# Southern Pashto

Southern Pashto (Pashto: جنوبي/سهيلي پښتو) is a standard variety of the Pashto language spoken in southeastern Afghanistan, and northern parts of the Pakistani province of Balochistan, comprising the Southwestern and Southeastern dialects of Pashto.
غوږ

## South Western

Kandahārí Pashtó (Pashto: کندهارۍ پښتو), also known as, Southwestern Pashto, is a Pashto dialect, spoken in southern and western Afghanistan, including the city of Kandahar.
Kandahari Pashto is spoken in Kandahar, Helmand, Ghazni, most of Urozgan, Farah, Faryab and Nimruz, southeastern Ghor, the districts of Murghab, Ghormach, Muqur, and Jawand in Badghis, and parts of Zabul, Paktika, and Herat provinces of Afghanistan. It is also spoken in parts of the provinces of Razavi Khorasan and South Khorasan in Iran, where they numbered roughly 120,000 (in 1993).
It is one of the most archaic varieties of Pashto: the Kandahari dialect retains archaic retroflex sibilants, /ʂ/ and /ʐ/ (in other dialects, they have shifted to ʃ/x and ʒ/g). Kandahari also has the affricates /t͡s/ and /d͡z/.

### Lexical Variation

According to the "Pashto Dialectal Dictionary (Pashto: پښتو لهجوي قاموس)" published by the Academy of Sciences of Afghanistan the following is noted in Kandahar province:
| Standard معياري myārí | Meaning مانا mānā́ | Ghorak [Tribe: Popalzai] | Spin Boldak [Tribe: Achakzai] | Maruf [Tribe: Alizai] | Arghandab [Tribe: Alikozai] | Panjwayi [Tribe: Sakzai] | Kandahar [Tribe: Nurzai] |
| آباد/ ودان ābā́d/wadā́n | populated | ابات abā́t | ابات abā́t | ابات abā́t | ابات abā́t | ابات abā́t | ابات abā́t |
| اپلتې apláte | absurdity | چټيات čaṭyā́t | چټيات čaṭyā́t | اپلتې apláte | ګډې وډې gaḍé waḍé | ګډې وډې gaḍé waḍé | ګډې وډې gaḍé waḍé |
| اتکړۍ atkaṛə́i | handcuffs | زولنې zawlané | زولنې zawlané | زولنې zawlané | زولنې zolané | زولنې zolané | زولنې zolané |
| اخېړ axéṛ | plaster [clay mixed with straw] | ګل gә́l | ګل gә́l | ګل gә́l | کاګل kāgә́l | کاګل kāgә́l | کاګل kāgә́l |
| | mother | ادې adé | ادې adé | دادا dādā́ | مور mor | مور mor | مور mor |
| | enmity | دښمني doṣ̌maní | تربورګلوي tarburgalwí | تربورګلوي tarburgalwí | دښمني doṣ̌maní | دښمني doṣ̌maní | دښمني doṣ̌maní |
| ارت art | wide | پېراخه perāxá | غټ ğaṭ | پراخ prāx | پيراخ pirā́x | پيراخ pirā́x | پيراخ pirā́x |
| اوبدل obdә́l | to weave | ودل wadә́l | ودل wadә́l | اودل odә́l | ودل wadál | ودل wadál | ودل wadál |
| اوړۀ oṛә́ | flour | اوړۀ oṛә́ | اوړۀ oṛә́ | اوړۀ oṛә́ | وړۀ waṛә́ | وړۀ waṛә́ | وړۀ waṛә́ |

## South Eastern

In the South Eastern dialect, /ʂ/ and /ʐ/ in South Western sometimes change to ʃ and ʒ. Whilst /t͡s/ and /d͡z/ are generally pronounced.
| Dialect | ښ | ږ | څ | ځ | ژ |
| Kandahar | [ʂ] | [ʐ] | [t͡s] | [d͡z] | [ʒ] |
| Quetta | [ʃ] | [ʒ] | [t͡s] | [d͡z] | [ʒ, z] |
In all 3rd-person pronouns 'h' is not articulated. And distinction in 'he' and 'she' pronouns is not noted.
| Personal pronoun | Kandahar | Quetta | Meaning |
| زه | zə | zə | I |
| ته | tə, less often təi | tə, less often təi | you (singular) |
| هغه | hağə | ağə | he |
| هغه | hağe | ağə | she |
| موږ/مونږ | mʊẓ̌ | mʊž/məž | we |
| تاسو/تاسې | tāse/tāsī | tāse/tāsī | you (plural) |
| هغوی | hağwi/hağūi | ağwi/ağūi | they |

