View source for Dari

{{Short description|Variety of Persian language}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2024}}
{{Infobox language
| name             = Dari
| altname          = Afghan Persian, Eastern Persian
| nativename       = {{lang|prs|دری}}
| image            = The word Dari in Nastaliq.svg
| imagescale       = 0.45
| imagecaption     = {{transliteration|prs|Dari}} in [[Persian script|Perso-Arabic script]]<br />([[Nastaʿlīq]] style)
| pronunciation    = {{IPA|prs|d̪ɐˈɾiː|}}
| states           = [[Afghanistan]]
| region           = 
| speakers         = [[First language|L1]]: {{sigfig|15.206330|2}} million
| date             = 2024
| ref              = <ref>{{e28|prs|Dari}}</ref>
| speakers2        = [[Second language|L2]]: {{sigfig|18.214000|2}} million (2023)<ref>{{e28|prs|Dari}}</ref><br/>Total: {{sigfig|33.420330|2}} million (2023–2024)<ref>{{e28|prs|Dari}}</ref>
| speakers_label   = Speakers
| familycolor      = Indo-European
| fam2             = [[Indo-Iranian languages|Indo-Iranian]]
| fam3             = [[Iranian languages|Iranian]]
| fam4             = [[Western Iranian languages|Western Iranian]]
| fam5             = [[Southwestern Iranian languages|Southwestern Iranian]]
| fam6             = [[Persian language|Persian]]
| dialects         = {{plainlist|
* [[#Southeastern|Southeastern]]
* [[#Western|Western]]
* [[#Hazaragi|Hazaragi]]
* [[#Sistani|Sistani]]
}}{{efn|Sistani is subsumed as part of the Western varieties by Afghanistans Ministry of Education and Takhar University, but considered a distinct dialect by the Encyclopaedia Iranica.}}<ref name="Iranica dialects"/><ref name="MOE"/>
| script           = [[Persian alphabet]]
| nation           = [[Afghanistan]]
| agency           = [[Academy of Sciences of Afghanistan]]
| iso3             = prs
| glotto           = dari1249
| glottorefname    = Dari
| notice           = IPA
}}
{{Contains special characters|Perso-Arabic}}

'''Dari'''{{efn|{{IPAc-en|ˈ|d|ɑːr|i|,_|ˈ|d|ær|i}}}} ({{lang|prs|دری}}, ''Darī'', {{IPA|prs|d̪ɐˈɾiː|}}), also known as '''Farsi Dari'''<ref>{{Cite web |title=Farsi- Dari Language and Literature Master’s Program {{!}} Kabul University |url=https://ku.edu.af/index.php/en/farsi-dari-language-and-literature-master%E2%80%99s-program |access-date=2025-11-04 |website=ku.edu.af}}</ref> ({{langx|fa|فارسی دری|translit=Fārsiye Dari}}), '''Dari Persian''', '''Eastern Persian''' or '''Afghan Persian''' is the [[Variety (linguistics)|variety]] of the [[Persian language]] spoken in [[Afghanistan]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nayangEACAAJ|title=Afghan Folktales from Herat: Persian Texts in Transcription and Translation|year=2009|publisher=[[Cambria Press]] |isbn=978-1-60497-652-6}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://afghanistandl.nyu.edu/search/?q=Farsi&sort=title.sort&start=0|title=11 books|website=afghanistandl.nyu.edu|access-date=8 March 2018|archive-date=9 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180309054510/http://afghanistandl.nyu.edu/search/?q=Farsi&sort=title.sort&start=0|url-status=live}}</ref> Dari is the [[Politics of Afghanistan|Afghan government's]] official term for the Persian language;<ref name="Iranica">Lazard, G. "[http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/dari Darī&nbsp;– The New Persian Literary Language] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201124025639/https://iranicaonline.org/articles/dari |date=24 November 2020 }}", in ''[[Encyclopædia Iranica]]'', Online Edition 2006.</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://tajikam.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=13|title=Tajikam Portal – Secret documents Reveal Afghan Language Policy|website=tajikam.com|access-date=27 September 2019|archive-date=23 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200623162603/http://tajikam.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=13|url-status=live}}</ref> it is known as Afghan Persian or Eastern Persian in many Western sources.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.datadust.de/download/farsi2dari/|title=Airgram Farsi to Dari 1964 Embassy Kabul to USA|access-date=27 September 2019|archive-date=27 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190927192306/http://www.datadust.de/download/farsi2dari/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="CIA">{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2098.html?countryName=Afghanistan&countryCode=af&regionCode=sas&#af |title=Afghanistan |date=8 July 2010 |publisher=[[Central Intelligence Agency]] |website=The World Factbook |access-date=19 August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131015094344/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2098.html?countryName=Afghanistan&countryCode=af&regionCode=sas&#af |archive-date=15 October 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="www.sil.org">{{cite web |url=http://www.sil.org/iso639-3/documentation.asp?id=prs |title=Documentation for ISO 639 identifier: prs |publisher=[[SIL International]] |date=18 January 2010 |access-date=19 August 2013 |archive-date=18 September 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120918010720/http://www.sil.org/iso639-3/documentation.asp?id=prs |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://guides.library.illinois.edu/c.php?g=347570&p=2349642|title=LibGuides: Dari Language: Language History|first=International and Area Studies|last=Library|website=guides.library.illinois.edu|access-date=5 August 2021|archive-date=5 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210805172825/https://guides.library.illinois.edu/c.php?g=347570&p=2349642|url-status=live}}</ref> The decision to rename the local variety of Persian in 1964 was more political than linguistic to support an Afghan state narrative.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Green|first1=Nile|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2SbtugAACAAJ|title=Afghanistan in Ink: Literature Between Diaspora and Nation|last2=Arbabzadah|first2=Nushin|date=2013|publisher=Hurst|isbn=978-1-84904-204-8|pages=13|language=en}}</ref> Dari Persian is most closely related to [[Tajik language|Tajiki Persian]] as spoken in [[Tajikistan]] and the two share many phonological and lexical similarities. Apart from a few basics of vocabulary, there is little difference between formal written Persian of Afghanistan and [[Iran]]; the languages are mutually intelligible.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Kāboli|url=https://iranicaonline.org/articles/kaboli-colloquial-persian|url-status=live|access-date=2021-08-09|website=[[Encyclopaedia Iranica]]|language=en-US|quote=Persian in Afghanistan is generally called fārsi by Persian-speakers and pārsi in Pashto. The standard written Persian of Afghanistan has officially been called Dari since 1964; apart from a few basics of vocabulary, however (and more Indo-Persian calligraphic styles in the Perso-Arabic script), there is little difference between formal written Persian of Afghanistan and of Iran. The term "Dari" is often loosely used for the characteristic spoken Persian of Afghanistan, but is best restricted to formal spoken registers (poetry, speeches, newscasts, and other broadcast announcements).|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429160106/http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/kaboli-colloquial-persian |archive-date=29 April 2011 }}</ref> Dari is the official language for approximately 30.6 million people in Afghanistan<ref>{{e28|prs|Dari}}</ref> and it serves as the common language for inter-ethnic communication in the country.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Library |first=International and Area Studies |title=LibGuides: Dari Language: Language History |url=https://guides.library.illinois.edu/c.php?g=347570&p=2349642 |access-date=27 June 2024 |website=guides.library.illinois.edu |language=en |archive-date=5 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210805172825/https://guides.library.illinois.edu/c.php?g=347570&p=2349642 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

