Languages of Afghanistan: Difference between revisions

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Revision as of 03:19, 23 October 2024 editLeopardus62 (talk \| contribs)367 editsm Dari is the correct term for the Persian spoken in Afghanistan, it is unique compared to Iranian and also relatively speaking more pure. It was initially written as Dari before until someone changed it.Tag: Visual edit ← Previous edit		Revision as of 04:42, 23 October 2024 edit undo39.56.201.15 (talk)No edit summaryTags: references removed Visual edit Mobile edit Mobile web editNext edit →
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	\|image = File:Ethnolinguistic_Groups_Afghanistan_EN.svg		\|image = File:Ethnolinguistic_Groups_Afghanistan_EN.svg
	\|caption = ] ] in 1997 (Hazaragi and Tajik are dialects of Persian)<ref>{{cite web \|title=The 1997 CIA World Factbook Afghanistan \|url=https://www.fulltextarchive.com/pdfs/The-1997-CIA-World-Factbook.pdf}}</ref>		\|caption = ] ] in 1997 (Hazaragi and Tajik are dialects of Persian)<ref>{{cite web \|title=The 1997 CIA World Factbook Afghanistan \|url=https://www.fulltextarchive.com/pdfs/The-1997-CIA-World-Factbook.pdf}}</ref>
	\|official = ], ]		\|official = ], ]
	\|regional = ], ], ], ], ]		\|regional = ], ], ], ], ]
	\|minority = ], ], ], ], ], ]		\|minority = ], ], ], ], ], ]
	\|foreign = ] ({{circa}} 5%)<ref>{{cite web \| url=https://translatorswithoutborders.org/language-data-for-afghanistan \| title=Language data for Afghanistan }}</ref>		\|foreign = ] ({{circa}} 5%)<ref>{{cite web \| url=https://translatorswithoutborders.org/language-data-for-afghanistan \| title=Language data for Afghanistan }}</ref>
	\|sign = ]		\|sign = ]
	\|keyboard= ~~Persian~~ keyboard (])		\|keyboard= Pashto keyboard (])
	\|keyboard image=]		\|keyboard image=]
	}}		}}
	] is a linguistically diverse nation, with upwards of 40 distinct languages.<ref name=":02">]: ''Sprachen-Almanach – Zahlen und Fakten zu allen Sprachen der Welt.'' Campus-Verl., Frankfurt/Main 2002, {{ISBN\|3-593-36572-3}}, S.273–274; Afghanistan</ref><ref group="Note">Many of Afghanistan's languages are quite small, with many being on the verge of extinction. See {{Section link\|\|Endangered languages}}</ref> However, ]<ref group="Note">Dari is the official name of the variety of ] spoken in Afghanistan. It is often referred to as ''Afghan Persian'', although still widely known as ''Farsi'' ({{lang-fa\|فارسی}}, {{gloss\|Persian}}) to its native speakers, the name was officially changed to Dari in 1964 by the Afghan government. Dari has been the preferred language of government for centuries, despite the domination of politics by ]~~, whose native language is Pashto.</ref>~~ and ] are two of the most prominent languages in the country, and have shared ] under various governments of Afghanistan. Dari, as a shared language between ] in the country, has served as a historical ] between different linguistic groups in the region and is the most widely understood language in the country.<ref name="A Survey of the Afghan People: Afghanistan in 2019">The Asia Foundation. </ref><ref name=":1">The Asia Foundation. </ref> Pashto is also widely spoken in the region; but the language does not have a diverse multi-ethnic population like Persian, and the language is not as commonly spoken by non-Pashtuns.<ref name="Afghan20062">The Asia Foundation. </ref><ref group="Note">See {{Section link\|2=Overview}}</ref> Persian and Pashto are also (in a linguistic sense) ], as both are ].<ref name=":3">{{cite web\|url=http://www.sil.org/iso639-3/documentation.asp?id=prs \|title=Documentation for ISO 639 identifier: prs \|publisher=Sil.org \|date=18 January 2010 \|access-date=December 5, 2014}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{cite web\|url= https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/afghanistan/ \|title=The World Factbook: Afghanistan \|publisher=Cia.gov \|access-date=July 20, 2020}}</ref><ref name="Kaboli">R. Farhadi and J. R. Perry, , ], Online Edition, originally in Vol. XV, Fasc. 3, pp. 276–280, 2009.</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite news\|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-34215293\|title = Uncommon tongue: Pakistan's confusing move to Urdu\|work = BBC News\|date = 11 September 2015}}</ref>		] is a linguistically diverse nation, with upwards of 40 distinct languages.<ref name=":02">]: ''Sprachen-Almanach – Zahlen und Fakten zu allen Sprachen der Welt.'' Campus-Verl., Frankfurt/Main 2002, {{ISBN\|3-593-36572-3}}, S.273–274; Afghanistan</ref><ref group="Note">Many of Afghanistan's languages are quite small, with many being on the verge of extinction. See {{Section link\|\|Endangered languages}}</ref> However, ] and ] are two of the most prominent languages in the country, and have shared ] under various governments of Afghanistan. Dari, as a shared language between ] in the country, has served as a historical ] between different linguistic groups in the region and is the most widely understood language in the country.<ref name="A Survey of the Afghan People: Afghanistan in 2019">The Asia Foundation. </ref><ref name=":1">The Asia Foundation. </ref> Pashto is also widely spoken in the region; but the language does not have a diverse multi-ethnic population like Persian, and the language is not as commonly spoken by non-Pashtuns.<ref name="Afghan20062">The Asia Foundation. </ref><ref group="Note">See {{Section link\|2=Overview}}</ref> Persian and Pashto are also (in a linguistic sense) ], as both are ].<ref name=":3">{{cite web\|url=http://www.sil.org/iso639-3/documentation.asp?id=prs \|title=Documentation for ISO 639 identifier: prs \|publisher=Sil.org \|date=18 January 2010 \|access-date=December 5, 2014}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{cite web\|url= https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/afghanistan/ \|title=The World Factbook: Afghanistan \|publisher=Cia.gov \|access-date=July 20, 2020}}</ref><ref name="Kaboli">R. Farhadi and J. R. Perry, , ], Online Edition, originally in Vol. XV, Fasc. 3, pp. 276–280, 2009.</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite news\|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-34215293\|title = Uncommon tongue: Pakistan's confusing move to Urdu\|work = BBC News\|date = 11 September 2015}}</ref>

