With a population of 240 million people, Pakistan is the fifth most populous country in the world. Such a high number of inhabitants, the geographical diversity, and dynamic historical conditions have made Pakistan one of the most interesting parts of the world, languages-wise.
The name of the country is often associated with the name of the predominant language spoken in that country. In this case, it would make sense that the name of the official language is Pakistani. However, that’s not the case because the Pakistan language ecosystem consists of numerous local languages, plus English.
So, if you’ve been asking yourself, “What is the official language of Pakistan?”, this article is the right place for you. Let’s dissect the languages in Pakistan and analyze how they have developed in the first place.
Official Language of Pakistan
The basic question we’re answering in this paragraph is: What are the official languages of Pakistan?
The answer is also pretty basic: there is no single official language of Pakistan. On the contrary, there are two official languages of Pakistan: Urdu and English. The Urdu language originates from an Indo-Aryan language that came to be in India, i.e., in the Delhi region. That Indo-Aryan language was a combination of several languages: Arabic, Chagatai, and Persian. When Pakistan became independent from the British Empire in 1947, the national government had to choose the national language of Pakistan. Among many languages spoken in Pakistan at that time – many of which are still living languages – the authorities opted for Urdu. It became the main Pakistani language due to a consensus among the Indian Muslims. They were and still are the predominant ethnic group in Pakistan. The Urdu language was one of the main peaceful tools in their fight for independence. It was also a symbol of their identity. This ethnic group took the greatest toll in bringing independence to Pakistan. That’s why making Urdu the official language of Pakistan was a logical thing to do.
Where Is the Urdu Language Used
Urdu is the lingua franca of Pakistan, meaning it’s used in the public administration, the Pakistani education system – from primary schools to universities – and in everyday communication. That being said, Urdu is not the most spoken native language of Pakistan – it’s Punjabi. Around 9.20% of Pakistani people speak Urdu as their mother tongue, whereas approximately 37% speak Punjabi as their native language.
But there’s an interesting twist, at least for language lovers: millions of Pakistani people speak Urdu as their second language. Since they learn it in school and use it for administrative services, they have to know Urdu.
English in the Pakistan Language Context
Whenever the English language is the official language of a certain area or country, it usually means that this region was under British colonial rule. For instance, the British Empire governed Nigeria from 1862 to 1960. So, it makes sense that English is the official language in this African country.
There are different examples, though. English is not among the official Taiwanese languages, and yet, many younger Taiwanese people speak it fluently. The reason for the widespread use of English here is the economic one: Taiwan is the technological hub of the Far East.
In the Pakistan language surroundings, English is the official language due to historical and political reasons. When the British Empire took over several provinces in the territory of the present-day Pakistan, in 1893, it started the expansion of the English language. Even after they officially withdrew from the national government in 1947, English still remained an important language. The situation has been the same until this very day: millions of Pakistani citizens use English for their business and professional services.
How Many Languages Are Spoken in Pakistan
Besides English and Urdu, what languages are spoken in Pakistan in various regional variants? The total number is somewhere between 70 and 80 local languages in Pakistan. Interestingly, more than 70 languages are spoken as a first language.
The most spoken language in Pakistan is Punjabi. Between 85 and 89 million people in Pakistan speak Punjabi as their native language. Limited mostly to the eponymous province set between Pakistan and India, the Punjabi language is the leading linguistic force by the numbers.
A logical question here is why Punjabi isn’t the official language of Pakistan, given the number of its speakers. The main reason is that this language contains numerous dialects. It would be more difficult to determine which dialect would become the official one. What’s more, when the state of Pakistan was being formed in the period before 1947, the politically more influential group spoke Urdu. Finally, the Urdu language was popularized by the British colonial administration, as well. Hence, for practical reasons, it was easier and more efficient to found the national unity around Urdu.
Sindhi and Pashto as Local Language Forces
Sindhi and Pashto take a similar share of the languages spoken in Pakistan: around 15%. It comes to around 35-40 million speakers for each of these languages. The Sindhi language is mostly used by the citizens of the Sindhi region. A vast share of the Indian population living in Pakistan also speaks Sindhi, which is believed to originate from Sanskrit, with some Arabic linguistic ingredients.
Pashto, on the other hand, is the official language of Afghanistan, which borders Pakistan in the north. However, the citizens of Pakistan living along the border with Afghanistan speak Pashtun. Those are mostly the provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, and the tribal areas in this region. As for Balochistan, there’s also the Balochi language, used by some 4% of the total population of Pakistan. With about 8 million people, Balochi is another significant contributor to the language diversity of this Asian state.
Wrapping Up the Pakistan Language Story
The human potential in Pakistan is huge, if not enormous. In the time ahead, we can expect that the population of Pakistan will keep growing. Although not all the local and official languages of Pakistan will grow proportionally, linguists, teachers, and translators are highly likely to have enough jobs in the future. What’s more, a fair share of Pakistani people are moving abroad, meaning that the local languages and dialects are being spread across the globe.
Languages of Pakistan: Day Translations Can Help
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