As defined in the [[2004 Constitution of Afghanistan]], Dari is one of the two official languages of Afghanistan; the other is [[Pashto]].<ref name="CAL">{{cite web|url=http://www.cal.org/co/afghan/alang.html|title=The Afghans&nbsp;– Language Use|access-date=24 October 2010|publisher=Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL)|location=United States|date=30 June 2002|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110504071911/http://www.cal.org/co/afghan/alang.html|archive-date=4 May 2011}}</ref> Dari is the most widely spoken language in Afghanistan and the [[first language|native language]] of approximately 25–55%<ref name="CIA" /><ref name="AFGHANISTAN v. Languages">{{cite web |url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/afghanistan-v-languages |title=Afghanistan v. Languages |quote=Persian (2) is the most spoken languages in Afghanistan. The native tongue of twenty five percent of the population ... |publisher=[[Encyclopædia Iranica]], online ed. |work=Ch. M. Kieffer |access-date=10 December 2010 |archive-date=29 April 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429162829/http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/afghanistan-v-languages |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="UCLA">{{cite web |url=http://www.lmp.ucla.edu/Profile.aspx?LangID=191&menu=004 |title=Dari |publisher=[[University of California, Los Angeles]] |work=UCLA International Institute: Center for World Languages |access-date=10 December 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605045226/http://www.lmp.ucla.edu/Profile.aspx?LangID=191&menu=004 |archive-date=5 June 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2098.html?countryName=Afghanistan&countryCode=af&regionCode=sas&#af|title=The World Factbook|date=2013-10-15|access-date=2020-01-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131015094344/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2098.html?countryName=Afghanistan&countryCode=af&regionCode=sas&#af|archive-date=15 October 2013}}</ref> of the [[demography of Afghanistan|population]].<ref name="UCLA" /> Dari serves as the [[lingua franca]] of the country and is understood by up to 78% of the population.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/afghanistan|title=South Asia :: Afghanistan – The World Factbook – Central Intelligence Agency|publisher=Central Intelligence Agency|access-date=2021-07-02|archive-date=26 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126065551/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/afghanistan/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Dari Persian served as the preferred literary and administrative language among non-native speakers, such as the Turco-Mongol peoples including the [[Mughal Empire|Mughals]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mughal world and literature |url=http://www.laits.utexas.edu/doherty/mughalworld.html |access-date=2024-06-21 |website=laits.utexas.edu}}</ref> for centuries before the rise of modern nationalism. Also, like [[Iranian Persian]] and [[Tajik language|Tajiki Persian]], Dari Persian is a continuation of [[Middle Persian]], the official religious and literary language of the [[Sasanian Empire]] (224–651 AD), itself a continuation of [[Old Persian]], the language of the [[Achaemenid Empire|Achaemenids]] (550–330 BC).<ref>Lazard, Gilbert 1975, "The Rise of the New Persian Language"</ref><ref>in Frye, R.&nbsp;N., ''The Cambridge History of Iran'', Vol. 4, pp. 595–632, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.</ref> In historical usage, ''Dari'' refers to the [[Middle Persian]] court language of the [[Sassanids]].<ref name="EI">[[Frye, R.&nbsp;N.]], "Darī", ''[[The Encyclopaedia of Islam]]'', Brill Publications, CD version</ref>

== Etymology ==
Dari is a name given to the [[Persian language#New Persian|New Persian language]] since the 10th century, widely used in [[Arabic]] (compare [[Estakhri|Al-Estakhri]], [[Al-Muqaddasi]] and [[Ibn Hawqal]]) and Persian texts.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/dari | title=DARĪ – Encyclopaedia Iranica | access-date=18 January 2012 | archive-date=24 November 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201124025639/https://iranicaonline.org/articles/dari | url-status=live }}</ref>

Since 1964, it has been the official name in Afghanistan for the Persian spoken there. In Afghanistan, Dari refers to a modern dialect form of Persian that is the [[standard language]] used in administration, government, radio, television, and print media. Because of a preponderance of Dari native speakers, who normally refer to the language as ''Farsi'' ({{lang|fa|فارسی}}, "Persian"), it is also known as "Afghan Persian" in some Western sources.<ref name="CIA" /><ref name="www.sil.org" />

There are different opinions about the origin of the word ''Dari''. The majority of scholars believe that ''Dari'' refers to the Persian word {{lang|fa-Latn|dar}} or {{lang|fa-Latn|darbār}} ({{wikt-lang|fa|دربار}}), meaning 'court', as it was the formal language of the [[Sassanid Dynasty|Sassanids]].<ref name=Iranica /> The original meaning of the word ''dari'' is given in a notice attributed to [[Abd-Allāh Ibn al-Muqaffaʿ|Ibn al-Muqaffaʿ]] (cited by [[Ibn al-Nadim]] in ''[[Al-Fehrest]]'').<ref>Ebn al-Nadim, ed. Tajaddod, p. 15; Khjwārazmī, ''Mafātīh al-olum'', pp. 116–17; Hamza Esfahānī, pp. 67–68; Yāqūt, Boldān IV, p. 846</ref> According to him, {{lang|fa-Latn|Pārsī}} was the language spoken by priests, scholars, and the like; it is the language of [[Fars province|Fars]]." This language refers to [[Middle Persian]].<ref name="Iranica" /> As for {{lang|fa-Latn|Dari}}, he says, "it is the language of the cities of Madā'en; it is spoken by those who are at the king's court. [Its name] is connected with presence at court. Among the languages of the people of [[Greater Khorasan|Khorasan]] and the east, the language of the people of [[Balkh]] is predominant."<ref name="Iranica" />

Dari Persian spoken in Afghanistan is not to be confused with the language of [[Iran]] called [[Dari (Zoroastrian)|Dari]] or Gabri, which is a language of the Central Iranian subgroup spoken in some [[Zoroastrian]] communities.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ethnologue.org/show_language.asp?code=prd |title="Parsi–Dari" Ethnologue |publisher=Ethnologue.org |date=19 February 1999 |access-date=19 August 2013 |archive-date=7 July 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100707181510/http://www.ethnologue.org/show_language.asp?code=prd |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ethnologue.org/show_language.asp?code=gbz |title="Dari, Zoroastrian" Ethnologue |publisher=Ethnologue.org |date=19 February 1999 |access-date=19 August 2013 |archive-date=7 July 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100707065844/http://www.ethnologue.org/show_language.asp?code=gbz |url-status=live }}</ref>

