LANG-228

Origin of Pashto Language and Phases of Literary Development

Asad Ullah Khan (19110106)

Zaheer Wazir (18020482)
Huzaifa Nasir (21110024)
Muarij Mahmood Ramay (19110328)

Abstract:

The debate on Pashto language with reference to its historical origins and evolution has
for centuries been a contentious issue. Many scholars and philologists have tried to explore the
roots of this language but due to no hard evidence (Written material) have only come up with
tentative hypothesis. This article will aim to explore the historical roots of Pashto Language as
an important language of South Asia and also will delve into its literary development, step
wise, during different phases.

Introduction:

Pashto stands as the official language of Afghanistan along with another language, Dari.
The majority of the people of Afghanistan are Pashto speaking with a total population of 42%.
Other languages make up the remainder with Tajiks accounting for 27%, Hazaras (9%),
Uzbeks, Aimaqs etc.

Pashto is also spoken in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan and has the status
of a regional language. About 20% of the Pakistani population are Pashto speakers.

Pashto Language has two main dialects which is due to the difference in socio-
cultural/economic factors and relations between different residing communities. The two main
dialects are the ‘Qandahari’ dialect and the ‘Yousafzai’ dialect. Qandahari dialect is also called
as the ‘Khattak’ dialect or Southern dialect because it is spoken in the southern part of province
“Khyber Pakhtunkhwa”. This dialect is also spoken in parts of Balochistan and Southern
Afghanistan. The second dialect is the ‘Yousafzai’ dialect or the ‘Peshawari’ dialect which is
spoken in the northern parts of province ‘Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’. The main difference between
the two competing dialects is that of the vocal voice of ‘Kh” and “Sh”.

Within the ‘Northern’ or ‘Yousafzai’ dialect there are other sub-dialects, too, which are
based on differences in speech between difference residing ethnicities. Some of the sub-dialects
are ‘Kohat’ dialect, ‘Shinwari’ dialect, ‘Mohmand’ dialect etc.

Origin of the Pashto Language:

The word ‘Pashto’ is used with reference to the ‘Pathan’ tribe residing in Parts of
Afghanistan and Pakistan. It is derived from the word ‘Pakht’ or ‘Bakht’, which are the name
of the nations which were referred to in the Hindu religious canonical texts, Rigveda and Osta
respectively. A Greek historian, named Herodotus, discussed ‘Pakht’ nation as a separate
distinct nation residing on the coast of the Indus River in the year 520 B.C. The word ‘Pakht’
or ‘Bakht’ then adopted many forms but most of the contemporary historians and philologists
have agreed to term the language as “Pashto” or “Pakhto”.

‘Abdul Hai Habibi’ was a historian of Pashto language who was born in 1910. He is
said to have discovered the famous Pashto book, ‘Pata Khazana’ (Hidden Treasure) in the year
1944. This was an important book in the literary history of the language and contained
biographies of various Pashto poets. This book was originally written by a poet ‘Hussain
Hotak’ of the ‘Hotak’ dynasty in the year 1729. This book was then later on published in Kabul,
by the Pashto academy of Afghanistan. Another discovery that Abdul Hai Habibi made was
that of the seven-pages book ‘Tazkirat Ul Awliya’ which was originally written by Suleiman
Mako.

The origin of Pashto language has always been a contentious issue inviting a lot of
debate. It is still a tentative and competing subject since we do not have any authentic
documentary evidence pertaining to its origins and also because different philologists and
historians hold competing theories regarding it. Two main schools of thought exist, that discuss
its historical roots. One is the ‘Semitic Theory’ and the other is the ‘Indo-Aryan Theory’. These
theories are discussed in detail below;

Semitic Theory:
 This theory was first put forward in the book ‘Makhzan-i-Afghani’ written by Nimat
Allah al-harawi in the year 1926. This book links the Pathans to the Prophet Abraham (AS)
and King Saul of Israel. It is written that King Saul, who was the first king of Israel/Palestine
territory in the year 1092 B.C, had a son named ‘Jeremiah’. Jeremiah, in turn, had a son named
‘Afghana’ and the book attempts to connect the link between the ‘Pathans’ and Jeremiah’s son,
Afghana.

