Desert.[3]

In Dera Ismail Khan District, it goes by the name of "Ḍerāwāl"[4] or "Derawali",[3] and in Mianwali and Bannu districts it is known as "Hindko" or "Mulkī".[3] A dialect of Thali spoken in the northeast is known as "Kacchī".[5] Inhabitants of Dera Ismail Khan District, presumably speakers of this dialect, variously identify their language as Saraiki or Hindko.[6] Likewise those living in Mianwali District identify their language as Punjabi or Saraiki.[7]

  1. ^ Wagha 1997, pp. 229–31.
  2. ^ Shackle 1976, p. 8.
  3. ^ a b c d Singh 1970, p. 142.
  4. ^ Masica 1991, p. 426.
  5. ^ Bahri 1963, pp. 16–17.
  6. ^ Rensch 1992, pp. 7–8, 57.
  7. ^ South Asia Partnership-Pakistan. Profile of district Mianwali (PDF). pp. 12–13. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 May 2013.