== History ==
Dari comes from [[Middle Persian]] which was spoken during the rule of the [[Sassanid dynasty]]. In general, Iranian languages are known from three periods, usually referred to as Old, Middle, and New (Modern) periods. These correspond to three eras in Iranian history, the old era being the period from some time before, during, and after the [[Achaemenid]] period (that is, to 300 BCE), the Middle Era being the next period, namely, the Sassanid period and part of the post-Sassanid period, and the New era being the period afterward down to the present day.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.farsinet.com/farsi/ |title=Farsi, the most widely spoken Persian Language, a Farsi Dictionary, Farsi English Dictionary, The spoken language in Iran, History of Farsi Language, Learn Farsi, Farsi Translation |publisher=Farsinet.com |access-date=26 August 2012 |archive-date=8 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170808011813/http://www.farsinet.com/farsi/ |url-status=live }}</ref>{{unreliable source?|sure=yes|date=March 2022}}<ref name="iranchamber.com">{{cite web |publisher=UCLA, Language Materials Projects |url=http://www.iranchamber.com/literature/articles/persian_language.php |title=Persian Language |via=Iranchamber.com |access-date=26 August 2012 |archive-date=29 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180629102420/http://www.iranchamber.com/literature/articles/persian_language.php |url-status=live }}</ref>

The first person in Europe to use the term ''Deri'' for ''Dari'' may have been [[Thomas Hyde]] in his chief work, {{lang|la|Historia religionis veterum Persarum}} (1700).<ref name="Hyde1760">{{cite book|author=Thomas Hyde|title=Veterum Persarum et Parthorum et Medorum Religionis Historia|url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_qp5BAAAAcAAJ|access-date=12 July 2013|year=1760|publisher=E Typographeo Clarendoniano}}</ref>

''Dari'' or ''Deri'' has two meanings. It may mean the language of the court:
: "the Zebani Deri (Zeban i Deri or Zaban i Dari = the language of Deri), or the language of the court, and the Zebani Farsi, the dialect of Persia at large (...)"<ref>John Richardson, London, 1777 pg. 15</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/avocabularypers00richgoog |title=A vocabulary, Persian, Arabic, and English: abridged from the quarto edition of Richardson's dictionary |author=John Richardson |editor=Sir Charles Wilkins, David Hopkins |year=1810 |publisher=Printed for F. and C. Rivingson |page=[https://archive.org/details/avocabularypers00richgoog/page/n657 643] |access-date=6 July 2011}}</ref>

It may also indicate a form of poetry used from [[Rudaki]] to [[Jami]]. In the fifteenth century it appeared in Herat under the Persian-speaking [[Timurid dynasty]]. The Persian-language poets of the [[Indian subcontinent]] who used the Indian verse methods or rhyme methods, like [[Abdul-Qādir Bedil|Bedil]] and [[Muhammad Iqbal]], became familiar with the ''araki'' form of poetry. Iqbal loved both styles of literature and poetry, when he wrote:
{{blockquote|{{lang|prs|{{nastaliq|گرچه هندی در عذوبت شکر است|fa}}}} <sup>1</sup><ref>{{cite web |script-title=fa:تمهید |url=http://ganjoor.net/iqbal/asrar-khodi/sh2/ |work=Ganjoor |access-date=12 July 2013 |language=fa |year=2013 |archive-date=29 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130729050729/http://ganjoor.net/iqbal/asrar-khodi/sh2/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
{{lang|prs-Latn|Garči Hindī dar uzūbat šakkar ast}}

{{lang|prs|{{nastaliq|طرز گفتار دری شیرین تر است|fa}}}}
{{lang|prs-Latn|tarz-i guftār-i Darī šīrīn tar ast}}}}

This can be translated as:

: Even though in euphonious [[Hindustani language|Hindi]] is sugar&nbsp;–
: Rhyme method in Dari is sweeter

{{lang|prs-Latn|Uzūbat}} usually means 'bliss', 'delight', 'sweetness'; in language, literature and poetry, {{lang|prs-Latn|uzubat}} also means 'euphonious' or 'melodic'.

Referring to the 14th-century Persian poet [[Hafez]], Iqbal wrote:

{{blockquote|{{lang|prs|{{nastaliq|شکرشکن شوند همه طوطیان هند|fa}}}}
{{lang|prs-Latn|Šakkar-šakan šavand hama tūtīyān-i Hind}}

{{lang|prs|{{nastaliq|زین قند پارسی که به بنگاله می‌رود|fa}}}}
{{lang|prs-Latn|zīn qand-i Pārsī ki ba Bangāla mē-ravad}}|sign=|source=}}

English translation:

: All the parrots of India will crack sugar
: Through this Persian Candy which is going to Bengal<ref>{{cite journal |last=Jafri |first=Sardar |title=Hafiz Shirazi (1312-1387-89) |journal=Social Scientist |date=January–February 2000 |volume=28 |issue=1/2 |pages=12–31 |doi=10.2307/3518055 |jstor=3518055 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The Impact of Khawaja Hafiz on Iqbal's Thought |url=http://www.allamaiqbal.com/publications/journals/review/apr73/5.htm |work=Iqbal |publisher=Government of Pakistan |access-date=12 July 2013 |author=Abbadullah Farooqi|year=2013 |archive-date=22 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130322231928/http://www.allamaiqbal.com/publications/journals/review/apr73/5.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>
Here {{lang|prs-Latn|qand-e Pārsī}} ('[[Rock candy]] of Persia') is a metaphor for the Persian language and poetry.

