A Sociolinguistic Assessment of the Roshani Speech Variety in Afghanistan

Date

2013-12

Contributor

Advisor

Department

Instructor

Depositor

Speaker

Researcher

Consultant

Interviewer

Narrator

Transcriber

Annotator

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

University of Hawaii Press

Volume

7

Number/Issue

Starting Page

235

Ending Page

301

Alternative Title

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a sociolinguistic assessment conducted in September 2007 in the Roshan area in Afghanistan, where the vernacular Roshani is spoken (ISO: sgh, for Shughni). The goal of the assessment was to determine whether the Roshani people will benefit from a language development project, opening the possibility for literature development and primary school education in the vernacular. The objectives were to assess whether the national language Dari (ISO: prs, for Persian) or the closely related speech variety Shughni would be adequate to be used in literature and primary school education. This was achieved by administering sociolinguistic questionnaires and village elder questionnaires, eliciting word lists, testing intelligibility of the Shughni speech variety, and observing and asking about bilingualism with Dari. In this way the domains of language use, attitude towards Roshani, Shughni and Dari, and bilingualism with Dari, and intelligibility of Shughni were determined. This paper aims to show that due to low bilingualism with Dari, Dari literature cannot serve the Roshani speech community adequately. Because of high intelligibility with Shughni and a neutral attitude, it will be recommendable that Shughni reading material will be tested in Roshan as soon as it is ready.

Description

Keywords

Sociolinguistics, Roshani, Dari, Afghanistan

Citation

Beck, Simone. 2013. A Sociolinguistic Assessment of the Roshani Speech Variety in Afghanistan. Language Documentation & Conservation. 7: 235-301.

Extent

67

Format

Geographic Location

Time Period

Related To

Related To (URI)

Table of Contents

Rights

Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 United States
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported

Rights Holder

Local Contexts

Email libraryada-l@lists.hawaii.edu if you need this content in ADA-compliant format.