	According to ], ] is spoken by 78% (] + ]) and functions as the ], while ] is spoken by 50%, Uzbek 10%, English 5%, Turkmen 2%, Urdu 2%, Pashayi 1%, Nuristani 1%, Arabic 1%, and Balochi 1% (2021 est). Data represent the most widely spoken languages; shares sum to more than 100% because there is much bilingualism in the country and because respondents were allowed to select more than one language. The ] Uzbek and Turkmen, as well as ], ], Nuristani, and Pamiri are the third official languages in areas where the majority speaks them.<ref></ref>		According to ], ] is spoken by 60% (] + ]) and functions as the ], while ] is spoken by 57%, Uzbek 10%, English 5%, Turkmen 2%, Urdu 1%, Pashayi 1%, Nuristani 1%, Arabic 1%, and Balochi 1% (2021 est). Data represent the most widely spoken languages; shares sum to more than 100% because there is much bilingualism in the country and because respondents were allowed to select more than one language. The ] Uzbek and Turkmen, as well as ], ], Nuristani, and Pamiri are the third official languages in areas where the majority speaks them.<ref></ref>

	Both Persian and Pashto are ] from the ] sub-family. Other regional languages, such as ], ], ], ] and ], are spoken by minority groups across the country.		Both Persian and Pashto are ] from the ] sub-family. Other regional languages, such as ], ], ], ] and ], are spoken by minority groups across the country.

