Have any of you noticed how the middle class Punjabis only speak Urdu?
And those that are really upper class, the dont speak it at all, in fact they speak English more often then they do anything else?!
People seem to think that Punjabi is a language for the un-pur people. Why are Punjabi people suddenly so afraid of speaking their own language?
Not all Punjabis..but the elite yes quite definitely, but that applies to Pashtuns, Sindhis and other elites in Pakistan as well, just not on the same scale.
I think it's sad that Punjabi suffers so much discrimination, it's a rich language and I always try to highlight that on gupshup, while Urdu remains the essential link language for Pakistan and it is a rich language. I think Punjabi deserves more respect as do all ignored languages in Pakistan.
An example of the discrimination is I believe at one time it was forbidden for a person to speak Punjabi in the Punjab Assembly!
Adnan and Zakk :k: great responses..
I think for us as Punjabis, the situation is twofold, where not only is Punjabi considered a language of the pind, but also due to political reasons. Punjab was the only province that took to Urdu willingly.. Sindh had riots, E. Pakistanis (Bengaldeshis) were violent in resistance… NWFP and Baluchistan didn’t care for it either..
I don’t despise the fact that Punjabi has taken a back seat to Urdu, because it is in the spirit of national unity and ensuring that Urdu will continue to be our language. Let me remind you that Punjabi as a language will never die because as we take on Urdu, later English we will never forget our mother tongue.
The problem with regional languages is that they tend to divide rather than unite because if we make Punjabi a provincially important language..we will alienate our Hindko, Seriaki speakers. I don’t want to divide Punjabis by dialects.
I don't know if some people do it on purpose. My parents are funny-with eachother they speak mostly Urdu with some punjabi mixed in for certain words. With any other person can speak punjabi that they know, they speak total fast paced regular punjabi. With their own parents, with their in-laws, with their punjabi speaking friends...just not eachother. It cracks me up. I once asked my mom abt that...she said they just did. :)
i am glad someone has similar questions and thoughts as me adnan. i raised a topic "your home spoken/mother language" here in culture, and my intention was only to find out who speaks what language. but somehow we came to talk how some punjabis speak urdu just to show off and just to show that they are very literate and belong to an upper class. some "NICE" people disagreed with me and accused me for saying that. i don't blam them because they might not have seen people do this. but where i live, i see punjabi people doing this all the times. they speak urdu to other punjabis as well and i don't understand the reason! if you two have the same language, why not talk in that language? i speak punjabi tou my punjabi friends but i do speak urdu with friends who speak urdu at home. punjabi is a very lovely language and i think people who know how to speak it, they should speak punjabi. i'll write more next time as it is time for me to get ready to go to college.
I agree with adnan! but its not only with punjabi, but other languages too. but more often if you compare, punjabis are most likely to speak in urdu even both are punjabis. you will not see many pathan(at any level), sindhi or balochi.
so there is something that is stopping punjabis, i have observed it, i speak urdu with people i dont really know well. but I speak punjabi with my friends and family.
girls specially more likely to speak urdu than guys.
its true it may be well set in minds that speaking punjabi will present you as "un parh" but thats very shallow. if i am confident i would speak punjabi, it will not make me un parh cause I know I am not.
Parent from childhood try to teach urdu to kids, and thats I think where it begins. then in school we are suppose to speak urdu!
why punjabi is not tought at primary level?
the other reason may be is elite culture, people try to show off and follow elites by speaking urdu or english. that something we still have from our colonial past.
its funny but in pak when I was doing BSc, some english teachers sat up a society to promote punjabi! there are many people who are concerned about language
Well thing is, although Punjabi is still spoken widely in rural areas where they don't have much time for airs and graces, it's definitely not taught as a written language at all. How many Punjabis here can read Punjabi dialect?
My mother is always going on about urdu being the quami zabaan so there was definitely a case of taking on urdu as a patriotic aspect and it was a unifying factor when you consider that it's one common language that most people understand in Pakistan.
i don't understand the big deal. urdu is the main language right? What's wrong with ppl who want to speak it even tho they can speak punjabi? or sindhi, or pushto, or whatever else. While i come from a punjabi family, i can't speak it. I can understand it, but can't speak it. Even then my fam speaks urdu with me then.
i think punjabi sounds soo kool:k: but am not fluent at it:( BUT i can understand it perfectly:D
there is no harm in speaking urdu and sure it will stay as national language of pakistan.
Only punjab doesnt teach language at school level while all other provinces do teach provinical language in primary eductaion.
its just not some one cant speak or write, its matter of a great language being disappeared. If punjabi will not speak it who will?
but it will not be vanished cause most of the population in punjab live in villages or small cities, so it will stay until they also infected by the same virus of metropolitan cities!
anyone who can read urdu can also read punjabi with some concentration cause punjabi uses same alphabets as urdu.
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*Originally posted by Shak killS: *
anyone who can read urdu can also read punjabi with some concentration cause punjabi uses same alphabets as urdu.
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but i think REAL punjabi is written with totally different alphabets. i read my uncle's punjabi book and it was written in urdu alphabets. but i read my grandfather's age's punjabi and it was written in a different script, somewhat like hindi or bangali script.
I thought punjabis are tooo proud of their language until I met my fiance for the first time, he’s a punjabi but he has NEVER spoken a punjabi word in front of me…I guess it’s too embarrassing for him to say even ‘‘a few words’’ in his parents’ language…though I’m an urdu speaking I’m interested in learning punjabi but this guy just won’t say a word in punjabi!!!
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Shikra: *
but i think REAL punjabi is written with totally different alphabets. i read my uncle's punjabi book and it was written in urdu alphabets. but i read my grandfather's age's punjabi and it was written in a different script, somewhat like hindi or bangali script.
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Shikra, it might in Gurmukhi. In 1947 Punjab was split up and W. Punjabis (us) changed our script to the Urdu style (Persian actually).
Gurmukhi is written mostly by Sikhs and they consider it to be more authentic Punjabi.
Ggood replies guys.. Now my next question.
Why are Punjabis unconcerned by the fact that Punjabi zabaan has taken a back seat to Urdu, while Sidhis and Pathans all freak out in defense of their tongues? Is it that they are more insecure since they are a minority?
I like Punjabi myself, it sounds a little gruf, but it has its charms. Village Punjabi, Norther Punjabi in my case, is almost like a foreign language to me, but I managed to pick it up a little (although I sound stupid speaking it).
Still, I dont see why we have to give up our identity for the sake of "national unity." I think its our diversity that makes us strong. Rather then forcing Urdu on everyone, we should be promoting our cultural identity, I dont think that will harm us as a nation.
hehe me 2
i can understand punjabi but cant speak much, i try to speak but we in our family we speak urdu, dont know why but we speak urdu
sometimes our relatives ask my parents why dont u ppl speak in punjabi at home
punjabi is a grear languauge,i luv it........but cant speak it much,n if i do speak it,my family cracks up laughing,so i can understand punjabi fully but mostly tend to to speak in urdu:)
punjabi is a grear languauge,i luv it........but cant speak it much,n if i do speak it,my family cracks up laughing,so i can understand punjabi fully but mostly tend to to speak in urdu:)
punjabi is a grear languauge,i luv it........but cant speak it much,n if i do speak it,my family cracks up laughing,so i can understand punjabi fully but mostly tend to to speak in urdu:)
i think all of us got you for the first time 
you didn’t have to repeat the same thing three times:(