Editing Balti language

{{Short description|Tibetic language of Baltistan, Pakistan}}
{{Distinguish|text = the [[Baltic languages]]}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2024}} 
{{Infobox language
| name             = Balti
| nativename       = {{nq|بلتی}}<br/>{{bo-textonly|སྦལ་འཐུས་}}
| states           = [[Pakistan]], [[India]]
| region           = [[Baltistan]], [[Ladakh]]
| ethnicity        = [[Balti people|Balti]]
| speakers         = 425,000 in Pakistan (2018) Total users in all countries: 438,800
| date             = 2018
| ref              = e24
| familycolor      = Sino-Tibetan
| fam2             = [[Tibeto-Burman]]
| fam3             = [[Tibeto-Kanauri]] (?)
| fam4             = [[Bodish languages|Bodish]]
| fam5             = [[Tibetic languages|Tibetic]]
| fam6             = [[Ladakhi–Balti languages|Ladakhi–Balti]]
| script           = {{Unbulleted list
|[[Perso-Arabic script]] {{small|(current)}}
|[[Tibetan script]] {{small|(current)}}
|Balti {{small|(Historical)}}}}
| iso3             = bft
| glotto           = balt1258
| glottorefname    = Balti
| image            = File:Balti language.png
| map              = Balti language speaking areas.png
| mapcaption       = Balti language speaking areas
| mapscale         = 1.2
}}
[[File:WIKITONGUES-_Rizwan_speaking_Balti.webm|thumb|Rizwan, a speaker of Balti]]

'''Balti''' ([[Perso-Arabic script]]: {{nq|بلتی}}, [[Tibetan script]]: སྦལ་ཏི།, {{bo|w=sbal ti}}) is a [[Tibetic languages|Tibetic language]] natively spoken by the ethnic [[Balti people]] in the [[Baltistan]] region of [[Gilgit-Baltistan]], [[Nubra|Nubra Valley]] of the [[Leh district]] and in the [[Kargil district]] of [[Ladakh]], [[India]].<ref name="General">{{cite book|title=Census of India, 1961: Jammu and Kashmir|year=1961|publisher=[[Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India]]|language=en|page=357}}</ref> The language differs from [[Lhasa Tibetan|Standard Tibetan]]; many sounds of [[Old Tibetan]] that were lost in Standard Tibetan are retained in the Balti language. It also has a simple [[Pitch-accent language|pitch accent]] system only in multi-syllabic words<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Sprigg|first1=R. K.|title=Lepcha and Balti Tibetan: Tonal or Non-Tonal Languages?|journal=Asia Major|date=1966|volume=12|pages=185–201}}</ref> while Standard Tibetan has a complex and distinct pitch system that includes [[tone contour]]. Due to effects of dominant languages in Pakistani media like Urdu, Punjabi and English and religious impact of Arabic and Persian languages, Balti, like other regional languages of Pakistan, is continuously expanding its vocabulary base with [[Loanword|loanwords]].<ref>{{cite journal | last=Shams | first=Shammim Ara | title=The Impact of Dominant Languages on Regional Languages: A Case Study of English, Urdu and Shina | journal=Pakistan Social Sciences Review | volume=4 | issue=III |year=2020| doi=10.35484/pssr.2020(4-III)79 | pages=1092–1106| doi-access=free }}</ref>

==Demographics and distribution==
Balti is spoken in most parts of [[Gilgit-Baltistan]] in [[Pakistan]] and [[Kargil]] and Nubra [[Ladakh]] in [[India]]. According to the [[Gilgit-Baltistan Scouts]], the language is mostly found in the Skardu, Shigar, Ghanche, Roundu, and Kharmang parts of Gilgit-Baltistan.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.gilgitbaltistanscouts.gov.pk/TOGeography%20.html|access-date=2021-03-17|website=www.gilgitbaltistanscouts.gov.pk|title=Archived copy|archive-date=2020-11-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201105131007/http://www.gilgitbaltistanscouts.gov.pk/TOGeography%20.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> In the twin districts of [[Ladakh]] region ([[Kargil]] and [[Leh district|Leh]]), it is spoken in [[Kargil|Kargil city]] and its surrounding villages like Hardass, Lato, Karkitchhoo, and Balti Bazar, as well as in [[Turtuk]], [[Bogdang]], and [[Takshi|Tyakshi]], including [[Leh|Leh city]] and nearby villages. Balti is also spoken by immigrants in [[Karachi]], [[Lahore]], [[Peshawar]], [[Islamabad]], [[Quetta]], and other cities of Pakistan. In India, it is found in [[Dehradun]], [[Nainital]], Ambari, Shimla, [[Vikasnagar]], and other northern cities among speakers who migrated from Baltistan, Kargil, and Nubra before the partition of India and Pakistan.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Curious Case Of The Baltis Of Dehradun|date=4 June 2018 |url=https://travelthehimalayas.com/kiki/the-curious-case-of-the-baltis-of-dehradun|access-date=22 March 2021}}</ref>

