With a background survey of theories of language standardization and orthography of the development of other Iranian standard languages and of Balochi dialects and phonology, this work provides a description and assessment of the development of Balochi as a written literary language from the 1950s up to the present. Apart from a thorough investigation of existing publications and publishers the study consists of two main parts, both of which are based on interviews with and articles written by leading literary Baloch, as well as on quantitative investigations. Balochi language is dealt with, and investigations as to what dialects predominate in written Balochi are presented. The second part of the study deals with the orthography of Balochi. To each of these two parts of the study there belongs a text appendix. The purpose of these appendices is to provide practical illustrations of the questions dealt with in the theoretical investigations. Balochi language, which is less than 40 years old as a written literary medium, is at present still in a formative stage. Thus, even if there are certain tendencies towards linguistic and orthographic standardization, there is as yet no single accepted standardized norm for written Balochi.