“The goat and her kids”: A Shughnani folk tale as narrated by Dawlatsulton Shukrulloeva

The article presents the text of the folk tale «The goat and her kids» in the Shughnani language, which records the speech of a repre­­‑ sentative of the older generation of the region in the context of communication with a younger family member. This version of the tale was recorded in the Near-Pandzh zone of the Western Pamir region of Tajikistan in 2023 and has not been previously published. In the rhythmic elements similar to classical poetry competitions (munazira), we observe elements of code switching (Shughnani – Tajik lan‑ guages). In the epilogue, an ethical attitude towards an important virtue in the Pamir society is introduced. At the same time, the connec­‑ tion between generations and the importance of traditional values are implicitly emphasized. The text was transcribed phonologically from the recording using the international Iranian transcription system. Interlinear glossing and a Russian translation are provided. Specific phonetic features and code-switching to the Tajik language are also noted. The article highlights the proximity of cultural traditions and folklore within the Western Pamir region on the one hand and also within Tajikistan as a whole on the other. Convergence and divergence in plot devices, the list of characters, and the specific use of rhyme and rhythmic patterns are likewise noted. This folk tale is a valuable contemporary addition to the corpus of written texts in Shughnani, a low-resource language existing in a multilingual milieu with no official literary status.