~\ 



150 R. B. Shaw— On the Ghalchah Languages. [tf . 2 



J" as in English (French dj). 



W as in English, but always distinctly pronounced and not coalescing 

 with the preceding vowel. 



The rough German ch (as in marten) will be represented by khh. The 

 softer German sound as in ich (more usual in Wakhi and Sarikoli) will 

 be represented by kh. It is, however, a little harsher than in ich. There 

 is another sound intermediate between these and an sh ; the tongue being 

 placed considerably further back than in the latter and the sibilation conse- 

 quently coming from the back of the palate instead of from the front. 

 This will be represented by the combination sch. 



Gh is the oriental ghain £. In some words of Wakhi it is softened 

 down to the intonation of the g in the German word tage. 



Sketch of Wakhi' Grammar. 



The Substantive. 



There is no distinction of Gender. The Plural is formed by affixing 

 the syllable isht for the Nominative and the syllable av for the oblique 

 cases. 



The relations of substantives are expressed either by position, or by 

 means of significant Prepositions or Postpositions attached to the Singular 

 or Plural form. The Ablative and Instrumentative take, besides these a 

 termination resembling the case-terminations in the classical languages. 



The Singular has two forms ; that of the Ablative and Instrumentative 

 and that of the other cases. The Plural has three : that of the Nominative 

 that of the ordinary oblique cases, and that formed by the addition of the 

 Ablative termination to the latter. 



Sutoulae. 



The house [Nom.] TcMn 



the house's [Gen.] khun 



to the house [Dat.] khun-av 



the house [Ace] khun 



or khun-Sb 

 at or in the house [Loc.]...da-M«k 



on the house sak-khun 



by or with the [Instr.] . ..da-Munan 

 from the house [AM.] ..Mh-khunan 



Plxjeal. 



houses khunisht 



of houses khunav 



to houses khunav-ax 



houses khunav 



at or in houses d&-khunav 



on houses sak- khunav 



by or in the houses . . Aa,-khunavan 

 from houses tsa-khunavan 



The Noun in the Genitive is merely placed before the governing noun 

 without any sign; e. g., Mun bar "the door of the house (the house-door)". 



The signs of the Dative and Accusative (ar and a) are sometimes pre- 

 fixed instead of following ; as ar -bazar " to the market." 



