Brahui language
| Brahui | |
|---|---|
| براہوئی | |
The word Brahui written in the Nastaliq script | |
| Pronunciation | [bɾaːhuiː] |
| Native to | Pakistan |
| Region | Balochistan |
| Ethnicity | Brahui and Baloch |
Native speakers | (2.8 million cited 1980–2017 Census) |
| Perso-Arabic Script (Nastaʿlīq), Latin script | |
| Official status | |
| Regulated by | Department of Brahui, University of Balochistan |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | brh |
| Glottolog | brah1256 |
Brahui (far upper left) is geographically isolated from all other Dravidian languages. | |
Brahui is classified as Vulnerable by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger | |
Brahui (/brəˈhuːi/ brə-HOO-ee; Brahui: براہوئی; also romanised as Brahvi or Brohi) is a Dravidian language, spoken by the Brahui primarily in central areas (Brahuistan) of the Pakistani province of Balochistan; with smaller communities of speakers scattered in parts of Iranian Baluchestan, Afghanistan, and Turkmenistan (around Merv). It is also spoken by expatriate Brahui communities in Iraq, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. It is isolated from the nearest Dravidian-speaking neighbouring population of South India by a distance of more than 1,500 kilometres (930 mi). The Kalat, Khuzdar, Mastung, Quetta, Bolan, Nasirabad, Nushki, and Kharan districts of Balochistan Province are predominantly Brahui-speaking.
Brahui is the only Dravidian language that is primarily written in the Perso-Arabic script. It is also written in the Latin script.