Understand and reviving the linguistic composition of the local Pakistan languages

Pakistan is a country steeped in heritage, history and culture. It has been a route of military conquest; it has experienced numerous invasions and the rise and fall of empires that has resulted in the creation of a unique ethnic and cultural melting pot. Over the years, this rich history has been a key factor in the transformation of the linguistic composition of Pakistan.

Currently, 74 recognised languages are spoken in Pakistan, with Urdu and English considered the two official national languages. Out of 74 languages, English, Urdu, Pashto, Sindhi, Punjabi and Saraiki have over 10 million speakers, and many of the remaining languages spoken in Pakistan are now considered endangered or dying languages. It is important to realise that by losing even a single of these languages we lose a part of our history and identity handed down to us by our ancestors. For instance, of the 30 languages spoken solely in the northern areas of Pakistan, some belong to Indo-Aryans, Indo-Iranian, Sino-Tibetan, Dardic or Indo-European language families and are a key part of our history. Hence, it is important to start working on the preservation of these languages in both spoken/lexical and written forms.

ITA is currently collaborating with PAL Network on the preservation of our local languages in eight countries, including Pakistan, Nepal, India, Kenya, Mexico, Mozambique, Tanzania and Uganda. One unique aspect of this project is that it works on preserving language in a way that safeguards both the language itself and a small part of the history attached to it. This is done by focusing on preserving folktales, legends, poems, folk songs, basic measurements and other small resources in local languages.

In Pakistan, ITA has focused on collecting these local treasures in Wakhi, Saraiki, Khowar and Dhatki in their verified original script along with recordings of local elders to ensure the accurate pronunciation of the languages is conserved as well. These resources are currently being translated into Urdu and English and will be adapted into lesson plans. The lesson plans will be used to teach the children of the communities where these local languages are spoken to support the propagation of the languages in the area’s future generations.

Based on the key findings of our data collection process, each of these 4 languages (Wakhi, Khowar, Saraiki and Dhatki) has its own script which uses both Arabic and Latin alphabets most of the locals are unaware of. Therefore, neither does a language being as widely spoken as Saraiki mean that locals know how to write it, nor is there enough written literature in Saraiki to permanently preserve its original written form.

That being the case, we as a community need to play a key role in ensuring the preservation of our languages in both spoken and written form. Also, it is important for us to emphasise the need for our future generations to take these languages forward as part of our heritage.