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Modern Standard Urdu, a register of the Hindustani language, is the national language, lingua-franca and is one of the two official languages along with English in Pakistan and is spoken in all over the world.
- The National Language of Pakistan
- Provincial Languages of Pakistan
- Minority Languages of Pakistan
- Foreign Languages That Have A Significant Impact in Pakistan
Urdu is not only the official language of Pakistan but also the national language of the country. However, only about 8% of Pakistanis speak Urdu as their first language. However, a vast section of the population speaks it as their second language. The origin of Urdu goes back several centuries, and according to some historians, Urdu has evolved fr...
Punjabi
Punjabi is the most popular of the regional languages of Pakistan. Over 44% of Pakistani Punjabis speak Punjabi as a first language which is written using the Shahmukhi script which uses the Urdu alphabet.
Pashto
Pashto, the official language of neighboring Afghanistan, also has a significant number of speakers in Pakistan. This language of Pakistan is spoken by over 15.42% of the entire population of the country. The Pashto speakers are concentrated in northern Balochistan, Federally Administered Tribal Areas, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa regions of Pakistan. Pashtun communities in the cities of the country also speak this language. Pashto has a rich literary tradition, and some famous poets who used the P...
Sindhi
Sindhi is spoken as a first language primarily by Pakistanis residing in the Sindh province of the country. Nearly 14.5% of Pakistanis speak this language of Pakistan. Some scholars claim that Sindhi is derived from Sanskrit with Arabic influences and others believe it has its origins in the Sami languages. Sindhi is also spoken by a significant section of the Indian population.
A large number of languages can be included in the category of minority languages of Pakistan and are spoken by minority communities residing in the country. Speakers of these languages number from a few hundreds to a few thousand. Some of these languages are also endangered and might disappear altogether quite soon.
English
As mentioned above, English, the official language of the colonial British Empire, continue to play a major role in Pakistan as one of the official languages of the country. Besides, English, the other important foreign languages of Pakistan are:
Arabic
Since Pakistan is a Muslim major country, Arabic, the religious language of Muslims play a major role in the religious education of the Muslims. The Quran, Hadith, Sunnah and other Islamic religious texts are taught in Arabic and translated in Urdu. A major section of the Muslim population of Pakistan is given some form of informal or formal religious education in the Arabic language.
Persian
Persian was the language spoken by the Royals of the Mughal Empire and served as the cultural and official language of this Empire. As such, it had a high status in the Muslim society in the past. However, the British abolished the official status of Persian during their colonial rule over the Indian sub-continent. Today, only a small section of the Pakistani population speak this language.
- Oishimaya Sen Nag
- Pakistan official language: what is it? Actually, Pakistan has two official languages: Urdu and English. So different from each other, they have both been recognised as official languages of the country also and above all with the aim of unifying the country's solidarity.
- Urdu. Urdu is a lingua franca of Indo-European origin, understood by 80% of the Pakistani population. Beware, however: understood, not spoken, in fact, it is only used as a mother tongue by 7% of the population.
- English. Due to British colonial rule, English is still recognised as the official language of Pakistan. However, it is not widely used, with only 100 000 speakers within the country, and 5% of the population using it as a second language.
- Other languages spoken in Pakistan. As we mentioned at the beginning, despite the two languages recognised as official, Pakistanis apply other languages much more in everyday use.
According to the Pakistani government: The national language of Pakistan is Urdu, while English is the official language of the country, widely spoken and understood. Besides Urdu, there are six major and over fifty regional languages.
Explore the diverse languages spoken in Pakistan, including regional dialects and their cultural significance.
Punjabi is the most widely spoken language in Pakistan. It is spoken as a first language by 38.78% of Pakistanis. [25] The language is spoken among a significant overseas diaspora, particularly in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
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5 days ago · The Urdu language is spoken predominantly in Pakistan and India. It is the official state language of Pakistan and is also officially recognized in the constitution of India. Significant Urdu communities exist in the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
