LANGUAGE

LANGUAGE

The language of the country is Pashtu except in Swat Kohistan and portion of Dir or Panjkora Kohistan . The Pashtu spoken by the Yusafzai tribes is of the purest and clearest form of that language . The Pashtu of the Utman Khels differs from it but little . The Bajour people speak a very pure language also , but with a marked accent of their own .

           The people inhabiting the Swat Kohistan and the upper portion of Panjkora Kohistan are doubtless remnants of the original possessors of all this country , who have been by Pathan conquest driven up to the upper valleys which they now occupy . Those in Swat Kohistan speak two languages, Torwali and Garhwi . The people of upper Panjkora Kohistan called Bashkars speak the Bashkari language , which is said to be the same as the Garhwi . Little is as yet known of these languages , and it is to be hoped that the result of the recent  Linguistic Survey of India will throw light on this point .

           The Gujars also who abound throughout the country are no doubt relics of the early Hindu population . In most parts of the country they now speak Pashtu , but it is the curious fact that the GujRS ON THE BORDERS OF Dir and Asmar still speak Among themselves a from of Hindi resembling Punjabi.