Southern Pashto Explained

Southern Pashto
Also Known As:	South Western Pashto, South Eastern Pashto
States:	Afghanistan
Ethnicity:	Pashtuns
Speakers:	L1 million
Date:	2017
Ref:	e27
Speakers2:	L2 million (2021)
Speakers Label:	Speakers
Familycolor:	Indo-European
Fam2:	Indo-Iranian
Fam3:	Iranian
Fam4:	Eastern
Fam5:	Pashto
Script:	Arabic (Pashto alphabet)
Agency:	Academy of Sciences of Afghanistan
Iso3:	pbt
Glotto:	sout2649

Southern Pashto (Pushto; Pashto: جنوبي/سهيلي پښتو) is a standard variety of the Pashto language spoken in Afghanistan, comprising the Southwestern and Southeastern dialects of Pashto.^[1]

South Western

Kandahārí Pashtó (Pushto; Pashto: کندهارۍ پښتو), also known as, Southwestern Pashto,^[2] is a Pashto dialect, spoken in southern and western Afghanistan, including the city of Kandahar.

Kandahari Pashto is spoken in Kandahar, Helmand, Ghazni, most of Urozgan, Farah, Faryab and Nimruz, southeastern Ghor, the districts of Murghab, Ghormach, Muqur, and Jawand in Badghis, and parts of Zabul, Paktika, and Herat provinces of Afghanistan. It is also spoken in parts of the provinces of Razavi Khorasan and South Khorasan in Iran, where they numbered roughly 120,000 (in 1993).^[3]

It is one of the most archaic varieties of Pashto: the Kandahari dialect retains archaic retroflex sibilants, pronounced as //ʂ// and pronounced as //ʐ// (in other dialects, they have shifted to ʃ/x and ʒ/g). Kandahari also has the affricates pronounced as //t͡s// and pronounced as //d͡z//.^[4]

Lexical Variation

According to the "Pashto Dialectal Dictionary (Pushto; Pashto: پښتو لهجوي قاموس)" published by the Academy of Sciences of Afghanistan the following is noted in Kandahar province:^[5]

Standardمعياري myārí	Meaningمانا mānā́	Ghorak[Tribe: [[Popalzai]]]	Spin Boldak[Tribe: [[Achakzai]]]	Maruf[Tribe: [[Alizai (Pashtun tribe)|Alizai]]]	Arghandab[Tribe: [[Alikozai]]]	Panjwayi[Tribe: [[Sakzai|<nowiki>Sakzai]]]!Kandahar[Tribe: [[Nurzai]]]|-!آباد/ ودانābā́d/wadā́n! align="left" |populated| align="center" |اباتabā́t| align="center" |اباتabā́t| align="center" |اباتabā́t| align="center" |اباتabā́t| align="center" |اباتabā́t|اباتabā́t|-!اپلتېapláte! align="left" |absurdity| align="center" |چټياتčaṭyā́t| align="center" |چټياتčaṭyā́t| align="center" |اپلتېapláte| align="center" |ګډې وډېgaḍé waḍé| align="center" |ګډې وډېgaḍé waḍé| align="center" |ګډې وډېgaḍé waḍé|-!اتکړۍatkaṛə́i!handcuffs| align="center" |زولنېzawlané| align="center" |زولنېzawlané| align="center" |زولنېzawlané| align="center" |زولنېzolané| align="center" |زولنېzolané| align="center" |زولنېzolané|-!اخېړaxéṛ!plaster[clay mixed with straw]| align="center" |ګلgә́l| align="center" |ګلgә́l| align="center" |ګلgә́l| align="center" |کاګلkāgә́l| align="center" |کاګلkāgә́l| align="center" |کاګلkāgә́l|-!!mother| align="center" |ادېadé| align="center" |ادېadé| align="center" |داداdādā́| align="center" |مورmor| align="center" |مورmor| align="center" |مورmor|-!!enmity| align="center" |دښمنيdoṣ̌maní| align="center" | تربورګلويtarburgalwí| align="center" | تربورګلويtarburgalwí| align="center" | دښمنيdoṣ̌maní| align="center" |دښمنيdoṣ̌maní| align="center" |دښمنيdoṣ̌maní|-!ارتart!wide| align="center" |پېراخهperāxá| align="center" |غټğaṭ| align="center" |پراخprāx| align="center" |پيراخpirā́x| align="center" |پيراخpirā́x| align="center" |پيراخpirā́x|-!اوبدلobdә́l!to weave| align="center" |ودلwadә́l| align="center" |ودلwadә́l| align="center" |اودلodә́l| align="center" |ودلwadál| align="center" |ودلwadál| align="center" |ودلwadál|-!اوړۀoṛә́!flour| align="center" |اوړۀoṛә́| align="center" |اوړۀoṛә́| align="center" |اوړۀoṛә́| align="center" |وړۀwaṛә́| align="center" |وړۀwaṛә́| align="center" |وړۀwaṛә́|} South Eastern In the South Eastern dialect, pronounced as //ʂ// and pronounced as //ʐ// in South Western sometimes change to ʃ and ʒ. Whilst pronounced as //t͡s// and pronounced as //d͡z// are generally pronounced.^[6] Dialect ښ ږ څ ځ ژ Kandahar pronounced as /[ʂ]/ pronounced as /[ʐ]/ pronounced as /[t͡s]/ pronounced as /[d͡z]/ pronounced as /[ʒ]/ Quetta pronounced as /[ʃ]/ pronounced as /[ʒ]/ pronounced as /[t͡s]/ pronounced as /[d͡z]/ pronounced as /[ʒ, z]/ In all 3rd-person pronouns 'h' is not articulated. And distinction in 'he' and 'she' pronouns is not noted. Personal pronoun Kandahar Quetta Meaning زه zə zə I ته tə, less often təi tə, less often təi you (singular) هغه hağə ağə he هغه hağe ağə she موږ/مونږ mʊẓ̌ mʊž/məž we تاسو/تاسې tāse/tāsī tāse/tāsī you (plural) هغوی hağwi/hağūi ağwi/ağūi they Kākaṛi Kākaṛi is classed as Southeastern dialect.^[7] The following has been noted:^[8] Kākaṛi Literary Pashto Grammar Meaning بمbam به مېbə me bə: future / past habitual markerme: Weak Oblique 1st Pronoun Example:^[9] ای د سترګو ديد بم سره کله کږي āi də stə́rgo did bam sará kə́la káži Oh when will my eyes' [do his] viewing امۍamə́i ګډاgaḍā́ Direct Singular Feminine Noun dance رالهrā́la راغلهrā́ğla come: Aorist Past 3rd Person Feminine Singular [She] came سيsi چېče that: Particle that Sherani According to Josef Elfenbein, Sherani Pashto can be classed either as South Western or South Eastern.^[10] Word choice can be distinct:^[11] Dialect Meaning Notes Southern Sherani ګانده مزدک له راسهgā́nda mazdə́k lə rāsá Come to the mosque tomorrow Kandahari usesthe Arabic borrowings: سبا [from صباح] and مسجد . Whereas Sherani uses more pure Pashto: ګانده and مزدک Kandahari سبا مسجد له راسهsabā́ masjéd lə rāsá Northern [Yusupzai] سبا جومات ته راشه In comparison tothe two Southern dialects, ته is used instead of له and the form of the verb to-be: شول is used instead of سول Marwat-Bettani In Marwat-Bettani the following is noted:^[12] Compare the words Standard Kandahar Marwat Marwat Meaning رېبځ /re.bəˈd͡z/ رېبځ broom ږمنځ ږمنځ comb ژامه /ʒɑˈ.ma/ زامبه jaw مټينګى /maʈinɡaˈi/ مټونګى bastard پروړه /proˈ.ɽa/ پروړې straw دروزه /d̪ruˈ.za/ دروزې haulm Comparison with Karlāṇi varieties Marwatwala agrees with other Karlāṇi varieties in the phonetic change in ښ as [ʃ]. ^[14] Example: Yusupzai Marwatwāla Meaning ښار ښار city xār šār ښادي ښودي happiness xādí šodí Rendition of ش It is noted by Yousuf Khan Jazab, in Marwatwala ش can be rendered as pronounced as /[s]/. Example: Kandahāri Karlāṇi Marwatwāla Meaning اوربشې/pronounced as /or.bəˈ.ʃe// orbә́še اربشې اربسې barley /pronounced as /ar.bəˈ.ʃe// /pronounced as /ar.bəˈ.se// arbә́še arbә́se سول/pronounced as /swəl// swəl شول سلل to become [past tense,verbaliser] /pronounced as /ʃwəl// /pronounced as /sləl// šwәl sləl شخړه/pronounced as /ʃxaˈ.ɽa// šxáṛa سخړه quarrel, strife /pronounced as /ʃxəˈ.ɽa// sxә́ṛa References }