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Languages of Afghanistan
Ethnolinguistic groups of Afghanistan in 1997 (Hazaragi and Tajik are dialects of Persian)
Official	Dari, Pashto
Regional	Uzbek, Turkmen, Balochi, Pashayi, Nuristani
Minority	Arabic, Gujari, Urdu, Kyrgyz, Tajik, Sindhi
Foreign	English (c. 5%)
Signed	Afghan Sign Language
Keyboard layout	Pashto keyboard (ISIRI 9147)

Afghanistan is a linguistically diverse nation, with upwards of 40 distinct languages. However, Pashto and Dari are two of the most prominent languages in the country, and have shared official status under various governments of Afghanistan. Dari, as a shared language between multiple ethnic groups in the country, has served as a historical lingua franca between different linguistic groups in the region and is the most widely understood language in the country. Pashto is also widely spoken in the region; but the language does not have a diverse multi-ethnic population like Persian, and the language is not as commonly spoken by non-Pashtuns. Persian and Pashto are also (in a linguistic sense) "relatives", as both are Iranian languages.

According to CIA World Factbook, Dari is spoken by 60% (L1 + L2) and functions as the lingua franca, while Pashto is spoken by 57%, Uzbek 10%, English 5%, Turkmen 2%, Urdu 1%, Pashayi 1%, Nuristani 1%, Arabic 1%, and Balochi 1% (2021 est). Data represent the most widely spoken languages; shares sum to more than 100% because there is much bilingualism in the country and because respondents were allowed to select more than one language. The Turkic languages Uzbek and Turkmen, as well as Balochi, Pashayi, Nuristani, and Pamiri are the third official languages in areas where the majority speaks them.

Both Persian and Pashto are Indo-European languages from the Iranian languages sub-family. Other regional languages, such as Uzbek, Turkmen, Balochi, Pashayi and Nuristani, are spoken by minority groups across the country.

Minor languages include: Ashkunu, Kamkata-viri, Vasi-vari, Tregami and Kalasha-ala, Pamiri (Shughni, Munji, Ishkashimi and Wakhi), Brahui, Arabic, and Pashai and Kyrgyz, and Punjabi. Linguist Harald Haarmann believes that Afghanistan is home to more than 40 minor languages, with around 200 different dialects.

Overview

The Persian or Dari language functions as the nation's lingua franca and is the native tongue of several of Afghanistan's ethnic groups including the Tajiks, Hazaras and Aimaqs. Pashto is the native tongue of the Pashtuns, the dominant ethnic group in Afghanistan. Due to Afghanistan's multi-ethnic character, multilingualism is a common phenomenon.

The exact figures about the size and composition of the various ethnolinguistic groups are unavailable since no systematic census has been held in Afghanistan in decades. The table below displays estimates of the major languages spoken in Afghanistan per sample statistics:

Spoken Languages in Afghanistan
Language	2006 (as L1) (out of 6,226)	2006 (as L2) (out of 6,226)	2013 (out of 9,260)	2018 (out of 13,943, L1+L2)
Dari	49%	26%	48%	77%
Pashto	40%	5%	25%	48%
Uzbek	9%	2%	9%	11%
Turkmen	2%	3%	3%	3%
Balochi	0%	0%	1%	1%
Pashayi	0%	1%	1%	1%
Nuristani	N/A	N/A	1%	1%
Arabic	0%	2%	1%	1%
English	0%	8%	5%	6%
Urdu	0%	7%	2%	3%

Statistics vary considerably from source to source, the amount of total Dari (L1+L2) speakers tends to be the most consistent (77-80%). Between sources the amount of L1 speakers of Pashto and Dari vary considerably. With Encyclopedia Britannica estimating that roughly 1/2 of the population of Afghanistan speaks Dari natively, and "more than" 2/5 of Afghanistan speaking Pashto natively. While estimating a lower amount of native Pashto speakers then other sources, Britannica estimates that roughly 20% of the population spoke Pashto as a second language (an estimate higher that most other sources). Britannica also notes that many Pashtuns (particularly in urban areas) speak Dari as their first language, so the quantity of first language speakers is not a reliable indication of ethnicity. Other sources may give higher estimates for L1 Pashto speakers but lower estimates for L2 speakers, and may give varying estimates for Dari depending on whether regional varieties of Dari such as Hazaragi and Aimaq are counted as languages or dialects. Encyclopedia Iranica estimates that 50-55% of Afghanistan speaks Pashto as their native language, but estimates few second language speakers (no estimate was given, only that the amount of L2 speakers was "less than 10%"). Iranica also estimated 25% of Afghanistan natively speaking Dari but also categorized varieties of Persian spoken in central Afghanistan as different languages as Dari, and gave no estimates to the percentage of non-Dari Persian speakers. Iranica also made no reference to how many ethnic Pashtuns spoke Dari as their first language.

