Padri_language
Padri dialect
Bhadarwahi dialect of Padar
Padri (पाडरी pāḍrī) is a dialect spoken in the Padar valley in Kishtwar district in the Indian territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It belongs to the Bhadarwahi group of dialects, and is classified as a member of the Western Pahari branch of the Indo-Aryan languages.[2] It is very similar to the Pangwali language of Pangi, Himachal Pradesh.[citation needed]
The Padar valley is about 80 km long, the terrain is rugged and mountainous, and the population is found mainly in scattered hamlets, with the main village being Atholi.[3] The number of speakers, as of the 1981 census, stood at 10,000.[1]
Padri shares a large proportion of its vocabulary with other Western Pahari varieties (like Bhadarwahi, Pangwali and Siraji).[4] There are two genders: masculine and feminine (there is no neuter). Nouns change for case, but not normally for number. However, some nouns do have plurals, which are formed using a variety of strategies:[5]
- koā -> koi 'boys'
- panna -> pannë 'leaves'
- zebbh -> zibb 'tongues'
- koi -> kui 'girls'
- thaṛo -> thenë 'walnuts'