==Classification and dialects==
Historically, [[Buddhism|Buddhists]] in Leh have referred to all [[Islam|Muslims]] in Ladakh as Balti.

The Balti language has four variants or dialects. Despite differences in pronunciation of vocabulary, they are [[Mutual intelligibility|mutually intelligible]]. For example, ''to keep'' is ''yuq'' in other varieties, but ''juq'' in the southern dialect of Kharmang and Kargil. Similarly, ''milk'' is ''oma'' in the eastern Chorbat-Nubra, the central Khaplu, and the southern Kharmang-Kargil varieties, but ''ona'' in the western dialect of Skardu, Shigar, and Rondu valley. The four variants or dialects of Balti are:

# Eastern dialect of Chorbat and Nubra valley
# Central dialect of [[Khaplu]] valley
# Western dialect of [[Skardu]], [[Shigar]] and [[Roundu District|Rondu]].
# Southern dialect of Upper [[Kharmang]] and [[Kargil]] 
<ref>{{cite web|title=Balti: Protecting the language|date=29 January 2021 |url=https://www.greaterkashmir.com/news/opinion/balti-protecting-the-language/}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://skardu.pk/politicisation-of-balti-language-in-kargil/|title=Politicisation of Balti Language in Kargil - Skardu.pk|first=Editorial|last=Team|accessdate=25 February 2024}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Caption text
|-
! English !! Eastern Nubra/Chorbat dialect!! Central Khaplu dialect !! Western Skardu dialect !! Southern Kharmang dialect
|-
| Milk|| Oma|| Oma|| Ona || Oma
|-
| Keep || Yuq || Yuq || Yuq || Juq
|-
| Girl|| Bono|| Bono || Bono|| Bomo
|-
|You
|yan
|yan
|yang
|yan
|-
| Mountain|| Braq|| Braq || Blaq|| Braq
|}

==Phonology==

===Consonants===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="2" |
![[Labial consonant|Labial]]
![[Dental consonant|Dental]]/<br/>[[Alveolar consonant|Alveolar]]
![[Retroflex consonant|Retroflex]]
![[Postalveolar consonant|Post-<br/>alveolar]]
![[Palatal consonant|Palatal]]
![[Velar consonant|Velar]]
![[Uvular consonant|Uvular]]
![[Glottal consonant|Glottal]]
|-
! rowspan="3" |[[Stop consonant|Stop]]
!<small>[[Voicelessness|voiceless]]</small>
|{{IPAlink|p}}
|{{IPAlink|t}}
|{{IPAlink|ʈ}}
|
|
|{{IPAlink|k}}
|{{IPAlink|q}}
|
|-
!<small>[[Aspirated consonant|aspirated]]</small>
|{{IPAlink|pʰ}}
|{{IPAlink|tʰ}}
|{{IPAlink|ʈʰ}}
|
|
|{{IPAlink|kʰ}}
|
|
|-
!<small>[[Voice (phonetics)|voiced]]</small>
|{{IPAlink|b}}
|{{IPAlink|d}}
|{{IPAlink|ɖ}}
|
|
|{{IPAlink|ɡ}}
|{{IPAlink|ɢ}}
|
|-
! rowspan="3" |[[Affricate consonant|Affricate]]
!<small>[[Voicelessness|voiceless]]</small>
|
|{{IPAlink|t͡s}}
|
|{{IPAlink|t͡ʃ}}
|
|
|
|
|-
!<small>[[Aspirated consonant|aspirated]]</small>
|
|{{IPAlink|t͡sʰ}}
|
|{{IPAlink|t͡ʃʰ}}
|
|
|
|
|-
!<small>[[Voice (phonetics)|voiced]]</small>
|
|{{IPAlink|d͡z}}
|
|{{IPAlink|d͡ʒ}}
|
|
|
|
|-
! rowspan="2" |[[Fricative consonant|Fricative]]
!<small>[[Voicelessness|voiceless]]</small>
|
|{{IPAlink|s}}
|({{IPAlink|ʂ}})
|{{IPAlink|ʃ}}
|
|
|{{IPAlink|χ}}
|{{IPAlink|h}}
|-
!<small>[[Voice (phonetics)|voiced]]</small>
|
|{{IPAlink|z}}
|
|{{IPAlink|ʒ}}
|
|
|{{IPAlink|ʁ}}
|
|-
! colspan="2" |[[Nasal consonant|Nasal]]
|{{IPAlink|m}}
|{{IPAlink|n}}
|
|
|{{IPAlink|ɲ}}
|{{IPAlink|ŋ}}
|
|
|-
! colspan="2" |[[Tap consonant|Tap]]
|
|{{IPAlink|ɾ}}
|({{IPAlink|ɽ}})
|
|
|
|
|
|-
! rowspan="2" |[[Lateral consonant|Lateral]]
!<small>plain</small>
|
|{{IPAlink|l}}
|({{IPAlink|ɭ}})
|
|
|
|
|
|-
!<small>[[Breathy voice|murmured]]</small>
|
|({{IPAlink|lʱ}})
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
! colspan="2" |[[Approximant consonant|Approximant]]
|{{IPAlink|w}}
|
|
|
|{{IPAlink|j}}
|
|
|
|}

