Introduction

 

Balochi (also spelled as Balouchi) is a North-Western Iranian language, spoken by over ten million people in primarily Balochistan which is divided into Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan. Balochi is vastly spoken in Middle Eastern countries such as Bahrain, Oman, and U.A.E. It is spoken in Central Asian countries such as Turkmenistan and Tajikistan. It is spoken in European countries such as Sweden, Norway, and the UK. It is also spoken in India and in African countries such as Kenya and Tanzania. All of the Baloch populations are scattered into various areas around the world while the largest concentration of the Baloch population is in a section of Karachi, Pakistan. Balochi has three main varieties, Western Balochi, Eastern Balochi and Southern Balochi. The Ethnologue codes for the three groups are bcc (Southern), bgn (Western), and bgp (Eastern). All of the three varieties are included in this dictionary as they are very similar in many ways.

Saeed Zubair