27 Languages of Pakistan may be extict

ISLAMABAD, Feb 24: UNESCO has said that around 2500, including 27 Pakistani languages, may be extinct with the passage of time across the world.

According to UNESCO, 4000 languages are spoken in the world at this time and there are about 199 languages which have only 10 or less speakers. While 177 languages
have ten to fifty orators.

According to the UNESCO’s report, more than 200 languages will be extinct soon from the world. Among other world languages, around 27 Pakistani languages including Brahvi, Balti, Mayan, Porak, Batairi, Phalor, Kalasha, Domaki, Jad, Kati, Khawar, Kundal Shahi, Marri, Wakhi, Chalaiso, Sapti and Rangsakari are facing serious threat to be extinct.

‘Batairi’ language is spoken in Kohistan district near eastern bank of River Indus and have 29000 orators according to the census of the year 2000, the report added.

‘Domaki’ is the language spoken by people living in Gilgit, Hunza Valley and Momanabad that has more chances to extinct as according to 1989 sensus, Domaki language have only five hundred speakers.

However, ‘Zangskari’ and ‘Sapti’ are the language that were spoken in India and Pakistan years ago have totally diminished but there is not a single orator of these languages today.

According to linguists, different social, demographic and political factors are all contributing to the rapid disappearance of languages.

Fakhar Zaman, Chairman Pakistan Academy of Letters (PAL) said that all the languages spoken in the country should be given equal status and considered as national languages. He said that “We should strive to make the mother languages as part of curriculum on the primary level and establish Urdu as official language instead of English.”

PAL is giving equal importance to all languages of the country and a comprehensive program has been formulated with regard to all languages. The book consisting of the selection of prose and poetry written in every language from 1947 to 2008 are being compiled.

These languages include Urdu, English, Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashto, Balochi, Brahvi, Seraiki, Hindko, Sheena, Balti, Khawar and Kashmiri.

He said that official assurances has been given in the recent conferences of Sindh and Islamabad arranged by PAL to give due promotion and status to all the languages and that the mother tongues will be given due importance and financial assistance of the institutions working in this regard will be increased.

He also proposed to the government that Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashto and Balochi Universities like Federal Urdu University should be established so that the message of Unity, Brotherhood and Solidarity should be spread through the federation.

UNESCO has launched an online Atlas of Languages in Danger on 19 February. This interactive digital tool provides updated data about approximately 2,500 endangered languages around the world and can be continually supplemented, corrected and updated, thanks to contributions from its users.

The Atlas, presented on the eve of International Mother Language Day (21 February), enables searches according to several criteria, and ranks the 2,500 endangered languages that are listed according to five different levels of vitality: unsafe, definitely endangered, severely endangered, critically endangered and extinct.

To access the atlas click the link here http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/index.php?pg=00206