by Muhammad Fahd Waseem

Created on: September 22, 2009

The languages spoken in Pakistan have deep, ancient roots. Some of the languages have developed indigenously in the various regions of Pakistan, yet others have been brought to Pakistan by invaders and rulers. Pakistan's national language, Urdu, has developed from an amalgam of all such language: it is unique in that it is a language spoken natively by perhaps less than 3% of the populace, but otherwise spoken and understood by over 90%.

It would be wise to ignore the various dialects and minority languages of Pakistan for the purpose of this article, because it would otherwise mean writing an article of encyclopedic length - there are so many. It would be more pertinent to consider just the six major languages of Pakistan.

Urdu. Ironically, Urdu is a language known for exquisite style and beauty, yet derived from the military camps of barbarian invaders. A word derived from the Mongol Tartar word for 'horde', it was a language originated by the military invaders from central and middle Asia. It is written in Arabica script, but the vocabulary is a sophisticated mix of Arabic, Persian, Hindi, Pushto, Punjabi and others. Urdu is a poetic language, and its outstanding ability to absorb other languages means it has continued to be Pakistan's national language.

Pushto. This language, often considered rather harsh, is the language of the Pakthuns of NWFP. It is a language with strong Persian roots. It does not lend itself to poetry very easily, yet there are still a number of poets and ballad-writers who have used this language.

Punjabi. It is the oldest true language in the subcontinent. It was originally in Indo Aryan script, but was converted to Arabic script (like most other languages of Pakistan) under Muslim rule. It is a language with a lilting pronunciation. It is also the native language of the highest percentage of Pakistani people - this makes sense because Punjab is Pakistan's most populous province.

Sindhi. This is often considered the language of the saints, though its recent popularity has taken a major hit as Sindhis tend to be less possessive of their language than others. It is a sweet language, with some impressive poetry under record.

Balochi. Strictly, this is not one language, but a combination of a few local languages. Balochistan, the province, is sparsely populated owing to the ruggedness of terrain. As such, it is a language that is losing ground. Balochi is vivid in description of war and nature.

English. Not native to this region, but brought by the British who ruled this area for a fair length of time, English has carved its place among the languages spoke in Pakistan. The language of the upper class, fluent English is taken as a mark of prestige and affluence. This was probably initially due to a kind of inferiority syndrome, but is now simply because of the status of English as the lingua franca. It is also Pakistan's official (not national) language, despite many attempts having been made to switch to Urdu.

Pakistan has a rich and ancient culture, being at the crossroads of many civilizations over the millennia. It is only fitting, thus, that its languages represent this historical motley.

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