r/HistoricalLinguistics

Kvari Language (Draft)

Sean Whalen

April 10, 2026

Jouanne, Thomas (2014) A Preliminary Analysis of the Phonological System of the Western Pahāṛī Language of Kvār

https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/30815038.pdf

When reading this, I found many interesting words that might have a bearing on other IE :

A. Kva. iluṛɔ ‘mud’, G. īlū́s \ eilū́s f. 'mud, slime, silt; dregs', eilú 'very dark, black', *ilo- > Slavic *jьlъ 'silt, clay', R. jeléc 'whitefish living in mud', Latvian īls 'pitch dark'

PIE u-stems show oddities, like Armenian *-ur > -r. Kva. iluṛɔ might support *Hilur-s \ *iHlur-s, with *-urs > G. -ū́s. Based on others with neuter -ū in Latin, maybe even *-urH1- > *-ur- \ *-uH-.

B. Kva. ɔgāśɔ ‘bright'

From Turner :

1008 ākāśá m. 'sky' ŚBr. [√kāś]

Pa. ākāsa- m., Pk. ākāsa-, āgā, āā° m.n., Si. ahasa, āsa; — Bshk. ā́ga 'cloud, rain', Tor. aghā, Phal. aghá: general retention of -k- as g in Dardic is obscure. *ākāśiya-.

Addenda: ākāśá-: Bur. aiyΛš, ayΛš 'sky' ← OSh. *āyāš or *āyāž (replaced by Sh. agái f. ← ākāśa-).

14262 ākāśá-: Dardic words, like Gaw. augā́š 'sky' (X avakāśa- ?), prob. early ← Sk. NOGaw 27.

Unstressed *a: > *a before *a > ɔ? S. kāś- 'to shine brightly; be visible, appear' forming *ā-kāśá- > ɔgāśɔ ‘bright' helps show that ‘bright' is the older meaning (clear from the root's meaning), later -> noun 'sky'. For "general retention of -k- as g in Dardic is obscure", it is possible that the prefix *oH3 > ā- also remained *oxW-k- long enough to preverse *k. This might be seen in augā́š if *H3 > *w was optional ( https://www.academia.edu/128170887 ).

C. Kva. ɔỊkɔ ‘light’

>
624 arká¹ m. 'flash, ray, sun' RV. [√arc] Pa. Pk. akka- m. 'sun', Mth. āk; Si. aka 'lightning', inscr. vid-äki 'lightning flash'.

All -Ị- might show a retention of retroflex *-ṛ- (since S. -r- caused following *s to become retroflex). The same in :

D. Kva. ūỊṭī 'vomit'

>
2368 *ullaṭati 'turns over'. 2. *ullaṭyatē 'is upset'. 3. *ullāṭayati 'causes to turn over'. [√*laṭ]

*ullaṭati > 1. S. uliṛaṇu 'to be loose or shaky'; H. ulaṛnā, ular° 'to topple over, lie down'.2. Pk. ullaṭṭa- 'overturned, empty'; K. wulᵃṭun 'to be reversed'; S. uṭilaṇu 'to fall back to a former place'; L. ulṭā adv. 'on the contrary'; P. ulṭaṇā 'to be upset'...

*ullaṭyatē > 2. S.kcch. ūlṭī keṇī 'to vomit', auṭṭalṇū 'to become upside down', WPah.kṭg. ulṭṇõ, ulṭɔ 'left, reverse', ulṭauṇõ 'to turn upside down, or inside out'; B. ulṭo 'reversed'; — read B. ulṭā̆na 'to turn over'.

Same change. Maybe also :

E. Kva. ɔgỊɔ ‘type of buckwheat'

2516 ērakā f. 'a kind of grass with emollient and diluent qualities' MBh., °kī- f. 'a species of plant'.

Pa. ēraka- n. 'Typha-grass', ēragu- 'a kind of grass for making coverlets'; S. eru 'a partic. kind of plant'?

If *ēraka- > *raka- > *akra > ɔgỊɔ.

F. Kva. pɔśu ‘cattle'

7984 paśú m., páśu- n. 'domestic or sacrificial animal' RV. m. 'goat' lex.

Pa. pasu-, °uka- m. 'cattle'; Aś.shah. man. paśu-, gir. kāl. dh. jau. pasu- 'beast', NiDoc. paśu; Pk. pasu- m. 'animal, horned quadruped, goat, sheep', WPah.poet. pɔśu m. 'cattle, head of cattle, animal'...

