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Sheikhgal or Watali is an unclassified Indo-Aryan language[1] of Jammu and Kashmir, India. Its speakers, the formerly nomadic Watals,[2] are found throughout Kashmir, particularly in the districts of Srinagar (Parimpora, Nowhatta, Dargah, Natipora, Hawal), Baramulla (Bandipora, Khawja Bagh, Sopore and Tangmarg), Pulwama (Lolaab and Lassipora) and Kupwara (Kanthpora, Kulgam, Haihama, Magam, Handwara, Tarathpora).[3] Among its speakers the language is also known as Opedigal or Phiri kathi.[4]

Sheikhgal
Watali
Opedigal
Native to	India
Region	Kashmir Valley
Ethnicity	Watal
Language family	Indo-European Indo-Iranian Indo-Aryan (unclassified) Sheikhgal
Language codes
ISO 639-3	None (mis)
Glottolog	None

Although attitudes towards the language are generally negative,[5] the community is compact[6] and Sheikhgal is the dominant language within the home.[7] However, in other domains (market, workplace etc.) the language of wider communication Kashmiri is the preferred choice, even with other speakers of Sheikhgal.[8] Within the family, there is a slight shift away from using Sheikhgal (85% of those interviewed by Mullick speak Sheikhgal with their spouses but only 69% do so with their children).[9]

References

Bibliography

• Mullick, Aban Parvaz (2003). A sociolinguistic study of Sheikhgal (MPhil). University of Kashmir.
• Safdar, Rahila (2014). "Sheikha Gal". In Devy, G. N.; Koul, Omkar N. (eds.). The languages of Jammu & Kashmir. People's linguistic survey of India. Vol. 12. New Delhi: Orient Blackswan. pp. 279–83. ISBN 978-81-250-5516-7.

Further reading

• Kak, A.A.; Panzoo, O.F. (2010). "A brief note on morphological and morphophonemic features of Sheikhgal (Watali)". Interdisciplinary Journal of Linguistics. Srinagar: Dept. of Linguistics, University of Kashmir. 3: 201–212. ISSN 0974-3421.

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