*Allophones of {{IPA|/l/}} include {{IPA|[lʱ]}}, {{IPA|[ɭ]}} and {{IPA|[ɫ̥]}}.
*{{IPA|/ɖ/}} can be realized as a flap {{IPA|[ɽ]}}.
*{{IPA|/s/}} can also be retroflex {{IPA|[ʂ]}}.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Sharma|first=D. D.|title=Balti|publisher=New Delhi, India: Mittal Publications|year=2004|location=Tribal Languages of Ladakh Part III: A descriptive Grammar of Purki and Balti|pages=141–243}}</ref>

===Vowels===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
!
![[Front vowel|Front]]
![[Central vowel|Central]]
![[Back vowel|Back]]
|- align="center"
![[Close vowel|Close]]
|{{IPAlink|i}}
|
|{{IPAlink|u}}
|-
![[Mid vowel|Mid]]
|{{IPAlink|e}}
|{{IPAlink|ə}}
|{{IPAlink|o}}
|-
![[Open vowel|Open]]
|
| colspan="2" |{{IPAlink|ɑ}}
|}

* {{IPA|/ɑ/}} varies between an open back {{IPAblink|ɑ}}, an open-mid back {{IPAblink|ʌ}}, and an open central {{IPAblink|ä}}.<ref name=":0" />
* The mid {{IPA|/e, o/}} can be as low as open-mid {{IPA|[{{IPAplink|ɛ}}, {{IPAplink|ɔ}}]}}.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Rangan|first=K.|title=Balti Phonetic Reader|publisher=Central Institute of Indian Languages|year=1975}}</ref>

==Orthographies==
The predominant writing system currently in use for Balti is the [[Perso-Arabic script]], although there have been attempts to revive the [[Tibetan script]], which was used between the 8th and the 16th centuries.{{sfn|Bashir|2016|pp=808–09}} Additionally, there are two, nowadays possibly extinct, indigenous writing systems{{sfn|Pandey|2010}} and there have been proposals for the adoption of [[Latin script]]-{{sfn|Bashir|2016|p=808}} as well as [[Devanagari]]-based orthographies{{sfn|Pandey|2010|p=1}} that were adjusted for writing Balti by the Central Institute of Indian Languages in the 1970s.<ref name="omniglot"/>

In 1985, [[Yusuf Hussain Abadi]] added four new letters to the Tibetan script and seven new letters to the Perso-Arabic script to adapt both of them to the needs of the Balti language. Two of the four added letters now stand included in the Tibetan Unicode block.

Balti was written with a version of the Tibetan script from 727 AD, when Baltistan was conquered by Tibetans, until the last quarter of the 14th century, when the Baltis converted to Islam.<ref name="omniglot">{{cite web|first=Michael Peter|last=Füstumum|title=Balti|website=Omniglot: The online encyclopedia of writing systems and languages|url=https://omniglot.com/writing/balti.htm|access-date=2020-05-23}}</ref> Subsequently, the Perso-Arabic script replaced the Tibetan script, but the former had no letters for seven Balti sounds and was in vogue despite being defective. Adding the seven new letters has now made it a complete script for Balti.

