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Linguistic affiliation

Dialects

Areas and dialects

There are three main dialects: The North Eastern around Peshawar and Eastern Afghanistan where people call themselves Pukhtuns. The Southern dialect of Queta and Kandahar where the sound 'kh' changes to 'sh' and the people call themselves Pashtuns. Kandahari and nearby Pukhtun's dialect is called soft Pakhtu.The same dialect can be heard in some parts of NWFP and Baluchistan (Pakistan).

The major dialect divisions themselves have numerous variants from region to region. However, Pukhtuns readily understands various dialects. There are very few organizations working for the promotion of Pukhto as language but as a code of Pukhtun culture and life it is being promoted by every true Pukhtun. Individually, many Pukhtuns are trying their best to promote Pukhto language and culture knowingly or unknowingly.