# Pashto dialects

Pashto dialects (Pashto: د پښتو ژبګوټي də Pəx̌tó žәbgóṭi) can be divided into two large varieties: Northern Pashto and Southern Pashto. Each of the two varieties of Pashto is further divided into a number of dialects. Northern Pashto is spoken in eastern Afghanistan, and central, northern and eastern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (including Peshawar). Southern Pashto is spoken to the south of it, in southern and western Afghanistan (including Kandahar), southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and northern Balochistan (including Quetta). 'Ethnologue' divides Pashto into Northern, Southern and Central Pashto, and Wanetsi.

## Overview

According to David Neil MacKenzie, a consonant shift took place in the northern parts of Pashtunistan in several phases in the medieval era. During the shift, the retroflex fricative ṣ̌ [ʂ] changed to x̌ [ç] or to x [x], while ẓ̌ [ʐ] changed to ǵ [ʝ] or to g [g]. That is supported by the linguist Georg Morgenstierne's assertion that the Pashto script developed in the Northeast which had the phonology of a Southwestern Pashto in the 16th century. The shift was likely complete before the Pashto book Khayr al-Bayān was written by Bayazid Pir Roshan from Waziristan in 1651. According to Michael M. T. Henderson in Balochistan [Southeast]: the spilt ṣ̌ [ʂ] into š [ʃ] and ẓ̌ [ʐ] into ž [ʒ] may never have occurred in that they were always pronounced as š [ʃ] and ž [ʒ] there or that a split did occur.
Among the other Eastern Iranian languages outside Pashto, the Shughni (Khughni) and Yazgulyami branch of the Pamir languages also seem to have been affected from the ṣ̌ to x consonant shift. E.g. "meat": ɡuṣ̌t in Wakhi and ğwáṣ̌a in Southwestern Pashto, but changes to guxt in Shughni and ğwáxa in Northeastern Pashto.

## Classification

1. Southern variety
   * Abdali dialect (or South Western dialect)
   * Kakar dialect (or South Eastern dialect)
   * Shirani dialect
   * Marwat-Bettani dialect
   * Southern Karlani group
      * Khattak dialect
      * Baniswola dialect
      * Dawarwola dialect
      * Masidwola dialect
      * Wazirwola dialect
2. Northern variety
   * Central Ghilji dialect (or North Western dialect)
   * Yusufzai dialect (or North Eastern dialect)
   * Northern Karlani group
      * Taniwola dialect
      * Khosti dialect
      * Zadran dialect
      * Mangal dialect
      * Afridi dialect
      * Khogyani dialect
      * Wardak dialect
3. Waṇetsi Dialect

## Standards
### Regional standards

There are several regional standard forms of Pashto which have high prestige, and serve as a means of communication between the various tribal communities in those regions.

#### Central Pashto

Central Pashto dialects are also referred to as middle dialects.

#### Southern regional standard

Southern Pashto compromises of the South Western and South Eastern dialects.
Southern Western Pashto, also called Kandahari Pashto, is the prestige variety of Pashto in southern and western Afghanistan.
A similar variety known as South Eastern is spoken in the Balochistan province of Pakistan.

#### Northern regional

Northern Pashto compromises of the North Western and North Eastern dialects.
North Eastern Pashto, also called Eastern Pashto, is the prestige variety of Pashto, known as Yusufzai Dialect, it is spoken in central, northern, and eastern parts of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan and in northeastern Afghanistan.
North Western Pashto is spoken, in eastern and northeastern Afghanistan, in the central Ghilji or Ghilzai region.

### Tareeno

Although this dialect is spoken only by the Spin Tareens and not the Tor Tareens, it is known locally as Tareeno and by Western academics as Wanetsi. It is the most distinct amongst the dialects of Pashto.