Recently, a number of Balti scholars and social activists have attempted to promote the use of the Tibetan Balti or "Yige" alphabet<ref name="omniglot"/> with the aim of helping to preserve indigenous Balti and Ladakhi culture and ethnic identity. Following a request from this community, the September 2006 Tokyo meeting of ISO/IEC 10646 WG2 agreed to encode two characters invented by Abadi (U+0F6B TIBETAN LETTER KKA and TIBETAN U+0F6C LETTER RRA) in the [[Universal Coded Character Set|ISO 10646]] and [[Unicode]] standards in order to support rendering [[Urdu]] loanwords present in modern Balti using the Yige alphabet.

===Perso-Arabic alphabet===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! Letter !! Romanization !! [[International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]]
|-
| style="font-size:150%" | {{lang|bft|{{Uninastaliq|ا}}}} || ā, a, (e), o, - || {{IPA|/ɑ/}}, {{IPA|/ə/}}, {{IPA|/e/}}, {{IPA|/o/}}, {{IPA|/∅/}}
|-
| style="font-size:150%" | {{lang|bft|{{Uninastaliq|ب}}}} || b || {{IPA|/b/}}
|-
| style="font-size:150%" | {{lang|bft|{{Uninastaliq|پ}}}} || p || {{IPA|/p/}}
|-
| style="font-size:150%" | {{lang|bft|{{Uninastaliq|ت}}}} || t || {{IPA|/t/}}
|-
| style="font-size:150%" | {{lang|bft|{{Uninastaliq|ٹ}}}} || ṭ || {{IPA|/ʈ/}}
|-
| style="font-size:150%" | {{lang|bft|{{Uninastaliq|ث}}}} || (s) || {{IPA|/s/}}
|-
| style="font-size:150%" | {{lang|bft|{{Uninastaliq|ج}}}} || j || {{IPA|/d͡ʒ/}}
|-
| style="font-size:150%" | {{lang|bft|{{Uninastaliq|ڃ}}}} || ž || {{IPA|/ʒ/}}
|-
| style="font-size:150%" | {{lang|bft|{{Uninastaliq|چ}}}} || č || {{IPA|/t͡ʃ/}}
|-
| style="font-size:150%" | {{lang|bft|{{Uninastaliq|ڇ}}}} || č̣ || {{IPA|/ʈ͡ʂ/}}
|-
| style="font-size:150%" | {{lang|bft|{{Uninastaliq|ح}}}} || (h) || {{IPA|/h/}}
|-
| style="font-size:150%" | {{lang|bft|{{Uninastaliq|خ}}}} || x || {{IPA|/x/}}
|-
| style="font-size:150%" | {{lang|bft|{{Uninastaliq|د}}}} || d || {{IPA|/d/}}
|-
| style="font-size:150%" | {{lang|bft|{{Uninastaliq|ڈ}}}} || ḍ || {{IPA|/ɖ/}}
|-
| style="font-size:150%" | {{lang|bft|{{Uninastaliq|ذ}}}} || (z) || {{IPA|/z/}}
|-
| style="font-size:150%" | {{lang|bft|{{Uninastaliq|ر}}}} || r || {{IPA|/ɾ/}}
|-
| style="font-size:150%" | {{lang|bft|{{Uninastaliq|ڑ}}}} || ṛ || {{IPA|/ɽ/}}
|-
| style="font-size:150%" | {{lang|bft|{{Uninastaliq|ز}}}} || z || {{IPA|/z/}}
