Dari
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A language of Afghanistan
28,660,000 in Afghanistan, all users. L1 users: 8,660,000 in Afghanistan (2017 J. Leclerc), increasing. L2 users: 20,000,000 (2020). Total users in all countries: 29,452,210 (as L1: 9,452,210; as L2: 20,000,000).
Widespread.
1 (National). Statutory national language (2004, Constitution, Article 16(1)).
Tangshew (Tangshuri), Darwazi. Mutually intelligible with Iranian Persian [pes] and Tajiki [tgk]. Radio Afghanistan broadcasts promote a standardized pronunciation of the literary language based on the old dictional tradition of the country, with archaic phonetic characteristics. Phonological and lexical differences between Iran and Afghanistan cause little difficulty in comprehension. Most Afghan dialects are reportedly more similar to literary Persian than Iranian dialects are. Lexical similarity: 86%–90% among Dari dialects. A member of macrolanguage Persian [fas].
SOV; no articles; verb affixes mark person, number; tense and aspect; causatives; 23 consonants, 7 vowels, 2 diphthongs.
All domains. Used by all. Positive attitudes.
Literacy rate in L1: 28%. Taught in all primary and secondary schools in predominantly Dari-speaking regions; taught as subject in primary schools in some other regions. Literature. Newspapers. Periodicals. Radio. TV. Videos. Dictionary. Grammar. Texts. Bible: 2008.
Muslim.