Shughni is spoken in the Shughnan district of north-eastern Badakhshan province and also in Tajikistan. Its largest sub-dialect is Roshani. Linguistically, it is related to the four other languages that make up the Pamiri language family: Wakhi, Munji, Ishkashimi, and Sanglechi.
In the high Pamiri mountains of Shughnan, many of the Shughni people still live a traditional life of shepherding and agriculture. The first person to put the Shughni language into writing was Mullah Lachin, who lived about a hundred years ago. His books are kept by his grandchildren on their family property today.
More recently, other poets and scholars have contributed to the growing pool of Shughni literature. These include those who have worked on designing the orthography and school curriculum such as Professor Khair Muhammad Haidari, Professor Khush Nazar Pamirzad, and Hafizullah Maihandoost.
Resources
Academic Articles
Shughni Phonology Statement
A paper detailing the organization of sounds in the Shughni language.
A Sociolinguistic Assessment of the Roshani Language of Afghanistan
This paper presents the results of a 2007 sociolinguistic assessment conducted in the Roshan area of Afghanistan.
Available for Download
Shughni Alphabet Song
Music video which aims to teach children the order of the letters in the Shughni language.
Shughni Letter Songs
Short music videos in the Shughni language, each one emphasizing a single Shughni letter.
Print Version Available by REquest
Stars of Shughnan
A compilation of poetry from 82 different Shughni poets.