|-
| style="font-size:150%" | {{lang|bft|{{Uninastaliq|ڗ}}}} || đ/dz || {{IPA|/d͡z/}}
|-
| style="font-size:150%" | {{lang|bft|{{Uninastaliq|ژ}}}} || c/ts || {{IPA|/t͡s/}}
|-
| style="font-size:150%" | {{lang|bft|{{Uninastaliq|س}}}} || s || {{IPA|/s/}}
|-
| style="font-size:150%" | {{lang|bft|{{Uninastaliq|ش}}}} || š || {{IPA|/ʃ/}}
|-
| style="font-size:150%" | {{lang|bft|{{Uninastaliq|ݜ}}}} || ṣ || {{IPA|/ʂ/}}
|-
| style="font-size:150%" | {{lang|bft|{{Uninastaliq|ص}}}} || (s) || {{IPA|/s/}}
|-
| style="font-size:150%" | {{lang|bft|{{Uninastaliq|ض}}}} || (z) || {{IPA|/z/}}
|-
| style="font-size:150%" | {{lang|bft|{{Uninastaliq|ط}}}} || (t) || {{IPA|/t/}}
|-
| style="font-size:150%" | {{lang|bft|{{Uninastaliq|ظ}}}} || (z) || {{IPA|/z/}}
|-
| style="font-size:150%" | {{lang|bft|{{Uninastaliq|ع}}}} || (ā), (a), (e), (o), (-) || {{IPA|/ɑ/}}, {{IPA|/ə/}}, {{IPA|/e/}}, {{IPA|/o/}}, {{IPA|/∅/}}
|-
| style="font-size:150%" | {{lang|bft|{{Uninastaliq|غ}}}} || ǧ || {{IPA|/ʁ~ɢ/}}
|-
| style="font-size:150%" | {{lang|bft|{{Uninastaliq|ف}}}} || f || {{IPA|/pʰ~f/}}
|-
| style="font-size:150%" | {{lang|bft|{{Uninastaliq|ق}}}} || q || {{IPA|/q/}}
|-
| style="font-size:150%" | {{lang|bft|{{Uninastaliq|ک}}}} || k || {{IPA|/k/}}
|-
| style="font-size:150%" | {{lang|bft|{{Uninastaliq|کٔ}}}} || ǩ/ṡ || {{IPA|/ɕ/}}
|-
| style="font-size:150%" | {{lang|bft|{{Uninastaliq|گ}}}} || g || {{IPA|/ɡ/}}
|-
| style="font-size:150%" | {{lang|bft|{{Uninastaliq|ل}}}} || l || {{IPA|/l/}}, ({{IPA|/ɭ/}}), ({{IPA|/ɫ/}})
|-
| style="font-size:150%" | {{lang|bft|{{Uninastaliq|م}}}} || m || {{IPA|/m/}}
|-
| style="font-size:150%" | {{lang|bft|{{Uninastaliq|ن}}}} || n || {{IPA|/n/}}
|-
| style="font-size:150%" | {{lang|bft|{{Uninastaliq|ݨ}}}} || ŋ/ng || {{IPA|/ŋ/}}
|-
| style="font-size:150%" | {{lang|bft|{{Uninastaliq|ݩ}}}} || ň/ny || {{IPA|/ɲ/}}
|-
| style="font-size:150%" | {{lang|bft|{{Uninastaliq|و}}}} || w, u || {{IPA|/w/}}, {{IPA|/u/}}
|-
| style="font-size:150%" | {{lang|bft|{{Uninastaliq|ہ}}}} || h || {{IPA|/h/}}
|-
| style="font-size:150%" | {{lang|bft|{{Uninastaliq|ھ}}}} || _h || {{IPA|/◌ʰ/}}, {{IPA|/◌ʱ/}}
|-
| style="font-size:150%" | {{lang|bft|{{Uninastaliq|ی}}}} || y, i || {{IPA|/j/}}, {{IPA|/i/}}
|-
| style="font-size:150%" | {{lang|bft|{{Uninastaliq|ے}}}} || e/ay || {{IPA|/e/}}
|}

