Languages of Afghanistan: Difference between revisions

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Revision as of 10:42, 4 June 2020 editRodw (talk \| contribs)Autopatrolled, Event coordinators, Extended confirmed users, New page reviewers, Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers769,333 editsm Disambiguating links to Pashtun (link changed to Pashtuns) using DisamAssist.← Previous edit		Revision as of 19:28, 5 June 2020 edit undoIbrahimamini0202 (talk \| contribs)4 editsNo edit summaryTags: references removed Mobile edit Mobile web editNext edit →
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	\|caption = ] ] in 1997		\|caption = ] ] in 1997
	\|official = ] ~~and~~ ]<ref name=AO/>		\|official = ]]<ref name=AO/>
	\|regional = ], ], ], ], ], ]		\|regional = ], ], ], ], ]
	\|sign = ]		\|sign = ]
	}}		}}
	]		]
	] is a multilingual country in which two languages – ] and ] – are both ] and most widely spoken.<ref name=AO/>		] is a multilingual country in which two languages – ] and ] – are both ] and most widely spoken.<ref name=AO/>

	~~Dari~~ is the official ~~name~~ of ~~the variety of ] spoken in~~ Afghanistan. It is often referred to as the ''Afghan Persian''.<ref>{{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 \|accessdate=December 5, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web\|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2098.html?countryName=Afghanistan&countryCode=af&regionCode=sas&#af \|title=The World Factbook: Afghanistan \|publisher=Cia.gov \|accessdate=December 5, 2014}}</ref> Although still widely known as ''Farsi'' (]: فارسی; "Persian") to its native speakers, the name was officially changed to Dari in 1964 by the Afghan government.<ref name="Kaboli">R. Farhadi and J. R. Perry, , ], Online Edition, originally in Vol. XV, Fasc. 3, pp. 276–280, 2009.</ref> Dari has been the preferred language of government for centuries, despite the domination of politics by ]s for whom Pashto is their native language.<ref>https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-34215293</ref>		Pashto is the official language of Afghanistan. Pashto has been the preferred language of government for centuries, despite the domination of politics by ]s for whom Pashto is their native language.<ref>https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-34215293</ref>

		⚫	Dari (Persian) are ] from the ] sub-family. Other regional languages, such as ], ], ], ] and ], are spoken by minority groups across the country.
	According to the CIA World Factbook, Afghan Persian or Dari (official) (]) was spoken by 77% ({{small\|] + ]}}) (functions as the lingua franca), ] by 48%, Uzbek 11%, English 6%, Turkmen 3%, Urdu 3%, Pashayi 1%, Nuristani 1%, Arabic 1%, and Balochi 1% (2017 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.<ref>https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/resources/the-world-factbook/geos/af.html</ref>

		⚫	Minor languages include ],<ref name="WahabYoungerman2007">{{cite book\|last1=Wahab\|first1=Shaista\|last2=Youngerman\|first2=Barry\|title=A Brief History of Afghanistan\|year=2007\|publisher=Infobase Publishing\|language=English\|isbn=9781438108193\|page=18\|quote=Afghan Hindus and Sikhs speak Hindi or Punjabi in addition to Pashto.}}</ref> ], ], ], ] and ], ] (], ], ] and ]), ], ], Qizilbash, Aimaq, and Pashai and ]. Linguist ] believes that Afghanistan is home to more than 40 minor languages,<ref>]: ''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> with around 200 different dialects.
⚫	~~Both Pashto and~~ Dari (Persian) are ] from the ] sub-family. Other regional languages, such as ], ], ], ] and ], are spoken by minority groups across the country.

⚫	Minor languages include ],<ref name="WahabYoungerman2007">{{cite book\|last1=Wahab\|first1=Shaista\|last2=Youngerman\|first2=Barry\|title=A Brief History of Afghanistan\|year=2007\|publisher=Infobase Publishing\|language=English\|isbn=9781438108193\|page=18\|quote=Afghan Hindus and Sikhs speak Hindi or Punjabi in addition to Pashto ~~and Dari~~.}}</ref> ], ], ], ] and ], ] (], ], ] and ]), ], ], Qizilbash, Aimaq, and Pashai and ]. Linguist ] believes that Afghanistan is home to more than 40 minor languages,<ref>]: ''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> with around 200 different dialects.

	== Overview ==		== Overview ==

Revision as of 19:28, 5 June 2020

Languages of Afghanistan
Official	language Pashto
Regional	Pashto, dari, Turkmen, Balochi, Pashayi
Signed	Afghan Sign Language

Afghanistan is a multilingual country in which two languages – Pashto language and Pashto – are both official and most widely spoken.

Pashto is the official language of Afghanistan. Pashto has been the preferred language of government for centuries, despite the domination of politics by Pashtuns for whom Pashto is their native language.

Dari (Persian) 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 Punjabi, Ashkunu, Kamkata-viri, Vasi-vari, Tregami and Kalasha-ala, Pamiri (Shughni, Munji, Ishkashimi and Wakhi), Brahui, Arabic, Qizilbash, Aimaq, and Pashai and Kyrgyz. 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 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)
Pashto	38%	6%	35%	41%
Dari	52%	26%	48%	51%
Uzbek	7%	2%	9%	8%
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%

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.

References

^ "What Languages are Spoken in Afghanistan?". 2004. Retrieved June 13, 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
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-34215293
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.
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
"Languages of Afghanistan". Encyclopædia Britannica.
"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 (October 6, 2004). "Afghan poll's ethnic battleground". BBC News. Retrieved 2010-09-16.
^ The Asia Foundation. Afghanistan in 2006: A Survey of the Afghan People.
The Asia Foundation. Afghanistan in 2013: A Survey of the Afghan People.
The Asia Foundation. Afghanistan in 2018: A Survey of the Afghan People.
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 beng 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 2012-04-08. 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.

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

Prestige language-

influence

Activism

Category:

Languages of Afghanistan

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