| Central Pashto | |
| States: | Pakistan, Afghanistan |
| Speakers: | million |
| Date: | 2017 census |
| Ref: | e27 |
| Familycolor: | Indo-European |
| Fam2: | Indo-Iranian |
| Fam3: | Iranian |
| Fam4: | Eastern |
| Fam5: | Pashto |
| Script: | Arabic (Pashto alphabet) |
| Agency: | Pashto Academy of Pakistan Academy of Sciences of Afghanistan |
| Iso3: | pst |
| Glotto: | cent1973 |
| Glottorefname: | Central Pashto |
Central Pashto (Pushto; Pashto: منځنۍ پښتو|Manźanəi Pax̌to) is a standard variety of the Pashto language, spoken in parts of Pakistan and Afghanistan. They are the middle dialects of Mangal, Zadran, Banuchi and Waziri.[1] [2] These dialects are affected by what Ibrahim Khan terms as "the Great Karlāṇ Vowel Shift".[3]
Here is a comparison of Middle Dialects with South Eastern:
| Central Dialects | ښ | ږ | څ | ځ | ژ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waziri | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | |
| Dzadrāṇi | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | |
| Banusi[4] | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/, pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/, pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ |
Daniel Septfonds provides the following example:
| Sentence | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Dzadrāṇi | دا يې تو په اورشو کې ميږ پروتۀ يي |
is used instead of the د /də/ [د+تا=ستا]
| |
| Kandahar | دا ستا په ورشو کې موږ پراتۀ يو | ||
| Meaning | On this meadow of yours, we are lying/located. | ||
In Źadrāṇi, a vowel shift like Waziri has been noted:[5]
| Kandahar | Meaning | Zadrani | N.Wazirwola | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| هوښيار/huʂ.ˈjɑr/ huṣ̌yā́r | Intelligent | ox̌yór/oç.ˈjor/ | ošyór/ɔʃ.ˈjɔr/ | |
| پياله/pjɑ.ˈla/ pyālá | Cup | pyolá, pyelá/pjo.ˈla/, /pjo.ˈla/ | pyolá/pjɔ.ˈla/ |
Afridi/Apridi is also categorised as a Northern Phonology.
See also: Pashto phonology.
There is presence of the additional vowels close-mid central rounded vowel /ɵ/ and open back rounded vowel /ɒː / in Apridi. The following vowel shift has been noted by Jdosef Elfenbein:
| Northeastern General IPA | Apridi IPA | Meaning | |
|---|---|---|---|
| pronounced as //las// | pronounced as //lɑs// | ten | |
| pronounced as //ɣag// | pronounced as //ɣɑg// | sound | |
| pronounced as //ʃpag// | pronounced as //ʃpeg// | six | |
| pronounced as //wraz// | pronounced as //wrez// | day |
Naseem Khan Naseem provides the following list:[6]
| Apridi | Yusapzai | Meaning | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| کالۀkālə́ | کورkor | house | ||
| خورxɵr | خورxor | sister | ||
| مړييېmaṛíye | ډوډۍḍoḍə́i | food | ||
| پلورplɒr | پلارplār | father | ||
The following difference can be noticed in pronunciation:
| Literary Pashto | Apridi Pashto | Yusapzai Pashto | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| پورته شو بېل کښېناستۀ | pɵ́rta šo byel kenɒstó | pórta šo byal kenāstó | he went ahead, sat separately. |
| pórta šo bel kx̌enāstə́ |
The following is an example from Central Kurram agency; where a change in /ɑ/ to /ɔ/ can be seen:
| Literary Pashto | Kurram Pashto | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| هغه ددې نه ډېر بهتر و. خو چې اوس ړنګ شو خدای نه راغله. بس اوس موږ دې کښې ډېر خوشحاله يو | áğa da de na ḍer bextár u. xo če os ṛang šo xodai na rɔ́ ğla . bas os mug de ke ḍer xošɔ́la yu | That was much better than this. But now that it is destroyed it came from God. Now we are very happy in this; that's all. |
| háğa da de na ḍer behtár wə. xo če os ṛang šo xwdāi na rā́ ğla. bas os mug de kx̌e ḍer xošā́la yu. |
In Waziri Pashto there is also a vowel shift
In Waziri dialect the pronounced as /link/ in most other dialects of Pashto becomes pronounced as /link/ in Northern Waziri and pronounced as /link/ in Southern Waziri.
