Alternate Names: Pahari, Pangi, Pangwali Pahari
Dialects: 64% inherent intelligibility of Mandeali ,, 52% of Kangri ,, 44% of Chambeali ,, 50% of Bhadrawahi ,; some dialect variation throughout the valley in Chamba District; Purthi reportedly most divergent. Lexical similarity: 55% with Hindi ,, 77% with Kullu Pahari ,; 45% with Bhadrawahi ,.
Genealogy:
Demographics: 17,000 (1997).
Language Use: Vigorous. Home, village, religion. Positive attitudes. Also use English [eng], Hindi [hin].
Language Development: Literacy rate in L2: 9% men, 1% women. In 1981, 9% of the men had a 5th grade education, 1% of the women; 3% of the men had an 8th grade education, fewer than 1% of the women. Poetry. Radio programs.
Writing System: Devanagari
Nation of Origin: India
Other Comments: A Scheduled Tribe. Hindu.