# Makrani dialect

Makrani(Balochi:مکرانی) or Southern Balochi is variety of the Balochi language spoken in the historical region of Makran in Balochistan in Pakistan as well as Iran. Spoken by the Baloch people, it is often categorised as an "important" dialect of Balochi.
Makrani is the second most spoken Balochi dialect after Rakhshani in Iranian Balochistan.

## Background

After conducting phonetic, morphological, syntactic, and lexical studies, Elfenbein, first divided the Balochi dialects into six branches.
* 1. Eastern Hill Balochi
* 2. Rakhshani dialects (including Kalati, Chagai-Kharani, Afghani, Sarhaddi and Panjguri)
* 3. Saravani
* 4. Kechi
* 5. Latuni or Lashari
But after further and more detailed research, he himself proposed another division, based on which the Balochi dialects were:
* 1. Rakhshani (with 3 main sub-branches: Kalati, Panjguri, and Sarhaddi)
* 2. Saravani
* 3. Lashari
* 4. Kechi
* 5. Coastal dialects
* 6. Eastern Hill Balochi.
Carina Jahani considers the division of Balochi into two main branches, eastern and western, more acceptable. In his opinion, the western branch is itself divided into two sub-branches, Makrani and Rakhshani. The Makrani sub-branch includes the coastal, Kechi and Lashari dialects, and the Rakhshani sub-branch includes the Rakhshani and Saravani dialects.
* Western Balochi
** 1.Rakhshani(Rakhshani and Saravani dialects)
** 2.Makrani(the coastal, Kechi and Lashari dialects)
* Eastern Balochi(which is not a unified dialect, but rather a conglomerate of dialects often referred to by the tribal names of the speakers as the Marrī, Bugṭī, Leghārī, Mazārī, etc.)
In general, after numerous studies, the Balochi language has three main dialects. The main dialect split is between Western, Southern, and Eastern Balochi.
Makrani is the main branch of Southern Balochi.

## Dialects

Southern Balochi dialects include Lashari, Sarbazi, Kechi, Karachi and Coastal dialect. They are spoken in the Makran region, which is why all these dialects are generally called Makrani.
It's Spoken in the southern parts of Balochistan, including coastal areas like Gwadar, Chabahar, and southern Pakistan, Persian Gulf states, expanding up to Iranshahr in Iran and Kech valley and Karachi in Pakistan.
Kechi Kich region in Balochistan, including Turbat.
Lashari centered on the village of Lashar , south of Iranshahr where Balochi close to Persian and Baskardi. The Lashari dialect, which is one of the conservative Balochi dialects, is the only dialect that is spoken only in Iran.
Coastal dialects Including Qasr-e Qand, Nikshahr, Rask and the southern coastal areas of Balochistan from near Bandar Abbas to Karachi Port, including the ports of Chahbahar, Gwadar, Pasni.

## Phonology
### Vowels

Southern Balochi vowels :
| long vowels | â:, ā, ē, ī, ō, ū |
| Short vowel | â, a, e, i, o, u |
| Compound vowel | [ie],[ue] |
Vowel system of Southern Balochi :
| | Front | Central | Back |
| High | ī | | ū |
| Mid | e,ē | | o,ō |
| Low | | ɑ | ō |
Vowel systems in Southern Balochi dialects :
| Scholars | Vowel systems | Dialect |
| Farrell (1990) | ī, i, ē, a, ā, ō, u, ū, ā͂, ē͂, ī͂, ō͂, ū͂ | Karachi |
| Yousefian (2008) | i, e, ē, a, â, o, ō, u | Lashari |
It is similar to that of Koroshi dialect spoken in Iran. Nasalization, which is common in Southern Balochi dialects, is phonetically less salient in Koroshi.

### Consonant

The consonants /b/ ، /d/ ، /ḍ/ ، /g/ ، /p/ ، /t/ ، /ṭ/ ، /k/ ، /P/ /h/ ،/tʰ/ ،/ṭʰ/ ، /k/ /h/ ،/s/ ،/z/ ،/ʃ/ ،/ȝ/ ،/h/ ،/ʤ/ ، ʧ ،/ʧʰ/ ،/m/ ،/n/ ،/ŋ/ ،/r/ ،/ṛ/ ،/l/ ،/w/ ،/j/ are articulated as alveolar in Southern Balochi.
Nasalization is phonemic in the eastern balochi and that caused by the effect of Indo-Aryan languages, like Sulaimani dialect that has borrowed a few sounds from them.
Consonants in Southern Balochi Dialects :
| | | Labial | Dental/ Alveolar | Retroflex | Palatal | Velar | Glottal |
| Plosive/ Affricate | voiceless | p | t | t̥ | č | k | |
| Plosive/ Affricate | voiced | b | d | d̥ | J̌ | ɡ | |
| Fricative | voiceless | (ƒ) | s | | Š | (x) | h |
| Fricative | voiced | β | z | | ž | (ǧ) |
| Nasal | Nasal | m | n | | | | |
| Taps | Taps | | r | r̥ | | | |
| Glides | Glides | w | | | y | |
The consonants /f x ġ/ in the Rakhshani dialect often remain, but in Makrani they become /g/, /k/ or /h/, and /p/, respectively. In addition, /f/ occurs in a few words in Southern Balochi. /x/ (voiceless velar fricative) in some loanwords in Southern Balochi corresponding to /ʁ/ (voiced uvular fricative) in Western Balochi.

