Western Katë dialect

Western Katë
Native toAfghanistan
RegionNuristan, Kunar
Native speakers
140,000 (2017)
Arabic script
Language codes
ISO 639-3bsh
Glottologkati1270

Western Katë is a dialect of the Katë language spoken by the Kata in parts of Afghanistan. The most used alternative names are Kata-vari or Kati.

Together with the Northeastern dialect, it is spoken by approximately 40,000 people (mostly in Afghanistan, just over 3,700 in Pakistan), and its speakers are Muslim. Literacy rates are low: below 1% for people who have it as a first language, and between 15% and 25% for people who have it as a second language.

There are several subdialects spoken in the Ramgal, Kulam, Ktivi and Paruk valleys of Nuristan.