Persian replaced the Central Asian languages of the Eastern Iranic peoples.<ref name="NourzhanovBleuer2013">{{cite book|author1=Kirill Nourzhanov|author2=Christian Bleuer|title=Tajikistan: A Political and Social History|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nR6oAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA27|date=8 October 2013|publisher=ANU E Press|isbn=978-1-925021-16-5|page=27}}</ref> Ferghana, Samarkand, and Bukhara were starting to be influenced by Dari, and were originally [[Khwarezmian language|Khwarezmian]] and [[Sogdian language|Sogdian]]-speaking areas during [[Samanid]] rule.<ref name="NourzhanovBleuer2013 2">{{cite book|author1=Kirill Nourzhanov|author2=Christian Bleuer|title=Tajikistan: A Political and Social History|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nR6oAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA30|date=8 October 2013|publisher=ANU E Press|isbn=978-1-925021-16-5|pages=30–|access-date=28 August 2016|archive-date=6 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221006155342/https://books.google.com/books?id=nR6oAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA30|url-status=live}}</ref> Dari Persian spread around the Oxus River region, Afghanistan, and Khorasan after the Arab conquests and during Islamic-Arab rule.<ref name="Lapidus2002">{{cite book|author=Ira M. Lapidus|title=A History of Islamic Societies|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I3mVUEzm8xMC&pg=PA127|date=22 August 2002|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-77933-3|page=127}}</ref><ref name="Lapidus2012">{{cite book|author=Ira M. Lapidus|title=Islamic Societies to the Nineteenth Century: A Global History|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qcPZ1k65pqkC&pg=PA255|date=29 October 2012|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-51441-5|page=255}}</ref> The replacement of the Pahlavi script with the Arabic script in order to write the Persian language was done by the [[Tahirid dynasty|Tahirids]] in 9th century Khorasan.<ref>{{cite book|author=Ira M. Lapidus|title=Islamic Societies to the Nineteenth Century: A Global History|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qcPZ1k65pqkC&pg=PA256|date=29 October 2012|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-51441-5|page=256}}</ref> Dari Persian spread and led to the extinction of Eastern Iranian languages like [[Bactrian language|Bactrian]] and Khwarezmian with only a tiny amount of Sogdian descended [[Yaghnobi language|Yaghnobi]] speakers remaining, as the ancestors of [[Tajiks]] started speaking Dari after relinquishing their original language (most likely Bactrian) around this time, due to the fact that the Arab-Islamic army which invaded Central Asia also included some Persians who governed the region like the [[Sassanids]].<ref name="Bergne2007">{{cite book|author=Paul Bergne|title=The Birth of Tajikistan: National Identity and the Origins of the Republic|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3coojMwTKU8C&pg=PA5|date=15 June 2007|publisher=I.B.Tauris|isbn=978-1-84511-283-7|page=5}}</ref> Persian was a prestigious high-ranking language and was further rooted into Central Asia by the Samanids.<ref>{{cite book|author=Paul Bergne|title=The Birth of Tajikistan: National Identity and the Origins of the Republic|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3coojMwTKU8C&pg=PA6|date=15 June 2007|publisher=I.B.Tauris|isbn=978-1-84511-283-7|pages=6–|access-date=10 October 2016|archive-date=6 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221006155343/https://books.google.com/books?id=3coojMwTKU8C&pg=PA6|url-status=live}}</ref> Persian also phased out Sogdian.<ref name="MeriBacharach2006">{{cite book|author1=Josef W. Meri|author2=Jere L. Bacharach|title=Medieval Islamic Civilization: L-Z, index|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LaV-IGZ8VKIC&q=sogdian+islam&pg=PA829|year=2006|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-0-415-96692-4|pages=829–|access-date=16 October 2020|archive-date=6 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221006155344/https://books.google.com/books?id=LaV-IGZ8VKIC&q=sogdian+islam&pg=PA829|url-status=live}}</ref> The role of lingua franca that Sogdian originally played was succeeded by Persian after the arrival of Islam.<ref name="LaetHerrmann1996">{{cite book|author1=Sigfried J. de Laet|author2=Joachim Herrmann|title=History of Humanity: From the seventh century B.C. to the seventh century A.D.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WGUz01yBumEC&q=sogdian+islam&pg=PA468|date=1 January 1996|publisher=UNESCO|isbn=978-92-3-102812-0|page=468}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://celcar.indiana.edu/materials/language-portal/dari/index.html | title=Dari }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.languagesoftheworld.info/student-papers/language-of-the-mountain-tribe-a-closer-look-at-hazaragi.html | title=Language of the "Mountain Tribe": A Closer Look at Hazaragi | date=12 December 2011 }}</ref>

== Geographical distribution ==
[[File:Map of Languages (in Districts) in Afghanistan.jpg|alt=|thumb|Majority Dari Persian speaking regions of Afghanistan in green]]
Dari is one of the two official languages of Afghanistan. In practice though, it serves as the de facto [[lingua franca]] among the various ethnolinguistic groups.

Dari Persian is spoken by approximately 25–80% of the [[demography of Afghanistan|population of Afghanistan]].<ref name="CIA" /><ref name="UCLA" /><ref name="AFGHANISTAN v. Languages quote">{{cite web|url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/afghanistan-v-languages|title=AFGHANISTAN v. Languages|quote=''Persian (2) is the language most spoken in Afghanistan. The native tongue of twenty five percent of the population ...''|publisher=[[Encyclopædia Iranica]], online ed.|work=Ch. M. Kieffer|access-date=10 December 2010|archive-date=29 April 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429162829/http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/afghanistan-v-languages|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Ethnologue">{{cite web |url=http://www.ethnologue.com/14/show_country.asp?name=Afghanistan |title=Languages of Afghanistan |work=[[SIL International]] |publisher=[[Ethnologue]]: Languages of the World |year=2005 |access-date=16 September 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090130093407/http://www.ethnologue.com/14/show_country.asp?name=Afghanistan |archive-date=30 January 2009 }}</ref><ref name="Dari-language">{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/151550/Dari-language |title=Dari language |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]] Online|access-date=7 December 2010}}</ref> [[Tajiks]], who comprise 27–39% of the [[Ethnic groups in Afghanistan|population]],<ref name="washington">Mobasher, Mohammad Bashir. ''Political Laws and Ethnic Accommodation: Why Cross-Ethnic Coalitions Have Failed to Institutionalize in Afghanistan.'' Diss. 2017, p. 42. Link:
[https://digital.lib.washington.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/35da82f3-3bac-4ac9-9cd8-d4a534b72a9f/content]</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |title=Afghanistan in 2019 – A survey of the Afghan people |url=https://asiafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/2019_Afghan_Survey_Full-Report_.pdf |journal=[[The Asia Foundation]] |pages=277 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210915152910/https://asiafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/2019_Afghan_Survey_Full-Report_.pdf |archive-date=15 September 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/images/PollingUnit/1083a1Afghanistan2009.pdf|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://abcnews.go.com/images/PollingUnit/1083a1Afghanistan2009.pdf|archive-date=9 October 2022|url-status=live|title=ABC NEWS/BBC/ARD poll&nbsp;– Afghanistan: Where Things Stand|pages=38–40|publisher=ABC News|location=Kabul, Afghanistan|access-date=23 October 2024}}</ref> are the primary native speakers, followed by [[Hazara people|Hazaras]] (9%) and [[Aymāq]]s (4%). Moreover, while [[Pashtuns]] (37–48%)<ref>{{Citation |title=Afghanistan |date=2024-08-29 |work=The World Factbook |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/afghanistan/#people-and-society |access-date=2024-09-12 |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite journal |title=Afghanistan in 2018 – A survey of the Afghan people |url=https://asiafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/2018_Afghan-Survey_fullReport-12.4.18.pdf |journal=[[The Asia Foundation]] |pages=243 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190807211241/https://asiafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/2018_Afghan-Survey_fullReport-12.4.18.pdf |archive-date=7 August 2019}}</ref> natively speak [[Pashto]], those living in Tajik and Hazara dominated areas also use Dari Persian as their main or secondary language. Thus, non-native Persian speaking groups have contributed to the increased number of Persian speakers within Afghanistan. The [[World Factbook]] states that about 80% of the Afghan population speaks Dari Persian.<ref name="CIA" /> About 2.5&nbsp;million [[Afghans in Iran]] and [[Afghans in Pakistan]], part of the wider [[Afghan diaspora]], also speak Dari Persian as one of their primary languages.<ref name="Omniglot.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.omniglot.com/writing/dari.htm |title=Dari language, alphabet and pronunciation |publisher=Omniglot.com |access-date=26 August 2012 |archive-date=11 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120511180819/http://www.omniglot.com/writing/dari.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

Dari Persian dominates the northern, western, and central areas of Afghanistan, and is the common language spoken in cities such as [[Balkh]], [[Mazar-i-Sharif]], [[Herat]], [[Fayzabad, Badakhshan|Fayzabad]], [[Panjshir Province|Panjshir]], [[Bamiyan]], and the Afghan capital of [[Kabul]] where all ethnic groups are settled. Dari Persian-speaking communities also exist in southwestern and eastern Pashtun-dominated areas such as in the cities of [[Ghazni]], [[Farah, Afghanistan|Farah]], [[Zaranj]], [[Lashkar Gah]], [[Kandahar]], and [[Gardez]].