G. Kva. kizrāṇi ‘fetid'

3201 kīryatē 'is scattered' MBh. [√kr̥̄¹]

Sh. (Lor.) kriǰoiki 'to rot, go bad' (pp. krīdo anal. formation after MIA. type bajjhaï: baddha-). — See *kujjati.

Addenda: kīryatē: WPah.kṭg. kij̈ṇõ 'to rot (of fruit or vegetables)', J. kījṇu.

H. Kva. patlɔ ‘thin’

7736 pattralá 'leafy' lex. 2. '*leaf-like, thin' (n. 'thin sour milk' lex.). [Cf. pattalī-karōti 'beats into thin leaves' Bhpr., pātraṭa- 'thin' lex. and semant. pattrin-. — páttra-]

I think *a > ɔ, but *aC1C1 > aC1. Other combinations of *C1C2 might also have the same effect.

I. Kva. peśāph 'urine'

8889 prasrāva m. 'urine'

Since ph- is often pronounced phf- (similar to Burusho), -v > *-f > -ph(f). The -f in similar Khowar (*H1newn > *nyava > nyof '9').

J. Kva. gɔnnɔ ‘reed’

>
3998 gaṇḍa² m. 'joint of plant' lex., gaṇḍi- m. 'trunk of tree from root to branches' lex. 2. *gēṇḍa-. 3. *gēḍḍa-². 4. *gēḍa-¹. [Cf. kā́ṇḍa-: prob. ← Drav. DED 1619] 1. Pa. gaṇḍa- m. 'stalk', °ḍī- f. 'sugarcane joint, shaft or stalk used as a bar', Pk. gaṁḍa- m., °ḍiyā- f.; Kt. gäṇa 'stem'; Paš.lauṛ. gaṇḍī́ 'stem, stump of a tree, large roof beam'...

This provides a link in meaning to kā́ṇḍa (possibly *kHondo- vs. *koHndo-, if *H > *R caused retro. (see Part N) & voicing (like *gR- \ *kH2apro- 'male goat')) in :

>
3023 kā́ṇḍa (kāṇḍá- TS.) m.n. 'single joint of a plant' AV., 'arrow' MBh., 'cluster, heap' (in tr̥ṇa-kāṇḍa- Pāṇ. Kāś.). [Poss. connexion with gaṇḍa-² makes prob. non-Aryan origin (not with P. Tedesco Language 22, 190 < kr̥ntáti). Prob. ← Drav., cf. Tam. kaṇ 'joint of bamboo or sugarcane' EWA i 197]

Pa. kaṇḍa- m.n. 'joint of stalk, stalk, arrow, lump'; Pk. kaṁḍa-, °aya- m.n. 'knot of bough, bough, stick'; Ash. kaṇ 'arrow', Kt. kåṇ, Wg. kāṇ, kŕä̃, Pr. kə̃, Dm. kā̆n; Paš.lauṛ. kāṇḍ, kāṇ, ar. kōṇ, kuṛ. kō̃, dar. kā̃ṛ 'arrow', kā̃ṛī 'torch'; Shum. kō̃ṛ, kō̃ 'arrow', Gaw. kāṇḍ, kāṇ; Kho. kan 'tree, large bush'; Bshk. kāˋ'n 'arrow', Tor. kan m., Sv. kā̃ṛa, Phal. kōṇ, Sh. gil. kōn f. (→ Ḍ. kōn, pl. kāna f.), pales. kōṇ; K. kā̃ḍ m. 'stalk of a reed, straw' (kān m. 'arrow' ← Sh.?); S. kānu m. 'arrow', °no m. 'reed', °nī f. 'topmost joint of the reed Sara, reed pen, stalk, straw, porcupine's quill'; L. kānā̃ m. 'stalk of the reed Sara', °nī˜ f. 'pen, small spear'; P. kānnā m. 'the reed Saccharum munja, reed in a weaver's warp'...

Addenda: kā́ṇḍa- [< IE. *kondo-, Gk. κονδύλοs 'knuckle', κόνδοs 'ankle' T. Burrow BSOAS xxxviii 55]

A very similar sound change might exist in PIE *kH2and- 'shine' > IIr. *kRaṇḍ- 'to appear, seem, please, glad(den)' (with the semantics as in other IE roots for 'shine') :

>
2684 káṇḍati² 'is glad' Dhātup. [Cf. kaḍati 'is intoxicated' Dhātup.: ← Drav. T. Burrow BSOAS xii 369: √kaṇḍ²] Paš. kaṇḍ- 'to appear, seem, please (?)' IIFL iii 3, 94.

