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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.
- 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
Aug 23, 2024 · Pakistan is a land rich in cultural and linguistic diversity. Each region tells its own story through the unique languages spoken by its people. In this article, you will get a straightforward view of how these languages shape the daily life and identity of the country. List of Most Spoken Languages in Pakistan. Punjabi: 36.98%; Pashto: 18.15%
The Brahui are a Dravidian language group of tribes that live mostly in Balochistan and the Sindh, Brahui, also known as the Brahvi or Brohi, speak a non-Indo-European language that belongs to the Dravidian family of languages which are spoken mostly in southern India and is different from the other languages spoken in Pakistan by the Pashtuns, Punjabis, Baloch and Sindhis.
The roots of many of Pakistan’s languages can be traced back to the Indo-Aryan migration that began around 1500 BCE. The Indo-Aryan languages, which belong to the larger Indo-European family, became dominant in the region, giving rise to several modern languages spoken in Pakistan today, including Punjabi, Sindhi, and Urdu.
Jul 24, 2024 · Punjabi language in Pakistan is the most widely spoken language, with approximately 94,736,000 speakers, representing 39.23% of the country's population. Primarily in the Punjab province, its influence is pervasive in both rural and urban areas.
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Explore the diverse languages spoken in Pakistan, including regional dialects and their cultural significance.