The Taliban-run Academy of Sciences has announced the completion of a revised version of the Pashayi language alphabet, stating that the updated script has been developed and published following a comprehensive scientific review, with changes to both the number and structure of its letters.
In a statement released on Wednesday, July22, the academy said the revision process was undertaken to standardize and harmonize the writing system of the Pashayi language. According to the statement, the new version has been prepared in accordance with scientific and linguistic standards.
Under the revised alphabet, the number of letters has increased from 47 to 52. Several new letters and symbols have been added, while the character “ڵ” has been introduced as one of the distinctive letters of the Pashayi language.
The updated script also incorporates a number of new phonetic and diacritical markers. The Academy of Sciences said these changes are intended to improve the accuracy of written Pashayi and promote greater consistency in its orthography.
The Pashayi alphabet was first developed and published in 1988 by the Institute of Dari Language and Literature, then affiliated with the Academy of Sciences of Afghanistan. That version has served as the standard writing system for Pashayi in education and written communication over the past several decades.
In its statement, the Taliban-run Academy of Sciences described Pashayi as one of the ancient languages of the Aryan language family and an important part of Afghanistan’s cultural and linguistic heritage. There is no precise estimate of the number of Pashayi speakers, but previous assessments suggest that most live in the provinces of Nangarhar, Laghman, Kunar, Nuristan, Kapisa, Parwan, and parts of Kabul, with the population estimated at around 500,000.
Writer:Salima Aryaei
