Balti language

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{{language |name=Balti |nativename=بلتی |states=Pakistan, India |region=Kashmir |speakers=337,000 |familycolor=Sino-Tibetan |fam2=Tibeto-Burman |fam3=Bodic |fam4=Bodish |fam5=Tibetan |fam6=Western |iso2=sit|iso3=bft}}

Balti is a language spoken in Baltistan, in the Northern Areas of Pakistan. Baltistan - prior to 1947 division of Indian Subcontinent - was part of Ladakh province. The language is a sub-dialect of Ladakhi and an archaic dialect of the Tibetan language. Many of the consonants that are silent in most modern Tibetan dialects are pronounced in Balti.

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Script

Balti is also the name of the Tibetan Balti script, which was replaced by the Persian script in the 17th Century.

Recently a number of Balti scholars and social activists are trying to repromote the use of the Balti script [Yige] which will also help to preserve indigenous Ladakhi and Balti form of culture and racial identity.

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Vocabulary

The Balti language shares 80-90% of the vocabulary with the neighboring Ladakhi, although they have adopted words from Shina, Burushaski and Persian with the process of Islamization.

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