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Guglani

SPNer
Dec 28, 2006
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Recently I read in a chapter in book published by Cambridge University Press titled "language in South Asia" , quote"Sikhs often write Punjabi in Gurmukhi, Hindus in Devanagri and Muslims in perso-Arabic ."unquote . Earlier author Tej K. Bhatia,who has written this chapter about punjabi language in this book , and who claims himself a linguistic expert and is engaged in Syracuse university U S A as Professor of a linguistic department and Director of South Asian Languages,writes quote" Punjabi is written in four scripts ,Gurmukhi, Perso-Arabic(Shahmukhi),Devanagri and the. Dying business script Landa."unquote.My contention is that none of Hindus in India write Punjabi in Devanagri script,neither in any schools it is taught, nor are there any newspapers ,periodicals or Print media published in Punjabi (Devanagri) script. No wikipedia Punjabi (Devanagri) site is existing like there are sites in Gurmukhi and Shahmukhi as http://pa.wikipedia.org and http://pnb.wikipedia.org. Then question arises what motive is there behind such deleted statements published in such books deleted.Now some in many sites are quoting this reference and giving same information on their sites like http://books.google.co.in/books?id=F2SRqDzB50wC&pg=PA886&dq=concise+encyclopedia+of+languages+of+the+world+gurmukhi&hl=en&sa=X&ei=BGP3Uba_IIfjrAe624DgDQ&ved=0CCwQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=concise%20encyclopedia%20of%20languages%20of%20the%20world%20gurmukhi&f=false. I would request SPN community to put an halt against this deleted about Gurmukhi by some mischievous people by counter propagating and participating in discussion forums at relevant wikipedia sites.

spnadmin note: Possibly libelous comments have been deleted. The book in linked in this comment refers to Devanagari as a writing system and not as a Punjabi script. SPN does not vouch for the accuracy of comments posted by members.
 
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Jan 26, 2012
127
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Re: With what motive some are propagating Devanagri as third script for Punjabi ?

Interesting.

When you look at it, the way the Panjabi language has been abused along religious communal lines is amazing. It really highlights the fractious nature of Panjabis.

It's a sad state off affairs and effects the progression and development of the language. We have people who wrongly perceive it as a 'Sikh' language. We have plenty of people who consider it an uncouth, pendu language. We have literature written by one set of Panjabis (say in Gurmukhi) that can't be read by hordes of other Muslim Panjabis and vice versa. We apparently had Panjabis reporting their first language to be Hindi when Haryana was formed. Spoken Panjabi is said to be banned in certain 'posh' educational institutes in East Panjab itself. Many Muslim Panjabis seem ashamed of it and prefer Urdu. Pakistan with a majority of Panjabis seem to be largely indifferent. In the diaspora lots of Sikhs seem indifferent to their children learning their mother tongue and hence you now have hordes of 3rd generation Sikh Panjabis who can barely string a sentence together.

I'd say what you highlighted above is just another manifestation of a deeper underlying problem.

All that being said, like the people itself, the Panjabi language itself doesn't seem to want to go out without a good fight.

In that respect I'd say the services of Panjab University in Patiala, (especially G. Lehal) have been invaluable. Youngsters in Canada producing satirical comedy sketches using Panjabi are also giving it a new lease of life amongst the new generation via Youtube. Plus we now have at least one UK raised apna who produces literature in Gurmukhi Panjabi that should better resonate with other Panjabis raised abroad (Roop Dhillon).
 
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Guglani

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Dec 28, 2006
20
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Re: With what motive some are propagating Devanagri as third script for Punjabi ?


