Ethnolinguistic Situation and Language Policy in Afghanistan

The subject of study of this article is the ethno linguistic situation and language policy in multi-lingual Afghanistan which is situated on the area of contacts of various ethnic groups. The majority of more than 30 languages spoken in Afghanistan belong to the Indo-European family of languages. According to the Constitution of Afghanistan adopted in 2004, Dari and Pashto are designated as the official languages of the country; the other languages are declared as a third official language for the areas inhabited by native speakers of them. The ethno linguistic situation and the official language policy have resulted in bilingualismand multilingualism among the majority of the population of the country.