ИСТИНА

The northern area of Pakistan occupies a unique position on the cultural and historical map of the world. Its cultural diversity and ethnic richness make it one of the most fascinating areas for re-searchers. “The unmistakable imprint of Tibeto-Burman languages, the Iranian languages, the Indo-European family and the Indo-Aryan family testify to the fact that the northern areas of Pakistan serve as a bridge between South Asia, Central Asia, China, and Iran” (Hallberg, Pakistan. 4. Pashto Waneci Ormuri 1992). The paper discusses the problem of linguistic characteristics of Iranian Wakhi language in various areas and formation of a language union in Pamir and Hindu Kush area. In this linguistic area genetically diverse contacting languages are converging (Iranian, Dravidian, Indo-Aryan, Bu-rushaski, Turkic, etc.). Our paper is devoted to the study of one fragment – Wakhi language – of the Northern Pakistan multi-lingual area and its specific features. We will discuss the impact of various languages on the linguistic evolution of Wakhi and its effect on other neighbouring languages. We also try to review some languages and dialects in close proximity: degree of proficiency in the neighbouring languages. The patterns associated with the proficiency of the neighbouring languages and the national language, Urdu, are treated in terms of inter-ethnic contacts, the re-gional dominance of certain linguistic groups, and the impact of education and media.