Regional Languages of Pakistan
Regional Languages Of Pakistan
Introduction: Pakistan is a multi-lingual country. No less than 24 languages and dialects are spoken by the people of Pakistan. There are five regional languages. Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashto, Balochi, and Kashmiri. These languages are rich in literature, poetry, folk songs, and spiritual quotes of their respective saints and contribute greatly to the culture of Pakistan.
The regional languages, though distinct from each other in their forms, dialects and expressions of thoughts, have several common factors in them. They cultivate in them love, respect and a firm adherence to the Pakistan Ideology.
National Language
Urdu: Urdu is the national language, and one of two official languages of Pakistan (the other being English). Although only about 8% of Pakistanis speak it as their first language, it is spoken as a second and often third language by nearly all Pakistanis. Its introduction as the lingua franca was encouraged by the British upon the capitulation and annexation of Sindh and Punjab with the subsequent ban on the use of Persian. The decision to make the language change was to institute a universal language throughout then British Raj in South Asia as well as minimize the influence of Persia, Ottoman Empire, Afghanistan and Central Asia had on this transitional region. Urdu is a relatively new language in the contemporary sense but has undergone considerable modifications and development borrowing heavily on the traditions of older languages like Persian, Arabic, Turkish and local South Asian languages all of which can be found in its vocabulary. It began as a standardized register of Hindi and in its spoken form. It is widely used for personal letters as well as public literature, in the literary sphere and in the popular media. It is a required subject of study in all primary and secondary schools. As Pakistan’s national language, Urdu has been promoted to promote national unity. It is written with a modified form of the
Introduction: Pakistan is a multi-lingual country. No less than 24 languages and dialects are spoken by the people of Pakistan. There are five regional languages. Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashto, Balochi, and Kashmiri. These languages are rich in literature, poetry, folk songs, and spiritual quotes of their respective saints and contribute greatly to the culture of Pakistan.
The regional languages, though distinct from each other in their forms, dialects and expressions of thoughts, have several common factors in them. They cultivate in them love, respect and a firm adherence to the Pakistan Ideology.
National Language
Urdu: Urdu is the national language, and one of two official languages of Pakistan (the other being English). Although only about 8% of Pakistanis speak it as their first language, it is spoken as a second and often third language by nearly all Pakistanis. Its introduction as the lingua franca was encouraged by the British upon the capitulation and annexation of Sindh and Punjab with the subsequent ban on the use of Persian. The decision to make the language change was to institute a universal language throughout then British Raj in South Asia as well as minimize the influence of Persia, Ottoman Empire, Afghanistan and Central Asia had on this transitional region. Urdu is a relatively new language in the contemporary sense but has undergone considerable modifications and development borrowing heavily on the traditions of older languages like Persian, Arabic, Turkish and local South Asian languages all of which can be found in its vocabulary. It began as a standardized register of Hindi and in its spoken form. It is widely used for personal letters as well as public literature, in the literary sphere and in the popular media. It is a required subject of study in all primary and secondary schools. As Pakistan’s national language, Urdu has been promoted to promote national unity. It is written with a modified form of the