A sizeable population in Afghanistan, especially in Kabul, can also speak and understand Hindustani due to the popularity and influence of Bollywood films and songs in the region.

Language policy

The official languages of the country are Dari and Pashto, as established by the 1964 Constitution of Afghanistan. Dari is the most widely spoken language of Afghanistan's official languages and acts as a lingua franca for the country. In 1980, other regional languages were granted official status in the regions where they are the language of the majority. This policy was codified in the 2004 Afghan Constitution, which established Uzbek, Turkmen, Balochi, Pashayi, Nuristani and Pamiri as a third official language in areas where they are spoken by a majority of the population.

Language families

Afghanistan Language Families
language			percent
Iranic			85.4%
Turkic			10.7%
Other (Nuristani, Indo Aryan, Dravidian)			3.9%

Since Afghanistan is predominantly located on the Iranian plateau, the majority of spoken languages belong to the family of Iranic languages. Turkic languages are spoken sparsely at the northern intersection of the plateau with Central Asia. Similarly, Nuristani languages and Dravidian languages are spoken sparsely at some regions where the plateau intersects with the Indian subcontinent.

Endangered languages

Until 2004, Dari and Pashto were the only languages promoted by the government. Though policy has since changed, it has still harmed many minority languages of the country. The table below shows endangered languages spoken in Afghanistan that are recognized by UNESCO. UNESCO recognizes 23 endangered languages in Afghanistan, 12 of which are exclusively spoken in Afghanistan and one having gone extinct after UNESCO's survey.


Language	UNESCO Status	Language Group	Language Family	Native to	Speakers (All Countries)
Ashkun	Definitely endangered	Nuristani (Indo-Iranian)	Indo-European	Afghanistan (exclusively)	40,000 (2011)
Brahui	Vulnerable	Northern Dravidian	Dravidian	Afghanistan, Pakistan	2,864,400 (2018)
Central Asian Arabic	Definitely endangered	Semitic	Afro-Asiatic	Afghanistan, Iran, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan	6,000 (2003)
Gawar-Bati	Definitely endangered	Indo-Aryan (Indo-Iranian)	Indo-European	Afghanistan, Pakistan	9,500 (1992)
Kamkata-vari	Definitely endangered	Nuristani	Indo-European	Afghanistan, Pakistan	40,000 (2017)
Moghol	Moribund	Moghol	Mongolic	Afghanistan (exclusively)	200 (2003)
Munji	Severely endangered	Iranian (Indo-Iranian)	Indo-European	Afghanistan (exclusively)	5,300 (2008)
Nangalami	Severely endangered	Indo-Aryan	Indo-European	Afghanistan (exclusively)	5,000 (1994)
Ormuri	Definitely endangered	Iranian	Indo-European	Afghanistan, Pakistan	6,000 (2004)
Parachi	Definitely endangered	Iranian	Indo-European	Afghanistan (exclusively)	3,500 (2009)
Parya	Severely endangered	Indo-Aryan	Indo-European	Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan	2,600 (No Date)
Pashayi	Vulnerable	Indo-Aryan	Indo-European	Afghanistan (exclusively)	400,000 (2011)
Rushani	Definitely endangered	Iranian	Indo-European	Afghanistan, Tajikistan	18,000 (1990)
Savi	Definitely endangered	Indo-Aryan	Indo-European	Afghanistan (exclusively)	9,000 (2017)
Sanglechi	Severely endangered	Iranian	Indo-European	Afghanistan, Tajikistan	2,200 (2009)
Shughni	Vulnerable	Iranian	Indo-European	Afghanistan, Tajikistan	75,000 (1990)
Shumashti	Severely endangered	Indo-Aryan	Indo-European	Afghanistan (exclusively)	1,000 (1994)
Tirahi	Moribund	Indo-Aryan	Indo-European	Afghanistan (exclusively)	100 (undated)
Tregami	Severely endangered	Nuristani	Indo-European	Afghanistan (exclusively)	3,500 (2011)
Kalasha-Ala	Definitely endangered	Nuristani	Indo-European	Afghanistan (exclusively)	12,000 (2011)
Wakhi	Definitely endangered	Iranian	Indo-European	Afghanistan, China, Pakistan, Tajikistan	58,000 (2012)
Wasi-Wari	Definitely endangered	Nuristani	Indo-European	Afghanistan (exclusively)	8,000 (2011)
Wotapuri-Katarqalai	Extinct (no living speakers left)	Indo-Aryan	Indo-European	Afghanistan (formerly)	0