| Meaning | Standard Pashto | N.Wazirwola | S. Wazirwola | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ماسته | yougurt | /mɑs.t̪əˈ/ | /mɔːs.ˈt̪ə/ | /mɒːs.ˈt̪ə/ | |
| پاڼه | leaf | /pɑˈ.ɳa/ | /ˈpɔː.ɳjɛː/ | /ˈpɒː.ɳjɛː/ |
| Meaning | Standard Pashto | Wazirwola | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| لور | sickle | /lor/ | /lœːr/ | |
| وړه | flour | /o.ɽəˈ/ | /ɛː.ˈɽə/ | |
| اوږه | shoulder | /o.ɡaˈ/ | /jɛ.ˈʒa/ | |
| اوس | now | /os/ | /wɛːs/ |
| Meaning | Standard Pashto | Wazirwola | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| موږ | we | /muɡ/ | /miːʒ/ | |
| نوم | name | /num/ | /niːm/ |
| Meaning | Standard Pashto | Wazirwola | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| اوم | raw | /um/ | /jiːm/ | |
| اوږه | garlic | /ˈu.ɡa/ | /ˈwiː.ʒa/ | |
| اوده | asleep | /u.ˈd̪ə/ | /wɜ.ˈd̪ə/ |
A change is noticed:
| Standard Pronunciation | Waziri | |
|---|---|---|
| pronounced as /aɪ/ | pronounced as /aɪ/ | |
| pronounced as /ˈaɪ/ | ||
| pronounced as /ˈəɪ/ | ˈaɪ | |
| pronounced as /oɪ/ | pronounced as /oːi/ pronounced as /œːi/ | |
| pronounced as /uɪ/ | pronounced as /oˈjə/ | |
| pronounced as /aw/ | ||
| pronounced as /ɑi/ | ||
| pronounced as /ɑw/ |
The Khattak dialect, as deduced by Yusuf Khan Jazab in contrast to non-Karāṇi dialects differentiates lexemes in term of vowel lengthening.
Example: between pronounced as //e// and pronounced as //eː// - transcribed as "e" and "ē" respectively to indicated the distinction.
| Khattak | Standard Pashto | Meaning | |
|---|---|---|---|
| de dē xabə́re | də de xabə́re | Of this talk | |
| IPA | pronounced as //d̪e d̪eː xa.ˈbə.re// | pronounced as //d̪ə d̪e xa.ˈbə.re// |
The following words which are rare in Kandhari and Yusapzai Pashto, were noted by Yousaf Khan Jazab in the Khattak dialect:
| Khattak | Meaning | Variety of Khattak Dialect | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transliteration | Grammar | |||
| اول | awā́l | noun | Saturday | General |
| باګه | bā́ga | noun | knee band | Teri |
| بلابس | balābás | adjective | resourceful | General |
| بنجوڼې | banjóṇe | noun | small pieces of the stems of the gramplants | |
| زبوله | zabóle | |||
| بانګړه | bā́ngṛa | noun | dance of men in a circle; attan | |
| برېزار | barezā́r | noun | brunch time | |
| چوشې | čóše | noun | thick threads for fastening sacs | |
| دوړنه | doṛə́na | noun | mushrooms | |
| دوړنګه | doṛə́nga | |||
| درنګ | drang | noun | mine, deposit of minerals | |
| اېتبور | etbór | noun | Sunday | |
| ګېني | gení | noun | a game played by girls | |
| ګيلې | gíle | |||
| ګوبين | gobín | noun | honey | |
| ګډګډی | guḍguḍáy | noun | a game played with one leg | |
| سخی | sxay | |||
| ګوډيسمسه | guḍisamsá | noun | a type of a bird | |
| ګوګره | gugə́ṛa | noun | cuckoo bird | |
| ګوتمۍ | gutmə́i | noun | shopping-bag | |
| خولۍ رېځ | xulə́i rez | noun | Saturday | |
| څلورم | salorám | noun | Monday | Teri |
| پينځم | pinzám | noun | Tuesday | General |
| وودينه | wodiná | noun | Thursday | |
| مېلې رېځ | melé rez | noun | Wednesday | Teri |
