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Ethnologue > Web version > Country index > Asia > Pakistan > Pashto, Northern

Pashto, Northern

A language of Pakistan

ISO 639-3: pbu

Population	9,590,000 in Pakistan (1993). Includes all Pashto varieties. Population total all countries: 9,720,700. Ethnic population: 49,529,000 possibly total Pashto in all countries.
Region	Afghanistan border, most of NWFP, Yusufzai, and Peshawar. Also in Afghanistan, Canada, India, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States.
Language maps	Northern Pakistan, reference number 14 Southern Pakistan
Alternate names	Pakhto, Pashtu, Pushto, Yusufzai Pashto
Dialects	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.
Classification	Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Iranian, Eastern, Southeastern, Pashto A member of macrolanguage Pushto [pus] (Pakistan).
Language use	Rich literary tradition. The Powinda are a nomadic Pashto-speaking group.
Language development	Literacy rate in L2: Low. Taught in primary schools. Newspapers. Radio programs. Films. TV. Dictionary. Bible: 1895.
Writing system	Arabic script, Nastaliq style. Arabic script, Naskh style.
Comments	Muslim (Sunni and Shi’a).

Also spoken in:

Afghanistan

Language name	Pashto, Northern
Region	Central Ghilzai area.
Alternate names	Afghan, Pakhtoo, Pakhtu, Paktu
Dialects	Northwestern Pakhto, Ghilzai, Durani.
Language use	1 of 2 official languages taught in schools. Ghilzai are nomadic, 24% of the population. Durani, 16%, live in permanent settlements. Also use Eastern Farsi [prs].
Language development	Literacy rate in L1: 5%–10%. Literacy rate in L2: 15%–25%.
Comments	Called ‘Pakhtoon’ in the north, ‘Pashtoon’ in the south. Pashto clans are: Mohmandi, Ghilzai, Durani, Yusufzai, Afridi, Kandahari (Qandahari), Waziri, Chinwari (Shinwari), Mangal, Wenetsi. Muslim (Hanafi Sunni).

United Arab Emirates

Language name	Pashto, Northern
Population	100,000 in United Arab Emirates (1986).
Alternate names	Pakhtoo, Pashtu, Passtoo, Pushto, Pusto
Comments	Called Pathans, and came from Pakistan. Unskilled laborers; drivers. Muslim.

Entries from the SIL Bibliography about this language:

Academic Publications

Backstrom, Peter C. and Carla F. Radloff. 1992. Languages of northern areas.  

Decker, Kendall D. 1992. Languages of Chitral.  

Hallberg, Daniel G. 1992. Pashto, Waneci, Ormuri.  

Radloff, Carla F. 1991. Sentence repetition testing for studies of community bilingualism.  

Rensch, Calvin R., Calinda E. Hallberg, and Clare F. O’Leary. 1992. Hindko and Gujari.  

Rensch, Calvin R., Sandra J. Decker, and Daniel G. Hallberg. 1992. Languages of Kohistan.  

Shah, Sayed Wiqar Ali. 2003. "The impact of the "Khudai Khidmatgar" movement on Pashto literature."