Waṇetsi (Waneci: وڼېڅي), commonly called Tarīno (Waneci: ترينو), and sometimes Tsalgari (Waneci: څلګري), is a distinct variety of Pashto and is considered by some to be a different language. In some cases, Wanetsi shares similarities with the Pamir language of Munji, being a sort of bridge between the former and Pashto.[3] It is perhaps a representation of a more archaic, or very early, form of Pashto.[4]
It is spoken by the Tareen, Mashwani and other Pashtun tribes in Balochistan, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, primarily in Harnai (هرنای) (Harnai District) and Chawter (چوتېر) area in Sanjawi, Northern Balochistan, Pakistan.[3] The language is at risk due to lack of attention and not liking it as a language by foreigners.[5]
"The Pashto area split into two dialect groups at a pre-literary period, represented today on the one hand
by all the dialects of modern Pashto and on the other by Waṇeci and by archaic remains in other Southeast dialects"
Some of Waṇetsi's particularities (e.g. šwī “twenty,” mōš “we,” [a]γa “of;” the pres. endings; retention of rž; loss of -t-) prove that it must have split off from Paṣ̌to at an early Middle Iranic stage, considerably before the constitution of a standard Paṣ̌to. They can scarcely have developed after the arrival of the Waṇetsi speakers in their present home, which is in no way topographically cut off from the rest of Paṣ̌to territory. These speakers must rather represent the forerunners of the main Paṣ̌tūn movement towards the east, but when and where they split off is at present impossible to say.
— Section F.
Research
ترين او ترينو
The first known linguistic research was conducted in 1929 by Georg Morgenstierne on Waṇetsi.[8] Since then linguists like Josef Elfenbein have worked and researched on this archaic Pashto dialect.[9][10][11] In his book, Syed Khair Muhammad Arif, "Tarin aw Tarīno" has also included a small dictionary of Waṇetsi.[12] ٙBut much work remains to be done on understanding Waṇetsi.[13]
The singer Khayam Tareen (خيام ترين) has also sung songs in Waṇetsi.[5]
Phonology
Consonants
Waṇetsi has [ʃ] and [ʒ] for Pashto ښ and ږ, respectively.[14]
څ does not merge with [s] but can be pronounced as [t͡s] and ځ does not merge with [z] but can be pronounced as [d͡z].[15]
[h] is dropable in Waṇetsi e.g. هغه becomes اغه[14]
Vowels
Josef Elfenbein states: "ī and ū are not phonemically distinct from i and u respectively, and are pronounced [i] and [u] respectively when unstressed (and not [ɪ] and [ʊ] as in Kākaṛī), and [iː] and [uː] when stressed."[16]
There is a marked spontaneous tendency to palatalize "ī" as "yī" and "ē" as "yē"; and to labialize "ū" as "wū" and "ō" as "wo". Initial delabialization is common in "wū" as "ū" and "wō" as "ō".[15]
The stressed short "á" is often lengthened, and an unstressed long "ā" shortened.[15]
The standard weakening of final vowels in Waṇetsi makes the masculine-feminine gender distinction much less audible: [ə] and [a] are not phonemically distinct when unstressed in any position. But stressed final ә́ is kept apart from stressed á as in general Pashto.[15]
The following examples have been provided by Nizamuddin Nizami
Grammar
Nouns - Morphology
Class 1
Masculine Animate: mə́ser - elder (In general Pashto: mə́sər
Masculine Animate: lewә́- wolf
Masculine Animate: xar- donkey
Masculine Animate: pšə́ - tom-cat (in general Pashto: piš)
Masculine Inanimate: dārū́ - medicine
Masculine Inanimate: kor - house
Feminine Animate: pšī - cat (in general Pashto: piśó)
Feminine Inanimate: lyār - way (in general Pashto: lār)
Feminine Inanimate: xwā́šī - mother-in-law
Feminine Inanimate: čaṛə́ - mother-in-law
Feminine Inanimate: lergā́ - stick
Class 2
Masculine Animate: yirźá - bear (in general Pashto: يږ [yәẓ̌, yәg, yәź])
Masculine Animate: spa -dog (in general Pashto: spáy)
Masculine Inanimate: wagaṛá -village (in general Pashto: kə́lay)
Feminine Animate: spī - female-dog (in general Pashto spə́i)
Class 3
Masculine Inanimate: špaźmi -moon (in general Pashto spoẓ̌mə́i, a feminine noun)
Feminine Inanimate: méle -celebration (in general Pashto melá)
Class 4
Masculine Animate: spor- horseman
Masculine Inanimate: rebún - shirt
Class 5
Masculine Animate: ğal
Agglutinative Formation
The (e)ya case is agglutinative.[15]
Demonstratives
In Waṇetsi اغه [aɣa] functions for both Pashto دغه (this) and هغه (that).[15]
Verb Infinitive
Where as General Pashto employs the ل [ә́l] to the past stem to make it infinitive, Waṇetsi employs نګ [ang] to the past stem to make it infinitive.[15]
Bibliography
J. H. Elfenbein, (1984). "The Wanetsi Connexion: Part I". Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland (1): 54–76.
