Can we keep Punjabi alive in Pakistan? If the answre is yes then how? Without being taught in schools, colleges or universities, does the language has any future? Are we being assimilated by a foreign language, Urdu?
Punjabi is thousands of years old. Urdu is said to be invented when the Taj Mahal was built.
No language has any special relation with the religion, monoploy on the social life or special privilleges in literature.
Why is then teaching of Punjabi is considered such a threat to the existence of Pakistan? Why is it then termed as a crude or gunwar language? Why was its script, Gurmukhi, termed a qafir script and replaced by urdu script?
There are hundereds of unanswered questions. We want to keep this language, the mother tongue of 80 million (majority) Pakistanis alive. Would you let your mother be stepped upon? Then why are we letting our mother tongue, the language our mother speaks at home, to be annihialted in Pakistan?
Let us do some soul searching! Mirza Jat (of Mirza-Sahiban fame) spoke Punjabi. Then why are we shy to speak at home?
Comments, constructive criticism invited. You can also see more effort to keep Punjabi alive at the www.Punjabi.net site.
New (Posted March 25)
I did not mean to attack Urdu as the language keeping the fabric of joining Pakistan, one of the greatest countries in the world. Urdu has its own place which can never be denied. It is also one of the sweatest and most lyricist languages I ever know of. There is no denying.
What I want to insist upon is that Punjabi as one of the modern languages in Asia and may be the world deserves its recognition and place in the household, province, country and eventually histroy.
Like I said it is to us folks to admit or deny what were the first words our mothers spoke to us in. Was it Punjabi or something else? If it was Punjabi, then your mother tongue is Punajbi. You could be speaking Persion for Allah sake, but when your neighbous refer to you they always say that Punjabi guy or girl etc. etc. Then what are you? What is your identity? You are always a Pakistani, your passport says that. But are you a Persian or Punjabi?
I let you decide what you like to be called yourself. What language are you going to teach your kids? They are always going to learn Urdu, they have to. But should it be at the expense of Punjabi?
How many of your Punjabi friends were taught Punjabi in the elementary school? Which language you were taught algebra in? Punjabi can be used as the primary language. And every science, mathematics, geography, history so on and so on can be taught in Punjabi. It is such an advanced language.
Punjabi aje mari nahin
Na hi ih maregi bina lahu wahea toN,
Shaid kai bolian khatam ho jangia iston pehlan
Per ih jiondi rahegi atom bomb chalea toN.
Thanks for your constructive critism folks. But more input is required to keep this discussion alive.
[This message has been edited by Jat (edited March 25, 1999).]
Punjabi is thousands of years old. Urdu is said to be invented when the Taj Mahal was built.
No language has any special relation with the religion, monoploy on the social life or special privilleges in literature.
Why is then teaching of Punjabi is considered such a threat to the existence of Pakistan? Why is it then termed as a crude or gunwar language? Why was its script, Gurmukhi, termed a qafir script and replaced by urdu script?
There are hundereds of unanswered questions. We want to keep this language, the mother tongue of 80 million (majority) Pakistanis alive. Would you let your mother be stepped upon? Then why are we letting our mother tongue, the language our mother speaks at home, to be annihialted in Pakistan?
Let us do some soul searching! Mirza Jat (of Mirza-Sahiban fame) spoke Punjabi. Then why are we shy to speak at home?
Comments, constructive criticism invited. You can also see more effort to keep Punjabi alive at the www.Punjabi.net site.
New (Posted March 25)
I did not mean to attack Urdu as the language keeping the fabric of joining Pakistan, one of the greatest countries in the world. Urdu has its own place which can never be denied. It is also one of the sweatest and most lyricist languages I ever know of. There is no denying.
What I want to insist upon is that Punjabi as one of the modern languages in Asia and may be the world deserves its recognition and place in the household, province, country and eventually histroy.
Like I said it is to us folks to admit or deny what were the first words our mothers spoke to us in. Was it Punjabi or something else? If it was Punjabi, then your mother tongue is Punajbi. You could be speaking Persion for Allah sake, but when your neighbous refer to you they always say that Punjabi guy or girl etc. etc. Then what are you? What is your identity? You are always a Pakistani, your passport says that. But are you a Persian or Punjabi?
I let you decide what you like to be called yourself. What language are you going to teach your kids? They are always going to learn Urdu, they have to. But should it be at the expense of Punjabi?
How many of your Punjabi friends were taught Punjabi in the elementary school? Which language you were taught algebra in? Punjabi can be used as the primary language. And every science, mathematics, geography, history so on and so on can be taught in Punjabi. It is such an advanced language.
Punjabi aje mari nahin
Na hi ih maregi bina lahu wahea toN,
Shaid kai bolian khatam ho jangia iston pehlan
Per ih jiondi rahegi atom bomb chalea toN.
Thanks for your constructive critism folks. But more input is required to keep this discussion alive.
[This message has been edited by Jat (edited March 25, 1999).]
Comment