Is Persian spoken in Afghanistan?

Afghanistan is a multilingual country in which two languages – Pashto and Dari – are both official and most widely spoken. Although still widely known as Farsi (Persian: فارسی; “Persian”) to its native speakers, the name was officially changed to Dari in 1964 by the Afghan government.

Does Tajikistan speak English?

While the official language of Tajikistan is Tajik, Russian, English and the Pamiri and Yaghnobi languages are also spoken here.

How are dialects formed?

Dialects and accents developed historically when groups of language users lived in relative isolation, without regular contact with other people using the same language. This was more pronounced in the past due to the lack of fast transport and mass media.

What is the official language of Iran and Afghanistan?

Officially, the official language of Iran is designated simply as Persian (فارسی, fārsi). The standard Persian of Afghanistan has been officially named Dari (دری, dari) since 1958. Also referred to as Afghan Persian in English, it is one of Afghanistan’s two official languages, together with Pashto.

What is the official name of the Persian language?

Persian is a pluricentric language predominantly spoken and used officially within Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan in three mutually intelligible standard varieties, namely Iranian Persian (officially known as Farsi), Afghan Persian (officially known as Dari since 1964) and Tajik Persian (officially known as Tajik since 1999).

Is Farsi and Dari the same language?

As a result, the Persian language is called Farsi in Iran, Dari in Afghanistan, and Tajik in Tajikistan. This has led many to believe that the three aforementioned languages are actually separate, though albeit closely related languages, and in fact, not the same language.

Why are there so many Persian speakers in Afghanistan?

After all, most Persian-speakers (and leaders) in Afghanistan are Sunni, not Shia, and have strong local identities and concerns deeply rooted in their localities and fiefs; their geopolitical horizons are often more closely oriented toward South Asia or Central Asia than Iran, with the exception of Herat in the far-west.