## Features

Variations have been noted in dialects of Pashto. The differences between the standard varieties of Pashto are primarily phonological, and there are simple conversion rules. The morphological differences between the standard varieties are very few and unimportant. Two of the key phonemes whose pronunciation vary between the different Pashto dialects are ښ and ږ. The southern dialect of Kandahar is considered to be the most conservative with regards to phonology. It retains the original pronunciation of these two phonemes as voiceless and voiced retroflex sibilants, respectively, and does not merge them into other phonemes unlike the northern dialects.
The dialects spoken by the tribes from the Karlani confederacy of Pashtuns are lexicologically different and very varied. Moreover, the Karlani dialects have a tendency towards a change in the pronunciation of vowels. Depending on the particular dialect, the standard Pashto [a], [ā], [o], [u] may change into [ā], [â/å/o], [ȯ/ȫ/e], [i], respectively. In the Karlani dialects of Waziristan, Bannu, and Tani (southern Khost), which follow the vowel shift to the greatest extent, these four vowels normally change into [ā], [o], [e], [i], respectively.
The nine phonemes represented in the column headings below show key phonetic differences between the dialects. Five of them are consonants written in the Pashto alphabet, and four are vowels written in the Latin script; sounds are transcribed in the IPA:
| Dialects | Subdialects | Location | ښ | ږ | څ | ځ | ژ | a | ā | o | u |
| Abdali | Abdali | Southern and western Afghanistan, including Kandahar | [ʂ] | [ʐ] | [t͡s] | [d͡z] | [ʒ] | [a] | [ɑ] | [o] | [u] |
| Kākaṛ | Kākaṛ | Northern Balochistan | [ʃ] | [ʒ] | [t͡s] | [d͡z] | [ʒ, z] | [a] | [ɑ] | [o] | [u] |
| Shirani | Shirani | Shirani and Darazinda | [ʃ] | [ʒ] | [t͡s, s] | [d͡z, z] | [z] | [a] | [ɑ] | [o] | [u] |
| Marwat-Beṭani-Ganḍāpur | Marwat-Beṭani-Ganḍāpur | Lakki Marwat, Jandola, Tank, and Dera Ismail Khan | [ʃ] | [ʒ] | [t͡ʃ] | [d͡ʒ] | [z] | [a] | [ɑ] | [o] | [u] |
| Tareeno | Haranai | Harnai and Sanjawi | [ʃ] | [ʒ] | [t͡s, s, t͡ʃ] | [d͡z, z, d͡ʒ] | [z] | [a] | [ɑ] | [o] | [u] |
| Tareeno | Choter | Harnai and Sanjawi | [ʃ] | [ʒ] | [t͡s, s, t͡ʃ] | [d͡z, z, d͡ʒ] | [z] | [a] | [ɑ] | [o] | [u] |
| Khattak | General | Karak District and eastern Kohat | [ʃ] | [ʒ] | [t͡s, s] | [d͡z, z] | [ʒ] | [ɑ] | [ɔ] | [o] | [u] |
| Khattak | Teri | Karak District and eastern Kohat | [ʃ] | [ʒ] | [t͡s, s] | [d͡z, z] | [ʒ] | [ɑ] | [ɔ] | [o] | [u] |
| Khattak | Nasrati | Karak District and eastern Kohat | [ʃ] | [ʒ] | [t͡s, s] | [d͡z, z] | [ʒ] | [ɑ] | [ɔ] | [o] | [u] |
| Baniswola | Baniswola | Bannu, Mir Ali, Baka Khel, Jani Khel | [ʃ] | [ʒ] | [s] | [z] | [ʒ] | [ɑ] | [ɔ] | [ɛː] | [i] |
