Pashto, Northern

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A language of Pakistan

ISO 639-3
pbu
Alternate Names
Pakhto, Pashtu, Pushto, Yousafzai Pashto, Yusufzai Pashto
Population

9,590,000 in Pakistan (1993). Includes all Pashto varieties. Population total all countries: 11,430,000. Ethnic population: Possibly 49,600,000 Pashto in all countries.

Location

Afghanistan border, most of NWFP, Yusufzai, and Peshawar. Also in Afghanistan, Canada, India, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States.

Language Maps
Language Status

4 (Educational).

Classification
Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Iranian, Eastern, Southeastern, Pashto
Dialects

Eastern Afghan Pashto, Ningraharian Pashto, Northeastern Pashto. Much similarity with Northwestern Pashto in Afghanistan. Subdialects of Northeastern Pashto are Kohat (Khatak), Yusufzai (Peshawar), Afridi, Shinwari, Mohmand, Shilmani. Lexical similarity: 80% between Northeastern and Southwestern Pashto.

Language Use

Rich literary tradition. The Powinda are a nomadic Pashto-speaking group.

Language Development
Literacy rate in L2: Low. Taught in primary schools. Poetry. Magazines. Newspapers. New media. Radio programs. Films. TV. Videos. Dictionary. Grammar. Bible: 1895.
Language Resources
OLAC resources in and about Pashto, Northern
Writing
Arabic script, Nastaliq and Naskh styles.
Other Comments

Muslim (Sunni), Muslim (Shi’a).

Also spoken in:

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