What? Balochi language
Where? Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, India, the Arab Gulf States, Turkmenistan, and East Africa
What language group? Indo-Iranian within Indo-European languages
How many speakers? Around six million
Official status? National language in Afghanistan. Allowed by Pakistan’s Constitution. Officially allowed in Iran, but not fomented in the practice.
Balochi language is one of the oldest languages of the Indo-Iranian group within the Indo-European languages, which includes Hindustani, Kurdish, Persian, Pashto, Dari, Tajik and Ossetian among others. The origins of the Baloch people are uncertain: theories include the Arabs, Turks, Iranians and/or Greeks as their predecessors, who migrated to Balochistan, a province in Pakistan, with Alexander the Great to never return.
Due to the lack of data, it is very difficult to estimate the total number of Balochi speakers, but the number is said to be around six million people.
The Correct Terminology
Balochi language, or more specifically, the word “Balochi”, causes some confusion regarding terminology. “Balochi” can be used to refer to the language spoken by the Baloch. It is generally used as an adjective or to refer to the language itself. Baluchi or Balouchi are just two variations of the “Balochi” term.
On the other hand, if one wants to refer to a person or to the nation as a whole, the correct term would be “Baloch”. The Baloch people generally speak Balochi.
Oral Versus Written Language
Balochi was an oral language until the post-colonial period. The oldest written Balochi is in the form of a manuscript from the 19th century which is nowadays in the British Museum. A literary tradition did not begin until the 1930s, when a few individuals decided to start a weekly paper written in Balochi. However, it was not until the formation of modern Pakistan in 1947 that Balochi academies were established and the written word began to play an important role. At that time, Balochi functioned as a political weapon and a way of creating a national consciousness.
Literature
There is extensive literature in Balochi, the majority of which is in oral form. The literary works include ballads, legends, religious and didactic poetry and an extensive corpus of domestic verse, including work songs, lullabies and riddles.
Balochi Today
Balochi has had no official status in any country until recently, when it was given the status of one of the national languages in Afghanistan in 1978. For this reason, many Balochi speakers know one or two other languages as well.
In Pakistan, the 1973 Constitution states that citizens have the right to preserve and promote their own languages, and since 1989, Balochi has been taught in primary schools throughout the province of Balochistan.
In Iran, the 1980 Constitution also states that, although the lingua franca is Persian, regional languages are permitted in the media and schools as well. However, the reality in Iran is said to contradict that statement, with almost no publications in the Balochi language and no arrangements to teach it in schools.
Balochi language has developed from an almost entirely oral tradition to become one of Afghanistan’s official languages. This change shows the growth of a minority language, and in a world where minor languages are tending to disappear, Balochi stands as a case to highlight.
Sources
in focus Balochi language
Encyclopaedia Iranica
Encyclopaedia Britannica
Wikipedia
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