Northern Pashto

In today's world, Northern Pashto has become a topic of great relevance and interest to many people in different fields. Whether in the scientific, cultural, social or personal sphere, Northern Pashto has generated a significant impact on the way we approach different aspects of daily life. Its influence extends globally, and its importance continues to constantly grow. In this article, we will explore in detail the role of Northern Pashto in our current society, examining its implications and repercussions in various contexts.

Northern Pashto
Native toPakistan, Afghanistan
EthnicityPashtun
SpeakersL1: 23 million (2017)[1]
L2: 1.4 million (2022)[1]
Pashto alphabet
Official status
Regulated byPashto Academy of Pakistan[2]
Language codes
ISO 639-3pbu
Glottolognort2646

Northern Pashto (Pashto: شمالي پښتو) is a standard variety of the Pashto language spoken in the northern and central parts of the Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and central-eastern Afghanistan, comprising the Northwestern and Northeastern dialects of Pashto.[3]

North Eastern

Northeastern Pashto,[4] is spoken primarily in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan.

Yusapzai

Yusufzai/Yusapzai Pashto is the most-spoken subdialect[5] in the Northeastern Dialect.

Comparison:

Dialects[6] ښ ږ څ ځ ژ
North Eastern (e.g. Yusapzai)
North Western (e.g Jalalabad)
North Western (e.g. Wardak)

Lexical Variation

Even within the Yusapzai dialect; regional lexical variation is noted; as pointed out by Dr. Muhammad Ali Kaleem:[7]

Meaning Mardan Swat
Ring ګتمه

gʊ́tma

ګوتۍ

gwə́təi or Guta

Spinach ساګ

sāg

سابه

sābə́

Cup پيالۍ

pyālə́i

پياله

pyālá

Puppy کوتری

kutré or Spey

کوکری

kukré

Sub-regional lexical variation

Even with regions there can be minor differences in pronunciation. Example:

Malakand District

Malakand District

Standard Pashto Meaning
فپه

fpa

ښپه

xpa

پښه

px̌a,

pxa,

pša,

pṣ̌a

foot

North Western

The North Western is spoken in the east and northeast Afghanistan.[8]

Phonological Variation

There is regional difference in North Western Pashto in pronunciation of words:[9]

Meaning Wardak Jalalabad Bati Kot
دوی they deɪ ˈduwi ˈduwi
راکړه give ˈrɑka ˈrɑka ˈrɑkɽa
پوهېدل to know pijeˈdəl pojeˈdəl pojidəl
شپږ six ʃpaʝ ʃpag ʃpiʒ
وريځ cloud wərˈjed͡z wrez wəˈred͡z
ښځه woman ˈçəd͡za ˈxəza
اوبه water oˈbə uˈbə oˈbə

References

  1. ^ a b Northern Pashto at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024) Closed access icon
  2. ^ Sebeok, Thomas Albert (1976). Current Trends in Linguistics: Index. Walter de Gruyter. p. 705.
  3. ^ "Glottolog 4.3 - Northern Pashto". glottolog.org. Retrieved 2020-10-16.
  4. ^ Prods Oktor Skjærvø, P.O. 1989. Pashto. In "Compendium Linguarum Iranicarum", R. Schmitt (ed.), 384-410.
  5. ^ "Redirected". 19 November 2019.
  6. ^ Hallberg, Daniel G. 1992. Pashto, Waneci, Ormuri. Sociolinguistic Survey of Northern Pakistan, 4.
  7. ^ Kaleem, Muhammad (2015). "Lexical Variation in Pashto: A Comparative Study Conducted in Mardan and Swat , in Pashto" (PDF). Pashto. 44 (650): 21–52. Archived from the original on February 7, 2021.
  8. ^ Anna B. David (2014). A Descriptive Grammar of Pashto and its Dialects. De Gruyter Mouton. p. 36. ISBN 978-1-61451-303-2.
  9. ^ Coyle, Dennis Walter (2014). Placing Wardak Among Pashto Varieties (Master's thesis). University of North Dakota.