  1. gQUOTE=dalsingh1zero1;188589]Interesting.
  2. When you look at it, the way the Panjabi language has been abused along religious communal lines is amazing. It really highlights the fractious nature of Panjabis.
  3. It's a sad state off affairs and effects the progression and development of the language. We have people who wrongly perceive it as a 'Sikh' language. We have plenty of people who consider it an uncouth, pendu language. We have literature written by one set of Panjabis (say in Gurmukhi) that can't be read by hordes of other Muslim Panjabis and vice versa. We apparently had Panjabis reporting their first language to be Hindi when Haryana was formed. Spoken Panjabi is said to be banned in certain 'posh' educational institutes in East Panjab itself. Many Muslim Panjabis seem ashamed of it and prefer Urdu. Pakistan with a majority of Panjabis seem to be largely indifferent. In the diaspora lots of Sikhs seem indifferent to their children learning their mother tongue and hence you now have hordes of 3rd generation Sikh Panjabis who can barely string a sentence together.
  4. I'd say what you highlighted above is just another manifestation of a deeper underlying problem.
  5. All that being said, like the people itself, the Panjabi language itself doesn't seem to want to go out without a good fight.
  6. In that respect I'd say the services of Panjab University in Patiala, (especially G. Lehal) have been invaluable. Youngsters in Canada producing satirical comedy sketches using Panjabi are also giving it a new lease of life amongst the new generation via Youtube. Plus we now have at least one UK raised apna who produces literature in Gurmukhi Panjabi that should better resonate with other Panjabis raised abroad (Roop Dhillon).[/QUOTE]
*1&2 your interest is appreciated.But the whole message has gone wrong , taking that what is written in book is a fact. In fact it is not fact, neither fractious nature of punjabis is responsible in this case, it is a few outsiders who are rigid in their sectarian faith and want that punjabi language and culture does not flourish rather gets swallowed and who feel endangered in their sects ,are trying to put forward something which is not at all a fact.
*3 Issues like banning of spoken punjabis and Gurmukhi script not being understood by Shahmukhi are important in some context.in modern days with font conversion softwares being available this issue can be taken care.But very important is denial of mother tongue by some people on the instigation of religious fanatics.but the sufhttp://www.sikhphilosophy.net/images/makemoney/editor/menupop.gifferer are that very people, who have understood that by going with that those people have become " Dhobi da outta, an gha da na ghat data" like mujahideen are not respected in west Punjab I.e. Pakistan and punjabi Hindus are not well respected by haryanvis in India. This said, now another shosha has been started that language of punjabi Hindus is punjabi but script is Devanagri.This again is a dangerous design to swallow Punjabi language and culture, which is more important.
*4&5 well said!Manifestation of this problem should be taken seriously by Punjabi Universaty Patiala and Guru Nanak Dev University , Amritsar people and Phd scholars, make serious survey studies and prove that what this Syracuse University Professor has said deleted. This professor might be of Punjabi origin ,merely that fact does not make him linguistic expert about Punjabi language, as there is no truth in his saying that Deavanagri is in use to write Punajbi language.

*6 Services of G S Lehal to unite culture and language of east and west Punjab through technology are commendable but now other experts like Joga Singh have to come forward to lead a crusade against design of some mischievous people to divide Punjabi language on religious lines and to promote use of Devanagri among Punjabi Hindus in India, and write fact based research Papers that Devanagri has never been a script for writing Punajbi by any segment of Punjabi speaking people. One small segment at all if existed that was Dogri speaking people which was considered dialect of Punjabi which has now been elevated to separate language status as per 8th schedule of Indian constitution.

Gur Fateh Ji!
G S Guglani
spnadmin note: possibly libelous statements have been deleted
 
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spnadmin

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Re: With what motive some are propagating Devanagri as third script for Punjabi ?

now another shosha has been started that language of punjabi Hindus is punjabi but script is Devanagri.This again is a dangerous design to swallow Punjabi language and culture, which is more important.

...well said!Manifestation of this problem should be taken seriously by Punjabi Universaty Patiala and Guru Nanak Dev University , Amritsar people and Phd scholars, make serious survey studies and prove that what this Syracuse University Professor has said deleted. This professor might be of Punjabi origin ,merely that fact does not make him linguistic expert about Punjabi language, as there is no truth in his saying that Deavanagri is in use to write Punajbi language.

