Re: Sorry, I am born to a Pakistani but cannot read Urdu
perhaps you don't want to see the point, pal. what percentage of pakistanis are native urdu speakers?
Lot more than you could imagine.... pal!
Lot more one can imagine Pakistanis still able to read Urdu.
Re: Sorry, I am born to a Pakistani but cannot read Urdu
Urdu wasn't even relevent in Pakistan. They installed Urdu as a native language because they feared that bengali might surpass the language on the total of Pakistan East/West. Only about 3% of Pakistanis spoke proper Urdu, most were mixed people. I think English should've been the national language like India. Then it should've been taught to every corner of Pakistan.
Urdu is as relevant to Pakistan as green color to its flag. It brought unity among the people of Pakistan and still does.
The idea is not about proper Urdu. Not everyone even in English spoken countries speak proper English.
Re: Sorry, I am born to a Pakistani but cannot read Urdu
Think about language nostalgia: ** **People who are born to Pakistani families and not being able to read Urdu cannot read what their parents once wrote in Urdu including their letters, diaries or whatever.
Spot on ... This is an absolute truth, not only this but also the fact that respecting our heritage is equally important . Learning the language and not disassociating ourselves from it , may not win us accolades in our British or American lifestyle ,perhaps we may never need the language in our entire lives, but deep down in our hearts its one of the ways to remember our roots and remaining thankful to our elders for all they did for us.
I guess as much as we strive to bring the British or American lifestyle into our lives, no harm in striving to bring our past heritage into our lives too , just to balance it .. but then again this is a very personal and individual choice. Those who want to leave behind all traces of their roots and heritage , they wont give it a care what Mother Tongue is all about, to them their adopted language English ( which they will give the status of their mother tongue) will always gain importance over all other things , but that's the lifestyle they have chosen for themselves.
To others who want to value their heritage, they wont let the languages be forgotten and will keep it in their lives one way or the other ..
Re: Sorry, I am born to a Pakistani but cannot read Urdu
I grew up outside Pakistan. But i made an effort to read Urdu..be it newspaper or ishtiaq ahmad's jasoosi novels. And all my siblings can read, write urdu..except the youngest one. She has been here since KG. And lately..youngest one is learning how to write and read urdu. What i am saying is..we should all make an effort to learn our language. It is not only confined to speaking.
Re: Sorry, I am born to a Pakistani but cannot read Urdu
... I think English should've been the national language like India......
Is English really 'national language' in India?
It is parents' loss if they don't introduce their language to the children. It doesn't necessarily have to be Urdu; could be Punjabi, Sindhi, Pushto, Saraiki, etc.
Re: Sorry, I am born to a Pakistani but cannot read Urdu
The creation of Pakistan enabled Urdu to retain its reputation as a lingua franca. The language had never been a native mother tongue for the people of Subcontinent. Yes it was invented there, got adopted and accepted by locals with time. However, it was a *lingua franca *long before the idea of Pakistan was conceived and remained so even after its creation.
I’m actually more fascinated by traditional native tongues of Subcontinent than Urdu. I’d love to perfect my Punjabi and at some point, the crazy romantic in me was so eager to learn Pashto. Only gave up when I found out that the tribal Afridian Pashto dialect and accent is very different (read difficult) from the mainstream urban Pashto, or so I was told. But goodness, I just loved those people talking in that language. Couldn't understand a word yet I could listen to them all day long. Similarly, listening to casual conversations in Punjabi cheer me up, the sense of humor and banter that comes with with Punjabi is priceless. It has a very magical effect.
Re: Sorry, I am born to a Pakistani but cannot read Urdu
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makes sense n yes there r nt accent marks in urdu when written like Arabic but still u got advantage n now if u want to learn how to read urdu, half kaam tou apka already ho chuka hai, its always easier than before
If u can read small words, keep reading, read urdu newspapers or books
This can help a lot
Re: Sorry, I am born to a Pakistani but cannot read Urdu
I know people born in Pakistan and have never seen plane ki shakal I.e. never moved out of the city heck country but take extreme pride in admitting moonh tairha kar kay "meray bachay urdu may kamzor hain" chhittar tau aisay pseudo angraizoan ko parnay chayayn. I don't see any bad in people living out of Pakistan not making efforts to learn urdu. Yeh kahan ki hadith hai?
I am neither a kaatha angrez nor a burger, but yes I also sighed a sense of relief when I finally passed the last subject in Urdu language. I am fluent in writing, reading and speaking the language though.
Re: Sorry, I am born to a Pakistani but cannot read Urdu
perhaps you don't want to see the point, pal. what percentage of pakistanis are native urdu speakers?
pai 10 % of pakistanis...
Re: Sorry, I am born to a Pakistani but cannot read Urdu
Yes, you called knowing Urdu an asset toward the end of your post, but before doing so you sort of dismissed its acquisition by saying that you do not "need" it or "deal" with it. I disagree because I believe that you are exposed to it "often enough" in life with....your parents...relatives....maybe elders among family friends...maybe your clients at some point in the past or future....media (music, movies, etc)...on GS, etc etc. So, there is a use or need for it. As for the high school example...I brought it up because you found the "expectation" to be strange....and that's why I asked what you thought of schools expecting/requiring foreign language credits? Now Spanish is very prevalent in the US...more so than the other options offered such as French, German, etc. If that's strange....then Urdu to phir bhi is a native tongue. And many of us here were "born into" Urdu as well if it was spoken at all in the home.