| Dawarwola | Dawarwola | Tochi in North Waziristan | [ʃ] | [ʒ] | [t͡s, s] | [d͡z, z] | [ʒ] | [ɑ] | [o] | [e] | [i] |
| Wazirwola | Southern(Ahmadzai) | From Janimela, South Waziristan to Shuidar Ghar (south of Razmak) | [ʃ] | [ʒ] | [t͡ʃ] | [d͡ʒ] | [ʒ] | [ɑ] | [ɒ] | [œː, ɛː] | [i] |
| Wazirwola | Masidwola | South Waziristan | [ʃ] | [ʒ] | [t͡ʃ] | [d͡ʒ] | [ʒ] | [ɑ] | [ɒ] | [œː, ɛː] | [i] |
| Wazirwola | Northern(Utmanzai) | North Waziristan, Khaisora Valley, Razmak, Dossali, Datta Khel, Spin Wam, Shawal | [ʃ] | [ʒ] | [t͡s, s] | [d͡z, z] | [ʒ] | [ɑ] | [ɔ] | [œː, ɛː] | [i] |
| Taṇi | | Tani, Gurbuz, and Mandozayi, in southern Khost | [x] | [ɡ] | [t͡s, s] | [d͡z, z] | [ʒ] | [ɑ] | [o] | [e] | [i] |
| Khosti | | Central and northern Khost | [x] | [ɡ] | [t͡s, s] | [d͡z, z] | [ʒ] | [ɑ] | [ɒ] | [ɵ] | [u] |
| Dzādroṇ | | The Zadran Arc in southern Paktia, northeastern Paktika, and southwestern Khost | [ç] | [ʝ] | [t͡s] | [d͡z] | [ʒ] | [ɑ] | [o] | [o, e] | [u, i] |
| Bangash-Orakzai-Turi-Zazi-Mangal | | Kurram, eastern Paktia, northeastern Khost, Orakzai, Hangu, and northwestern Kohat | [x] | [ɡ] | [t͡s, s] | [d͡z, z] | [ʒ] | [ɑ] | [ɔ] | [o] | [u] |
| Apridi | Kambar Khel | Central and southern Khyber and Darra Adamkhel | [x] | [ɡ] | [t͡s, s] | [d͡z, z] | [ʒ, d͡ʒ] | [ɑ] | [ɔ] | [ɵ] | [u, i] |
| Apridi | Zakha Khel | Central and southern Khyber and Darra Adamkhel | [x] | [ɡ] | [t͡s, s] | [d͡z, z] | [ʒ, d͡ʒ] | [ɑ] | [ɔ] | [ɵ] | [u, i] |
| Khogyani | | Khogyani, Sherzad, and Pachir aw Agam, in southwestern Nangarhar | [x] | [ɡ] | [t͡s, s] | [d͡z, z] | [ʒ] | [ɑ] | [ɒ] | [ɵ] | [u] |
| Wardag | | Chaki Wardak, Saydabad, Jaghatu, and Jilga, in central and southern Maidan Wardak | [ç] | [ʝ] | [t͡s] | [d͡z] | [ʒ, z] | [ɑ] | [ɒ] | [o] | [u] |
| Central Ghilzai | | Central Ghilji region (Sharana, Qalat, southern Ghazni, etc.) | [ç] | [ʝ] | [t͡s, s] | [d͡z, z] | [ʒ, z] | [a] | [ɑ] | [o] | [u] |
| Momand and Shinwari | Upper Momand and Shinwari | Nangrahar province | [x] | [ɡ] | [t͡s, s] | [d͡z, z] | [ʒ] | [a] | [ɑ] | [o] | [u] |
| Momand and Shinwari | Lower Momand (Ghoryakhel) | Peshawar, Mohmand Districy | [x] | [ɡ] | [s] | [z] | [d͡ʒ] | [a] | [ɑ] | [o] | [u] |
| Yusapzai | Swat | Central, northern, and eastern Pakhtunkhwa (Dir, Swat, Swabi, Hazara etc.) | [x] | [ɡ] | [s] | [z] | [d͡ʒ] | [a] | [ɑ] | [o] | [u] |
| Yusapzai | Mardan | Central, northern, and eastern Pakhtunkhwa (Dir, Swat, Swabi, Hazara etc.) | [x] | [ɡ] | [s] | [z] | [d͡ʒ] | [a] | [ɑ] | [o] | [u] |
* Dialects belonging to the southern non-Karlani variety, the southern Karlani variety, the northern Karlani variety, and the northern non-Karlani variety, respectively, are color-coded.
* Tareeno/Wanetsi is color-coded as pink

