Languages
Pashto and Dari are both the official languages of Afghanistan, although Dari serves as the lingua franca for the majority. People in the northern and central areas of the country usually speak Persian, while those living in the south and east speak Pashto. Afghans living in the western regions of Afghanistan speak both Persian and Pashto. Most citizens are fluent in both languages, especially those living in major cities where the population is multi-ethnic. Several other languages are spoken in their own regions, which includes Uzbek, Turkmen and Balochi. Large percent of Afghans, particularly the Pashtuns and Hazaras, learned Urdu while living in Pakistan since 1979 and due to having connection to that country. There are some Afghans who can speak Russian, mainly among the northern Tajik, Uzbek and Turkmen groups. English is understood by small percent of the population although it is growing. A more smaller number may understand other Western languages such as German and French.
Read more about this topic: Culture Of Afghanistan
Famous quotes containing the word languages:
“No doubt, to a man of sense, travel offers advantages. As many languages as he has, as many friends, as many arts and trades, so many times is he a man. A foreign country is a point of comparison, wherefrom to judge his own.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“People in places many of us never heard of, whose names we can’t pronounce or even spell, are speaking up for themselves. They speak in languages we once classified as “exotic” but whose mastery is now essential for our diplomats and businessmen. But what they say is very much the same the world over. They want a decent standard of living. They want human dignity and a voice in their own futures. They want their children to grow up strong and healthy and free.”
—Hubert H. Humphrey (1911–1978)
“The less sophisticated of my forbears avoided foreigners at all costs, for the very good reason that, in their circles, speaking in tongues was commonly a prelude to snake handling. The more tolerant among us regarded foreign languages as a kind of speech impediment that could be overcome by willpower.”
—Barbara Ehrenreich (b. 1941)