A Comparative Analysis of Phonetic Representation: Pashto Script in Contrast with Farsi, Urdu, and Arabic

Abstract

The adaptation of the Perso-Arabic script has resulted in varying degrees of phonetic adequacy and orthographic stability. This study presents a comparative analysis of grapheme-phoneme correspondence in Pashto, Farsi, Urdu, and Arabic, with emphasis on the structural limitations of the script when applied to Pashto. While Farsi and Urdu demonstrate successful orthographic innovations through the addition of graphemes and partial standardization, Pashto exhibits a higher degree of phonetic ambiguity and under-specification. Using a comparative-analytical methodology, this paper evaluates vocalic representation across the four languages. The findings reveal that Pashto’s complex phonemic inventory, including retroflex fricatives, a dense sibilant system, and a central vowel, is inadequately represented within the inherited script framework. This results in reliance on contextual interpretation and optional diacritics. The study concludes that Pashto represents a critical case for understanding the functional limits of the Perso-Arabic script, with implications for literacy, language standardization, and computational processing.