Languages of Pakistan

Languages of Pakistan

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  LANGUAGES OF PAKISTAN
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  Table of Contents Languagesof Pakistan National Language Provincial Languages
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  Languages of Pakistan •Pakistan is a multi-lingual country. No less than 60 languages are spoken by the people of Pakistan. There are five regional languages: Punjabi, Sindhi, Pushto, Baluchi and Kashmiri. These languages are rich in literature, poetry, folk songs, spiritual quotes of their respective saints and contribute greatly to the culture of Pakistan. • The regional languages distinct from each other in their forms and expression of thoughts and also have several common factors in them. They cultivate love, respect and a firm devotion to the Pakistani Ideology.
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  National Language (Urdu) • Urduis the national language of Pakistan. It is closely related to Hindi and is developed under the influence of the Persian and Arabic languages. Around 99% of Urdu verbs have their roots in Sanskrit. • Muhammad Hussain Azad is among the most eminent writers of Urdu prose. In a later era, Maulana Azad and Altaf Hussain Hali introduced new themes and fresh styles, and the sphere of Urdu poetry widened. • During the struggle for Pakistan, Allama Muhammad Iqbal and Hafeez Jalandhari excelled in poetry and cultivated refined themes in Urdu literature. • After independence, Urdu literature flourished under state benefaction, when Urdu was declared the official language of Pakistan. Manto, Faiz Ahmed Faiz and many others developed matchless poetry and prose. • Mir Taqi Mir (1723–1810) was the leading Urdu poet of the 18th century in the courts of Mughal Emperors and Nawabs of Awadh. • The first person to translate Quran into Urdu was Shah Abdul Qadir (son of Shah Walliullah).
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  Provincial Languages (Punjabi, Sindhi,Pashto, Balochi) Punjabi Punjabi is the language of the province 'Punjab'. It links back to the Aryan language . However, with time, the vocabulary of Punjabi language became a mixture of Persian, Arabic and Turkish words. Punjabi is rich in mystical and romantic poetry. Punjabi is the most widely spoken language in Pakistan, the 11th most widely spoken in India and the third most-spoken native language in the Indian Subcontinent. Punjabi is the fourth most-spoken language in the United Kingdom, and the fifth most-spoken native language in Canada. It also has a significant presence in the United Arab Emirates, United States and Australia. Punjabi is written in both the Shahmukhi and the Gurmukhi scripts. Some of the famous poets of Punjabi language include Baba Farid Shakar Ganj Baksh, Madhu Lal Hussain, Sultan Bahu, Bullay Shah and Waris Shah etc. These all have done excellent work in Punjabi literature and poetry.
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  Sindhi • The wordSindhi is an adjective which means "belonging to Sindh’’. The name of the language indicates with fair accuracy the locality in which it is spoken. • Sindhi is one of the important regional languages of Pakistan. It appears that Sindhi was spoken in the Indus Delta from ancient times. It is said that the language of the people of Moen-jo-Daro contained elements of present era Sindhi language. • The grammatical structure of Sindhi is heterogenous. The noun and branches belong to Sanskrit. Verbs and adverbs are formed from Persian models. Some writers identify Vichola as standard literary language and Saraiki, Thareli or Dhatki, Kachi, Lari, and Lasi as dialects of Sindhi. • The script of Sindhi is Arabic in character, principally Kufic. The script may have originated as early as the Arab period of its history. The 52 sounds in Sindhi are represented by the 30 letters of Arabic. • The Sindhi language possesses a voluminous literature in both poetry and prose. Shah Karim of Burli (1537-1628), Shah Latif Bhitai (1698-1750) and Sachal Sarmast (1739- 1828) were the greatest of Sindhi poets. In the British period Sindhi poetry tended to adopt Persian verse forms, and this trend continues to date. • Various steps have been taken to develop Sindhi. Organizations like 'Sindhi Literary Board' and Bazm- e-Talib-ul-Maula were set up. Several newspapers are being published in Sindhi. These include Kawish, Ibrat, Naw-e-Sindhi and Khadim-e-Watan.
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  Shah Abdul LatifBhatai’s Tomb Sachal Sarmast’s Tomb
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  Balochi • Baluchi isthe regional language of Baluchistan. It is the least developed of all the regional languages. It was spread by Baluchi tribes that migrated from Iran. • Literature produced by earlier poets is not in records, as it was preserved traditionally in the memories of the people. No newspapers or books were published in Baluchi up till 1940. After partition, however Baluchi literature received a little boost. It was due to the efforts made by various organizations and due to establishment of TV stations. At present, Baluchi literature is on the road to development. • There are two types of Baluchi: Sulemanki and Makrani. • The earliest mention of Baluch literature is to be found in the works of Ibn-e-Haukal (961 A.D.), However, Baluchi literature won no attention until five centuries later. It was in 1830 when an enterprising European globe trotter(traveller), named Leech, published his Research Report on the language and the literature of the Baluchi's in the Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. This proved a turning point that attracted the world's attention. • Well known poets of Baluchi language are: Jam Darang, Shah Mureed and Shadab.
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  Pashto • Pushto isthe regional language of the N.W.F.P. and tribal areas. It belongs to the East Iranian group of languages and contains many Persian, Arabic, Greek and Pehlevi words. • Although Pushto is an old language but its literature is comparatively a new one. After independence education spread rapidly and Pushto literature received a great boost. • The Pushto Academy Peshawar, some other literary societies and educational institutions such as Islamia College Peshawar helped to develop Pushto literature. • Pushto is spoken in most of Afghanistan. In Pakistan, it is spoken in NWFP, Baluchistan, and border districts of Punjab. • A district-wise survey of the Pushto speaking population in provinces includes Hazara, Peshawar, Kohat, Bannu and Dera Ismail Khan in the province of NWFP. • In Baluchistan, the Pushto districts include Quetta, Pishin, Loralai, Zhob, and Sibi. It is also spoken in border districts of Punjab such as Attock and Mianwali. • There are about 45-60 million people worldwide who speak Pashto. • Some of the well known poets of Pushto language include Khushal Khan Khatak and Rehman Baba.
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  Kashmiri • Kashmiri isthe language of the people of the Indian-occupied Kashmir and Azad Kashmir. This language has been derived from Sanskrit. Kashmiri is generally spoken in Muslim families of the valley. It contains many Turkish, Arabic and Persian words. It is written in the Persian script. • Kashmiri, like all the regional languages of Pakistan, had its early literature in the form of poetry. • Reflecting the history of the area, the Kashmiri vocabulary is mixed, containing Sanskrit, Punjabi, and Persian elements. Saraiki • Saraiki is the language of western Punjab. It has been called by various names, including Lahnda, Multani, Uchi and Derewali. However, all these names have now been dropped, and Saraiki has been adopted. It is spoken by over 80 million people around the world. • During Mughal rule, Devan-e-Hafiz, Heer Ranjha, Sassy and Punnu, Mirza Sahiban, and many other works were translated into Saraiki. • As a result of the movement of mystics, linguistic consciousness developed during the 17th to 19th century in Saraiki regions. Mystics like Sheikh Saadi, Shah Shams Sabzwari, Sultan Bahu, Shah Hussain, and Khawaja Farid produced monumental poetry.