A Reader of Pashto

After a brief introduction to the use of this reader and a summary of the Pashto language, the author presents 25 units of reading selections and correlated exercises. A typical lesson consists of-- (1) a short Pashto text in typewritten Arabic-Persian form, (2) a Romanized transcription of this text indicating pronunciation, (3) a glossary of new words in Romanized transliteration, (4) short notes on grammar and pronunciation, (5) an English translation of the text, and (6) short exercises in writing in Pashto (in units 1-10 only). The texts chosen for this beginning reader represent current usage in the three major Pashto dialectal regions and include a variety of styles and levels of difficulty. An appended "Pashto word-index" lists the Pashto forms and the unit and sentence in which they are presented. The author assumes that most users of this text have completed the equivalent of a one-semester, non-intensive course in the Pashto language. This reader and other instructional materials in Pashto were prepared at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, Department of Near Eastern Studies.