About Burushaski
Burushaski is a language isolate, spoken by the Burusho people, who predominantly reside in northern Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. There are also a few hundred speakers of this language in northern Jammu and Kashmir, India.
The mystery of its origin has fascinated linguists for decades. Some have proposed distant connections to other language isolates, such as Basque or the Dené–Caucasian family, but these theories are not widely accepted.
Borrowing has occurred with neighboring languages, such as Urdu, Persian, and Dardic languages like Khowar and Shina. However, the core vocabulary and grammatical structure remain unique.
Number of Speakers
The number of speakers is estimated to be around 100,000 to 120,000 in Pakistan. A small population of several hundred speakers also resides in Srinagar, India, having migrated from Nagar in the late 19th century.
Dialects
The language has four main dialects, each named after the valley where it is spoken:
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A language isolate spoken by the Burusho people