The Semitic theory basically links the ‘Pathans’ to the Israeli tribe and states that the
‘Pathans’ are basically the missing tenth Israeli tribe. One of the supporting arguments for this
theory is stated in the ‘Makhzan-i-Afghani’ book as mentioned above. Another argument in
support of this theory is the similarities in the physical appearance of the Jewish and Pathan
tribes, especially the curved nose of many Afghans. Also, scholars argue in support of this
theory due to similarities in the supposed geographical location between the Jewish and Pathan
tribes, traditional and cultural resemblances as well as oral traditions and legends passed on
from one generation to another. However, these are largely unreliable facts that must not be
taken at face value.

The other argument in support of this theory is presented in the form of similarities
between the Semitic and Pashto language. Sir William Jones (1807) and George Moore (1861)
endorsed this view and discussed the influence of Semitic language and expression on the
Pashto Language. Some scholars due to the presence of Semitic words and expressions in
Pashto language considered it to be its child language. In this regard, Khan Roshan Khan, a
celebrated historian of Pashto Language wrote a book called ‘Afghano ki Nasli Tareekh’ in the
year 1981, where he considered Pashto and Semitic Language as being ‘organs of one body’.

Critics of this theory have largely rejected all these supporting arguments due to its oral
nature and inconclusive evidence. They claim that there is absence of hard and concrete
evidence with regards to this theory and nothing can be concluded based on the arguments
stated above. Sir Percy Sykes, a critic of this theory, states that it is a common Muslim practice
to ascribe lineage back to the Holy Prophet (PBUH) or any other individual mentioned in the
Holy Quran. He considers this theory as purely of literary origin, only. This theory was also
criticized for its claim of the Pathans linked to King Saul, due to the presence of Pashto
language even before that in the Hindu Holy text, ‘Rigveda’. Sir Percy Spykes also rejected
the argument of similarities in physical appearance and stated that such like similarities are
found in many different races of Europe too, and from a purely scientific lens, connecting two
tribes based on similarities in physical appearances is naïve and wrong. In the words of another
critic ‘Sir Syed Bahadur Shah Zafar Kakakhel’, a celebrated historian and linguist of Province
‘Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’ (Pakistan), “There is no solid proof to accept this theory (Semitic),
even in Arabian history or in Islamic history” (1981).

In contemporary times, most of the linguists and scholars of language have agreed on
the Indo-Aryan theory which classifies Pashto as a branch language of the Indo-Aryan group
who migrated from Europe to the subcontinent and settled in modern-day ‘India’ and ‘Iran’.

Indo-Aryan Theory:

This theory was put forward with the arrival of British in the subcontinent. The whites,
owing to their political and materialistic ends started to take interest in this language and after
extensive exploration came to the view that the lineage of Pathans can basically be ascribed to
the Aryan race and that Pashto Language was basically a derivation of ‘Sanskrit’ which was
associated with the Aryan race.

The first researcher to put forward this theory was ‘Julius Heinrich Klaproth’ who
considered Pashto as an Aryan language and refuted the presence of Semitic expressions,
grammar and syntax on Pashto Language. Another notable scholar, Bellew, in the year 1986
considered Pashto as a dialect of the ‘Sanskrit’ language which was originally spoken by the
Aryans in the subcontinent. This language then was influenced by the Persian language as well
due to the continuous contact of the Indian tribes with the Iranian tribes. Bellew considered
Pashto as an Indo-Persian language having influence of both the Sanskrit and Persian language.

The Aryans came to the subcontinent (Indo-Aryan group) in the year between 1800-
1600 BC. These were an off shoot of the Iranian group who were settled in the area which is
now South Asia and Iran. Scholars tend to have debate on whether Pashto was originally a
language of the Indo-Aryan group or the Iranian group. However, most of them agree on the
approach that Pashto was and is in fact a branch language of the Aryan group who settled in
the subcontinent. Ravert, a notable language scholar in the year 1860 argued that Pashto was
derived from Sanskrit language. Another scholar ‘Caroe’ in the year 1958 stated that
considering the geographical locations and surveys, it can be anticipated that Pashto language
was between the Iranian and Indian worlds, possessing significant similarities of both of both
the languages.