== Cultural influence ==
Dari Persian has contributed to the majority of Persian borrowings in several [[Indo-Aryan languages]], such as [[Urdu]], [[Hindi]], [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]], [[Bengali language|Bengali]] and others, as it was the administrative, official, cultural language of the [[Persianate]] [[Mughal Empire]] and served as the [[lingua franca]] throughout the [[Indian subcontinent]] for centuries. Often based in [[Afghanistan]], Turkic [[Ghaznavids|Central Asian]] conquerors brought the language into South Asia.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EQJHAQAAQBAJ&q=ghaznavids+brought+persian+to+south+asia&pg=PA18|title=South Asian Sufis: Devotion, Deviation, and Destiny|access-date=23 April 2015|isbn=978-1-4411-5127-8|last1=Bennett|first1=Clinton|last2=Ramsey|first2=Charles M.|date=2012-03-01|publisher=A&C Black }}</ref> The basis in general for the introduction of Persian language into the subcontinent was set, from its earliest days, by various Persianised Central Asian Turkic and Afghan dynasties.<ref>Sigfried J. de Laet. [https://books.google.com/books?id=PvlthkbFU1UC&dq=persian+language+in+anatolia&pg=PA734 ''History of Humanity: From the seventh to the sixteenth century''] UNESCO, 1994. {{ISBN|9231028138}} p 734</ref> The sizable Persian component of the Anglo-Indian loan words in English and in [[Urdu]] therefore reflects the Dari Persian pronunciation. For instance, the words [[dopiaza]] and [[pyjama]] come from the Afghan Persian pronunciation; in Iranian Persian they are pronounced ''do-piyāzeh'' and ''pey-jāmeh''. Persian lexemes and certain morphological elements (e.g., the ''ezāfe'') have often been employed to coin words for political and cultural concepts, items, or ideas that were historically unknown outside the South Asian region, as is the case with the aforementioned "borrowings". Dari Persian has a rich and colorful tradition of [[proverb]]s that deeply reflect Afghan culture and relationships, as demonstrated through the works of [[Rumi]] and other literature.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Five people from Afghanistan who shaped Middle Eastern history |url=https://www.middleeasteye.net/discover/five-afghanistan-who-shaped-middle-east-history-rumi |access-date=2024-09-12 |website=Middle East Eye |language=en}}</ref><ref>Zellem, Edward. 2012. {{cite web|url=http://www.afghanproverbs.com/|title=Zarbul Masalha: 151 Afghan Dari Proverbs|publisher=Charleston: CreateSpace|access-date=9 November 2012|archive-date=31 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141231183158/http://www.afghanproverbs.com/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>Zellem, Edward. 2012. {{cite web|url=http://www.afghanproverbs.com/|title=Afghan Proverbs Illustrated|publisher=Charleston: CreateSpace|access-date=9 November 2012|archive-date=31 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141231183158/http://www.afghanproverbs.com/|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Differences between Iranian and Afghan Persian ==
There are phonological, lexical,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=prs |title=Ethnologue report for language code: prs |publisher=Ethnologue.com |access-date=26 August 2012 |archive-date=7 December 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101207025528/http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=prs |url-status=live }}</ref> and morphological<ref name="iranchamber.com" /> differences between Afghan Persian and Iranian Persian. For example, Afghan Farsi has more vowels than Iranian Farsi.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dari |url=https://celcar.indiana.edu/materials/language-portal/dari/index.html |access-date=2024-06-21 |website=Center for Languages of the Central Asian Region |language=en-US}}</ref>

=== Phonological differences ===
The phonology of Dari Persian as spoken in Kabul, compared with Classical Persian, is overall more conservative than the accent of Iran's standard register. In this regard Dari Persian is more similar to Tajiki Persian. The principal differences between standard Iranian Persian and Afghan Persian as based on the Kabul dialect are:

# The merging of ''majhul'' vowels {{IPA|/eː, iː/}} and {{IPA|/oː, uː/}} into {{IPA|/iː/}} and {{IPA|/uː/}} respectively in Iranian Persian, whereas in Afghan Persian, they are still kept separate. For instance, the identically written words {{lang|fa|شیر}} 'lion' and 'milk' are pronounced the same in Iranian Persian as {{IPA|/ʃiːr/}}, but differently as {{IPA|/ʃeːr/}} for 'lion' and {{IPA|/ʃiːr/}} for 'milk' in Afghan Persian, similar to Tajiki Persian. The long vowel in {{lang|fa|زود}} "quick" and {{lang|fa|زور}} "strength" is realized as {{IPA|/uː/}} in Iranian Persian, in contrast, these words are pronounced {{IPA|/zuːd/}} and {{IPA|/zoːr/}} respectively by Persian speakers in Afghanistan.
# The Classical Persian high short vowels {{IPA|/i/}} and {{IPA|/u/}} tend to be lowered in Iranian Persian to {{IPA|[e]}} and {{IPA|[o]}}, unlike in Dari where they might have both high and lowered allophones.
# The treatment of the [[diphthong]]s of early Classical Persian "ay" (as "i" in English "size") and "aw" (as "ow" in Engl. "cow"), which are pronounced {{IPA|[ej]}} (as in English "day") and {{IPA|[ow]}} (as in Engl. "low") in Iranian Persian. Dari, on the other hand, is more like ancient Persian, e.g. {{lang|fa|نخیر}} 'no' is realized as {{IPA|/naχejr/}} in Iranian but {{IPA|/naχajr/}} in Afghan Persian, and {{lang|fa|نوروز}} 'Persian New Year' is {{IPA|/nowruːz/}} in Iranian but {{IPA|/nawroːz/}} in Afghan Persian. Moreover, {{IPA|[ow]}} is simplified to {{IPA|[o]}} in normal Iranian speech, thereby merging with the lowered Classical short vowel {{IPA|/u/}} (see above). This does not occur in Afghan Persian.
# The pronunciation of the labial consonant {{lang|fa|و}}, which is realized as a [[voiced labiodental fricative]] {{IPA|[v]}} in standard Iranian, is still pronounced with the classical bilabial pronunciation {{IPA|[w]}} in Afghanistan; {{IPA|[v]}} is found in Afghan Persian as an allophone of {{IPA|/f/}} before voiced consonants and as variation of {{IPA|/b/}} in some cases, along with {{IPAblink|β}}.
# The convergence of the [[voiced uvular stop]] {{IPA|[ɢ]}} ({{lang|fa|ق}}) and the [[voiced velar fricative]] {{IPA|[ɣ]}} ({{lang|fa|غ}}) in some dialects of Iranian Persian (presumably under the influence of Turkic languages like [[Azeri language|Azeri]] and [[Turkmen language|Turkmen]])<ref>A. Pisowicz, ''Origins of the New and Middle Persian phonological systems'' (Cracow 1985), pp. 112–114, 117.</ref> is absent in Dari, where the two are still kept separate.
# {{IPA|[a]}} and {{IPA|[e]}} in word-final positions are distinguished in Dari, whereas {{IPA|[e]}} is a word-final allophone of {{IPA|/æ/}} in Iranian Persian.

