A Grammar of Pashto A Descriptive Study of the Dialect of Kandahar, Afghanistan [Paperback]

Herbert Penzl (Author), Georg Morgenstierne (Contributor), Ismail Sloan (Contributor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0923891722 | ISBN-13: 978-0923891725 | Publication Date: July 9, 2009 | Edition: Updated

Would you like to be able to speak to the fellows on the cover of this book? This is the book for you! Are you a grunt in a foxhole just trying to get out of this alive? You really need this book! Pashto is a language spoken by at least 40 million people in Southern and Eastern Afghanistan and in the Northwest Frontier Province of Pakistan. Estimates of the number of Pashto speakers range from 40 million to 60 million, which should make it among the most widely spoken languages in the world. One source ranks it as number 20 in the world in the number of speakers of the language. Another source ranks it as number 35. However, most sources do not rank it at all. The language seems to be virtually unknown except among those in contact with it. This is the definitive, authoritative work on the Pashto Language.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Herbert Penzl, born 1910-09-02, Neufelden (Austria), died 1995, was an Austrian-born American philologist and historical linguist. He studied English Philology at the University of Vienna under Karl Luick. In 1936 he completed his Ph.D. dissertation The Development of Middle English a in New England Speech. He spent some time in the United States working on the Linguistic Atlas of the United States and Canada at Brown University, having been recommended for the exchange by Sigmund Freud. While in the US, he published his first article, "New England Terms for Poached Eggs," which received media coverage by the Associated Press among others. After a brief return to Austria, he decided in 1936 to move to the United States permanently. He was appointed at Rockford College, Illinois (1936-1938). In 1938, he received an appointment at the University of Illinois, where he worked until 1950. In 1944 he became a naturalized US citizen and from 1943 to 1945 he served in the United States Army, working on the development of military dictionaries. After the war, he worked on the publication of A Grammar of Pashto: A Descriptive Study of the Dialect of Kandahar, Afghanistan' (1955). From 1950 to 1963, he taught at the University of Michigan. In 1963, he received an offer from the Linguistics Department at the University of California, Berkeley, where he spent the rest of his career. Penzl's research included a wide variety of topics, but his main interests were Germanic historical phonology. He wrote over 250 research articles and published 11 books, many of which have become standard works for students of Germanic Philology. Penzl described himself as an "American-style Structuralist."

Herbert Penzl, (born September 2, 1910 in Neufelden, Austria, died September 1, 1995 in Berkeley, California), wrote this, the definitive work on the Pashto Language. Penzl was a Professor of Linguistics and Germanic Studies at the University of California at Berkeley.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Ishi Press; Updated edition (July 9, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0923891722
• ISBN-13: 978-0923891725
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #972,620 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #51 in Books > Education & Reference > Dictionaries & Thesauruses > Foreign Language > Persian & Farsi

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting / for the linguist or serious learner, March 3, 2006

By 

G. C JONES (Somerville, MA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A grammar of Pashto;: A descriptive study of the dialect of Kandahar, Afghanistan

This is not really a `grammar of Pashto.' It is however a descriptive study of the dialect of Kandahar, and does review the grammar from an advanced point of view (pointing out trends rather than giving examples). It is useful for someone who already has some knowledge of pashto (either Kandahar or other dialect), for the linguist or dedicated learner, or for someone with no other resource available. The Kandahar dialect is the most `elegant' and some say the purest (closest to original) dialect and maintains a good connection to the extra pashto letters. Dr. Penzl relies on his own observation and also supplies some rarely helpful explicit input from three natives of Kandahar. Unfortunately the explanations are a little jargon-wordy and overcomplicated whereas in principle the ideas are very simple. Nevertheless, this is a useful and well-put together book.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Awful, June 8, 2010

By 

Edwin A. Blanton - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Grammar of Pashto A Descriptive Study of the Dialect of Kandahar, Afghanistan (Paperback)

This book is totally useless for beginners, the author doesn't even attempt to teach the alphabet,favoring his own shaky transliteration,the book is just a disorganized mess in general, the author attempts to hide his lack of target knowledge by using lots of technical terms, ive read chapters in lonely planet pocket guides that were more useful for teaching grammar than this whole book is

3 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars offensive, March 10, 2011

By 

Zalmay - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Grammar of Pashto A Descriptive Study of the Dialect of Kandahar, Afghanistan (Paperback)

"Would you like to be able to speak to the fellows on the cover of this book?"
The above statement is offensive. it is a deliberate and shameful attempt to depict native speakers of Pashto as violent.