*6 Services of G S Lehal to unite culture and language of east and west Punjab through technology are commendable but now other experts like Joga Singh have to come forward to lead a crusade against design of some mischievous people to divide Punjabi language on religious lines and to promote use of Devanagri among Punjabi Hindus in India, and write fact based research Papers that Devanagri has never been a script for writing Punajbi by any segment of Punjabi speaking people. One small segment at all if existed that was Dogri speaking people which was considered dialect of Punjabi which has now been elevated to separate language status as per 8th schedule of Indian constitution.

Gur Fateh Ji!
G S Guglani


Above quoted is the crux of forum member Gugliani ji's concern. It is a well-founded concern, and also important to this discussion to get some examples of how this is happening and what it looks like in practice.

To my own eyes the idea of writing Punjabi in Devanagri script is ludicrous. It would be like writing English in Cyrillic script, and any practical reason for it would crumble under serious examination.

I am trying to think of a practical example where it makes sense to write Punjabi in Devenagri script. I am beginning with a hypothetical scenario. It is based on the idea that there are bilingual street and traffic signs, two languages and two scripts.

  • A Hindi speaker who would read the Devenagri sign only.
  • A Punjabi speaker would read the Gurmukhi sign only.
  • Anyone who knew both Punjabi and Hindi, and knew both scripts, would not need to read traffic and highway signs in 2 scripts; one would suffice.


But who benefits from a cross-linguistic set up where Punjabi is written in Devanagri? A person who might benefit from the plan would be an individual who knew spoken Punjabi only, but was fluent in speaking, reading and writing only in Hindi. Then the signage in Devanagri script might map to his/her spoken language of Punjabi. How does that make any sense when signage in Devanagri/Hindi alone would do.


Now I have heard that traffic signs and other examples of public communication in Punjab are written in Devanagri script, though the streets, place names, and other relevant language underlying them are in the Punjabi language. So I am told; I have not witnessed it. If this is true, then the net effect is to divorce the language as spoken from the written standard of the Punjabi language. The written standard is the standard that is more likely to endure over time. When the written forms of a language are rusted out by official meddling, yes, the language dies along with the identity of a people. Examples of how this works go back centuries in history.


Bilingual scripts (as in the signage example) make sense but only if Hindi is written in Devanagri and Punjabi is written in Gurmukhi. It is actually harmful to language acquisition to mix and match scripts because the script reflects deep grammatical relationships between sign, sound and meaning.

There may be an agenda. We need to know more about the work by the Professor at Syracuse to find out what he is up to.
 
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Jan 26, 2012
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This is an interesting paper from a Pakistani scholar exploring the fate of the Panjabi language under British rule. I think it directly relates to matter under discussion - i.e. communal splits along linguistic lines amongst Panjabis.

It may give some clue towards the antecedents of this?
 

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  • Panjabi language during British rule_Tariq Rahman.pdf
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spnadmin

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dalsingh1zero1 ji

I anticipate reading the document with enthusiasm. But we are not really looking at a division so to speak but a case of imposed syncretism - pasting together unlike elements to create a new result that may or may not make sense with a rationale that may not hold water. The mapping of script a onto language b in this case does not relate to communal divisions. Once I read the file I will have a better idea of your point.

Syncretism in this case = amalgamating not dividing. Who benefits from amalgamating Devanagri script to the Punjabi language?
 
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Ok ... I have read the article and it is impressive. It is a comprehensive study of the philosophical arguments and historical event, that are often used to support bilingual education, particularly around concerns for preserving language in order to preserve individual and cultural identity.

One of the most telling examples of the forcibly imposed unification of a language that was divided historically along communal lines comes not from the GOI. It comes from very recent efforts of the People's Republic of China to impose a national identity through the imposition of a national language. This is relevant because ethnic variations were subordinated to Mandarin, and along with that a revised Mandarin script which enabled larger numbers of Chinese to be schooled and to become literate. Today, one can hear Cantonese mostly in Pacific Islands and to some extent among older immigrants in far-flung nations, but not in China.

What we are talking about in this thread is something else. Is Punjabi being undermined as a language that defines a people and its culture through the writing of Punjabi in Devanagari script?

