So I’m Punjabi from both sides, but the thing is, my Urdu is better than my Punjabi. It’s sad, I know, but even my cousins living in Pakistan use Urdu in their daily lives as opposed to Punjabi, the language their own parents grew up speaking. My parents think it’s more important to learn Urdu than Punjabi, which I never really understood. All of the adults in my family all speak in Punjabi with one another, but all their kids have been taught Urdu. I can understand basic Punjabi and maybe speak it if I tried (…to make a total idiot out of myself), but there’s many words that I don’t catch on to and phrases and things I wouldn’t understand. Ofcourse, my Punjabi cousin’s Urdu is different than my Karachi-walay cousin’s Urdu.
So I was talking with my cousin a few days ago about this and she mentioned that Punjabi isn’t considered a very “decent” language. That takes the piss. It’s supposed to be our mother language and now it’s just completely looked down upon. What a shame.
Why are kids in the family (not just mine) being taught Urdu, rather than Punjabi (since that’s the language their parents grew up speaking), and why is Punjabi starting to be so “looked down upon”?
Well phatima Urdu is important for national cohesion. But it doesn't mean that we shouldn't speak other languages. It's wrong to say that urdu was a language of only 'urdu speaking' people. Urdu in subcontinent was/is lingua franca as there are so many other languages. Nevertheless, I accept the fact that Punjabis in Pakistan are probably the only ethnic group in the whole world who look down upon their language. I'm a Punjabi myself. I know it. In order to fully understand the issue you'll have to see everything in historical perspective too. It's a bit complicated.
Today's educated Punjabis tend to dislike this language because it has become associated with illiterate and uneducated people. Why? Because, punjabi is no more a medium of education. It's not taught in schools in elementary or high school levels. They do have degree programs in the language but at that level it becomes pretty much useless. Secondly, I do consider Urdu and English as part of my heritage too.
Language primarily is a mode of communication for people. But as a language develops it becomes a repository of culture, arts, literature and history of that ethnic group. It become our identity. But knowing more than one language should NOT be a confusing factor in a person's life. It enables you to see so much that people with only one language can't see. So, for me Urdu, English Punjabi---everything is important. Now, I'm going to learn Pushtoo and French.:p
its more important to know urdu for its your national language, a platform for all pakistanis, but God what is indecent about Punjabi?? bull i tell you.
Yea I know I’m not saying Urdu’s not important, but how come we weren’t taught Punjabi first? How come parents don’t speak to their kids in Punjabi any more? It’s almost as if they don’t want them speaking it.
this seems to be the trend, with punjabis teaching their kids Urdu and speaking to them only in urdu. All my younger cousins 20 and under in Lahore speak only urdu and their parents speak to them in urdu. I asked them why and they say punjabi is a jaga badmash, karaari zabaan full of batameezi I was born and raised here, but since all my relatives speak punjabi they get annoyed if the older kids speak urdu and say toon ki Paris chay paida hoie sain, punjabi bol
Same here, only difference is, in my family everyone pahari speaking, and my generation and most children of my generation grew up with just Urdu. Our parents forbade us to speak anything other than Urdu.
Assi wi thori thori punjabi boldi yan, zyada koi nie. Khair, tussi barri ho gai, tai fir khoob bolna, assi wi hoon khoob pahari mardi yan
^
Hindustani (Hindi/Urdu) and Punjabi are related as are all north Indian-Subcontinental languages, these all developed from Hindko/Potowhari/Paharri…
Urdu is more polite than Punjabi though, and Hindko is much much much sweeter than regular Punjabi even though it’s the base language for all Punjabi dialects.
Then there’s Pukhtu, Balochi and Persian which are a comepletely different ball game despite having a few words in common with Urdu which are actually of Persian or Arabic origin anyway.
Am I an exception if I say I've been taught punjabi at home? The little bit of urdu I know is learnt by selfstudy and I must say, urdu indeed is a sweeter language than punjabi, but if spoken in the right manner, punjabi can be as much fun and decent as any other language.
. Urdu is important, it is our national language we need to learn it first
. Every language is decent, only the some user use it indecently, for example in english how many curse word you use ? French, Arabic and urdu all curse words and some people use them in every sentence.
. For those who can read and write urdu text, reading and specially writing punjabi text is very difficult, because our forefathers never paid any attention to this aspect. so now the pronounciation of different words vary, in different geographical locations and no on knows for certain, how to write it. Basically a problem of phonetics.there is need of standardization. Maybe somebody did some work in this regard that i am not aware of.
. Punjabi has a wealth of poetry and literature. it is very old language also the music is very energetic, up beat which is evident from its popularity.
. Learn one language at a time, IMO Urdu should be first priority then any regional language :k: if possible learn to read the urdu text, it is very important
Lol.. we’ve been taught Urdu all the way.. but since a couple of years i’ve been talkin Punjabi too.. on one hand i’ve started talkin it cuz of my friends.. and on the other hand also at home.. I’m also Punjabi so i think its important to know Punjabi aswell.. And there’s no reason to be lookin down on Punjabi.. any good reasons..?
Its the Punjabis who look down on their language, why would anybody else care. Punjabi as a language is never taught in any primary or elementary school in Punjab, that has been the case for the last 50 some years. Now we have generations upon generations of Punjabis who don’t even know how to read or write Punjabi. That’s just the result of not teaching our kids Punjabi in early years. Where as this is not the case in NWFP, Sind or Blochistan.
Punjabis have to realize that by teaching our kids Punjabi it will not weaken or harm Pakistan in any way or shape.
.. hun duss (bulkaY veeh) te kenu punjaabi waawaa aandi aye 
And there’s no reason to be lookin down on Punjabi.. any good reasons..? 