Dari

This textbook offers a thematically-organized approach to the Dari language for intermediate students. The book emphasizes task-oriented, communicative activities that develop the four language skills (speaking, listening, reading, and writing). The topics discussed include travel, micro-loans for businesses, shopping, and meeting with officials. Innovations include the functional approach to grammar; an emphasis on integrated skills development; and the use of various authentic materials, especially the videos filmed in the different regions of Afghanistan. Dari belongs to the Iranian group of Indo-European languages. Along with Farsi and Tajiki, it is one of the three main Persian dialects. Dari is the most-used language in Afghanistan; all official documents are written in the language. It is, with Pashto, one of the two official languages of the country. Dari has more than 40 million speakers worldwide. Large communities of native speakers reside in Iran and Tajikistan and throughout central and south Asia.