===Yige alphabet===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
! Additional Balti Yige Letter !! Romanization !! [[International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]]
|-
| style="font-size:200%" | {{lang|bft|ཫ}} || q || {{IPA | /q/}}
|-
| style="font-size:200%" | {{lang|bft|ཬ}} || ɽ || {{IPA | /ɽ/}}
|-
| style="font-size:200%" | {{lang|bft|ཁ༹}} || x || {{IPA | /χ/}}
|-
| style="font-size:200%" | {{lang|bft|ག༹}} || ɣ || {{IPA | /ʁ/}}
|}

===Basic letters===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; width:75%"
|-align=center style="font-size:small"
!
!style="background:beige;" colspan=2 | Unaspirated<br/>''high''
!style="background:#d6f5d6;" colspan=2 | [[Aspirated consonant|Aspirated]]<br />''medium''
!style="background:#ffcce6;" colspan=2 | [[Voiced]]<br/ >''low''
!style="background:#99bbff;" colspan=2 | [[Nasal consonant|Nasal]]<br />''low''
|-align=center style="font-size:small"
!
! Letter
! [[International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]]
! Letter
! IPA
! Letter
! IPA
! Letter
! IPA
|-align=center
| '''''[[Guttural]]''''' ||style="background:beige; font-size:24px;"| {{bo-textonly|ཀ}} || {{IPA|/ka/}} ||style="background:#d6f5d6; font-size:24px;"| {{bo-textonly|ཁ}} || {{IPA|/kʰa/}} ||style="background:#ffcce6; font-size:24px;"| {{bo-textonly|ག}} || {{IPA|/ɡa/}}  ||style="background:#99bbff; font-size:24px;"| {{bo-textonly|ང}} || {{IPA|/ŋa/}}
|-align=center
| '''''[[Palatal]]''''' ||style="background:beige; font-size:24px;"| {{bo-textonly|ཅ}} || {{IPA|/tʃa/}} ||style="background:#d6f5d6; font-size:24px;"| {{bo-textonly|ཆ}} || {{IPA|/tʃʰa/}} ||style="background:#ffcce6; font-size:24px;"| {{bo-textonly|ཇ}} || {{IPA|/dʒa/}} ||style="background:#99bbff; font-size:24px;"| {{bo-textonly|ཉ}} ||  {{IPA|/ɲa/}}
|-align=center
| rowspan="2" | '''''[[Dental consonant|Dental]]''''' ||style="background:beige; font-size:24px;"| {{bo-textonly|ཏ}} || {{IPA|/ta/}} ||style="background:#d6f5d6; font-size:24px;"| {{bo-textonly|ཐ}} || {{IPA|/tʰa/}} ||style="background:#ffcce6; font-size:24px;"| {{bo-textonly|ད}} || {{IPA|/da/}} ||style="background:#99bbff; font-size:24px;"| {{bo-textonly|ན}} || {{IPA|/na/}}
|- align="center"
| style="background:beige; font-size:24px;" |{{bo-textonly|ཙ}}||{{IPA|/tsa/}}|| style="background:#d6f5d6; font-size:24px;" |{{bo-textonly|ཚ}}||{{IPA|/tsʰa/}}|| style="background:#ffcce6; font-size:24px;" |{{bo-textonly|ཛ}}||{{IPA|/dza/}}|| style="background:#EEEFE4; font-size:24px;" |{{bo-textonly|ཝ}}||{{IPA|/wa/}}
|-align=center
| '''''[[Labial consonant|Labial]]''''' ||style="background:beige; font-size:24px;"| {{bo-textonly|པ}} || {{IPA|/pa/}} ||style="background:#d6f5d6; font-size:24px;"| {{bo-textonly|ཕ}} || {{IPA|/pʰa/}} ||style="background:#ffcce6; font-size:24px;"| {{bo-textonly|བ}} || {{IPA|/ba/}} ||style="background:#99bbff; font-size:24px;"| {{bo-textonly|མ}} || {{IPA|/ma/}}
|-align=center
|style="background:#d9b3ff;" | '''''low''''' ||style="background:#d9b3ff; font-size:24px;"| {{bo-textonly|ཞ}} || {{IPA|/ʒa/}} ||style="background:#d9b3ff; font-size:24px;"| {{bo-textonly|ཟ}} || {{IPA|/za/}}  ||style="background:#d9b3ff; font-size:24px;"| {{bo-textonly|འ}} || {{IPA|/a/}} {{angle bracket|ʼa}} ||style="background:#d9b3ff; font-size:24px;"| {{bo-textonly|ཡ}} ||  {{IPA|/ja/}}
|-align=center  
|style="background:#b3ffff;" | '''''medium''''' ||style="background:#b3ffff; font-size:24px;"| {{bo-textonly|ར}} || {{IPA|/ra/}} ||style="background:#b3ffff; font-size:24px;"| {{bo-textonly|ལ}} || {{IPA|/la/}} ||style="background:#b3ffff; font-size:24px;"| {{bo-textonly|ཤ}} || {{IPA|/ʃa/}} ||style="background:#b3ffff; font-size:24px;"| {{bo-textonly|ས}} || {{IPA|/sa/}}
|-align=center
|style="background:#ffffcc;" | '''''high''''' ||style="background:#ffffcc; font-size:24px;"| {{bo-textonly|ཧ}} || {{IPA|/ha/}} ||style="background:#ffffcc; font-size:24px;"| {{bo-textonly|ཨ}} || {{IPA|/a/}} {{angle bracket|ꞏa}}
|}

==Evolution==
Since Pakistan gained control of the region in 1948, Urdu words have been introduced into local dialects and languages, including Balti. In modern times, Balti has no native names or vocabulary for dozens of newly invented and introduced things; instead, Urdu and English words are being used in Balti.

