psi ISO 639
پَشَي (Pashai) Autonyms
Pashai, Southeast
Visualizations
A language of Afghanistan
- ISO 639
- psi
- Alternate Names
- Pashai, Southeast Pashayi
- Autonym
- پَشَي (Pashai)
- 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
- Afghanistan
- 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.
- Writing
- Arabic script, Naskh variant [Arab], used in print. Arabic script, Nastaliq variant [Aran], used in handwriting and for book titles.
- Other Comments
- Muslim.
- Language Resources
- OLAC resources in and about Pashai, Southeast