^(i) lit. "verge of death" Language has so few speakers, it is unlikely to survive unless immediate action is taken to preserve it
^(ii) Moghol is the only language in its branch
^(iii) Possibly Extinct
^(iv) Language has died or gone extinct in Afghanistan, but survives elsewhere.

References

"The 1997 CIA World Factbook Afghanistan" (PDF).
"Language data for Afghanistan".
^ Harald Haarmann: Sprachen-Almanach – Zahlen und Fakten zu allen Sprachen der Welt. Campus-Verl., Frankfurt/Main 2002, ISBN 3-593-36572-3, S.273–274; Afghanistan
The Asia Foundation. A Survey of the Afghan People: Afghanistan in 2019.
^ The Asia Foundation. Afghanistan in 2013: A Survey of the Afghan People.
^ The Asia Foundation. Afghanistan in 2006: A Survey of the Afghan People.
"Documentation for ISO 639 identifier: prs". Sil.org. 18 January 2010. Retrieved 5 December 2014.
"The World Factbook: Afghanistan". Cia.gov. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
R. Farhadi and J. R. Perry, Kaboli, Encyclopaedia Iranica, Online Edition, originally in Vol. XV, Fasc. 3, pp. 276–280, 2009.
"Uncommon tongue: Pakistan's confusing move to Urdu". BBC News. 11 September 2015.
The World Factbook
Wahab, Shaista; Youngerman, Barry (2007). A Brief History of Afghanistan. Infobase Publishing. p. 18. ISBN 9781438108193. Afghan Hindus and Sikhs speak Hindi or Punjabi in addition to Pashto and Dari.
"Languages of Afghanistan". Encyclopædia Britannica. 31 July 2023.
"Ethnic groups". BBC News. Retrieved 7 June 2013. Pashtun: Estimated to be in excess of 45% of the population, the Pashtuns have been the most dominant ethnic group in Afghanistan.
O'toole, Pam (6 October 2004). "Afghan poll's ethnic battleground". BBC News. Retrieved 16 September 2010.
The Asia Foundation. Afghanistan in 2018: A Survey of the Afghan People.
"Languages of Afghanistan". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
"AFGHANISTAN v. Languages". Encyclopedia Iranica. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
Hakala, Walter N. (2012). "Languages as a Key to Understanding Afghanistan's Cultures" (PDF). National Geographic. Retrieved 13 March 2018. In the 1980s and '90s, at least three million Afghans--mostly Pashtun--fled to Pakistan, where a substantial number spent several years being exposed to Hindi- and Urdu-language media, especially Bollywood films and songs, and being educated in Urdu-language schools, both of which contributed to the decline of Dari, even among urban Pashtuns.
Krishnamurthy, Rajeshwari (28 June 2013). "Kabul Diary: Discovering the Indian connection". Gateway House: Indian Council on Global Relations. Retrieved 13 March 2018. Most Afghans in Kabul understand and/or speak Hindi, thanks to the popularity of Indian cinema in the country.
"AFGHANISTAN v. Languages". Ch. M. Kieffer. Encyclopædia Iranica. Retrieved 8 April 2012. A. Official languages. Paṧtō (1) is the native tongue of 50 to 55 percent of Afghans... Persian (2) is the language most spoken in Afghanistan. The native tongue of twenty five percent of the population, it is split into numerous dialects.
"What Languages are Spoken in Afghanistan?". 2004. Retrieved 13 June 2012. Pashto and Dari are the official languages of the state. are – in addition to Pashto and Dari – the third official language in areas where the majority speaks them
"Afghanistan: Country data and statistics".
Evans, Lisa (15 April 2011). "Endangered languages: the full list". the Guardian. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
"Atlas of the world's languages in danger". UNESDOC Digital Library. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
"Tirahi". Ethnologue.