J. H. Elfenbein, (1984). "The Wanetsi Connexion: Part II". Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland (2): 229–241.
J. H Elfenbein, (1967). "Lanḍa Zor Wəla Waṇecī". Archiv Orientální. XXXV: 563–606.
^Morgenstierne, Georg (1932). Report on a Linguistic Mission to Afghanistan. H. Aschehoug. Retrieved 2021-03-19.
^ a b c"AFGHANISTAN vi. Paṧto, F. Waṇecī". G. Morgenstierne. Encyclopaedia Iranica Online Version. Archived from the original on 2012-01-22. Retrieved 2012-02-15. Phonology. Ir. -d- > -l- as in Paṣ̌tō (mlā "waist," xwala "sweat") but -t- > y/0 (sī "one hundred," šwī < *wšī "twenty," piyār "father," left as relicts in Kāk. pyār and plyār). In this respect Waṇeci agrees with Munǰī, but not with Paṣ̌to.
^Morgenstierne, G. "AFGHANISTAN vi. Paṣ̌tō". Encyclopaedia Iranica. Retrieved 2021-05-20. F. Waṇecī. (63) Except for a few details, Paṣ̌tō dialects can be derived from a prototype not essentially different from the classical 10th/16th century literary language; they do not to any significant extent help us to reconstruct a more archaic form of Paṣ̌tō. There is only one dialect which stands decidedly apart, i.e., Waṇ(ecī) (or Tarīno)
^ a b"بلوچستان کې د پښتنو د ترینو لهجه چې پوهان وايي په ختمیدو ده". VOA (in Pashto). Retrieved 2021-03-21. خو پوهان وايي په محدوده کچه د وویل کیدو له امله د ترینو لهجه د ختمیدو سره مخامخ ده
^Schmitt, Astrid (1989). "Pashto". Compendium Linguarum Iranicarum. L. Reichert. p. 386. ISBN 978-3-88226-413-5.
^"AFGHANISTAN vi. Paṣ̌tō". iranicaonline.org. Retrieved 2021-03-19.
^Morgenstierne, Georg (1932). Report On a Linguistic Mission to North-Western India. pp. 12–14. Retrieved 2021-03-19.
^Elfenbein, Josef (1967). "Lanḍa Zor Wəla Waṇecī". Archiv Orientální. XXXV: 563–606.
^Elfenbein, J. (1984). "The Wanetsi Connexion. Part II: Glossary". Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland. 116 (2): 229–241. doi:10.1017/S0035869X00163579. ISSN 0035-869X. JSTOR 25211709.
^Elfenbein, J. H. (1984). "The Wanetsi Connexion: Part I". Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland. 116 (1): 54–76. doi:10.1017/S0035869X00166122. ISSN 0035-869X. JSTOR 25211626.
^ a bKaye, Alan S. (1997-06-30). Phonologies of Asia and Africa: (including the Caucasus). Eisenbrauns. p. 742. ISBN 978-1-57506-019-4.
^ a b c d e f gElfenbein, J. H. (1984). "The Wanetsi Connexion: Part I". Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland (1): 61. ISSN 0035-869X. JSTOR 25211626.
^Kaye, Alan S. (1997-06-30). Phonologies of Asia and Africa: (including the Caucasus). Eisenbrauns. p. 750. ISBN 978-1-57506-019-4.
^Josef, Elfenbein. "Lanḍa, Zor Wəla! Waṇecī". Archiv Orientální. XXXV: 574.
