Pothohari dialect facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Pothohari |
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| Potwari, Potowari پوٹھوہاری |
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| Native to | Pakistan, India |
| Region | Pothohar region, Azad Kashmir and Poonch (Jammu and Kashmir) |
| Native speakers | 2.5 million including Dhundi-Kairali, Chibhali, & Punchhi, but perhaps not 1.04 million Mirpuri (2007)e18 |
| Language family |
Indo-European
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Punjabi–Lahnda dialects. Pothohari is center-north.
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Pothohari (also called Potwari or Pahari-Potwari) is a language spoken by many people in parts of Pakistan and India. It is closely related to the Punjabi language. You can find people speaking Pothohari mainly in the Pothohar region of northern Punjab. It is also spoken in Azad Kashmir and the Poonch area of Jammu and Kashmir.
Contents
What is Pothohari?
Pothohari is often considered a special kind of dialect of Punjabi. A dialect is a form of a language that is spoken in a particular area. It might have slightly different words or ways of saying things. About 2.5 million people speak Pothohari. This number includes speakers of similar dialects like Dhundi-Kairali, Chibhali, and Punchhi.
Where is Pothohari Spoken?
Pothohari is mainly spoken in the Pothohar region. This area is in the northern part of Punjab, Pakistan. It is also spoken in nearby areas. These include Azad Kashmir and the Poonch district in Jammu and Kashmir.
Is Pothohari a Language or a Dialect?
Sometimes, it can be tricky to decide if a way of speaking is a separate language or just a dialect. This is true for Pothohari. For a long time, most experts thought of Pothohari as a dialect of Punjabi.
However, some people have recently suggested that Pothohari should be called its own language. This idea is still being discussed. It is a topic that can cause debate, especially in regions where different languages are spoken. For example, Punjabi, Urdu, and Hindi are all spoken in the same general area.
Images for kids
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Map of North Lahnda (Hindko and Pahari-Pothwari) dialects and varieties
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Potohar scenery with hill backdrop
