Parya language
Parya is a Central Indo-Aryan language spoken in parts of Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan especially on Dushanbe city. Tajuzbeki was an alternative name coined by Bholanath Tiwari for the same language. Much of the academic research in documenting and characterizing this isolated Indo-Aryan language was done by prominent Soviet linguist I. M. Oranski.
Classification and Geography
Parya is a language that is very close to becoming extinct. It is classified under Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan, and the Central Zone but is unclassified within the Indo-Aryan branch of Indo-Iranian. The language may also be referred to as Afgana-Yi Nasfurush, Afghana-Yi Siyarui, Changgars, Laghmani, or Pbharya, but there are no other similar languages with the same ISO number, which is the code used to identify languages around the world. The main dialect of Parya is Marwari. Marwari is related to Punjabi which is related to the Afghanistan dialect. The largest Parya villages in Tajikistan are the villages of Afghonobod, Qalai Hisor, Pravda Vostok, Boloi Kanal, and Kolkhozi Leninism.Endangerment of the Language
Depending on what source one refers to, there are anywhere from about 3,000 to 7,500 speakers left. The language is not even officially recognized or used in schools. With numbers so low, the language is categorized as severely endangered. This means it is mainly spoken by older generations, it is understood younger generations, but the youngest generations don't really use it at all.Speakers of Parya
Many of those who speak the Parya language Sunni Muslims, and many of them are farmers, and more specifically, primarily rice farmers. Many of the people live in Tajikistan, but some also live in Uzbekistan and Afghanistan. Since the language is so endangered and not many people know it, those who do speak it tend to be bilingual in the dominant languages surrounding them, however, when Uzbek and Tajik men marry Parya women, they tend to learn the language and assimilate. Although many are bilingual, the Tajik language has increasingly influenced the Parya language. The language is mostly spoken with ones family and relations, and it is almost always spoken in the homes of native speakers.Region and Genealogy
Parya is largely spoken in the border regions between Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, specifically in the towns of Hisor, Shahrinav, Regar/Tursunzoda and Surchi, located in the Hissor Valley of Tajikistan and the Surkhondaryo basin of Uzbekistan. It is based on the Brij Bhasha, Haryanvi and Rajasthani dialects, and is highly influenced by Uzbek, Tajik and Russian languages.There are about 2,500 speakers worldwide. Parya speakers are usually bilingual in Tajik, but tend to exclusively use Parya at home.
Vigesimal counting
Parya employs some vigesimal numeral counting patterns, though the base words used are Hindi.| English | Parya | Hindi | Hindi root words |
| One | Jek | Ek | |
| Two | Du | Do | |
| Three | Tin | Tin | |
| Four | Tshar | Char | |
| Five | Pandzh | Panch | |
| Ten | Dus | Das | |
| Twenty | Bis | Bis | |
| Seventy | Sare tin bisi | Sattar | Sarhe tin = three and a half; bis = twenty |
| Ninety | Sare char bisi | Nabbe | Sarhe char = four and a half; bis = twenty |