Sorry, I am born to a Pakistani but cannot read Urdu

[redvelvet]

Re: Sorry, I am born to a Pakistani but cannot read Urdu

@Ghost14

^ I see your point, but one could make the same argument regarding Arabic. Islam should be universal, hence, there is no reason to learn to read it in Arabic, when it is the meaning of the message that’s important, which should be perfectly valid in English. Why bother to learn Arabic when there are certainly Arabs who consider themselves to be the true Muslims, the caretakers of Islams holiest sites? Because of cultural congruence. Reading the Quran and praying in the language of the earliest Muslims is spiritually fulfilling.

Similarly, it is likely, given the tendency of Desi Muslims to marry within the community, that descendants of immigrants will always be Pakistani and will hold values from Pakistan. They’ll exist in the customs within the family, in the food they eat, the clothes they wear, and yes, even in the religion they may choose to follow. Urdu is a part of that, while not necessary, it helps. Ignoring all that, it is advantageous for a child to learn another language. You ask the advantage of teaching Urdu? I’d ask: **what’s the disadvantage of teaching Urdu? **Especially since it requires little effort. Speaking it at home with parents is literally all it takes.

So yes, Urdu is not crucial. Neither, one could argue, is Arabic. It’s just nice to know.

My own reasoning is that I would like to keep ties with Pakistan because I would like to move back there if the situation improves. I would like to be part of the change.

^I can understand why learning Arabic to understand the Quran is encouraged. The Arabic language in the Quran is so intricate and complex that the English doesn’t always adequately translate the words. I didn’t realize this myself until I started watching tafsir lectures. If one doesn’t want to or cannot learn Arabic, then I feel that you’ll need more than just the translation to get a thorough understand; you’ll need tafsir/commentary that explains the historical background of the surahs, the context, and the intricasies/analysis of the language. However…I’m guessing …that fluent speakers of Arabic and even those with a grasp of classical Arabic…will still require tafsir for background info and a more thorough understanding. An example that comes to mind is that fluent speakers of English such as us…will still struggle a bit in understanding really old English, it requires supplementation.

I like that you brought up the last point in your second para because it’s what has been in my mind and I feel I couldn’t explain it as clearly in my own posts. It requires little effort, much less effort than learning Spanish because you are exposed to it on a daily basis from your parents. As for learning Spanish…some schools may start that earlier, but generally I have seen that it’s offered at the secondary level (high schools, etc). Children are exposed to Urdu in their homes long before they get to that stage. One’s career is important, but that usually isn’t embarked upon until you get to college and after completing it. Again, kids are exposed to Urdu loooooooong before they reach that stage especially if it is being spoken in the home by parents or grandparents etc…so I don’t see the point of not learning it when all it takes is exposure and interaction with your family; it’s not like a rigorous study involving assessment. I also don’t quite understand the point of kids “struggling” because if parents have confidence in the kids’ abilities to learn 3 languages (English, Arabic, Spanish)…why view tacking on a 4th language as a “struggle” especially when, unlike the other 3, Urdu (if spoken in the home) will be among the first languages the child is exposed to and that, too, on a regular basis? Unlike the acquisition of the other 3, again it’s not a rigorous training from the parents as you’d get from a teacher, so it’s not a laborious effort. But what I feel is also important is for parents to instill a sense of pride in their native language/culture along with teaching it. I have relos in Pak who are not fluent in English but will brag about not knowing Urdu; I see that insecurity/complex manifested in their actions etc. I’ve seen kids in the US who are exposed to Urdu daily and feel embarrassed/insecure about it…and I see that sort of transfer to other things. So, along with exposure/inculcation of the language, confidence needs to be instilled as well.