Abdul Hai Habibi, a celebrated researcher and historian of Pashto language also speaks
in support of the Aryan theory and states that Arik was the language spoken by the Aryan race
in the subcontinent. ‘Sanskrit’ was another language spoken by them and Pashto has relatively
greater similarity with ‘Sanskrit’. He also states that there are words in Pashto language that
are derived from ‘Sanskrit’. Syed Bahadur Shah Zafar Kakakhel, a renowned historian and
researcher of ‘Pashto’ language, spent more than fifty years investigating the origins of Pashto
language and states that at the time of the Aryans existence, Arik language was spoken in the
subcontinent which was very much similar to the Pashto language. When the Aryans spread in
different parts of the world, differences came in the original language and many different
versions of the Arik language came into existence. Kakakhel argues in 1981 that Pashto is
originally an Aryan language and belongs to the Indo-European Aryan languages.

Thus, from the research and discussion mentioned above, it can be concluded that
Pashto Language does not belong to the ‘Semitic’ group rather it can be linked to the Aryan
group of languages and has influence of ‘Sanskrit’, ‘Persian’ and ‘Arabic’ languages on it.

Evolution of Pashto Language from the Lens of the ‘Aryan Theory’:

The Aryan theory of Pashto language evolution states that the progression of Pashto
has actually happened in successive formative periods. Ancient assortments of the language
have been found in the Avesta. Masica, a notable scholar in the year 1991, dates Avestan to
the Sasanian times from the third to seventh century. Morgenstierne (1927), a Norwegian
scholar of the Indo-Iranian family, acknowledges this hypothesis and states that the genuine
inception of Pashto is in Saki.

Kakakhel and Abdul Hai Habibi (2003) affirmed that an Aryan clan had arrived and
begun living in the region of Balghan. They had sub-partitioned into ten clans because of
quarrels among one another. The most prominent one was that of the Pashtoon, derived from
"Pakht" into "Pakhtoon". At a later stage, a couple of the clans settled in Iran and spoke Persian,
while others settled in Hind, the territory where Sanskrit was spoken. According to him,
‘Pashto’ was a Bactrian language.

Also, Rajwali Shah Khatak researched the starting point of Aryan. As per him Pashto
has a place with a similar group of Osta and Sanskrit. Moreover, along the same lines as Abdul
Hai Habibi, he dates back Pashto culture to be roughly 5,000 years of age (Shah Khattak 1989).
Then again, Clyde Winters expresses that the Aryans did not touch foot in India until 1600
B.C. assuming that the Vedic-Aryans came into contact with the Dravidians in Gujarat. For
this to happen, the Aryans must have landed in India 3,600 years back. The difference among
the experts, by all accounts, is of roughly 1,400 years. As referenced previously, Abdul Hai
Habibi, in his examination, discovers striking confirmations among Pashto and other Aryan
dialects, for example, Vedic, Sanskrit and Avesta.

Each researcher has introduced evidence in support of a specific hypothesis. In one

specific case there was a hypothesis which based the starting point of the Pathans on the Greek.
The British author, ‘Sir Olaf Caroe’ drafted a series of relative investigations titled "The
Pathans" and Khalil and Iqbal, wrote "An Analysis of the Different Theories about the Origin
of the Pashtoons". The importance of these works can't be denied. Both of these examinations
intersected on the point that the logical origin of the Aryan theory has a more sound premise.

Drafted by Caroe and Mohammad Afzal Shah Bokawee (2006), titled as, "The
Pukhtoons" are significant evidences of the origin of the Pathans. James W. Spain composed
an invaluable book titled as, "The Way of the Pathans". The Israelite hypothesis has been
denied by different scholars. Most of the researchers, because of advancement in etymology,
just as historical investigation, placed Pashto in the North East Aryan branch. However, rarely,
some scholars still attempt to demonstrate that the inception of the Pathans, just as Pashto
language, is in some way or another identified with the lost clans of Israel and in light of this
view a DNA test was carried out. The DNA test denied this hypothesis with fascinating and
interesting outcomes.

