Dari: dialectal differences?

Xander2024

Xander2024

Senior Member
Southern Russia
Russian
Hello everyone,

I've recently taken up Dari and have been using the book "Conversational Dari" by E. Glassman. But today, I opened another book by a Russian author and found quite different forms of the demonstrative pronouns and even verbs. Thus,

"I mard as" /this is a man/ in one book becomes "In mard ast" in the other.
"U mez as" /that is a table/ becomes "Ân mez ast".
"Khwâr" /sister/ ----- "Xâhar" etc
I've once learnt Farsi and I know that the "ast" verb form exists in the Persian language, as well as the pronouns "in" /this/ and "ân" /that/.

Could someone please tell me if the above sentences are all correct Dari but different dialects or is there something wrong with my books?

Thanks in advance.
 
    • There are lots of different Persian dialects in Afghanistan, but also a difference in register (formal versus colloquial). "I mard as", "U mez as" and "Khwâr" belong to the colloquial register (and specifically the dialect of Kabul). "In mard ast", "Ân mez ast", and "Xâhar" (or "Xwâhar") belong to the formal register.

    My impression is that Glassman is very good for colloquial Kabuli.
     
    Yes there are differences between afghan Persian and Iranian Persian even,and it could be the way they chose to transliterate.
     
    fdb said:
    There are lots of different Persian dialects in Afghanistan, but also a difference in register (formal versus colloquial). "I mard as", "U mez as" and "Khwâr" belong to the colloquial register (and specifically the dialect of Kabul). "In mard ast", "Ân mez ast", and "Xâhar" (or "Xwâhar") belong to the formal register.

    My impression is that Glassman is very good for colloquial Kabuli.
    Click to expand...
    Would you say the U in U mes as stands for او (pronounced o) which once meant he/she and it?
     
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