To break it down and make it manageable I am going to have to look at each scholar as mentioned in the earlier comments separately. So let's start with Dr. Bhatia's work on the Punjabi language. He does assert that Punjabi is written in Gurmukhi, Shamukhi and to some extent Landa. He also asserts that Punjabi is written in Devanagari and in the Latin alphabet. His basic thesis is that this is done to foster understanding of Punjabi by non-Punjabi speakers. He is to some extent correct.

For example, Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji includes Devanagari transliterations of Gurmukhi for those whose dominant language is Hindi, and Latin transliterations to aid those whose dominant language is English. If there is anything about Punjabi that is not controversial among Punjabis (?) this should be pretty clear-cut.

ਸੋਚੈ ਸੋਚਿ ਨ ਹੋਵਈ ਜੇ ਸੋਚੀ ਲਖ ਵਾਰ ॥
Sochai Soch N Hovee Jae Sochee Lakh Vaar ||

सोचै सोचि न होवई जे सोची लख वार ॥
The second line uses Latin transliteration; the third line uses Devanagari transliteration. And indeed the matter of whether to adopt transliterations was and continues to be controversial. One side argues that to keep study of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji vital it must be made available in a form that is linguistically accessible to students of Guru Nanak whose dominant language is not Punjabi. The other side argues that Gurmukhi is intrinsic to understanding the message of the Guru; the use of transliterations waters vichaar down to the point where it is inaccurate. My own experience has been that transliterations have limited benefit, especially in the case of the Latin because it is so variable that it is often impossible to recognize an important word.

I do note that there are many today who are fluent speakers of Punjabi but who are not fluent in reading and writing Punjabi because of schooling and national language policies of India and her state governments. They would benefit from the Devanagari much like the Punjabi speaker who is able to read only the Hindi traffic signage. She can speak it, and speaks Punjabi at home, but is limited in ability to read and write Punjabi.

The next thing to say about Professor Bhatia. The book linked in the original post is to a survey of world languages, not only Punjabi. He looks at many languages and gives detailed descriptions of grammar, writing systems (scripts), rules of morphology (spelling), and dialect differences. He does not express a personal opinion, but reports what is observed on the ground. It would be difficult to link that particular book to any political or cultural agendas aimed at eliminating the Punjabi language.

Next up I will take a look at the second set of issues, involving the creation of scripting systems.
 
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Jan 26, 2012
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But we are not really looking at a division so to speak but a case of imposed syncretism - pasting together unlike elements to create a new result that may or may not make sense with a rationale that may not hold water. The mapping of script a onto language b in this case does not relate to communal divisions.

I don't know. The whole topic is a wide one. I'd still say Panjabi in Devanagri is better than what goes on across the border where Panjabi appears to be practically annihilated for Urdu. And if standard accounts are anything to go by, Panjabi literature apparently starts with Muslims who wrote it using what we now call Shahmukhi in anycase.

This next point is going to be controversial to some but needs to be said nonetheless. I've read people who've expressed the opinion that labeling the script Gurmukhi became problematic because of the obvious religious connotations/allegiance. The argument was that the script was in existence prior to Sikhi emerging in the Panjab. Although it is true that our Gurus developed and popularised it.

If we look at Bangladeshis, they too have an Indic derived script despite being Muslim and never rejected it for an Arabic one. Such things are telling.

If the Gurmukhi script had been simply labeled the 'Panjabi script' (which is accurate in that it came from the region), then we maybe could have avoided people trying to run from it for religious identity reasons?

As you've alluded to above, the Devanangri argument could go both ways in that using it could facilitate wider exposure to the Panjabi language to the masses of India who are familiar with the script. Transliteration with Devanangri could be infinitely more accurate than with say Roman.

Even our own Sikh heritage shows that at least under Guru Gobind Singh, Sikh religious expression was done in a number of scripts and languages i.e. Farsi script in Zafarnama, the use of Brij Basha and Sant Basha, Panjabi.