K. *ḍaṇṭhila > Kva. ḍεṇṭhεỊ 'stalk'

5527 *ḍaṇṭha 'stem'. *daṇṭha >10. Or. dāṇṭhi 'hard stalk of a creeper, stalk-like bean'.

With i-umlaut.

L. *peṛhni-ɔ ? > Kva. phenɔṛɔ 'heel'

8124 pā́rṣṇi f. (m. lex.) 'heel' RV.

Pa. paṇhi- f.m., °ikā- f., Kt. pašyū̃, Pr. wiše, wiṣə, ə̄ṣə̃, Kal.rumb. paṣnī́, urt. pā̆ẓnī́, P. pāsṇā m., WPah. jaun. phāynā, G. pānī f. — The vowel of Tor. pīn 'heel' (AO xviii 307), WPah. (Joshi) phinī 'ankle' is difficult: both rather < or infl. by píṇḍa- ?

Addenda: pā́rṣṇi- [< IE. *porsni- (cf. Hit. paršina) ~ *persnā- T. Burrow BSOAS xxxviii 63] S.kcch. penī f. 'heel', WPah.kṭg. phέni f., kc. phεno m., jaun. phāynā.

If also i-umlaut, *a:-i > *e:-i > e-0. The *-CCC- would have to have been retained until recently.

M. Kva. ḍaṅk 'sting'

>
5517 *ḍakk² 'bite'. 2. *ḍaṅk-. 3. *ḍaṅkh-. 4. *daṅk-. [Connexion with √daṁś is doubtful]

*ḍakk- > 1. Pk. ḍakka-, dakka- 'bitten' (H. Smith JA 1950, 194 replacement of daṭṭha-), ḍakkijjaï 'is bitten'; A. ḍākiba 'to bite, sting'; H. ḍakorī f. 'hornet'.

*ḍaṅk- > 2. Pk. ḍaṁka- m. 'bite, sting'; S. ḍ̠aṅgaṇu 'to bite, sting', ḍ̠aṅgu m. 'bite, sting'; L. ḍaṅg m. 'bite', (Ju.) ḍ̠ãgaṇ 'to bite', P. ḍaṅgṇā, ḍaṅg m.; Or. ḍaṅka 'fangs of a snake, insect bite'; Mth. ḍaṅk 'bite of insect or reptile'; H. ḍā̃k m. 'insect sting'; G. ḍā̃k m. 'large green wasp'.3. G. ḍā̃kh m. 'a kind of wasp'; M. ḍā̃khṇẽ 'to bite', ḍā̃kh 'bite, sting'.4. N. daṅinu 'to be cheated' (semant. cf. ḍā̃snu < dáṁśati)...

Addenda: *ḍakk-². 2. *ḍaṅk-: S.kcch. ḍaṅgh m. 'a sting'; WPah.poet. ḍaṅge f. 'a sting, pang'; A. ḍā̃kiba (phonet. d-) 'to bite' AFD 207.

For "Connexion with √daṁś is doubtful", I ask you to consider ev. of K(^) in https://www.academia.edu/127351053 . If related, the d- vs. ḍ- would be the same :

>
6110 daṁśa m. 'stinging insect' ChUp. [√daṁś]

Pa. Pk. ḍaṁsa- m. 'biting insect', Pk. daṁsa- m. 'id., bite of snake or insect'; Ku. ḍā̃s 'gadfly, mosquito, hornet'; N. ḍā̃s 'horse or buffalo fly'; A. ḍā̃h 'gadfly', B. ḍā̃s, Or. ḍā̃sa, ḍāũsa, Mth. dā̃s, ḍā̃s; Bhoj. ḍās 'mosquito', Aw.lakh. ḍās 'biting insect'; H. ḍā̃s m. 'large mosquito, a bite'; G. ḍā̃s m. 'gadfly'; M. ḍā̃s, ḍā̃ċ (scarcely to be connected with Kaf. forms below) m. 'gadfly, a bite, the part bitten', Ko. ḍhā̃s m. 'a bite'; — Kho. (Lor.) ḍonzik, ḍonsk 'gadfly', Kal.rumb. daċ, urt. dhãċ and perh. Sh. (Lor.) diċo are ← Kaf.