=== Dialect continuum ===
The dialects of Dari spoken in Northern, Central, and Eastern Afghanistan, for example in [[Kabul]], [[Mazar-i-Sharif|Mazar]], and [[Badakhshan Province|Badakhshan]], have distinct features compared to [[Farsi|Iranian Persian]]. However, the dialect of Dari spoken in Western Afghanistan stands in between the Afghan and Iranian Persian. For instance, the [[Herat]]i dialect shares vocabulary and phonology with both Afghan and Iranian Persian. Likewise, the dialect of Persian in Eastern Iran, for instance in [[Mashhad]], is quite similar to the Herati dialect of Afghanistan.

== Dialects of Dari Persian ==
In a paper jointly published by Takhar University and the Ministry of Education in 2018, researchers studying varieties of Persian from Iran to Tajikistan, Identified 3 dialect groups (or macro dialects) present within Afghanistan.<ref name="MOE">{{cite document|last1=الله حکیمی|first1=مطیع|language=fa|publisher=Takhar University & The Afghanistan Ministry of Education|date=2018|title=گونه‌های زبان فارسی دری|type=journal}}</ref> In an article about various languages spoken in Afghanistan, [[Encyclopaedia Iranica]] identified a nearly identical categorization but considered varieties spoken in the Sistan region to constitute a distinct group.<ref name="Iranica dialects">{{cite encyclopedia|encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia Iranica|title=AFGHANISTAN v. Languages|year=1983}}</ref>

Takhar and the MOE only discussed vocabulary differences between the dialect groups and did not extensively discuss phonological differences between these groups. However, there was a noticeable difference in the romanizations of the Western dialects and the South-Eastern dialects. Chiefly that the vowel diacritic "pesh" ([[Kasrah]]) was romanized with an "i" for South-Eastern dialects but as an "e" for western dialects. This is presumably due to a difference in quality, however the paper itself did not explain why the vowels were transliterated differently.

=== Southeastern ===
The Southeastern group constitutes dialects spoken in and around [[Kabul]], [[Parwan]], [[Balkh]], [[Baghlan]], [[Samangan province|Samangan]], [[Kunduz]], [[Takhar Province|Takhar]], [[Badakhshan]] and others.<ref name="MOE"/> A distinctive character of this group is its conservative nature compared to, for example, the Tehrani dialect. This can be seen in its Phonology (e.g. its preservation of "Majhul" vowels), Morhphonology and Syntax, and its Lexicon. A further distinction may be made between dialects in and near Kabul and dialects in and near Afghan Turkistan. With dialects near Kabul exhibiting some influences from languages in southern Afghanistan and South Asia and dialects in Afghan Turkistan exhibiting more influence from [[Tajik language|Tajik]]. All Southeastern varieties exhibited some influence from [[Uzbek language|Uzbek]].<ref name="Iranica dialects"/> Despite the Afghanistan Ministry of Education referring to this group as "Southeastern" some of the dialects included are in the north.

As seen in many [[Hazaragi|Hazaragi dialects]], certain Eastern Dialects have developed a system of retroflex consonants under pressure from Pashto. They are not widespread, however.<ref name="Iranica dialects"/>

The [[Kabuli dialect]] has become the standard model of Dari Persian in Afghanistan, as has the [[Tehrani accent|Tehrani dialect]] in relation to the Persian in Iran. Since the 1940s, [[Radio Afghanistan]] has broadcast its Dari programs in Kabuli Dari, which ensured the homogenization between the Kabuli version of the language and other dialects of Dari Persian spoken throughout Afghanistan. Since 2003, the media, especially the [[List of television channels in Afghanistan|private radio and television broadcasters]], have carried out their Dari programs using the Kabuli variety.

=== Western ===
The Western group includes various dialects spoken in and around: [[Herat]], [[Badghis]], [[Farah, Afghanistan|Farah]] and [[Ghor]].<ref name="MOE"/> Dialects in this group share many features with the dialects of Persian spoken in Eastern Iran, and one may make many comparisons between the speech of Herat and [[Mashhad]].<ref name="Iranica dialects"/>

=== Central/Hazaragi ===
{{Main|Hazaragi dialects}}
The Central group recognized by Afghanistan Ministry of Education consists of the [[Hazaragi|Hazaragi dialects]] spoken mostly by the [[Hazaras|Hazara people]].  These dialects are spoken throughout Afghanistan, like in the capital city of Kabul. The "Central" label stems from Hazara majority regions in central Afghanistan. <ref name="MOE"/> As a group, the Hazaragi dialects are distinguished by the presence of [[retroflex consonant|retroflex consonants]] and distinctive vocabulary.<ref name="Iranica dialects"/><ref name="Iranica hazaragi">{{cite encyclopedia|encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia Iranica|title=HAZĀRA iv. Hazāragi dialect|year=2003|author=Charles M. Kieffer}}</ref> It has been shown that Hazaragi dialects are accurately a group of sub-dialects of Dari and not their own varieties of Persian.<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 20, 2012 |title=HAZĀRA iv. Hazāragi dialect |url=https://iranicaonline.org/articles/hazara-4}}</ref>

=== Sistani ===
{{Main|Sistani dialect}}
Afghanistan's Ministry of Education does not make a distinction between varieties of the Sistan region and the varieties in the Western group. However Encyclopaedia Iranica considers the [[Sistani dialect]] to constitute their own distinctive group, with notable influences from [[Balochi language|Balochi]].<ref name="Iranica dialects"/>

