Pashto Language Tutorial (University of Sheffield)

Pashto (پښتو) Language Tutorial:

Pashto ( پښتو ) Language Tutorial Presenters: Kazi Taimur Ahmed & Muhammad Nabeel Khattak Technical Support: Hassan Shoaib & Syed Masoom Shah Research Assistant: Fazal Jamil

Introduction:

Introduction Pashto پښتو is generally known as Pakhto , Pushto , Pukhto , Pashtu , Paxto or Pushtu . In Afghanistan, it is called Afghani. Pashto is a language spoken in South-Central Asia, primarily in Afghanistan, Iran(minor) and neighbouring Pakistan, as well as by the Pashtuns throughout the world.

Geography of Pashto:

Geography of Pashto The number of Pashtuns or Pashto-speakers is estimated 50-60 million people world wide. Pashto is the mother tongue of 55-60% of the population residing in Afghanistan. Whereas in Pakistan, 15.42% of the population speaks Pashto, including the tribal belt across the Durand Line. Other communities of Pashto speakers are found in the north-eastern Iran, primarily in the Khorasan Province. The language is also spoken in Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, India and some parts of the Middle East.

Native Languages in Afghanistan:

Native Languages in Afghanistan Geographical Distribution

Geographical Distribution :

Geographical Distribution

Significance of Pashto (1):

Significance of Pashto (1) Afghanistan and Pakistan have a strategic and geo-political importance in the region. The global war on terror, military presence (of Nato , US & British forces) and the humanitarian assistance provided in the region has further highlighted the two countries. Who needs to learn Pashto ? Stakeholders, Journalists, Businessmen, Historians, Travellers, Humanitarian Aid workers, Diplomats, Linguistics, Writers and UN Peace keeping Troops.

Significance of Pashto (2):

Significance of Pashto (2) US Troops in Afghanistan Humanitarian Aid

History of Pashto:

History of Pashto The origin of Pashto language and the many Pashtun (Pathan) tribes are relatively unknown. Traces of history are present in its vocabulary. Majority of the words in Pashto can be tracked to the branch of Eastern Iranian languages. The oldest borrowed words are from Greek, which dates back to the Greek occupation of Bactria (Central Asia) in the 3rd century.

Afghani Pashtun:

Afghani Pashtun

History of Pashto:

History of Pashto The first written records of Pashto are believed to date from the 16 th century. In the 17th century, Khushhal Khan Khattak, considered the national poet of Afghanistan, was writing his poetry in Pashto. In 1936, Pashto was made the national language of Afghanistan by royal decree.

Linguistic Affiliations:

Linguistic Affiliations Pashto is one of the East Iranian group of languages, which includes, for example, Ossete (North Ossetia, South Ossetia) and Yaghnobi (Tajikistan). Indo-Iranian languages are spoken in a wide area stretching from portions of eastern Turkey and eastern Iraq to western India The other main division of Indo- Iranian, in addition to Iranian, is the Indo-Aryan languages, a group comprised of languages of the Indian subcontinent including Sanskrit, Hindi/Urdu, Bengali, Gujarati, Punjabi, and Sindhi. East Iranian and West Iranian (which includes Persian) are major sub-groups of the Iranian group of the Indo Iranian branch of the Indo European family of languages.

Grammar:

Grammar Pashto is an SOV (Subject-Object-Verb) language & the subject , object , and verb of a sentence appear or usually appear in that order. Pashto has a 07 vowel system. There are retroflex consonants sounds pronounced with the tongue tip curled back to touch the roof of the mouth. In Pashto, the Adjectives comes before nouns. There are generally two nominal cases in Pashto, although the vocative case is still used with singular nouns.

Writing System and Dialects:

Writing System and Dialects Just as the Arabic text and Urdu (Pakistan) language, Pashto is written from right to left. The Pashto alphabet consists of 45 letters, and 4 diacritic marks. Examples: Two of the special Pashto letters: ṣ̌in and ẓ̌e . Pashto has two main dialects: a softer dialect spoken in the south (Afghanistan), and a harsher dialect in the north (Pakistan).

Pashto Albhabets:

Pashto Albhabets

Pashto Numbers:

Pashto Numbers

Vocabulary:

Vocabulary Most of the native elements of the lexicon (vocabulary) are related to the other Eastern Iranian languages. A large number of words are special to Pashto. After the 7 th century, some of the Pashto words were derived from various languages that includes Arabic, Persian and Hindustani Languages. The modern educated speech borrow words from English, French and German.

Vocabulary:

Vocabulary

Vocabulary:

Vocabulary

Vocabulary:

Vocabulary

Vocabulary:

Vocabulary

Vocabulary:

Vocabulary

Vocabulary:

Vocabulary

Useful phrases in Pashto:

English (Pashto) پښتو Welcome ( pikheyr ) پخير‏ Hello (salaam) سلام (as- salaamu ' alaykum ) السلام عايكم How are you? ( t a senga yee ?) څنگه يې؟ I'm fine thanks, and you? / I am well زه ښه يم، هننا، ته څنګه يې ؟ ( za kha yam, manana , tatsenga yee ?) ( sheh yem ) Long time no see deer wakht wosho na kharay What's your name ? ( staa num tsa dhe ?) ستا نون څه My name is ... ( zama num ... deh ) زما نون ... دى Useful phrases in Pashto

Useful phrases in Pashto:

Useful phrases in Pashto Where are you from? ( ta da kom zaee ye?) ته د كوم خاى يې؟ I'm from ... ( za da ... yem ) زه د ... يم Good morning ( sahr pikheyr ) سحر پخير ‏ ( sahaar mo pa kheyr ) سهار مو په خير Good afternoon ( wradz mo pa kheyr ) ورځ مو په خير Good evening ( maakhaam mo pa kheyr ) ماښام مو په خير Good night ( shpa mo pa kheyr ) شپه مو په خير Goodbye ( da khoday pa amaan ) دخداى په امان macha de shah / macha de gulunah

Afghanistan:

Afghanistan

Afghan Girl:

Afghan Girl

Khyber Pass – Gateway to Afghanistan:

Khyber Pass – Gateway to Afghanistan

Swat Valley (Pakistan):

Swat Valley (Pakistan)

Online Learning Resources:

Online Learning Resources Byki : www.byki.com Live-Mocha: www.livemocha.com Rosetta-Stone: www.rosettastone.co.uk

Questions:

Questions What would you like me to say in Pashto?