N. Kva. phɔnnɔ ‘shoulder’

9042 phaṇa¹ m. 'expanded hood of snake (esp. of cobra)' MBh. 2. *phēṇa-². [Cf. phaṭa-, *phēṭṭa-² and *phaṇati². — For mng. 'shoulder-blade' &c. cf. association of shape in phaṇāphalaka- Bhartr̥. ~ aṁsaphalaká- ŚBr. and cf. phēna- n. 'cuttlefish bone' Car.]

phaṇa- > 1. Pa. phaṇa- m. 'expanded hood of snake', Pk. phaṇa- m., °ṇā- f.; Wg. paṇ-šī 'big snake' (+šai 'head'? NTS xvii 287); K. phan m. 'expanded hood of snake', S. phaṇi f., L.awāṇ. phaṇ, P. phaṇ, °ṇu f., ludh. phan m., WPah. (Joshi) faṇ m., Ku. phaṇ, °ṇi, N. phani, A. phanā, B. phan, °nā, Or. phaṇā̆, Mth. phanā, Bhoj. phan, H. phan, °nā m., G. phεṇ (< *phaṇⁱ), phaṇī f., M. phaṇ m., °ṇī f., Si. paṇa, peṇa. — S. phaṇi f. 'shoulderblade'; H. phanī f. 'wedge'; G. phaṇɔ m. 'fore part of foot'. (Add.) S.kcch. phaṇ f. 'snake's hood, front part of foot', phaṇī f. 'weaver's toothed instrument for pressing and closing the woof'; WPah.kṭg. phɔ́ṇ m. 'cobra's hood'; Garh. phaṇ 'snake's hood'.

*phēṇa- > 2. A. phenā 'expanded hood of snake', Or. pheṇā̆.

The shift of *pH2aH1na- > *phanda ? > phɔnnɔ ( https://www.academia.edu/165595811 , also see there for ev. of *Hn > *Rn causing retro.) might be another ex. of *Hn > nd in certain conditions. Look at previous oddities :

13474 sundara 'beautiful' MBh. [MIA. < sūnára- 'excellent' RV.? — Phonet. cf. *vāndara- < vānara-]

Pa. sundara- 'beautiful', Pk. suṁdara-; Gy. as. sunra 'pretty'; Paš.ar. sudurā́ 'beautiful', Ku. sunar, B. sũdar, Mth. sunar, Bhoj. sūnar; H. sunariyā f. 'pretty woman'; Si. son̆duru 'pleasant', sb. 'woman'.

>
11515 vānara m. 'monkey' Mn. [Der. vanar- in cmpd. 'forest' RV. — vána-¹]

Pa. vānara- m. 'monkey', Pk. vāṇara- m., Sh.gur. vandur m. (← L. *vāndur), K. wā̃dur, wānur m., S. vānaru m., P.ludh. bāndar (→ L.awān. bā̃drī f.), WPah.bhal. bānar n., bhiḍ. bā̃dar n., Ku. bānar, N. bā̃dar, bā̃dhar, bānar, A. bāndar, B. bā̃dar, Or. bāndara, Bi. Mth. bānar, OAw. bānara, lakh. bā̃dar, H. bā̃dar, bā̃drā m., °rī f., Marw. bā̃dro m., G. vā̃dar, vā̃drɔ m., °rī f., °rũ n., M. vā̃dar m.n., Ko. vāṁdar, Si. van̆durā, f. vän̆durī, °diri; — Gy. as. (Baluči) banur ← Ind.

Addenda: vā́nara-: WPah.kṭg. bandər m. 'monkey' (← H.?), poet. bandro 'brown', J. bāndar m. 'monkey', poet. bandri f. 'she-monkey', Garh. bā̃dar m.

If *H1su-H2nero- > sūnára- & *H1su-Rnero- > sundara-, then loss of *H caused d (since the V is long vs. short). It could be that when *H2 > *R it could dissimilate near *R or *r. Maybe *H1suRnero- > *H1sunnero- > *H1sundero-. In this scheme, Kva. phɔnnɔ would be older (I have found no certain cases of old *nd > nn).

If Sanskrit vānara- < *weno-H2nero- 'man of the woods, wild man', like Pashto wəna-nar 'woodsman', then it could be the same, then *n-n > 0-n. Maybe *weno-H2nero- > *vanaRnara- > *vanan(d)ara- > *vaan(d)ara- > *vān(d)ara-.

Also, based on https://www.academia.edu/118834217 I think *morto-H2ner- ‘mortal man’ > *martaHnar- > *martaRnar- > *martandar- > *martarnda- > Mārtāṇḍá- 'mortal'.

Kvari Language

Indus Script, comb pot fox