The Pashto language belongs to the family of Indo Iranian family language. It is majorly spoken by the community of Afghanistan, commonly known as Pashtun. The language is also spoken quite widely in the western side of Pakistan that is partially occupied by Pashtuns. The Pashto language emerges from the Kandahar district of Afghanistan. It is considered to be the national and administrative language of Afghanistan. It is estimated that the Pashto language is around 2500 years old. However, the estimation of how many people speak Pashto exactly is still unknown. Still, there are different estimates, such as a range between 30 to 40 million. More than half of the people in Afghanistan consider Pashto as their first language and speak it as a national language, whereas 10 to 30% speak Pashto as their second language that is spoken widely.
The vocabulary used in Pashto is quite extensive and is not borrowed from any other language. It does not make it an isolated language because the lexis of the language relates to various eastern Iranian languages such as Pamir, Ossetic, Avestan, and much more. The Pashto language is expressed in various dialects, which are pretty standard and include hard dialect and soft dialect. The language includes a total of 46 letters that are written in the form of a Naksh script. These letters have been altered from the Arabic Alphabet that includes some additional letters to appear at the genuinely Pashto-specific sounds. As per article 20 of the constitution of Afghanistan, it is to be said that the Afghan national anthem would be in the Pashto language, and Pashto is considered the 1st state national language of Afghanistan. Learn Pashto language of today’s time is the one that represents the culture of the country and immense social heritage. The language is also extensively used in literature, education, media, religious institutions, and much more.
Outsourcing a translator for the Pashto language can truly solve various problems in transcription, translation, interpretation to several institutions and platforms worldwide. Afghanistan has been considered as the byroad for cultures and empires. The civilization of Greece genuinely inspires the civilization and traditions of the locals and today majority of the Pashtuns are Muslims. The Pashtuns are typically family-oriented people and opt for farming, animal husbandry, and gardening as their traditional occupations to support a basic living standard.
Importance of Pashto Language
The several factors and aspects discussed below shows the importance of the Pashto language in the best manner:
- The Pashto language is considered a first or second language to be spoken by around 40 million people worldwide, such as people located in Pakistan, central Asian and Middle Asian countries, Iran, Tajikistan, etc.
- The language has many structural similarities to other languages, such as Farsi, Dari, Tajiki being part of Indo Iranian language family.
- Poetry is considered to be a massive part of Pashtun heritage and culture. In the city of Herat, people gather to share old poetry and develop new poetry most beautifully.
- The Pashto language speakers live by Pashtunwali, which is said to be a code of honor that includes code of conduct such as assisting somebody, hospitality, the honor of women, and much more.
Summing Up!
Pashto language is considered a widely spoken language and offers very diversified learning and insight to Pashtuns and Afghan culture. It is indeed one of the excellent skills that one can possess by learning ad knowing about the beautiful history of the Pashto language and the people associated with it.
Author Bio
Muhammad Junaid is a senior Analyst and Search Engine Expert. Extensive experience being a lead writer in Online Languages Tutor. Work for years with local and international enterprises. Also, represent well-known brands in the UAE.