uzs ISO 639
ﯣزبېک (o’zbek) Autonyms
Uzbek, Southern
Visualizations
A language of Afghanistan
- ISO 639
- uzs
- Alternate Names
- O’zbek, Usbeki, Uzbak, Uzbeki
- Autonym
- ﯣزبېک (o’zbek)
- Population
- 3,660,000 in Afghanistan, all users. L1 users: 3,120,000 in Afghanistan (2017 J. Leclerc), increasing. L2 users: 540,000 (2021 World Factbook). 1,000,000 monolinguals (2010). Total users in all countries: 3,933,100 (as L1: 3,393,100; as L2: 540,000).
- Location
- Badghis, Baghlan, Balkh, Faryab, Ghor, Jawzjan, Kunduz, Samangan, and Takhar provinces; Aqcha, Maimana, Saripul, and Sheberghan towns.
- Language Maps
- Afghanistan
- Language Status
- 2 (Provincial). Statutory language of provincial identity in Fariab, Jawzjan, Saripul, other northern provinces (2004, Constitution, Article 16(2)).
- Classification
- Turkic, Eastern
- Dialects
- None known. Somewhat intelligible of, but differences in grammar from, Northern Uzbek [uzn]. Many loan words from Dari [prs]. A member of macrolanguage Uzbek [uzb].
- Typology
- SOV; postpositions; noun head final; content q-word final; one prefix in words borrowed from Dari [prs], many suffixes (agglutinative); verbal affixation marks of person and number for subject and object; verb tense and aspect marked by suffixes; nontonal; no vowel harmony (unlike some other, closely-related Turkic languages).
- Language Use
- Vigorous. All domains. Used by all. Positive attitudes. Many also use Dari [prs], especially in urban areas. Also use Southern Pashto [pbt]. Used as L2 by Turkmen [tuk].
- Language Development
- Literacy rate in L1: 1%. Literacy rate in L2: 20% in Dari [prs]. L1 literacy in larger towns increasing among younger population. Taught as subject in some primary schools in grades 1–3, but without much success. The Afghanistan Ministry of Education has produced Southern Uzbek textbooks through twelfth grade. No use of these materials reported. Literature. Newspapers. Periodicals. TV. Videos. Dictionary. Grammar. Texts. Bible portions: 2004–2006.
- 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 Uzbek, Southern
Also Spoken in
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of Azerbaijan
Language Name
Uzbek, Southern
User Population
1,900 in Azerbaijan (Leclerc 2017b).
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. Refugees from Afghanistan. Muslim. View other languages of Pakistan
Language Name
Uzbek, Southern
User Population
267,000 in Pakistan (2022 Joshua Project).
- Location
- Hatay, Gaziantep, and Sanliurfa provinces.
- Language Status
- 5 (Dispersed)
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. Refugees from Afghanistan; now Turkish citizens. Distinct from Northern Uzbek [uzn] of Uzbekistan and China. Muslim. View other languages of Turkey
Language Name
Uzbek, Southern
User Population
4,200 in Turkey (2019).