### Syllable

Makrani dialect, the presence of minimal pairs such as [iehd] - [iḳd] or [suek] - [suk] easily shows that each compound vowel can be placed as a single, independent phoneme in the center of a syllable and create new word with semantic distinction.
Southern dialects as in Lashari Balochi the place of stress depends on the weight of the syllable.

## Grammar

Makrani dialect uses both head-marking and dependent-marking structures. In this dialect, the verb group can take four types of complements: the noun group, the adjective group, the prepositional group, and the complement clause. The Balochi Makrani dialect uses the adverb of quantity and the prepositional group as descriptors of the core adjective in the adjectival group. The prepositional group is described by adverbs. These adverbs come before the core preposition. The southern balochi has genitive singular -ē and the object is marked with --ānā(rā) , -ânā or -ānrā.

### Pronouns

| Pronouns | Rakhshani(Western) | Makrani(Southern) |
| 1st person | من | من |
| 2nd person | تهٔ | تَو |
| 3rd person | آ - آئی | آ - آیی |
| 1st person(Plural) | ئما/هٔما | مِشما/ما |
| 2nd person(Plural) | شما | شما |
| 3rd person(Plural) | آوان | آیاں |

## Vocabulary

| English | Makrani | Rakhshani (Sarhaddi) |
| Brother | brât | brâs |
| Child | čokk | zahg |
| Tonight | enšapi | šapi |
| Cloud | nôd/hawr | jammar |
| Pomegranate | hanâr | henâr |
| Sour | tropš | trošp |
| Irrigation | dêmâp bayag | âpdâri kanag |
| Home | dawâr/lôg/kat | ges |
| Orphan | čôra | hatim |
| Match | bâkas | sinok |
| Attack | halma | halma |
| Rabbit | Hargôšk | kargôšk |
| Egg | hâmorg | hayk |
| Small | kasân/Hord | gwanḍ |
| egg | heyx | haik/hayk |
| Question | jost | sôj |
| Owner | hodâbond/mâlsâhob | wâhond |
| father | pet | pes |
| fear | torsag | trossag |
| fiancé | numzâð | deštàr/ještàr |
| fine | šarr | Jwân/zabr |
| English | Makrani | Karachi |
| Home | Lowg | Log |
| How | Chown | Chon |
| Going | Rawag | Roag / Raoǵá |
| Sister | Gwár | Goár |
| Camel | Hoshter | Oshter |
| Friend | Sangat | Yár...Aŕŕey yár |

## Example sentences

| English | Southern Balochi(Makrani) |
| What is this? | اے چی‌ئے؟ |
| Where is Ali? | ئَلی کۏ اِنت؟/ئلی کجا اِنت؟ |
| This horse is white. | ای سُپݔتݔن/اِسپݔتݔن اسپ اِنتٚ |
| They say he works ten hours a day. | آ گُش اَنت رۏچے دہ ساھَت کارءَ کَنت |
| I have two small brothers and sisters. | منا دو كسانݔن برات ءُ گوٚھار ھہ۔ |
| If you will go just once to their village, you won't forget the hospitality of its people. | اگہ تؤ یک برے آ مردمانء جاھا بہ روئ ھچبر آیانء مھمانداری‌ئا نہ شمۏش اݔت؟ |
| Who called me? | کئ‌ئا منا گوانک جَت؟ |
| English | Makrani | Karachi |
| I am mahnaz. | مَن مَهناز اں Man Mahnáz án. | مَن مَهناز اں Man Mahnáz áǹ . |
| Where is he going? | آ کجا روگ انت؟ Á kojá rawag ent? | آ کجا روگا انت؟ Á kojá raoǵá ent? |
| What are you doing? | تو چی کنگ ئے؟ To chey kanag a? | تو چی کنگا ئے؟ To chei kanaǵá a? |
| Friend, tell me what is happening? | سنگت، منا به گوش چے بیگ انت؟ Sangat, maná bogowsh che bayag ent? | اِڑے یار، منا به گوش چے بوئگا انت؟ Aŕŕey yár maná bogosh chei buaǵá ent? |