### Grammar

The grammatical rules are may vary slightly in dialects; with the most divergence in Tarīno. Example:
| Dialect | Dialect Sentence | Literary Pashto | Meaning | Divergence Noted |
| Kandahar | پلوشه راغلل Palwašá rā́ğləl | پلوشه راغله Palwašá rā́ğla | Palwasha came | 3rd Person Plural Verbal suffix ل [əl] employed instead of 3rd Person Feminine Verbal Suffix ه [a] |
| Nangarhar | ما او تا ښار ته ځو mā aw tā xār tə zú | زه او ته ښار ته ځو zə aw tə x̌ār tə dzú | Me and you are going to the city | Oblique pronouns ما [mā] and تا [tā] used instead of direct pronouns زه [zə] and ته [tə] |
| Dzādzə́i | پلوشه زما خور دی Palwašá zmā xor de | پلوشه زما خور ده Palwašá zmā xor da | Palwasha is my sister | No differentiation in masculine and feminine "to be" - uses دی |
| Ghani Paktya | هلکان راغلو haləkā́n rā́ğlu | هلکان راغل haləkā́n rā́ğləl | The boys came | The third person plural verbal suffix "u" used instead of "əl" |

### Lexemes
#### Special words

Dialects can also have special vocabulary:
| | Dialect | Meaning | Pashto general</general> | Borrowings |
| ديګول ḍigwә́l | Banisi | nest | جاله / ځاله dzā́la / jā́la | Not used |
| دوګول ḍugwә́l | Marwat | nest | جاله / ځاله dzā́la / jā́la | Not used |
| رېبون rebū́n | Waṇetsi | shirt | خت xat | کميس kamís [from Arabic] |
| کليس kə́līs | Waṇetsi | intellect | | ذهن/عقل zehn/akə́l [from Arabic] |
| پينۍ pinə́i | Kakāṛi | universe | ټوپن ṭopán | جهان jahā́n [from Persian] |
Example:
ما دې دا خبرې ته کليس نه رسېژ
mā
me:1:SG:STR:POSS
de
de:CONT:PARTICLE
dā
this:DEM
xabə́re
word:F:SG:OBL
tə
to:POST
kə́līs
intellect:M:SG:DIR
nə́
not:NEG
raséž
reach:CONT:PRS:3:SG
mā de dā xabə́re tə kə́līs nə́ raséž
me:1:SG:STR:POSS de:CONT:PARTICLE this:DEM word:F:SG:OBL to:POST intellect:M:SG:DIR not:NEG reach:CONT:PRS:3:SG
This topic is beyond my understanding
Compare:
زما دغه خبرې ته ذهن/عقل نه رسېږي
zmā
me:1:SG:STR:POSS
dáğe
this:DEM:OBL
xabə́re
word:F:SG:OBL
tə
to:POST
zehn/akə́l
intellect:M:SG:DIR
nə́
not:NEG
raséži
reach:CONT:PRS:3
zmā dáğe xabə́re tə zehn/akə́l nə́ raséži
me:1:SG:STR:POSS this:DEM:OBL word:F:SG:OBL to:POST intellect:M:SG:DIR not:NEG reach:CONT:PRS:3
This topic is beyond my understanding

#### Derivative words

These can be classed as deriving from "standard" Pashto
| | Dialect | Derived From | Pashto general | Meaning |
| وېړکی wéṛkay | Wazirwola | ووړکی wóṛkay | هلک halə́k | boy |
| ږغ ʐağ | Kandahar | غږ ğaǵ | غږ ğaǵ | sound, voice, call |
| باچخه bāčə́xa | some Yusapzai | باچا bāčā́ | ملکه maláka | queen |
| يره yára | Yusapazai | وېره wéra | وېره wéra | fear |

