Tweet
Speak your mother tongue if you want that your language, culture and folk wisdom remain alive in your country
Languages are an essential part of the cultural diversity of our planet. Languages are not only expressions of the human culture and the human mind, they are also the means by which we communicate with others and seek ways of explaining the world we live in. At the same time languages are a very vulnerable part of our cultural heritage.
According to an estimate there are around 6000 languages spoken worldwide today. Most of these languages do not enjoy majority status. It is estimated that more than half of the world's population communicates in only 8 languages. These 8 languages are English, Chinese, Hindi (with Urdu), Spanish, Russian, Arabic and Bengali and finally Portuguese.
Language is an essential part of what defines a culture or civilization. The identity of an individual person is defined by its social affiliation.
Language is considered as being endangered when it is not any longer learned by the children or at least by a large part of the children of a community. Then the language is not any longer transferred by the elderly to the younger generation and it will eventually disappear with the death of its last speakers. Even though a language has child speakers, it can become endangered when parts or individuals of a given speech community are transplanted into communities that use another language.
Like other languages, Khowar is a language that is spoken
by approximately 500,000 native speakers in Chitral, Ishkoman, Gupis and Yasin. Khowar is classed as an Indo-European language of the Dardic Group. However, "Dardic" is simply a geographical collection of Indo-European languages spoken in the Hindu Kush and Himalaya Mountains. Among them, only Kalashamun, the language of the Kalash tribe is closely related to Khowar.
The sweetest language
I have seen that we (Khowar speakers) are mostly feeling shyness while speaking our language with others. I am a person who can speak five other languages (English, Urdu, Shina, Brushaski of Yasin and Hunza, Punjabi) beside my mother tong (Khowar). In my point of view if Brushaski (Hunzai) language has got a reputation that is just because of its use. Among the five languages that I can speak, Brushaski (Hunzai) is a language that I can speak the least but whenever I have spoken with a Hunzai in Brushaski, he/she has appreciated me and always responded me in Brushaski. But whenever I have talked to a new Chitrali or Gharzik in Khowar, he/she has talked to me in Urdu.
It is my experience that if you just say hello hi to a Hunzai in Brushashi, after that he/she will always talk to you in Brushaski. He/she will never talk to you in another language even if he/she knows that you cannot speak Brushaski well. But if your mother tong is not Khowar and you talk to a Chitrali or Gharzik in Khowar he/she will feel hesitate to talk in Khowar, he/she will prefer to speak in Urdu.
The reason why I am comparing Khowar with Brushaski is that Khowar is also a local language like Brushaski but Brushaski has got a worldwide recognition. We can also introduce Khowar through out the world if we fallow the strategy of Hunzais
At the end I would like to convey a message to the speakers of Khowar that proud to be Khowar speaker. Do not try to forget your language because your language is your identity.
Languages are an essential part of the cultural diversity of our planet. Languages are not only expressions of the human culture and the human mind, they are also the means by which we communicate with others and seek ways of explaining the world we live in. At the same time languages are a very vulnerable part of our cultural heritage.
According to an estimate there are around 6000 languages spoken worldwide today. Most of these languages do not enjoy majority status. It is estimated that more than half of the world's population communicates in only 8 languages. These 8 languages are English, Chinese, Hindi (with Urdu), Spanish, Russian, Arabic and Bengali and finally Portuguese.
Language is an essential part of what defines a culture or civilization. The identity of an individual person is defined by its social affiliation.
Language is considered as being endangered when it is not any longer learned by the children or at least by a large part of the children of a community. Then the language is not any longer transferred by the elderly to the younger generation and it will eventually disappear with the death of its last speakers. Even though a language has child speakers, it can become endangered when parts or individuals of a given speech community are transplanted into communities that use another language.
Like other languages, Khowar is a language that is spoken
by approximately 500,000 native speakers in Chitral, Ishkoman, Gupis and Yasin. Khowar is classed as an Indo-European language of the Dardic Group. However, "Dardic" is simply a geographical collection of Indo-European languages spoken in the Hindu Kush and Himalaya Mountains. Among them, only Kalashamun, the language of the Kalash tribe is closely related to Khowar.
The sweetest language
I have seen that we (Khowar speakers) are mostly feeling shyness while speaking our language with others. I am a person who can speak five other languages (English, Urdu, Shina, Brushaski of Yasin and Hunza, Punjabi) beside my mother tong (Khowar). In my point of view if Brushaski (Hunzai) language has got a reputation that is just because of its use. Among the five languages that I can speak, Brushaski (Hunzai) is a language that I can speak the least but whenever I have spoken with a Hunzai in Brushaski, he/she has appreciated me and always responded me in Brushaski. But whenever I have talked to a new Chitrali or Gharzik in Khowar, he/she has talked to me in Urdu.
It is my experience that if you just say hello hi to a Hunzai in Brushashi, after that he/she will always talk to you in Brushaski. He/she will never talk to you in another language even if he/she knows that you cannot speak Brushaski well. But if your mother tong is not Khowar and you talk to a Chitrali or Gharzik in Khowar he/she will feel hesitate to talk in Khowar, he/she will prefer to speak in Urdu.
The reason why I am comparing Khowar with Brushaski is that Khowar is also a local language like Brushaski but Brushaski has got a worldwide recognition. We can also introduce Khowar through out the world if we fallow the strategy of Hunzais
At the end I would like to convey a message to the speakers of Khowar that proud to be Khowar speaker. Do not try to forget your language because your language is your identity.
By Alveena nafisa
Islamabad
Comment