Brahui language
| Brahui | |
|---|---|
| براہوئی | |
The word Brahui written in the Nastaliq script | |
| Pronunciation | [bɾaːhuiː] |
| Native to | Pakistan |
| Region | Balochistan |
| Ethnicity | Brahuis |
Native speakers | (2.8 million cited 1980–2017 Census) |
| Arabic (Brahui alphabet)
Other scripts | |
| Official status | |
| Regulated by | Department of Brahui, University of Balochistan |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | brh |
| Glottolog | brah1256 |
Brahui is geographically isolated from other Dravidian languages, spoken by a Baloch tribal confederacy. | |
Brahui is classified as Vulnerable by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger. | |
Brahui (Brahui: [braːhʋiː, braːhu.iː], English: /bɹəˈhuːi/ brə-HOO-ee; Brahui: براہوئی; also romanised as Brahvi or Brohi) is a Dravidian language which is primarily spoken in central and southern parts of the Pakistani province of Balochistan, with smaller communities in Iranian Baluchestan, Afghanistan, and Turkmenistan (around Merv). Expatriate Brahui communities also exist in Iraq, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. Brahui is geographically isolated from other Dravidian languages, with the nearest being over 1,500 kilometres (930 mi) away in South India. The Kalat, Khuzdar, Mastung, Quetta, Bolan, Nasirabad, Nushki, and Kharan districts of Balochistan Province are predominantly Brahui-speaking.
Brahui is the only Dravidian language that is primarily written in the Arabic script. It is also written in the Latin script.