THE LINGUISTIC AND GEOGRAPHIC POSITION OF PASHTO WITHIN THE EAST IRANIAN LANGUAGE GROUP
Résumé
There is no doubt that Pashto as an East Iranian language is related notably to Sogdian, Khwarezmian, (Khotanese) Saka, Bactrian, Pamiri languages (e.g. Shughni), Yidgha-Munji, Wakhi, and Sanglechi-Ishkashimi. However, the precise status of Pashto within the East Iranian language group is often a matter of debate. This study is a preliminary attempt to localize Pashto within this group, by looking at the phonology and specifically to lexical isoglosses. The two main phonemic classes whose developments are discussed here concern the sibilants (*s, *z, *sh) and dentals (*t, *d, *th, *dh). The discussion also includes the outcome in clusters with a sibilant (*sr, *str, *sj, *zj, *sht, *rsh, *xsh, etc.), and those with a dental (*thn, *thr, *thw, etc.). This is followed by the uncovering of the isoglosses that allow us to connect Pashto more closely to the aforementioned East Iranian languages. It appears that Pashto has historically been part of three so-called "Sprachbunds" that reflect the linguistic interactions and influences among these East Iranian peoples in the past. The oldest one consists of Pashto, Khwarezmian, Bactrian and Sanglechi Ishkashimi. The concurrent arrival of the Pashto speakers and several other East Iranian groups in the Hindukush region gave rise to the second Sprachbund, involving Pashto, Pamiri, Sanglechi-Ishkashimi and Saka. Finally, the establishment of the Bactrian presence and political domination in the region is reflected in the third Sprachbund, which links Bactrian to Pashto and Yidgha-Munji.
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