I don't think there is any agenda behind the Devanangri comments myself.
 

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Now onto Dr. Joga Singh
What we are talking about in this thread is something else. Is Punjabi being undermined as a language that defines a people and its culture through the writing of Punjabi in Devanagari script?

Dr. Joga Singh, Dr. Japinder Singh Sidhu and Dr. Sikhandar Singh agree that national language policies and other emerging cultural trends are undermining Punjabi as a language that defines the identity and culture of a people.

However, the picture is far more complicated that the use of Devanagari script.
www.sikhsiyminar-report-experts-wor...of-punjabi-in-education-media-and-social-use/

There are a number of issues

1. Unnecessary infiltration of foreign words into the Punjabi language, including Hindi and Engish

2. Distortion of the Punjabi language by media that reflect government views that Punjabi is not technically sophisticated enough for technical educaton

3. Commercialization of language by media where revenues depend on integrating Punjabi with Hindi to reach a larger market share

4. Marginalizing Punjabi by reflecting Hindi as the language of an elite class

5. Deliberate efforts were being made by state governments to to establish kangri, dogri, lehndi and other sub-forms of Punjabi as independent languages and thereby reduce the area of Punjabi in social use

6. Attempts to detach Punjabi from the Gurmukhi script in favor of the Devanagari script

So is the mischief being done by Professor Bathia who is observing and reporting? Or is the damage done elsewhere. Dr. Parmjeet Singh Gazi quotes UNESCO:

...“the rise of nation-states, whose territorial unity was closely linked to their linguistic homogeneity, has also been decisive in selecting and consolidating national languages and sidelining others” PS Gazi related the problems faced by minority or regional languages in India with the “nation-building project” of the Indian State. “A document by UNESCO says that – by making great efforts to establish an official language in education, the media and the civil service, national governments have deliberately tried to eliminate minority languages – and all these things are happening to our language” he added.

There are many practical questions rising from all of this. One of the least important: Should Hindi and Latin scripts be abolished from SGGS? Are we sleeping with the enemy? Or can we simply change our preferences to see what we want to see? ( I do this on search engines because the Devanagari drives me crazy) IN INDIA most cannot simply change their preferences. Professor Bathia, the "outsider," is keeping Punjabi alive. Isn't it a matter of common sense that keeping Punjabi alive will have to take many forms and a lot of will?
 

Gyani Jarnail Singh

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Look at what the Real true sons of Punjabi MAA BOLI are doing in Pakistani Punjab..

http://punjabilanguagemovement.org/

Punjabis are AWAKENING...


“Punjabi Language Movement (PLM) is all about securing Punjab and Punjabi rights through peaceful struggle. The movement is meant to save, protect and preserve our ancient and beloved motherland Punjab, Punjabi Language, Punjabi nation, Punjabi culture and future Punjabi generations."Our mission is to promote Punjabi language, literature art and culture. And to struggle for the just cause of Punjabi language and keep Punjab united at all costs".
 

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Read More:
Aims and Objectives - Punjabi Language Movement - Pakistan

Punjabi Language Movement (PLM) is all about Punjab and Punjabi rights. The movement is meant to save, protect and preserve ancient and beloved motherland Punjab, Punjabi Language, Punjabi nation, Punjabi culture and future Punjabi generations.
PLM’s demands, aims and objectives and its 22 Points Agenda