Footnotes

Many of Afghanistan's languages are quite small, with many being on the verge of extinction. See § Endangered languages
See Languages of Afghanistan § Overview

External links

v t e Languages of Afghanistan
Official languages	Dari Pashto	Afghanistan portal
Regional languages	Balochi Nuristani (language family) Pashayi Tajiki Turkmen Uzbek
Minority languages	Ashkun Brahui Katë Khowar Kyrgyz Moghol Pamiri Ishkashimi Munji Shughni Yidgha Prasun Tregami Waigali Wakhi Zemiaki
Sign languages	Afghan Sign Language

v t e Languages of Asia
Sovereign states	Afghanistan Armenia Azerbaijan Bahrain Bangladesh Bhutan Brunei Cambodia China Cyprus East Timor (Timor-Leste) Egypt Georgia India Indonesia Iran Iraq Israel Japan Jordan Kazakhstan North Korea South Korea Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Lebanon Malaysia Maldives Mongolia Myanmar Nepal Oman Pakistan Philippines Qatar Russia Saudi Arabia Singapore Sri Lanka Syria Tajikistan Thailand Turkey Turkmenistan United Arab Emirates Uzbekistan Vietnam Yemen
States with limited recognition	Abkhazia Northern Cyprus Palestine South Ossetia Taiwan
Dependencies and other territories	British Indian Ocean Territory Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Hong Kong Macau
Category Asia portal

Major languages of South Asia

Languages of

Contemporary
languages

Great Andamanese	Aka-Jeru Aka-Bo
Dravidian	Brahui Kannada Malayalam Tamil Telugu Tulu
Germanic	English Bangladeshi Indian Nepalese Pakistani Sri Lankan
Indo-Aryan	Angika Assamese Bhojpuri Bengali Chakma Chittagonian Dhivehi Dogri Gujarati Hindustani Hindi Urdu Hinglish Hindko Kashmiri Konkani Kumaoni Magahi Mahal Maithili Marathi Nepali Odia Punjabi Rajasthani Rangpuri Sanskrit Saraiki Sindhi Sinhala Sylheti
Iranian	Balochi Dari Pashto Wakhi
Isolates	Burushaski Nihali Kusunda
Khasic	Khasi Lyngngam Pnar War
Malay creoles	Sri Lankan Creole Malay
Munda	Ho Korku Mundari Santali Sora
Nicobaric	Car Central Nicobarese Chaura Southern Nicobarese Teressa
Ongan	Önge Jarawa
Romance	French Portuguese
Sino-Tibetan	Ao Balti Bodo Dzongkha Garo Hajong Ladakhi Limbu Meitei Mizo Nepal Bhasa Sikkimese Tenyidie Tibetan Tripuri
Turkic	Turkmen Uzbek

Scripts

Historical	Brahmi (Abugida) Greek Indus (Undeciphered) Kharosthi
Arabic	Arabi Malayalam Arwi Nastaliq Shahmukhi
Brahmic	Devanagari Bengali Gujarati Gurmukhi Malayalam Kannada Odia Ranjana Sinhala Tamil Telugu
Old Italic	Latin
Other	Thaana

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Languages of Afghanistan

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