## Lexical comparison

| English gloss | Kandahar | Quetta | Harnai | Lakki Marwat | Karak | Bannu Miramshah | Wana | Tani | Parachinar Bangash | Jamrud | Kaga Khogyani | Chaki Wardak | Sharana | Kabul | Peshawar | Pashto lexeme |
| Pashto | Paṣ̌to | Pašto | Pašto | Pašto | Pāštȫ | Pāšte | Pāšte | Pāxte | Pāxtȯ | Pāxtȫ | Pāxtȯ | Pāx̌tȯ | Pax̌to | Puxto | Puxto | پښتو |
| four | tsalor | tsalor | tsalor | čalor | tsālȫr | sāler | tsālwer | tsāler | tsālȯr | tsālwȫr | tsālȯr | tsālȯr | tsalor | tsalor | salor | څلور |
| six | špaẓ̌ | špaž | špož | špaž | špež | špež | špež | špeg | špeg | špeg | špeg | špeǵ | špaǵ | špag | špag | شپږ |
| woman | ṣ̌ədza | šədza | šədza | šəǰa | šədzā | šəzā | šədzā | xədzā | x̌ədzā | xədzā | x̌ədzā | x̌ədzā | x̌ədza | xədza | xəza | ښځه |
| father | plār | plār | pyār | plār | plår | plor | plor | plor | plâr | plår | plâr | plâr | plār | plār | plār | پلار |
| many | ḍer zyāt | ḍer zyāt | tsaṭ | ḍer zyāt | ḍer zyåt | pirā zyot | rəṭ zyot | rəṭ zyot | ḍer zyât | ḍer zyåt | ḍer zyât | ḍer zyât | ḍer zyāt | ḍer zyāt | ḍer zyāt | ډېر زيات |
| few | ləẓ̌ | ləž | ləž | ləž | ləž | ləški | ləški | ləg | ləg | ləg | ləg | ləǵ | ləǵ | ləg | ləg | لږ |
| how | tsənga | tsənga | tsona | čərang | tsərāng | sərāng | tsərāng | tsərge | tsəngā | tsərāng | tsəngā | tsəngā | tsənga | tsənga | singa | څنګه |
| who | tsok | tsok | čok | čok | tsȫk | sek | tsek | tsek | tsȯk | tsȫk | tsȯk | tsȯk | tsok | tsok | sok | څوک |
| to drink | čṣ̌əl | čšəl | ğwətang | čšəl | tshi | čšəl | čšəl | tsəxəl | tsəxəl | tsəxəl | tsəxəl | čx̌əl | čx̌əl | tskəl | skəl | څښل |
| foot | pṣ̌a | pša | špa, ğədəi | pša | pšā | pšā | pšā | pxā | pxā | pxā | pxā | px̌ā | px̌a | pxa | xpa | پښه |
| we | muẓ̌ | muž | moš | muž | muž | miž | miž | mig | mu | mu | mu | muǵ | muǵ | mung | mung | موږ |
| my | zmā | zmā | mā eğē | emā | emå | emo | emo | emo | emâ | emå | emâ | emâ | zmā | zəmā | zamā | زما |
| your | stā | stā | tāğa | etā | etå | eto | eto | eto | etâ | etå | etâ | etâ | stā | stā | stā | ستا |
| girl | nǰiləi | nǰiləi | čwara | ǰinkəi | wȫṛkəi | weṛkye | weṛkye | weṛkye | wȯṛkəi | wȫṛkye | wȯṛkəi | wȯṛkəi | ǰiləi | ǰinəi | ǰinē | نجلۍ |
| boy | halək | halək | čorá | kṛāčay | wȫṛkāi | weṛkā | weṛkāi | weṛkāi | wȯṛkāi | wȫṛkāi | wȯṛkāi | wȯṛkāi | halək | halək | halək | هلک |
| Sun | lmar | lmar | mir | nmar | merə stərgā | myēr | ğormə stərgā | myerə stərgā | merə stərgā | merə stərgā | lmerə stərgā | lmer | lmar | nmar | nwar | لمر |
| egg | hagəi | hagəi | hoya | angəi | wȫyā | yeyā | yeyā | yeyā | ȯyā | wȫyā | ȯyā | ȯyā | hagəi | hagəi, hā | hagē, hā | هګۍ |
| yes/no | wo/ya | wo/na | wo/na | ya/na | wȫ | ē/nā | ē/nā | yē/nā | wȯ/nā | ē/nā | wȯ/nā | wȯ/nā | wo/na | wo/na | ao/na | هو\نه |
| home | kor | kor | kor | kor | kȫr | kēr | ker | ker | kȯr | kȫlə | kȯr | kȯr | kor | kor | kor | کور |
| I am | yəm | yəm | ī | yəm | yəm | yə | yə | yə | yəm | yəm | yəm | yəm | yəm | yəm | yəm | یم |
| I go | dzəm | dzəm | dramī | ǰəm | tsəm | sə | tsə | tsə | tsəm | tsəm | tsəm | tsəm | dzəm | dzəm | zəm | ځم |
| tongue | žəba | zəba | zbə | zəba | žəbā | žəbā | žəbā | žəbā | žəbā | ǰəbā | žəbā | zəbā | zəba | žəba | ǰəba | ژبه |
| it exists | sta | sta | sta | sta | štā | štā | štā | štā | štā | štā | štā | štā | sta | šta | šta | شته |
| bear | yiẓ̌ | yiž | yiržá | yiž | yiž | yiž | yiž | yig | yig | yig | yig | yiǵ | yiǵ | yig | yig | ايږ |
| ant | meẓ̌ay | mežay | merža | mežay | mežāi | mežāi | mežāi | megāi | megāi | megāi | megāi | məǵātāi | meǵay | megay | megē | مېږی |
| English gloss | Kandahar | Quetta | Harnai | Lakki Marwat | Karak | Bannu | Wana | Tani | Parachinar | Jamrud | Kaga | Chaki Wardak | Sharana | Kabul | Peshawar | Pashto lexeme |
In general, the Karlani dialects, both in southern and northern varieties, show more vocabulary differences than the non-Karlani southern and northern dialects.