Balti has retained many honorific words that are characteristic of Tibetan dialects and many other languages.

Below are a few examples:

{|class="wikitable"
|-
!Ordinary Balti 
!Text Writing!! Honorific !! Ladakhi !!Meaning
|-
|Ata 
|اتا|| Bawa/buwa/Baba || Aba || Father
|-
|kho 
|کھو|| kho || kho || he
|-
|gashay 
|گشے|| liakhmo || liakhmo || Beautiful
|-
|paynay 
|پینے|| khumul || paynay || Money
|-
|bila 
|بلا|| Bila || bila || Cat
|-
|su 
|سُو|| su || su || Who
|-
|Ano/Amo 
|انو/امو|| Zizi || Ama || Mother
|-
|Kaka 
|ککا|| Kacho || Acho || Brother (elder)
|-
|Bustring 
|بُسترنگ|| Zung || Nama || Woman / Wife
|-
|Momo 
|مومو|| Jangmocho || Ajang || Maternal uncle
|-
|Nene 
|نےنے|| Nenecho || Anay || Aunt
|-
|Bu 
|بُو|| Bucho || butsha || Son
|-
|Fru 
|فُرو|| Nono || thugu || Boy
|-
|Apo 
|اپو|| Apocho || Meme || Grandfather
|-
|Api 
|اپی|| Apicho || Abi || Grandmother
|-
|Ashe 
|اشے|| Ashcho || achay || Sister (elder)
|-
|Zo 
|زو|| bjes || Zo || Eat
|-
|Thung 
|تُھونگ|| bjes || Thung || Drink
|-
|Ong 
|اونگ|| Shokhs || Yong || Come
|-
|Song
|سونگ|| Shokhs || Song || Go
|-
|Zair 
|زیر|| Kasal-byung || Zer || Speak/Say
|-
|Ngid tong 
|نِت تونگ|| ghzim tong || Ngid tong || Sleep (go to)
|-
|Lagpa 
|لقپا|| Phyaq-laq/g || Lagpa || Hand/Arm
|-
|Khyang 
|کھیانگ|| Yang/Yari-phyaqpo || Khyorang || You
|-
|Kangma 
|کنگما|| gzok-po ||   kangba
|| Leg
|}

==Literature==
Other than proverb collections, no prose literature has been found written in Balti.{{Citation needed|date=May 2020}} Some epics and sagas appear in oral literature such as the ''[[Epic of King Gesar]]'' and the stories of ''rgya lu cho lo bzang'' and ''rgya lu sras bu''. All other literature is in verse. Balti literature has adopted numerous [[Persian language|Persian]] styles of verse and vocables which amplify the beauty and melody of its poetry.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Bano |first1=Nuzhat |last2=Mir |first2=Abdul Rehman |last3=Issa |first3=Muhammad |date=2024-01-04 |title=The Extinction of Words from Use: A Critical Aspect of Balti Language Endangerment |url=https://ojs.ahss.org.pk/journal/article/view/467 |journal=Annals of Human and Social Sciences |language=en |volume=5 |issue=1 |pages=182–195 |doi=10.35484/ahss.2024(5-I)17 |issn=2790-6809|doi-access=free }}</ref>

Nearly all the languages and dialects of the mountain region in the north of Pakistan such as [[Pashto]], [[Khowar language|Khowar]] and Shina are [[Indo-Aryan languages|Indo-Aryan]] or [[Iranian languages|Iranic languages]], but Balti is one of the [[Sino-Tibetan languages]]. As such, it has nothing in common with neighboring languages except some loanwords absorbed as a result of linguistic contact. Balti and [[Ladakhi language|Ladakhi]] are closely related.

The major issue facing Balti literature is its centuries-long isolation from [[Tibet]] and even from its immediate neighbor, Ladakh, due to political divisions and strong religious differences. Separated from its linguistic kin, Balti is under pressure from more dominant languages such as [[Urdu]]. This is compounded by the lack of a suitable means of transcription following the abandonment of its original Tibetan script. The Baltis do not have the awareness to revive their original script and there is no institution that could restore it and persuade the people to use it again.{{Citation needed|date=May 2020}} Even if the script were revived, it would need modification to express certain Urdu phonemes that occur in common loanwords within Balti.