DNA Investigation:

A DNA examination by Haber was done in 2012 has had the repercussions of making
a profound misconception. The group gathered DNA tests of 8,706 Pathans and planned to
research their hereditary origins and balance the outcomes with available historical information
including population change and transfer.

From the research of credible historians and philologists, it is apparent how the people
of Afghanistan acknowledged Islam in the seventh century because of the Arab invasions. This
remained prevalent for more than 200 years; from 642 to 870 A.D. The samples used for the
investigations revealed even more weak connections and just in one individual the connection
was by all accounts strong. The examination states:

The Islamic invasion in the seventh century CE left a massive social effect on the area,
with reports of Arabs settling in Afghanistan and blending with the neighborhood populace.
Nonetheless, the genetic signal of this expansion isn't crystal clear: some Middle Eastern
lineages, for example, E1b1b1-M35 are available in Afghanistan, however the most prevalent
lineage among Arabs (J1-M267) was just found in one Afghan subject. What's more, the three
Afghans, who recognized their ethnicity as Arabs, had ancestries ‘autochthonous’ to India
(Haber M et al. 2012).

As indicated by them, the Arab invasion left no genetic signal, at least not in the Y-
chromosome, which represents somewhat under 1% of the absolute DNA content in a male
cell. This is clearly not the total hereditary substance, and therefore the examination gives off
an impression of being in logical inconsistency with the accessible historical information. By
and large, it is critical to know that 99% of the DNA substance have the capacity to make an
exact confirmation. It is of crucial significance to make reference to the Arabic clans (which
communicate in Arabic) which were not considered for this investigation. The individuals from
this clan may or may not present a dimension of important genetic substance significant to the
examination.

As a result, if the population samples were randomly chosen, the announcement

released after the examination is by all accounts in logical inconsistency with history. In any
case, the extent of DNA testing carried out for the examination may not be enough. Moreover,
the Arab invasion has been very much reported and evidenced historically.

The Pashto Script:

 The subsequent changes in the writing of Pashto incorporates a period of adjustment to
present day times and thus it got letters from other etymological frameworks. By and large, it
incorporates Persian letter sets, which halfway got derived from the Arabic letter sets. The
current script of Pashto is ‘Nastaliq’ as stated by Husain (1962) below in an order of Miangul
Abdul Wadud the leader of Swat in 1926:

I announced Pashto to be the official language of the state and adopted the Urdu script
as the style of writing. Structures and registers were set up in Pashto for use in workplaces and
courts. Both officials and the public were directed to employ simple, everyday language in all
their writings and express themselves briefly to the point; particularly avoiding extensive
welcome and adulatory expressions. Experience demonstrated that I had chosen properly:
Yusufzai Pathans of Swat think that it is convenient to direct their personal and official business
in Pashto.

The alphabet record contains forty four letters and four diacritic imprints including
some unique sounds and letters (‫ ښ‬,‫ځ‬, ‫څ‬, ‫)ږ‬. Language specialists and philologists consider (‫)ڼ‬
as digraph, this is to state, a blend of the two characters " ‫ "ړ‬and "‫"ن‬.

Pashto content displays an irrefutable Arabic impact and structure. Certain antiquated
coins, stoneware and engravings dated from different periods uncover that Pashto had been
written in different scripts, for example, ‘Kharoshti’, a script from the Gandhara culture which
used to write Gandhari, Sanskrit and Yawana languages (Hasan 2012).

The writing of Pashto, just as its content, has experienced transformative changes for
the most part of its history. Pathans like Khushal Khan Khattak, Darwaiza, Bayazid and
(According to Cooper (1989) and Rahman (1995)) ‘Pashto Tolane’, a Pashto Academy made
for the institutionalization of the language in Kabul in the mid-nineteen hundred, contributed
to this transformation.