== Phonology ==
=== Consonants ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
!
![[Labial consonant|Labial]]
![[Dental consonant|Dental]]/<br />[[Alveolar consonant|Alveolar]]
![[Postalveolar consonant|Post-<br />alveolar]]
![[Palatal consonant|Palatal]]
![[Velar consonant|Velar]]
![[Uvular consonant|Uvular]]
![[Glottal consonant|Glottal]]
|-
![[Nasal consonant|Nasal]]
|{{IPA link|m}}
|{{IPA link|n}}
|
|
|
|
|
|-
![[Stop consonant|Stop]]/<br />[[Affricate consonant|Affricate]]
|{{IPA link|p}} {{IPA link|b}}
|{{IPA link|t̪|t}} {{IPA link|d̪|d}}
|{{IPA link|tʃ}} {{IPA link|dʒ}}
|
|{{IPA link|k}} {{IPA link|ɡ}}
|{{IPA link|q}}
|({{IPA link|ʔ}})
|-
![[Fricative consonant|Fricative]]
|{{IPA link|f}}
|{{IPA link|s}} {{IPA link|z}}
|{{IPA link|ʃ}} {{IPA link|ʒ}}
|
|{{IPA link|x}} {{IPA link|ɣ}}
|
|{{IPA link|h}}
|-
![[Tap and flap consonants|Tap]]
|
|{{IPA link|ɾ}}
|
|
|
|
|
|-
![[Approximant consonant|Approximant]]
|
|{{IPA link|l}}
|
|{{IPA link|j}}
|{{IPA link|w}}
|
|
|}
* Stops /{{IPA|t, d}}/ are phonetically dental [{{IPA|t̪, d̪}}].
* A glottal stop /ʔ/ only appears in words of Arabic origin.
* A flap sound /{{IPA|ɾ}}/ may be realized as a trill sound [{{IPA|r}}], in some environments, mostly word-final position; otherwise, they contrast between vowels wherein a trill occurs as a result of gemination (doubling) of [{{IPA|ɾ}}], especially in loanwords of Arabic origin. Only [{{IPA link|ɾ}}] occurs before and after consonants; in word-final position, it is usually a free variation between a flap or a trill when followed by a consonant or a pause, but flap is more common, only flap before vowel-initial words.
* As in many other languages, {{IPA|/n/}} is realized as bilabial {{IPAblink|m}} before bilabial stops and as velar {{IPAblink|ŋ}} before velar stops.
* {{IPA|/f/}} is voiced to {{IPAblink|v}} before voiced consonants.
* /w/ is almost always voiced as {{IPAblink|w}}, as in Middle Persian.

=== Vowels ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+(Urban Kabuli) Dari Vowels<ref name="Foundation">{{Cite web |last=Foundation |first=Encyclopaedia Iranica |title=Kābolī Persian |url=https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/kaboli-colloquial-persian |access-date=2023-08-11 |website=iranicaonline.org |language=en-US}}</ref>
!
![[Front vowel|Front]]
![[Central vowel|Central]]
![[Back vowel|Back]]
|-
! [[High vowel|High]]
| align="center" |{{IPA link|iː}}
|
| align="center" |{{IPA link|uː}}
|-
! [[Near-high vowel|Near-high]]
|{{IPA link|ɪ}}
|
|{{IPA link|ʊ}}
|-
![[Mid vowel]]
|{{IPA link|eː}}
|
| {{IPA link|oː}}
|-
![[Low vowel|Low]]
| colspan="2" |{{IPA link|a}}
|{{IPA link|ɑː}}
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+(Rural Kabuli) Dari Vowels<ref name="Foundation"/>
!
![[Front vowel|Front]]
![[Central vowel|Central]]
![[Back vowel|Back]]
|-
! rowspan="2" |[[High vowel|High]]
| rowspan="2" align="center" |{{IPA link|i}} 
|
| align="center" |{{IPA link|u}}
|-
|
|{{IPA link|ʊ}}
|-
![[High-mid]]
|{{IPA link|e}}
|
| rowspan="2" |{{IPA link|o}}
|-
![[Low-mid]]
|{{IPA link|ɛ}}
|
|-
![[Low vowel|Low]]
| colspan="2" |{{IPA link|a}}
|{{IPA link|ɑ}}
|}
Dari does not distinguish [{{IPA|ɪ}}] and [{{IPA|ɛ}}] in any position, these are distinct phonemes in English but are in un-conditional [[free variation]] in nearly all dialects of Dari.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Miller |first=Corey |title=Variation in Persian Vowel Systems – University of Maryland |url=https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:657365/FULLTEXT01.pdf |website=Digitala Vetenskapliga Arkivet}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Fiorello |first=Christopher |title=Dari Phonology |journal=SIL International}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Rees |first=Daniel A. |title=Towards Proto-Persian: An Optimality Theoretic Historical Reconstruction. Ph.D. dissertation. |publisher=Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Georgetown University. |year=2008}}</ref> There are no environmental factors related to the appearance of [{{IPA|ɪ}}] or [{{IPA|ɛ}}] and native Dari speakers do not perceive them as different phonemes (that is to say, the English words bet [b{{IPA|ɛ}}t] and bit [b{{IPA|ɪ}}t] would be nearly indistinguishable to a native Dari speaker). However, speakers in Urban regions of Kabul, [[Panjshir Province|Panjšir]] and other nearby provinces in southern and eastern Afghanistan tend to realize the vowel as [{{IPA|ɪ}}].<ref name="Foundation"/><ref>{{Cite book |last=Neghat |first=Muhammad Nassim |title=Dari-English Dictionary. |publisher=Omaha: University of Nebraska. |year=1993}}</ref> Speakers of Dari in central Afghanistan (i.e. [[Hazaragi]] speakers) tend to realize the vowel in proximity to, or identically to, [{{IPA|i}}], unless the following syllable contains a high-back vowel.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Vowel Harmony in Hazaragi Persian in Afghanistan |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/370050608 |access-date=2023-08-11 |website=ResearchGate}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |first1=Arash |last1=Khazeni |first2=Alessandro |last2=Monsutti |first3=Charles M. |last3=Kieffer |date=2020 |title=HAZĀRA |journal=Encyclopaedia Iranica Online |doi=10.1163/2330-4804_eiro_com_2912 |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Efimov |first=V. A. |title=Xazara |publisher=Moskva: Izdatel'stvo Firma Vostočnaya Literatura RAN |year=2008 |location=In V. A. Efimov (ed.), Sredneiranskie i novoiranskie Jazyki |pages=344–414}}</ref> Speakers in western Afghanistan (such as in the Herat or Farah province) and some rural regions in the Kabul province (not the city) most commonly realize the vowel as [{{IPA|ɛ}}].<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Wahedi |first1=Mohammad Haroon |last2=Najm |first2=Sharaafuddin |last3=Sediqi |first3=Aqlima |date=2022-07-06 |title=Noun Structures in the Persian-Dari Dialect of the People of Farah Province in Afghanistan |url=https://al-kindipublisher.com/index.php/ijlss/article/view/3653 |journal=International Journal of Linguistics Studies |volume=2 |issue=2 |pages=41–45 |doi=10.32996/ijls.2022.2.2.6 |issn=2754-2599|doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Hachard |first=Vincent |date=2003-05-15 |title=Geratskij dialekt jazyka dari. Moskva, Izd. firma Vostočnaja literatura RAN, 1999, 238 p., bibliogr., pas d'index. (Jazyki narodov Azii i Afriki). [Le dialecte dari de Hérat] |journal=Abstracta Iranica |volume=24 |doi=10.4000/abstractairanica.34191 |issn=0240-8910|doi-access=free }}</ref> Additionally, in some varieties of Dari, the phoneme [{{IPA|ɛ}}] appears as an allophone of [a].<ref name=":0" />
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+Diphthongs
!
![[Front vowel|Front]]
![[Back vowel|Back]]
|-
![[High vowel|High]]
|{{IPA|au}}
|{{IPA|ui}}
|-
![[Mid vowel|Mid]]
|
|{{IPA|oi}}
|-
![[Low vowel|Low]]
|{{IPA|ai}}
|{{IPA|ɑi}}
|}
* When occurring as lax, the open vowels {{IPA|/a, ɑ/}} are raised to {{IPA|[{{IPAplink|ɐ}}, {{IPAplink|ʌ}}]}}.<ref>{{Cite book|title=A Grammar of Dari|last1=Mitchell |first1=Rebecca |last2=Naser |first2=Djamal |publication-place=München |publisher=LINCOM |date=2017 |pages=20–27}}</ref>