## Kākaṛi

Kākaṛi is classed as Southeastern dialect. The following has been noted:
| Kākaṛi | Literary Pashto | Grammar | Meaning |
| بم bam | به مې bə me | bə: future / past habitual marker me: Weak Oblique 1st Pronoun | Example: ای د سترګو ديد بم سره کله کږي āi də stə́rgo did bam sará kə́la káži Oh when will my eyes' [do his] viewing |
| امۍ amə́i | ګډا gaḍā́ | Direct Singular Feminine Noun | dance |
| راله rā́la | راغله rā́ğla | come: Aorist Past 3rd Person Feminine Singular | [She] came |
| سي si | چې če | that: Particle | that |

## Sherani

According to Josef Elfenbein, Sherani Pashto can be classed either as South Western or South Eastern. Word choice can be distinct:
| Dialect | Dialect | | Meaning | Notes |
| Southern | Sherani | ګانده مزدک له راسه gā́nda mazdə́k lə rāsá | Come to the mosque tomorrow | Kandahari uses the Arabic borrowings: سبا [from صباح] and مسجد . Whereas Sherani uses more pure Pashto: ګانده and مزدک |
| Southern | Kandahari | سبا مسجد له راسه sabā́ masjéd lə rāsá | Come to the mosque tomorrow | Kandahari uses the Arabic borrowings: سبا [from صباح] and مسجد . Whereas Sherani uses more pure Pashto: ګانده and مزدک |
| Northern [Yusupzai] | Northern [Yusupzai] | سبا جومات ته راشه sabā́ jumā́t tə rāšá | Come to the mosque tomorrow | In comparison to the two Southern dialects, ته is used instead of له and the form of the verb to-be: شول is used instead of سول |

## Marwat-Bettani

In Marwat-Bettani the following is noted:
| Dialect | ښ | ږ | څ | ځ | ژ | ش |
| Marwat | [ʃ] | [ʒ] | [t͡ʃ] | [d͡ʒ] | [z] | [ʃ],[s] |
Compare the words
| Standard | Kandahar | Marwat | Marwat | Meaning |
| رېبځ | /re.bəˈd͡z/ | رېبځ | /rebə'd͡ʒ/ | broom |
| ږمنځ | /ʐmuŋd͡z/ | ږمنځ | /ʒməŋd͡ʒ/ | comb |
| ژامه | /ʒɑˈ.ma/ | زامبه | /zɑˈm.ba/ | jaw |
| مټينګى | /maʈinɡaˈi/ | مټونګى | /ma.ʈun.ɡaˈɪ/ | bastard |
| پروړه | /proˈ.ɽa/ | پروړې | /proˈ.ɽe/ | straw |
| دروزه | /d̪ruˈ.za/ | دروزې | /d̪ruˈ.ze/ | haulm |

### Comparison with Karlāṇi varieties

Marwatwala agrees with other Karlāṇi varieties in the phonetic change in ښ as [ʃ].
Example:
| Yusupzai | Marwatwāla | Meaning |
| ښار | ښار | city |
| xār | šār | city |
| ښادي | ښودي | happiness |
| xādí | šodí | happiness |

### Rendition of ش

It is noted by Yousuf Khan Jazab, in Marwatwala ش can be rendered as [s].
Example:
| Kandahāri | Karlāṇi | Marwatwāla | Meaning |
| اوربشې /or.bəˈ.ʃe/ orbә́še | اربشې | اربسې | barley |
| اوربشې /or.bəˈ.ʃe/ orbә́še | /ar.bəˈ.ʃe/ | /ar.bəˈ.se/ | barley |
| اوربشې /or.bəˈ.ʃe/ orbә́še | arbә́še | arbә́se | barley |
| سول /swəl/ swəl | شول | سلل | to become [past tense,verbaliser] |
| سول /swəl/ swəl | /ʃwəl/ | /sləl/ | to become [past tense,verbaliser] |
| سول /swəl/ swəl | šwәl | sləl | to become [past tense,verbaliser] |
| شخړه /ʃxaˈ.ɽa/ šxáṛa | سخړه | سخړه | quarrel, strife |
| quarrel, strife ||
| quarrel, strife ||