Notes and References

1. Web site: Glottolog 4.3 - Southern Pashto. 2020-10-16. glottolog.org.
2. Prods Oktor Skjærvø, P.O. 1989. Pashto. In "Compendium Linguarum Iranicarum", R. Schmitt (ed.), 384-410.
3. Web site: Iran.
4. MacKenzie. D. N.. A Standard Pashto. http://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20171011130156/http://www.khyber.org/publications/026%2D030/standardpashto.shtml. usurped. October 11, 2017. Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies. 22. 231–235.
5. Book: بها, اکمل. پښتو لهجوي قاموس. د علومو اکډمي د ژبو او ادبياتو مرکز. 2019. څلورم ټوک. ۱–۹۸.
6. Hallberg, Daniel G. 1992. Pashto, Waneci, Ormuri. Sociolinguistic Survey of Northern Pakistan, 4.
7. Book: Kaye, Alan S.. Phonologies of Asia and Africa: (including the Caucasus). 1997-06-30. Eisenbrauns. 978-1-57506-019-4. 740. en.
8. Book: کاکړ, سيال. زريني پانګي. افغان څېړنيز مرکزٜ کوټه. 2012.
9. Book: کاکړ, سيال. زريني پانګي. افغان څېړنيز مرکزٜ کوټه. 2012. 56.
10. Book: Kaye. Alan S.. Phonologies of Asia and Africa: (including the Caucasus). Daniels. Peter T.. 1997. Eisenbrauns. 978-1-57506-017-0. 740. en.
11. Habibi. A. H.. پښتو لهجې. Alama Habibi.
12. Book: Rensch, Calvin Ross. Sociolinguistic Survey of Northern Pakistan: Pashto, Waneci, Ormuri. 1992. National Institute of Pakistan Studies, Quaid-i-Azam University. 79–145. en.
13. Book: Khan Jazab, Yousaf. An Ethno-linguisitic Study of the Karlani Varieities of Pashto. Pashto Academy, University of Peshawar. 2017. 71.
14. Book: Jazab, Yousaf Khan. An Ethno-Linguistic Study of the Karlanri Varieties of Pashto. Pashto Academy, University of Peshawar. 70–71.