Pashai, Southeast

Print

Primary tabs

A language of Afghanistan

ISO 639-3
psi
Alternate Names
Pashai, Southeast Pashayi
User Population

180,000 (2011 Pashai Language Development Project), increasing. 75,000 Laghman, 95,000 Nangarhar, 10,000 Kunar. Total Pashai speakers in Afghanistan: 366,000 (2020 World Factbook). 100,000 monolinguals. Ethnic population: 400,000.

Location

Nangarhar province: north of Shewa; Laghman province; Alingar valley area; Upper and Lower Darrai Nur valley, Damench, Shale (Shari).

Language Maps
Language Status

5 (Developing). Statutory language of provincial identity in Nangahar, Laghman provinces (2004, Constitution, Article 16(2)).

Classification
Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan, Outer Languages, Northwestern, Dardic, Pashai
Dialects

None known. Somewhat intelligible of Southwest Pashai [psh]; hardly intelligible of Northeast Pashai [aee] and Northwest Pashai [glh]. Lexical similarity: about 30% with Southwest Pashai [psh], Northeast Pashai [aee], and Northwest Pashai [psh].

Typology

SOV.

Language Use

Vigorous. Home, market, all informal settings. Used by all. Positive attitudes. Also use Northern Pashto [pbu]. Also use Southern Pashto [pbt].

Language Development

Literacy rate in L2: Less than 20%. Many books for early readers have been produced by the Pashai people as part of their literacy program. The Afghanistan Ministry of Education has produced Southeast Pashai language textbooks for first through twelfth grades. But as of November 2021, these books had not yet been distributed to schools. Radio. Dictionary. Texts.

Language Resources
OLAC resources in and about Pashai, Southeast
Writing

Arabic script, Naskh variant [Arab], used in print. Arabic script, Nastaliq variant [Aran], used in handwriting and for book titles.

Other Comments

Muslim.