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Pakistan
National Language (Urdu )
"Urdu",
a language that has originated between the 11th to 13th centuries became a
language for the invaders who came from different language regions. Later
it also became the language of the Muslims. Although it is spoken as a
first language by only 8% of the population, upon partition was recognised
as the national language of Pakistan for its easy understanding by
majority of the population.
Urdu derives its origin from the Turkish ""Orda"
(camp). With he emergence of the Turkish and the Persians, a need was felt
to have a common language which could be equally understandable by both
the foreigners and the natives. So by combining the Hindi, Persian and
Turkish, a new language was born. Camp followers, traders and native
soldiers working with the invaders all helped to shape the original lingua
franca, which is why Urdu is also known as the 'Lashkari (camp)'
language. Urdu thus owes its syntax to the subcontinent as English does to
Anglo-Saxon Dom. Like English it is harmonious and musical without being
monotonous. Initially it was a more of a literary language, specially in
poetry, than its household application. Mir Taqi Mair a renowned
Muslim poet of 18th century once remarked that Urdu was the language that
was spoken at the doorsteps of the Dheli's great red mosque. Hyderabad
Daccen, which had a Muslim ruling class fostered Urdu culture. The
language continued to be patronized more by the Muslims than Hindus and
thus was adopted as the "National" language of Pakistan at the
time of independence. Generally, the majority of Pakistanis can speak or
understand two or more languages, one being Urdu which is widely
understood and spoken in all parts of Pakistan, in addition to the native
languages of each area.
The Regional Languages
"Sindhi"
is the language widely spoken in the lower Sind province and is one of the
oldest native languages of the subcontinent. With its unique spoken accent
and four dots, it is very pleasant to listen to. 12% people, mainly in
Sind speak Sindhi. Sindhi word is derived from the river Indus Called
Sindh or Sindhu which runs from Ladakh to Arabian Sea. Sindhi language is
an Indo-Aryan language which has mixed with Arabic Sanskirit and Persian
with course of time. It has its own script which is similar to Arabic but
with lot of extra accents and phonetic. There are 52 characters in Sindhi
language. Quraan was first time translated into Sindhi in back in 12th
century or earlier.
"Punjabi",
is the language of Punjab and adjoining areas. As a first language, about
48% people all over Pakistan speak Punjabi. In addition to this, "Saraiki"
a variance of Punjabi is spoken by around 10%. "Hindko" yet
another regional language, mainly spoken in NWFP closely associates with
Punjabi and about 2% speak this language. Punjabi, Hindko and Seraiki, all
mutually intelligible, are classified by linguists as dialects of Lahnda.
Added together, speakers of these mutually-intelligible languages make up
nearly two-thirds of Pakistan's population. These are also, to a lesser
extent, mutually intelligible with Urdu, and it can easily be understood
by even those whose mother tongue is not Punjabi.
"Pushto"
is the language of most of the people living in the NWFP and is also
widely spoken in adjoining areas of Afghanistan. Although a little hard to
speak has it own charm. 8% people of Pakistan speak Pushto, mainly in the
NWFP and Balochistan.
"Balochi"
is the language of the Balochistan province. Brahwi and Pushto languages
are also spoken in the province. The ratio of Balochi and Brahwi is 3% and
1% respectively. Balochi and Pushto draw their roots from the Persian
language.
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