Under a well planned agenda and conspiracy Punjabi language was banned as a medium of instruction in Punjab about 150 years ago. The ban on basic education in mother tongue in Punjab continued till date was initiated by the imperialists for the purpose of cultural occupation of Punjab. Punjab for the last more than 150 years culturally is a salved land. And Punjabi ‘s generation after generation have been bilingually /culturally exploited, discriminated , brainwashed and mislead beyond imaginations .To keep Punjabis away from their mother tongue, their motherland and their culture under a well thought conspiracy Punjabi language have been declared and is endlessly being propagated in Pakistan as the language of infidels, illiterate, goons, uncivilized and abuses. Punjabi Language Movement is being launched to end the cultural occupation of Punjab and to restore the honor and dignity of Punjabi language.PLM is determined to secure for Punjabi kids their legal, constitutional and birth right to be educated in Punjab in their own mother tongue at primary level just like the children of the rest of the world. Punjab is the only area in the entire world where education in the mother tongue is officially banned by the state.In shortest possible words it can be said that Punjab is under the cultural occupation, Punjabi culture is being abused and exploited, Punjabi nation lingually is a slave nation and Punjabi language is the victim of state sponsored terrorism, exploitation and discrimination for the last 150 years. Punjabi Language Movement is right here to end this endless tyranny, oppression, exploitation, discrimination, slavery and terrorism against motherland Punjab, Punjabi Language, Punjabi nation and Punjabi culture.
To achieve the goal of making Punjabi the " sole, normal and everyday language of instruction, government, judiciary, media, work, communication, commerce, science, technology and business" and to ensure the respect of Punjabi language’s constitutional rights and the linguistic rights of Punjabi nation in the province of Punjab, to preserve Punjabi culture, to protect the integrity of motherland Punjab it is essentially felts that Punjabi Language Movement (PLM) has to be launched. Therefore, to secure the constitutional, legal, democratic and birth rights of motherland Punjab, Punjabi Language ,Punjabi culture and Punjabi nation, to keep Punjab united and to save motherland Punjab, Punjabi Language, Punjabi nation and Punjabi culture from a possible extinction the Punjabi Language Movement announces its aims and objective, demands and 22 point agenda as follows:
Punjabi Language Movement - 22 Point Agenda

1) Charter of the Punjabi Language or Punjabi Language Act be introduced in the Punjab assembly.
“For the purpose of the linguistic officialization, Punjabialisation of the educational system, civil service, enterprises, judiciary and to declare Punjabi as the language of the instruction, legislature ,administration, and judiciary in the province of Punjab “The Charter of the Punjabi Language” or “The Punjabi Language Act “be introduced in the Punjab assembly as a law in the Province defining Punjabi, the language of the majority of the population and as the medium of instruction and as the sole official and judicial language of Punjab”. And to “make Punjabi the normal and everyday language of work, communication, commerce and business of the province. The charter may define the fundamental language rights of persons, the status of Punjabi in the education, legislature and the courts, the civil administration, the semipublic agencies, labor relations, commerce and business.
2) Declare Punjabi as the medium of instruction
Punjabi be declared the basic medium of instruction as well as official and judicial language in Punjab. Basic education (being the birth right of a child) should be imparted in mother tongue according to the constitution of Pakistan and as per the recommendations of UNESCO and UNO. Punjabi is a complete standardized language owned by approximately 150 million people around the globe. Education in mother tongue is the only source to bring an end to illiteracy, feudalism, violence,extremism ,terrorism, backwardness, Joblessness, Poverty, exploitation,
Crime, Intolerance and class discrimination in Punjab.

