| Northern Pashto | |
| States: | Afghanistan |
| Region: | Khyber Pakhtunkhwa |
| Ethnicity: | Pashtun |
| Speakers: | L1 million |
| Date: | 2017 |
| Ref: | e27 |
| Speakers2: | L2 million (2022) |
| Speakers Label: | Speakers |
| Familycolor: | Indo-European |
| Fam2: | Indo-Iranian |
| Fam3: | Iranian |
| Fam4: | Eastern |
| Fam5: | Pashto |
| Script: | Pashto alphabet |
| Agency: | Pashto Academy of Pakistan[1] |
| Iso3: | pbu |
| Glotto: | nort2646 |
| Glottorefname: | Northern Pashto |
Northern Pashto (Pushto; Pashto: شمالي پښتو) is a standard variety of the Pashto language spoken in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, comprising the Northwestern and Northeastern dialects of Pashto.[2]
Northeastern Pashto,[3] is spoken primarily in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan.
Yusufzai/Yusapzai Pashto is the most-spoken subdialect[4] in the Northeastern Dialect.
Comparison:
| Dialects[5] | ښ | ږ | څ | ځ | ژ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Eastern (e.g. Yusapzai) | [x] | [ɡ] | [s] | [z] | [d͡ʒ] | |
| North Western (e.g Jalalabad) | [x] | [ɡ] | [s] | [z] | [ʒ] | |
| North Western (e.g. Wardak) | [ç] | [ʝ] | [t͡s] | [d͡z] | [ʒ, z] |
Even within the Yusapzai dialect; regional lexical variation is noted; as pointed out by Dr. Muhammad Ali Kaleem:[6]
| Meaning | Mardan | Swat | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ring | ګتمه | ګوتۍgwə́təior Guta | |
| Spinach | ساګsāg | سابهsābə́ | |
| Cup | پيالۍpyālə́i | پيالهpyālá | |
| Puppy | کوتریkutréor Spey | کوکریkukré |
Even with regions there can be minor differences in pronunciation. Example:
The North Western is spoken in the east and northeast Afghanistan.[7]
There is regional difference in North Western Pashto in pronunciation of words:[8]
| Meaning | Wardak | Jalalabad | Bati Kot | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| دوی | they | deɪ | ˈduwi | ˈduwi | |
| راکړه | give [imperative of راکول] | ˈrɑka | ˈrɑka | ˈrɑkɽa | |
| پوهېدل | to know [infinitive] | pijeˈdəl | pojeˈdəl | pojidəl | |
| شپږ | six | ʃpaʝ | ʃpag | ʃpiʒ | |
| وريځ | cloud | wərˈjed͡z | wrez | wəˈred͡z | |
| ښځه | woman | ˈçəd͡za | pronounced as /ˈxəza/ | ||
| اوبه | water | oˈbə | uˈbə | oˈbə |