Northern Pashto (Pashto: شمالي پښتو) is a standard variety of the Pashto language spoken in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, comprising the Northwestern and Northeastern dialects of Pashto.[3]
| Northern Pashto | |
|---|---|
| Native to | Afghanistan |
| Region | Khyber Pakhtunkhwa |
| Ethnicity | Pashtun |
| Speakers | L1: 23 million (2017)[1] L2: 1.4 million (2022)[1] |
| Pashto alphabet | |
| Official status | |
| Regulated by | Pashto Academy of Pakistan[2] |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | pbu |
| Glottolog | nort2646 |
North Eastern
Northeastern Pashto,[4] is spoken primarily in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan.
Yusapzai
Yusufzai/Yusapzai Pashto is the most-spoken subdialect[5] in the Northeastern Dialect.
Comparison:
| Dialects[6] | 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] |
Lexical Variation
Even within the Yusapzai dialect; regional lexical variation is noted; as pointed out by Dr. Muhammad Ali Kaleem:[7]
| Meaning | Mardan | Swat |
|---|---|---|
| Ring | ګتمه gʊ́tma | ګوتۍ gwə́təior Guta |
| Spinach | ساګ sāg | سابه sābə́ |
| Cup | پيالۍ pyālə́i | پياله pyālá |
| Puppy | کوتری kutréor Spey | کوکری kukré |
Sub-regional lexical variation
Even with regions there can be minor differences in pronunciation. Example:
| Malakand District [some localities] | Malakand District [general] | Standard Pashto | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| فپه fpa | ښپه xpa | پښه px̌a, pxa, pša, pṣ̌a | foot |
North Western
The North Western is spoken in the east and northeast Afghanistan.[8]
Phonological Variation
There is regional difference in North Western Pashto in pronunciation of words:[9]
| 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 | ˈxəza | |
| اوبه | water | oˈbə | uˈbə | oˈbə |