3) Abolish 150 years old ban on education in mother tongue in Punjab: Restore the fundamental linguistic rights of Punjabi people.
Abolish the 150 years old undeclared, un-official and unconstitutional ban on education in mother tongue in Punjab imposed by the colonial masters and later continued by the Federation and all its successive governments in Punjab after the independence. More than 100 million people of Punjab are officially being deprived of their mother tongue. Punjab is the only area in the entire world where education in the mother tongue is officially banned by the Federation and the Punjabi children are the only children in the entire world being discriminated and deprived of the basic education in their mother tongue. The Fundamental and constitutional linguistic rights of the Punjabi people must be restored. To end the cultural occupation of Punjab, return Punjab its mother tongue.Those concerned must restore the birth right of Punjabi language in Punjab without further delay.
4) Punjabi be adapted as the official language of the house by Punjab assembly
The unconstitutional, immoral and illegal restriction on the members of Punjab assembly to seek prior permission from the Speaker of the assembly to use Punjabi as medium of expression in Punjab assembly be abolished. All the members of the Punjab Assembly should be free by law to deliver speeches in Punjabi and the house should adapt Punjabi as its official and preferred language.
5) State run Institutions be established: State must Protect and promote Punjabi language
To protect, promote , preserve and for the scientific development of Punjabi language, literature, arts, culture and to provide modern education in Punjabi language and to extend the official patronage, the following institutions must be established by the government of Punjab.(1)Punjabi Language education ministry (2) Punjabi language policy and planning commission (3)Punjabi Language Authority, (4) Punjabi language Text Book Board.(5)Punjabi University with its Campuses at Lahore, Multan and Taxila(6) Punjabi Academy of Letters. (7)Department of Punjabiology be established at Punjab university .And Senior Punjabi writers and intellectuals be appointed as the members of the board of directors of Punjab institute for Language and culture (PILAC) just to ensure the genuine promotion of Punjabi language, literature ,art and culture.
6) Punjabialise Punjab, its media and text books
It is demanded that the federal provincial and private sector advertisements being issued to the print and electronic media for Punjab should be distributed and issued in Punjabi language on priority basis for the Punjabi speaking consumers. The non –local, non –Punjabi names of the streets, bazaars, roads and buildings be changed with the iconic, legendary, historical and famous Punjabi names. All the business dealing with the people in Punjab should be restricted by law to provide their client service strictly in Punjabi. The non-local and non-Punjabi so called heroes of the freedom struggle be removed from the Punjab text book boards and be replaced with the Punjab’s Sufi saints, legends, warriors, freedom fighters and historical figures.

7) Census and the mother tongue: Educate Punjabi people about their mother tongue
The Punjab Government should arrange to initiate cultural awareness among the Punjabi people to read, write and speak their own mother tongue .An d should immediately launch a drive to educate, alert and appeal to the people of Punjab to must write Punjabi as their mother tongue in the column of mother tongue in the census form during the coming census. And Government of Punjab without further delay launch an official claim to educate Punjabi people to speak, read and write Punjabi in everyday life.
8) NADRA must start issuing the national identity cards in Punjabi
The Federal Government should instruct NADRA to start issuing National Identity Cards in Punjabi. As it is already issuing the N.I.C ‘sin Sindhi and Urdu languages. Pakistan post office should start publishing money order forms in Punjabi. Public announcements throughout Punjab at public places such as PTCL and Mobile Phone service providers customer services, air-ports, railway stations, bus stands, banks and markets and in Friday sermons/khutbas in Masjids be made /delivered strictly in Punjabi. Punjab Government must frame necessary laws in this regard. All the political parties operating in Punjab should conduct their meetings and public gatherings only in Punjabi language strictly. Or they should wind up and leave Punjab. The cellular companies are provided services in Urdu, Sindhi and Pushto but they are illegally discriminating their 100 million Punjabi customers. They must without further delay start providing their services in Punjabi too. If the national ID cards can be issued in Sindhi and Urdu why they cannot be issued in Punjabi.

9) Punjabi business community must invest in their mother tongue
Punjabi business community must come forward to invest in establishing Punjabi print and electronic media including the cultural and research centers at all levels all over Punjab to protect and promote Punjabi Language, literature, art and culture. On Punjabi print and electronic media is discriminating and exploiting Punjab, Punjabi language, Punjabi people and Punjabi culutre.Punjabi business community must come forward to rescue Punjab and Punjabi. It should launch Punjabi print and electronic media with full force. Punjabi is the mother tongue of 100 million people in Pakistan. Undoubtedly it’s a very profitable business too.
10) Free Basic education for Punjabi Children
PLM demands that education should be free, compulsory, universal and equal for all Punjabi children especially for the poor in Punjab. Higher education and technical training shall be opened to all by means of state allowances and scholarships awarded on the basis of merit, adult illiteracy must brought to an end by a mass state education plan. All the poor Punjabi children be provided the education from basic to metric level including free unforms, books, food and transportation, Including the free health facility.
11) Allocate 10% of Punjab’s GDP for the development of the Punjabi language, education and culture.
Government should bear all the cost of educational expenses up to degree level. Allocate 10% of Punjab’s GDP for the development of the Punjabi language education, literature,art and culture.
12) Punjab’s educational institutions be provided with the required Punjabi language teaching staff and facilities.
Thousands of qualified jobless Punjabi language teachers be provided with the jobs on priority basis by the provincial government. The Department of Punjabi Language and Literature should be established in all the public sector educational institutions which should be fully equipped with libraries and other educational requirements .And jobless Punjabi teachers should be appointed there. All those private educational institutions which are not teaching Punjabi at primary level they be fined heavily and their licenses be cancelled .

