The Kalush are the last Kafirs (pagans) of Hindu Kush and speak an Indo-European language, which makes them a particularly precious resource for the Indo-European scholar. This thesis offers an in-depth study of their language and of some aspects of their culture. Starting from the data collected during a field study in the least well-known of the three Kalasha valleys, on the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan, the author proposes a contrastive analysis of the everyday language and that used for poetry. This analysis, and the mass of ethnographic data considered, enable the author to identify the socio-cultural reasons behind certain linguistic choices that can be observed in the poetic discourse, thus bringing to light the essence of the relations between language and culture.

This book is included in DOAB.