Ans: Various stages of development of the Regional Languages:
A study of the beginning and development of a few famous regional
languages of Pakistan is given below:
1 Urdu:
Urdu is the national language of Pakistan and also holds the status of a
symbol of national identity. It is a language of communication. During the Muslim
rule in South Asia people from different areas were recruited in the army (lashkar) of
those days. These people were Punjabi, Sindhi, Pathan, Bengali, Baloch, Arab,
Irani, Turkish, Hindustani, etc. These people spoke different languages. While in the
army, their mixing up with each other created a new language, Urdu (lashkar). Urdu
is a Turkish word which means ‘army’.
e.g.
In the beginning it was called Hindwi, Hindi and Hindustani. Later it was
called Reekhta. In this way Urdu acquired and changed different names in different
Amir Khusro is considered to be an ancient poet of Hindi. When it was called
ages. During different stages as it changed names, it changed its nature as well
Reekhta, Mushafee was famous and at the time of its being called Urdu-e-Muala,
Mirza Ghalib and Zauq were its famous poets.
When Shah Jahan made Delhi as his capital instead of Agra. This led to
people speaking Lashkari and Delhi languages living in the same market (place).
The emperor suggested that this market be called Urdu-e-Muala. Therefore the
language being spoken there was called Urdu-e-Muala or Dehlavi language. When
this language reached Deccan and Gujarat, it was also called Deccani and Gujrati
Seeing its popularity, the rich people made special efforts for itsdevelopment. In this
way it rose from being a language of daily communication to the level of being a
language in which literature was written.
2 Punjabi:
Punjabi is an ancient language of the Punjab. Its link is with the ancient
Darawari or Harpai language. Due to historical and geographical changes, it has six
major accents and dialects. These are called by different names. Shah Puri, Majhi,
Chachi, Saraiki, Dhani and Pothwari are some of these. The best is considered to
be the Majhi accent which is in use in Lahore and the areas surrounding it.
The knowledge and literature of Punjabi can be traced to Mahmood
Ghaznavi’s times. The topics of poetry of that time were mysticism, love and
romance, and patriotism. This brings to mind the name of Hazrat Baba Farid Ganj
Shakar). Then comes the age of Sultan Bahu (),Baba Bulley Shah
C) and Khawaja Ghulam Farid ), Along with mysticism, the colour
and effects of the social and political situation of their age were dominant in their
works. The expression of these can be seen in special and commonly understood
symbols. This is the reason for their verse being so popular amongst people.
Among the works of famous Punjabi novel writers, the novels of Dabir Singh,
Meeran Singh and Sayedan Buksh Minhas are very famous. There is no counterpart
of Punjabi literature as it presents a forceful, effective and blunt picture: It has the
ability to express the tiniest feelings of life in its forms of narration. These include
waar, dhot, mahiya, dohay, ghori, sithniyaan, tappay, simmi, boliyaan, etc.
After the 20th century, different people did invaluable work in novel writing.
drama writing, narrative writing, research and criticism and other forms of prose.
Television and radio have served to develop modern drama writing. In the
department of Punjabi of the University of the Punjab, the courses of MA Punjabi
and Ph.D. are taught.
3 Sindhi
sindhi is an ancient language which is spoken in the province of Sindh. As it
is related to Ariyal Family it is spoken in the Indus River Valley and the areas near it.
Darawari, Sanskrit, Arabic, Persian and other ancient languages. It is written in the
This language has the effects of the following languages: Greek, Turkish, Irani,
Arabic script. After the advent of the British, English words were also included in
Sindhi, which increased the literature and vocabulary reserves of Sindhi. Sindhi is
stronger than the other regional languages of Pakistan due to its old cultural
heritage.
There are many accents of Sindhi. In lower Sindh and its Rajasthani area,
Kichi, Kathiawari and Aqdi dialects are spoken. In its other areas the dialects in use
are Kohistani, Saraiki and Vicholi. The high standard of its accent is foremost in
knowledgeable literary and journalistic writings.
In the whole of the Muslim world’s local languages, Sindhi is the first
language to have a translation of the Holy Quran. Sindhi was a developed language,
it was a common practice to read and write in it, even before the coming of Islam.
After the arrival of Islam. Sindhi too had importance along with Arabic.
From 1050 to 1350 AD special contribution was made to create literary and
religious works. This is accepted as the early age of literature in the Sindhi
language. During this time the topics written on were patriotism, determination, self
respect and spiritual beliefs. This period’s Dastaan, Qissa and Gunaan are worth
mentioning. Gunaan is a unique style of poetry. Sufi saints of this time (belonging to
different schools of
thought) spread the teachings of Islam through poetry.
The Sufi poets like Shah Abdul Latif Bhitaf and Sachai Sarmast”had
enriched Sindhi literature through their exemplary poetry. This age is called the
golden age of Sindhi literature. Shah Abdul Latif Bhitaf made prominent the dignity
of the common life and poor labour class. He adopted a style of using similes in
poetry. He took his basic subject matter from Sindhi folk tales. That is why the echo
of his poetry can be heard in every corner of Sindh. His collection of poetry is called
Shah Jo Rasalo.
The highly esteemed poet Sachai Sarmast wrote poetry in Sindhi, Urdu,
Saraiki, Punjabi and Persian. He was a man with Sufi qualities. In mysticism his
special topic was Unity of Existence (Wahdat ul Wajood).
Along with poetry, in prose also a wealth of literature was gathered due to
the collective efforts of teachers, scholars and preachers. The efforts of Abul
Hassan Sindhi in this respect are prominent. He used the Arabic script for writing
Sindhi to create a new script. Another name in this context is of Makhdoom
Muhammad Hashim. He was a great religious scholar. He wrote about 150 books in
Persian and Sindhi. The topic of these books is the elaboration and correction of
religious beliefs. Some of these books still have the role of course books in
Madrassas and in Jamia Al Azhar (Egypt). During this period Akhwand Aziz Ullah
wrote a prose translation of the Holy Quran.
During British rule Sindhi developed a lot. The name of Mirza Qaleech Beg is
very important for this age. He wrote nearly 400 books on poetry and on other
topics. During the British reign, the political and social life in the subcontinent
underwent many important changes. People’s awareness grew stronger. During this age Sindhi journalism flourished. In 1970 Maulvi Malaah wrote
the translation of the Holy Quran in verse. Bait, Wai, Kaafi and Molood are special
forms of Sindhi literature. Modern literary’ trends affected Sindhi as well. After
Pakistan came into being, much work has been done in the modern prose, play
literature etc.
Modern writers of Sindhi language have harmonized the modern trend with
the classical one. They have revived all forms of prose. In this regard, Sindhi
language development institution plays a prominent role. Development in research
and criticism has also been made.