Example of poetry:{{blockquote|{{center|
:Youq fangsay thalang paqzi na mandoq na mabour na
:Na drolbi laming yani si soq fangse chi thobtook
:Nasir Karimi}}}}

==See also==
* [[Akhone Asgar Ali Basharat]]
* [[Sart]]
* [[Balti people]]
* [[Baltistan]]
* [[Gilgit-Baltistan]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
{{refbegin}}
*{{Cite book|last=Bashir|first=Elena L.|author-link=Elena Bashir|date=2016|chapter=Perso-Arabic adaptions for South Asian languages|editor1-last=Hock|editor1-first=Hans Henrich|editor1-link=Hans Henrich Hock|editor2-last=Bashir|editor2-first=Elena|editor2-link=Elena Bashir|title=The languages and linguistics of South Asia: a comprehensive guide|series=World of Linguistics|publisher=De Gruyter Mouton|location=Berlin|isbn=978-3-11-042715-8|pages=803–9}}
*{{Cite report|last = Pandey|first = Anshuman|date = 2010|title = Introducing Another Script for Writing Balti|url = https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2010/10231-n3842-balti.pdf}}
*{{Cite book|last=Rangan|first=K|url=https://archive.org/details/dli.language.0105|title=Balti Phonetic Reader|publisher=Central institute of Indian languages|year=1975}}
* Muhammad Yousuf Hussainabadi, 'Baltistan per aik Nazar'. 1984.
* Hussainabadi, Mohamad Yusuf.  ''Balti Zaban''. 1990.
* Muhammad Hassan Hasrat, 'Tareekh-e-Adbiat;. 
* Muhammad Hassan Hasrat, Baltistan Tehzeebo Saqafat. 
* Muhammad Yousuf Hussainabadi, 'Tareekh-e-Baltistan'. 2003.
* Engineer Wazir Qalbi Ali, 'Qadam Qadam Baltistan'. 2006.
* "A Short Sketch of Balti English Grammar" by [[Ghulam Hassan Lobsang]], 1995.
* Everson, Michael. [http://std.dkuug.dk/jtc1/sc2/wg2/docs/n2985.pdf ISO/IEC JTC1/SC2/WG2 N2985: Proposal to add four Tibetan characters for Balti to the BMP of the UCS] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190805153934/http://std.dkuug.dk/jtc1/sc2/wg2/docs/n2985.pdf |date=5 August 2019 }}. 2005-09-05
* Read, A.F.C. ''Balti grammar''.London:The Royal Asiatic society, 1934.
* Sprigg, Richard Keith. ''Balti-English English-Balti dictionary''. Richmond: RoutledgeCurzon, 2002.
* Backstrom, Peter C. ''Languages of Northern Areas (Sociolinguistic Survey of Northern Pakistan, 2)'', 1992. 417 pp.&nbsp;{{ISBN|969-8023-12-7}}.
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Incubator|code=bft}}
* [https://www.jkbose.nic.in/PageDoc/637334822821710017Balti%20book%20IV.pdf Balti Language Textbook for Class4]
* [https://www.unicode.org/reports/tr3-2 Unicode]
* [http://koshur.org/Linguistic/7.html Koshur: The Balti Language]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070818220124/http://www.tibet.com/NewsRoom/tibetan%20script.htm Tibetan script makes a comeback in Pakistan]
* [http://std.dkuug.dk/jtc1/sc2/wg2/docs/n2985.pdf Proposal to add four Tibetan characters for Balti to the BMP of the UCS] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190805153934/http://std.dkuug.dk/jtc1/sc2/wg2/docs/n2985.pdf |date=5 August 2019 }}
* [[Andrew West (linguist)|Andrew West]], [https://web.archive.org/web/20101017105911/http://babelstone.blogspot.com/2006/08/tibetan-extensions-2-balti.html Tibetan Extensions 2 : Balti]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/1491179.stm Pakistan's Northern Areas dilemma]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080511194625/http://www.northernareas.org.pk/ Northern Areas Development Gateway]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20040107222554/http://paknews.com/articles.php?id=1&date1=2003-04-17 Pakistan's Northern Areas]
* [[Wikibooks:Research on Tibetan Languages: A Bibliography|A Bibliography of Tibetan Linguistics]]



{{Sino-Tibetan languages}}
{{Bodic languages}}
{{Languages of Pakistan}}
{{Languages of India}}

[[Category:Bodic languages]]
[[Category:Languages of Gilgit-Baltistan]]
[[Category:Languages of Ladakh]]
[[Category:Baltistan]]
[[Category:Languages written in Tibetan script]]
[[Category:Arabic alphabets for South Asian languages]]
[[Category:Languages written in Devanagari]]