A lot of my friends have children. Many of their children do not know Urdu. They are learning Arabic, are learning to read the Qur'an properly and value that more.
I see the usefulness...but I still don't think its horrible if my kids don't know it. I would prefer they know their deen more than their culture...those are my values and I would not like it if someone considered my kid to be less because they don't know Urdu. I don't consider this a priority on my list of things to leave behind for my children. They probably will pick it up along the way because they will have me, their grandparents, etc. But will I take time out to teach Urdu just as I would Arabic? No.
Re: Sorry, I am born to a Pakistani but cannot read Urdu
I am neither a kaatha angrez nor a burger, but yes I also sighed a sense of relief when I finally passed the last subject in Urdu language. I am fluent in writing, reading and speaking the language though.
What is a kaatha angrez?
Re: Sorry, I am born to a Pakistani but cannot read Urdu
You my frand win the cup and the medal for *not even knowing the difference between Genetic trait and Learned behavior and act. *
Congrats and Bravo! Now please step up to the stairs and receive this 'honorable award'. ;)
explain it to us mr-know-it-all
lets hear it.
no google, ok?
Re: Sorry, I am born to a Pakistani but cannot read Urdu
I think it's just a matter of parents not having had the time or the resources to teach their kids. Teaching a language isn't an easy task and I'm sure it's very time consuming. If you are an immigrant parent your busy working to provide for your family and teaching a language to your kids isn't exactly a priority. Depending on where you live, there aren't any after school Urdu classes for kids either. I think it's important to teach your kids your native language over any other ones, but at the same time I realize that sometimes it's just not possible.
Re: Sorry, I am born to a Pakistani but cannot read Urdu
What is a kaatha angrez?
Those who speak Urdu while making faces :) it's mostly used for people living in Pakistan.
Re: Sorry, I am born to a Pakistani but cannot read Urdu
The thread in no way against the languages which are prevalent in Pakistan.
Urdu is still the national language of Pakistan and is a blessing in the sense that people of Pakistan have a common and much neutral way of communication.
It is like 'Samad Bond' among different people of different languages.
Imagine if four or five people were to be living in one house and prefer to talk in their own languages and have no common way of communication?
Those who propose *English * to be prevalent in Pakistan, are somehow forgetting that even though official language id English in Pakistan, a lot of people get fooled by no knowing the language and not even understanding the implications of this foreign language, including so called educated politicians when they might sign treaties and accords written in English language.
English cannot take place of Urdu in Pakistan ever. Unless all Pakistanis go and live in English speaking areas...or are born to at least one parent who speaks English.
Perhaps "Kaalay Angrez" (just a rhetorical word) want English to supersede Urdu in Pakistan.
Re: Sorry, I am born to a Pakistani but cannot read Urdu
Is English really 'national language' in India?
It is parents' loss if they don't introduce their language to the children. It doesn't necessarily have to be Urdu; could be Punjabi, Sindhi, Pushto, Saraiki, etc.
English is India's national language. Hindi is spoken only in northern parts of India. South India and south west India have their own different languages. English is the common language among them. It should've been the same way in Pakistan.
Re: Sorry, I am born to a Pakistani but cannot read Urdu
It all depends what is considered important for people.
There is a saying in Urdu " Samjho Sab Kuch, Na Samjho Kuch Bhi Nahin".
I recently had a conversation with a a person who spent her free time searching her ancestors, and made a pictorial and narrative book/diary (which she sent to all of her family members as a gift) that showed her lineage from the last 400 years.
The passion and interest in her eyes was commendable.
*Unfortunately after moving to another country, SOME Pakistanis get involved in 'trying to assimilate" so much that they do not have time, interest, or energy to pass on their offspring their heritage as well.
*
Re: Sorry, I am born to a Pakistani but cannot read Urdu
Really? Maybe you know something that is not known to others.
Languages of India - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The official language of the Union Government of Republic of India is Hindi, while English is the secondary official language.[SUP][4]](Languages of India - Wikipedia)[/SUP] The constitution of India states that “The official language of the Union shall be Hindi in Devanagari script.”[SUP][5]](Languages of India - Wikipedia)[/SUP] a position supported by a High Court ruling.[SUP][6]](Languages of India - Wikipedia)[/SUP] However, languages listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian constitution are sometimes referred to, without legal standing, as the national languages of India.[SUP][7]](Languages of India - Wikipedia)[/SUP][SUP][8]](Languages of India - Wikipedia)[/SUP]
Interestingly, I wrote something about India but edited before posting my earlier post since I did not want to talk about India in this thread which is about Pakistani heritage and language, but since you brought it hence…
Re: Sorry, I am born to a Pakistani but cannot read Urdu
explain it to us mr-know-it-all
lets hear it.
no google, ok?
How would you know I did not google? ;)
These words are self explanatory.
Re: Sorry, I am born to a Pakistani but cannot read Urdu
I dont see the need to stick to a language after more than a few generations if you are not living in the place where the language is spoken and used. If you do it, more power to you, but it has little impact on you, or the language.