A Comparative Study of Phonological Variation in Gojri: Suran Valley (Poonch) and Fakeer Gojri (Srinagar)

Abstract

This research explores the phonological variation within the Gojri language, an Indo-Aryan language mainly spoken by the Gujjar community in Jammu and Kashmir, through a detailed comparative study of two dialects: The Suran Valley dialect of Poonch District and the Fakir Gojri dialect of Srinagar. Using foundational works such as J.C. Sharma’s Gojri Grammar and recent descriptive field data by Hassan, Rashid, and Bhat, the study analyses the consonantal and vocalic inventories, phonemic contrasts, syllable structures, and morphophonemic processes characterising each dialect. Findings indicate that the Fakir Gojri dialect has a phoneme inventory of 30 consonants and 11 vowels, while the Suran Valley dialect includes 32 consonants and 10 vowels, with distinctive phonological features such as voicing contrasts, aspiration, gemination, and suprasegmental tonal distinctions. Morphological markers, especially those conveying number, gender, and case in nouns and verbs, show dialectal variation that correlates with phonological differences. Despite mutual intelligibility and sharing a common Indo-Aryan linguistic heritage, both dialects display adaptations shaped by their unique geographical and sociolinguistic contexts. This comparative phonological analysis not only enhances the descriptive understanding of Gojri’s internal diversity but also provides a foundation for further linguistic and sociolinguistic research into this understudied language.