Pashto belongs to the Indo-European language family. It is classified as an Eastern Iranian language, which means it's part of the Iranian branch within the Indo-European family.
Here's a breakdown of Pashto's linguistic lineage:
- Indo-European Family: This is a vast family of languages spoken across Europe, Asia, and parts of the Americas.
- Indo-Iranian Branch: This branch includes languages like Hindi, Urdu, Persian, and many others spoken across India, Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan.
- Iranian Branch: Pashto is a member of this branch, which also includes languages like Persian, Kurdish, and Ossetian.
- Eastern Iranian Languages: This subgroup includes languages like Pashto, Baluchi, and Wakhi.
Therefore, Pashto is closely related to other Eastern Iranian languages and ultimately shares a common ancestor with the other languages in the Indo-European family.
