Question For Pakistani Pashtuns

[nadia]

So when we were in Pakistan, my brother asked a Pashtun in Pakistan if he was Afghan or Pakistani and he responded saying, "I am both." i.e."Ze dwara yem. Afghani yem kho kadda me Pakistani da."

Now my question is what does the word kadda mean in that sentence spoken in Pakistani Pashto? When I heard him I interpreted him as meaning to say he is Afghan but has moved to Pakistan. However, my brother said no, Pakistani Pashtuns use the word kadda for wife. But he might just be guessing.

Which is right?

[DaZahroJaam.]

kadda generally means your entire belongings but its a phrase commonly used amongst Pashtuns of both countries to refer to their female spouse with out making an obvious reference.

[Admin Khan]

Pashtuns generally refer to their wife as 'children' or 'kadda'. DZJ elaborated on the Kadda, sometimes they use the word "koshnan[children]" as well. He won't say her name in public.

Best,

[jankhan]

Kadda means family and belongings. Its very common word at my side.

[Khostai]

kadda only means wife+the children sometimes only wife and not your belonings or some other things, get your fact straight.

[jankhan]

But we use it for both. like za kadda wrram.

[Badlun]

So when we were in Pakistan, my brother asked a Pashtun in Pakistan if he was Afghan or Pakistani and he responded saying, "I am both." i.e."Ze dwara yem. Afghani yem kho kadda me Pakistani da."

Now my question is what does the word kadda mean in that sentence spoken in Pakistani Pashto? When I heard him I interpreted him as meaning to say he is Afghan but has moved to Pakistan. However, my brother said no, Pakistani Pashtuns use the word kadda for wife. But he might just be guessing.

Which is right?

Remember there is no any term Pakistani Pashto or Afghanistani Pashto. Pashto is Pashto and called Pashto in both Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The difference in dialects or accents of Pashto is region wise or north-south wise not country wise. The dialect(soft) of Quetta(Pakistan) is the same as that of Kandahar. The dialect(hard) of Peshawar(Pakistan) is the same as that of Kunar or Jalalabad(Afghanistan).

If there is any difference in the Pashto spoken in Afghanistan or Pakistan , is the influence of Urdu or Dari but the pure Pashto remains the same.

kadda in Pashto everywhere means the same which is your family and belongings as explained earlier. Depends on the pragmatics(context) whether it means only family or only belongings.

For example ma nawi kor ta kadda rawarha=I brought my luggage to the new house.
Zama kadda nan narogha da= My family(may be wife or children or both) is sick today.

[khushal]

Pashtuns generally refer to their wife as 'children' or 'kadda'. DZJ elaborated on the Kadda, sometimes they use the word "koshnan[children]" as well. He won't say her name in public.

Best,

Ive never heard of this admin khana that pashtuns refer to their wife as children.

Technically Kadda means wife only, not children or belongings. Back in nomadic days if the mom moved around, the children and belongings would move with her by default, where as the man was more mobile without attachment. It seems as though the children and belongings have been attached to the word kadda but technically it means wife. As you say it is used in the place of her name in front of non related males.

[khushal]

So when we were in Pakistan, my brother asked a Pashtun in Pakistan if he was Afghan or Pakistani and he responded saying, "I am both." i.e."Ze dwara yem. Afghani yem kho kadda me Pakistani da."

Now my question is what does the word kadda mean in that sentence spoken in Pakistani Pashto? When I heard him I interpreted him as meaning to say he is Afghan but has moved to Pakistan. However, my brother said no, Pakistani Pashtuns use the word kadda for wife. But he might just be guessing.

Which is right?

I beleive the your brother was talking to an afghan who has a pakistani wife and it seems like he wants to attach himself to pakistan maybe to get pakistani citizenship. I know a few afghans who say they are both because they have migrated from afghanistan and hold both pakistani and afghan citizenship.

[Admin Khan]

Ive never heard of this admin khana that pashtuns refer to their wife as children.

Technically Kadda means wife only, not children or belongings. Back in nomadic days if the mom moved around, the children and belongings would move with her by default, where as the man was more mobile without attachment. It seems as though the children and belongings have been attached to the word kadda but technically it means wife. As you say it is used in the place of her name in front of non related males.

Yeah, I've heard many Kandaharis do it. Do you know what Koshnaan mean Khushal jaana, as in do folks from your region use that word?

[sokaniwaal]

Remember there is no any term Pakistani Pashto or Afghanistani Pashto. Pashto is Pashto and called Pashto in both Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The difference in dialects or accents of Pashto is region wise or north-south wise not country wise. The dialect(soft) of Quetta(Pakistan) is the same as that of Kandahar. The dialect(hard) of Peshawar(Pakistan) is the same as that of Kunar or Jalalabad(Afghanistan).

If there is any difference in the Pashto spoken in Afghanistan or Pakistan , is the influence of Urdu or Dari but the pure Pashto remains the same.

kadda in Pashto everywhere means the same which is your family and belongings as explained earlier. Depends on the pragmatics(context) whether it means only family or only belongings.

For example ma nawi kor ta kadda rawarha=I brought my luggage to the new house.
Zama kadda nan narogha da= My family(may be wife or children or both) is sick today.

100% true, there is not Pakistani or Afghani Pashto at all. All we have to differentiate is the dialect which is explained by Badlun in a comprehensive way.

[KGODB]

ive only heard kadda in the context of belongings

ie kadda barawam (im moving)

[khushal]

Yeah, I've heard many Kandaharis do it. Do you know what Koshnaan mean Khushal jaana, as in do folks from your region use that word?

I've heard of this term before but only from Kandahari's Admin Khana. We don't use it, we say "wa rre" for children, but it would not include the wife or any other adults.

Back to the Kadda topic. We say "kadda mai kor na wa kra" meaning I moved out from the house but the word is still attached to wife because Pashtuns regard their home as where the wife resides. So if the wife moves, he moves or he cant move unless the wife moves with him. Technically Kadda means wife. In our region we wont say "kadda barawum," this would be incorrect, people would laugh because they would take to mean your packing up your wife. We'll say "lokhay barawum" meaning Im packing my belongings.

Another example would be "Amir Khan kadda se ra doctor te lar ro" meaning Amir Khan went to the doctor with his wife. This would not mean he took all his belongings and children with him to the doctor.

[Da Bannu Mazdigar]

well the kadda word is extensively used by marwat pashtuns.

as they say
for example

Muja akhpala kadda dera ismail khan ta yawra

[Da Bannu Mazdigar]

i guess we are getting confused here
as far as i know

kadda means belonging

Shaza/khaza means wife.

there are other words also used for wife such as "zama korwala" or my wife