| غولېل | ğulél | noun | slingshot | |
| غومبکه | ğumbə́ka | noun | a dish made from grains,cooked during a rainy day(s) with grains given by different households | General |
| غورکی | ğurkáy | noun | hole | |
| غورمۀ سترګه | ğurmə́ stə́rga | noun | sun | |
| سترګه | stə́rga | |||
| ايکونه | ikóna | noun | a large pot for storing grains | |
| کېړۍ | keṛə́i | noun | sandals | |
| کوړيکت | koṛikə́t | noun | kabaddi game | |
| کوړکۍ | koṛakə́i | noun | springle | |
| کتريکی | kutrikáy | |||
| کړاغه | kṛāğá | noun | female crow | |
| کاغه | kā́ğa | |||
| کاړغۀ | kāṛğə́ | noun | male crow | Teri |
| کونۍ | kunə́i | noun | a game in which four players take part | General |
| کرکمنه | kurkamə́na | noun | slingshot | |
| لېبۍ | lebə́i | noun | a collective dance of women in a circle | |
| لګاډه | lgā́ḍa | noun | channel | |
| لوګ | lug | adjective | worthless | |
| لوستل | lwastə́l | verb | to scatter | |
| منګور | mangór | noun | snack | |
| مسلۍ | masalə́i | noun | story | |
| موی مرغۀ | móy mə́rğa | noun | peacocok | |
| نخۍ | nəxə́i | noun | decorated cloth for the saddle of a cammel | |
| نيالي | nyālí | noun | a mattress type of blanket | |
| نولي | nolí | |||
| پڼسی | paṇsáy | noun | thread | |
| سبينه | sabiná | noun | morning | Teri |
| سبېيي | sabeyí | noun | morning | General |
| سلارغوشيې | salārğóšye | noun | pitchfork | |
| ستر | stər | adjective | huge | |
| شندل | šandə́l | verb | to spend | |
| شنل | šanə́l | verb | to shake | |
| شڼول | šaṇawə́l | |||
| ششته | šuštá | adjective | clear and well organised | |
| شين ټاغې | šin ṭā́ğe | noun | a blue bird | |
| شينشوتتک | šinšotaták | |||
| شينتوتی | šintotáy | |||
| شورول | šorawə́l | verb | to keep | |
| ويړول | wiṛawə́l | verb | to spread | |
| وويا | wóyā | noun | egg | |
| وراته | wrā́ta | noun | wife | |
| خوسول | xusawə́l | verb | to move | |
| خوړ | xwəṛ | noun | channel | |
| يږه | yə́ža | noun | female bear | |
| زېړي کوچ | zeṛi kúc | noun | a type of bird | |
In the Bannu dialect the nasalisation of vowels has been noted, as mentioned by Yousuf Khan Jazab:
| Baniswola | Kandahar | English | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nasalised First Person Verbal Suffix: ں [~] | |||
| تلںtlə̃ or tləń | تلمtləm | I was going | |
| Compare with Third Person Masc. Sing. Verbal Suffix ۀ [ə] | |||
| تلۀtlə | تلۀtlə | He was going | |
As with other dialects stress on a particular syllable can also change the meaning of a word or aspect of the verb.
| Baniswola | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lexical Change | Final Stress | Meaning | Initial Stress | Meaning | ||
| غووړي | ğwoṛí | oil | غووړي | ğwóṛi | he/she/they wants | |
| مستې | masté | yogurt | مستې | máste | luscious | |
| مزديره | məzdirá | maid | مزديره | mə́zdira | daily-wage | |
| Final Stress [Imperfective] | Meaning | Non-Final Stress[Perfective] | Meaning | |||
| Verbal AspectChange | کښېنں | kšenə̃́ | I am sitting | کښېنں | kšénə̃ | I sit [now] |
| پرېوتلں | prewatələ̃́ | I was falling | پرېوتلں | préwatələ̃ | I fell | |