Scripts in Pakistan

kaka_in_usa · September 27, 2012, 4:13pm

Just curious, how many scripts are used in Pakistan by people in common use?
I know two, are there more.

BTW this thread Inspired from offtopic discussion from rangar thread.

muqawwee123 · September 27, 2012, 4:39pm

Re: Scripts in Pakistan

English, Urdu, Sindhi, Pashto, Saraiki, Balochi. Punjabi didn't get a separate script and written in Urdu script.

All the above scripts have been developed from Persian / Arabic scripts.

kaka_in_usa · September 27, 2012, 5:14pm

Re: Scripts in Pakistan

Urdu is a script? or farsi is the script for urdu?

btw are those script very different or similar?

muqawwee123 · September 27, 2012, 7:07pm

Re: Scripts in Pakistan

As I mentioned , the script of Urdu and other languages of Pakistan have been developed from Persian and Arabic. But as you may be aware, Indian languages contain sounds (letter) which are not present in Persian or Arabic, so scripts of these languages have been amended (basis remain the same).

Arabic Alphabet contain 28 letters which forms the basis of Persian alphabet (having 4 additional letters). When we look at Sindhi script (developed from Arabic / Persian scripts), it got 52 letters.

kaka_in_usa · September 27, 2012, 7:33pm

Re: Scripts in Pakistan

Please bear with me a bit more. i am really interested in this and want to understand it.

So a person who can read farsi/urdu script can also read sindhi? I know the number of letters vary but are they similar?

Every time i see footage of pakistan , it seems like the same script is written on walls, banners etc throughout pakistan.

For example i can read hindi/devnagari and english, but when i go to punjab, gujrat , bengal etc i have no clue what is written in public areas. I cannot even recoganize a single letter. so i was wondering if pakistan has similar problem or not.
thanks

muqawwee123 · September 27, 2012, 7:40pm

Re: Scripts in Pakistan

I, being a Sindhi, can read Urdu, Arabic and Persian scripts, but an Arab can't read Sindhi. A person who can read urdu can make most of the Sindhi script, but not 100%, because Sindhi contain some additional and different letters than Urdu

kaka_in_usa · September 28, 2012, 11:28am

Re: Scripts in Pakistan

Thanks for the info bro.
cheers

Iconoclast · September 28, 2012, 11:43am

Re: Scripts in Pakistan

From linguistic point of view, its the same arabic script for all the languages. I don't think Punjabi really needs a script like Sindhi or Pashto. We have had the poetry of Baba Farid, Bulleh Shah, Waris Shah etc all in same script, no problems there.

ninja_hattori · September 28, 2012, 3:24pm

Re: Scripts in Pakistan

Its called nastaliq script right?

the_kaur · September 28, 2012, 3:29pm

Re: Scripts in Pakistan

I think Nastali'q is style of writing, cursive way, the other is square looking way of writing:)

ninja_hattori · September 28, 2012, 3:38pm

Re: Scripts in Pakistan

Yes you are right but specifically urdu,persian and pashto languages use nastaliq script

the_kaur · September 28, 2012, 3:39pm

Re: Scripts in Pakistan

What about Arabic?

ninja_hattori · September 28, 2012, 4:13pm

Re: Scripts in Pakistan

I think they use naskh script...

muqawwee123 · September 28, 2012, 5:48pm

Re: Scripts in Pakistan

Ninja whats the difference between Naskh and Nastaleeq. What is Khat e Kufi?

ninja_hattori · September 28, 2012, 5:50pm

Re: Scripts in Pakistan

I was waiting for you to explain this and now…

muqawwee123 · September 28, 2012, 5:51pm

Re: Scripts in Pakistan

I heard names of these Khat (Scripts), but don’t know much about these. What is the script called in which Quran is written? Did that get a particular name?

ninja_hattori · September 28, 2012, 5:54pm

Re: Scripts in Pakistan

I dont know that scripts name…

but its easy to understand as compared to urdu…zer andzabar sab maujud hote hain…

muqawwee123 · September 28, 2012, 5:56pm

Re: Scripts in Pakistan

But in starting, Quran was written without zer o zabar. It was the cruel Hajjaj Bin Yusuf who did that good work for easiness of people living in remote areas having limited knowledge of Arabic.

ninja_hattori · September 28, 2012, 6:00pm

Re: Scripts in Pakistan

muqawwee123 · September 28, 2012, 6:04pm

Re: Scripts in Pakistan

Didn’t you know that ninja? People say that Hajjaj might get forgiveness for this act.

When I was reading Karen Armstrong ‘Islam’ she claimed that Islam was just for Arabs. We Muslims having little knowledge of Islam know this is not the fact as Quran says at every place ‘Rabb ul aalameen’ not ‘Rabb ul Muslmeen’.

But when we go into history of this airaab (zar, zabar) on Quran in Hajjaj’s period (starting of 8th century), we found that Islam was accepted by Non-Arabs at earlier stages and to fulfill their needs Hajjaj made this arrangement.