== Political views and disputes on the language ==
Successive governments of Afghanistan have promoted New Persian as an [[official language]] of government since the time of the [[Delhi Sultanate]] (1206–1526), even as those governments were dominated by Pashtun people. [[Sher Ali Khan]] of the [[Barakzai dynasty]] (1826–1973) first introduced the [[Pashto language]] as an additional language of administration. The local name for the Persian variety spoken in Afghanistan was officially changed from Farsi to Dari, meaning "court language", in 1964.<ref>[[Willem Vogelsang]], "The Afghans", Blackwell Publishing, 2002</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.datadust.de/download/farsi2dari/|title=Airgram Farsi to Dari 1964 Embassy Kabul to USA|website=datadust.de|access-date=27 September 2019|archive-date=27 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190927192306/http://www.datadust.de/download/farsi2dari/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>see too Harold F. Schiffman Language 2012, pp. 39–40</ref> Zaher said there would be, as there are now, two official languages, Pashto and Farsi, though the latter would henceforth be named Dari. Within their respective linguistic boundaries, Dari Persian and Pashto are the media of education.

The term continues to divide opinion in Afghanistan today. While Dari has been the official name for decades, "Farsi" is still the preferred name to many Persian speakers of Afghanistan. [[Omar Samad]], an Afghan analyst and ambassador, says of the dispute:<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.rferl.org/a/afghanistan-dari-farsi-persian-language-dispute/28840560.html|title=Dari or Farsi? Afghanistan's Long-Simmering Language Dispute|newspaper=Radiofreeeurope/Radioliberty |access-date=25 November 2017|archive-date=26 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171126121028/https://www.rferl.org/a/afghanistan-dari-farsi-persian-language-dispute/28840560.html|url-status=live |last1=Bezhan |first1=Frud }}</ref>

{{blockquote|This debate pits those who look at language as a shared heritage that includes thinkers, writers, and poets of the Farsi language against those who believe that Dari has older roots and provides a distinct identity that cannot be confused with Iran's claim.}}

== See also ==
{{Portal|Afghanistan|Languages}}
*[[Persian language]]
* [[Iranian Persian]]
* [[Tajik language|Tajik Persian]]
* [[Hazaragi dialect]]
* [[Languages of Afghanistan]]

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
{{refbegin|2}}
* Lazard, G. "[http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/dari Darī&nbsp;– The New Persian Literary Language] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201124025639/https://iranicaonline.org/articles/dari |date=24 November 2020 }}" in ''[[Encyclopædia Iranica]]'' Online Edition.
* {{cite book|last=Phillott|first=Douglas Craven|title=Higher Persian grammar for the use of the Calcutta University, showing differences between Afgan and modern Persian; with notes on rhetoric|url=https://archive.org/details/higherpersiangra00philuoft|date=1919|location=Calcutta|publisher=Baptist Mission Press}}
* Sakaria, S. (1967) ''Concise English&nbsp;– Afghan Dari Dictionary'', Ferozsons, Kabul, [http://worldcat.org/oclc/600815 OCLC 600815]
* Farhadi, A. G. R.('Abd-ul-Ghafur Farhadi)(Abd-ul-ghafûr Farhâdi) (1955) ''Le Persan Parlé en Afghanistan: Grammaire du Kâboli Accompagné d'un Recueil de Quatrains Populaires de la Région de Kâbol'', Centre national de la recherche scientifique or Librairie C. Klincksieck, Paris.
* Farhadi, Rawan A. G. (1975) ''The Spoken Dari of Afghanistan: A Grammar of Kaboli Dari (Persian) Compared to the Literary Language'', Peace Corps, Kabul, [http://worldcat.org/oclc/24699677 OCLC 24699677]
* {{cite book |last=Ioannesyan |first=Youli |title=Afghan folktales from Herat: Persian Texts in Transcription and Translation |location=Amherst |publisher=[[Cambria Press]] |date=2009 |pages=1–22 |isbn=978-1-60497-652-6}}
* Zellem, Edward. 2015. {{cite web|url=http://www.afghanproverbs.com/|title=''Zarbul Masalha: 151 Afghan Dari Proverbs'', 3rd edition|publisher=Charleston: CreateSpace|access-date=9 November 2012|archive-date=31 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141231183158/http://www.afghanproverbs.com/|url-status=live}}
* Zellem, Edward. 2012. {{cite web|url=http://www.afghanproverbs.com/|title=''Afghan Proverbs Illustrated''|publisher=Charleston: CreateSpace|access-date=9 November 2012|archive-date=31 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141231183158/http://www.afghanproverbs.com/|url-status=live}}
* {{cite book|title=قرائت دری برای صنف اول |trans-title=Afghanistan primary school text books for Dari language |url=https://archive.org/details/azu_acku_pk6874_qaaf42_1365 |date=1979 |author=دافغانستان دتعلیم اوتربیی اداره|language=fa-AF |doi=10.2458/azu_acku_pk6874_qaaf42_1365}}
* {{Cite JIPA|author=Baker, Adam|title=Dari (Afghan Persian)|volume=46|issue=2|pages=229&ndash;234|doi=10.1017/S0025100315000390|printdate=2016-08|soundfiles=no}}{{refend}}
* Harold F. Schiffman Language Policy and Language Conflict in Afghanistan and Its Neighbors (Brill's Studies in South and Southwest Asian Languages) BRILL, Leiden, 1.ed, 2011 {{ISBN|978-90-04-20145-3}}

== External links ==
* {{commons category-inline}}
* {{Wikivoyage inline|Dari phrasebook|Dari|a phrasebook}}
* [http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/dari Dari] at ''[[Encyclopædia Iranica]]''
*[https://www.britannica.com/topic/Dari-language Dari language] at Britannica
* [http://www.omniglot.com/writing/dari.htm Dari language, alphabet and pronunciation]
* [http://www.kodakan.se/books.php Dari language resources]
* [http://www.afghan-web.com/language/dari.html Dari alphabet] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171230172225/http://www.afghan-web.com/language/dari.html |date=30 December 2017 }}
* [https://incubator.miraheze.org/wiki/Wp/prs Dari encyclopedia] on Miraheze

{{Persian language}}
{{Languages of Afghanistan}}
{{Iranian languages}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Eastern Persian dialects in Afghanistan]]
[[Category:Languages of Iran]]
[[Category:Languages of Afghanistan]]
[[Category:Languages of India]]
[[Category:Persian language in Pakistan]]
[[Category:Persian language]]