Being in the US, we are trying to make our kids learn at least one Pakistani language. The two spoken in our house hold are Urdu & Punjabi and even though my little niece speaks broken sentences, we force her to talk to us in either of the two languages.. & will not reply if she speaks in English.
And one of the reasons we subscribed to PTV was that they might get to watch programs that are in Urdu. Sad to say there are little to no kids program on PTV but even the language spoken in dramas (that the ladies of the house love to watch) the Urdu is so bad that we are thinking they better not watch it.
Here is an example of a dialogue I heard the other day:
Some depressed Lady: Meri bhee koi needs haiN, mujhay bhee koi entertainment chahyay.
The dude: TumhaiN entertain karma hi to meri life hay.
Was it really hard to change needs to zaroriya’at, entertainment to tafreeh & life to zindage? These are not very hard works that do not have everyday Urdu replacements, they why resort to English?
interesting observation Ahmedjee. You guys are in US and making sure that your kids learn to speak Urdu. However, tell you what, here in Pakistan people have started watching hindi dramas on Starplus and Zee TV. Nothing wrong with that. However, while you are worrying about the use of English in Urdu dramas, people are concerned about these young kids who are taking up hindi words, for example..
Ibtida is urdu ...shuroaat is hindi
asheerbaad and many more...
Shurooaat is hindi???
I guess the dramas supposed to be a depiction of real life and that is how a lot of people back home speak urdu...with lots of english words here and there. Then there are plays like Umao Jaan Ada which you probably don't want little kids watching but the urdu is impeccable!
Good point Ahmedjee. I know a lot of current affair type of programs on Geo use a lot of urdu. Some of which I don't even understand. But the dramas are both english and urdu mixed nowadays. Maybe have your kids watch the urdu news :D
Lost soul - I have noticed the use of hindi words by the people of Pakistan too. Eventhough they might be kidding around but it just sounds weird to me.
All my kids speak fluent urdu (so far), but thats no thanks to PTV, but rather because urdu is spoken in our home. More than dramas, the kids listen to urdu songs (Faakhir is the current favorite) so thats one more avenue of keeping in touch. If I were you, I won't be worried about the urdu-english combo that you quoted, cz, like it or not, thats the kind of language spoken in most city-dwellers in eductaed Pakistani families living in Pakistan. The 100% thorough urdu went away with Qureshpur and Idrees Baig (Kasooti folks).
Baraa-e-meherbaani, aap log Urdu kay liyay ziaada chinta naa karain aur shaant rakhain. Sub kuch shubd hoga.
uff your replies.. 
Ahmed jee :k: You have a point!
Faisal Bhai, being a military brat, growing up I went through this half English half urdu/punjabi mix of conversations and always thought it to be something 'saab people' want to do, as that's what they are taught in PMA & what not. But I didn't know that the general public was also moving in that direction. Oh well, guess its again the case of my sheltered life.
FF bibi, I don't quiet agree with your definition of a drama depicting real life. It might be the goal but mostly this ideal is buried in the need to force a love affair in there somewhere to make the story more interesting. But in Pakistan where these dramas are THE prime time program, cultural impact because of them are a little more than say ... something that is shown at 3 in the afternoon.
You think these love affairs don't actually go on in our society?
No, but I can't think of any drama that doesn't have one, which leads me to believe that they are more induced into the story line, much like our brothers to the east can't make a film without a few clumsy dancing songs.
Re: Urdu in Dramas
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by ahmadjee: *
Here is an example of a dialogue I heard the other day:
Some depressed Lady: Meri bhee koi needs haiN, mujhay bhee koi entertainment chahyay.
The dude: TumhaiN entertain karma hi to meri life hay.
[/QUOTE]
Ooncha ooncha hanstay huay (LOL )! Kya zabardast mukalmay baazi hai :D
ahmad bhia.. its very nice to hear that you are making them speak urdu at home.. :k:
i knwo PTV doesnt have much kids program so why dont you subscribe ARY digital.. i am sure they do have some kids program… i even remem watching some cartoons in urdu. and they were really funny…
if you dont wanna keep 2 channels then go for ARY digital because they do have kids programs
Ahmadjee, it really depends on the particular program’s audience outfit… different dramas would cater for different audiences.
I only subscribed to ARY Digital a couple of weeks ago, and I don’t get to see a lot of TV anyways, but a couple of the shows I’ve watched have been really good in use of the language. Listening to News type programs in Urdu is another good option – but that depends upon the age group that your children are in… I’m guessing they won’t be interested in that.
Like Faisal said, I’d think talking in Urdu at home would be the best thing to do… use bed time stories in Urdu, and radio programs are generally better too.
Mind you, all these pseudo tips are coming from someone who isn’t experienced at all… but I understand when you narrate an army upbringing… my Urdu is pretty broken too, and although I’m into reading and writing poetry, I find it difficult to strike a conversation that is entirely in urdu. I remember my dad listening to BBC Urdu service and “Sairbeen”(??) … I had to ask my folks about the meaning of a lot of words… but now I think that level of Urdu is just-right.
…nice replyy
