Hazaragi dialects facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Hazaragi |
|
|---|---|
| آزرگی | |
| Native to | Afghanistan |
| Ethnicity | Hazaras |
| Native speakers | 5 million (2023) |
| Language family | |
| Writing system | Persian alphabet |
Hazaragi (Dari: هزارگی) is a special group of dialects spoken by the Hazaras people, mainly in Afghanistan. It's like a unique way of speaking Dari, which is the name for Afghan Persian. Dari is an eastern type of the Persian language and has many different dialects across Afghanistan.
Contents
Discovering Hazaragi: A Unique Persian Dialect
Hazaragi dialects are part of Dari, one of the two official Languages of Afghanistan. Dari, also known as Afghan Persian, is a major member of the Iranian branch of the large Indo-European language family. People who speak Hazaragi can easily understand those who speak the standard Kabuli dialect of Dari. The main differences are mostly in how words are pronounced, like different accents.
Where Do People Speak Hazaragi?
Hazaragi dialects are mostly spoken by the Hazara people, who live in Afghanistan. However, many Hazaras have moved to other countries. This is part of a larger movement of people called the Afghan diaspora. Because of this, you can find Hazara Afghans living in Pakistan (especially in Quetta) and Iran (especially in Mashhad). They also live in parts of Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, the Americas, Europe, and Australia. As of 2021, it was estimated that about 399,000 Dari speakers of Hazaragi dialects lived in Iran.
The Story of Hazaragi: How It Grew
The Persian language became very important in the Islamic world. It spread to many places where Islam took root, including parts of South Asia. This helped Persian become a significant language in these regions.
Words from Far Away Lands
Some Hazaragi dialects have words that come from other languages. For example, some words are borrowed from Turkic languages. Experts believe that about 10% of Hazaragi words might come from Mongolic languages. This happened because the Hazara people interacted with Turkic and Mongolic groups throughout history.
For instance, some words in Hazaragi that show Turkic influence include ata (meaning "father") and qara (meaning "black"). Words of Mongolic origin include bêri (meaning "bride") and xatun (meaning "wife, woman"). Even with these borrowed words, the basic way Hazaragi is structured is still very similar to the Kabuli dialect of Dari.
Understanding Hazaragi Grammar
The way sentences are built and how words change in Hazaragi dialects is almost the same as in the Kabuli dialect of Afghan Persian. This means that while there might be some differences in vocabulary or pronunciation, the core rules for grammar are very much alike.
See also
In Spanish: Idioma hazara para niños