13) Punjabi film city be established.PTV and Radio Pakistan should launch full time Punjabi language TV channel and FM station.
Due to the official discrimination the production of Punjabi film has fallen dramatically. It is proposed that Punjab Government must set up a most modern “Punjabi Film City” laid with Kanals,Parks,flowers,5 star hotels, high tech modern buildings, large squares,opne 4 way roads outside of Lahore at good a location. The studios and their facilities must be latest and of the Hollywood’s standards. Where the entire world may com e to produce the films on cheaper rates. The Punjabi film city should have a Punjabi film training Academy and along with the film city the Disney Park must be established too. Punjabi film cannot be ignored any more. It has to be revived. And Government of Punjab is responsible to undertake this task. Punjabi film has played an extremely vital role in promoting Punjabi language and Music. The revival of Punjabi cinema is extremely vital for the promotion of Punjabi language art and culture. Pakistan Television and Pakistan broadcasting corporation should launch full time Punjabi language TV channel and FM stations.PTV should also launch Full time Sindhi, Pushto ad Balochi channels and FM stations.
14) BBC must launch its Punjabi service
BBC must stop its century old official discrimination against Punjabi language.BBC is ignorant of the fact that Punjabi being the mother tongue of more than 115 million people around the globe I s11th most spoken language in the world.BBC should launch its Punjabi service without further delay. It’s long overdue.
15) “Punjabi Pug Cultural Day” be celebrated officially
The government of Punjab should accept the legal responsibility of promoting and protecting Punjabi culture and to create awareness among the people of Punjab. It should make arrangements to celebrate on first day of Waisakh each year “The Punjabi Pug Cultural Day”. And should declare an official holiday on the occasion accordingly.
16) Division of Punjab be it lingual or administrative is strongly rejected.
Punjab is the ancient motherland of great Punjabi nation. It is a single, lingual, cultural, administrative and historical unit and an identity from times immemorial. And is characterised by its historical, cultural, economic, linguistic, administrative, and geographical identity. The Punjabi Language Movement strongly rejects the division of the Punjab at any pretext, be it administrative, racial, and lingual or something else. PLM also rejects the calls for the new provinces. As they are meant to push the imperialist’s agenda to disintegrate the country.
17) Punjabi speaking areas of Khyber Pukhtoon Khawah be merged with Punjab.
The Punjabi speaking areas of Khyber Pukhtoonkhwah that include Dera Ismail Khan, Tank and Hazara be split from that province and merged with Punjab because these are the majority Punjabi speaking areas. Hindko is the dialect of Punjabi language .These areas were already part of Punjab before partition.

18) End the feudal state and abolish the feudalism in South Punjab
Pakistan is a feudal state. South Punjab, its people and its resources are being exploited and plundered by its feudals, Serdars, Pirs and the privileged ruling class .Common people enslaved by the feudal and are being treated by them like slaves. South Punjab has been turned in to a colony of feudals , Serdars, Pirs and privileged who have hindered and obstructed all sort of development in the areas since centuries. The feudal system should be abolished in south Punjab and feudal land holdings be distributed among the landless and tenants.
19) Federal Sindhi, Punjabi, Pushto and Balochi universities be setup
The Federal Government should set up Federal Sindhi University, Federal Punjabi University, Federal Pushto University and Federal Balochi University in Islamabad on the pattern of the Federal Urdu University along with their provincial campuses established in their respective provinces.
20) Declare Sindhi, Punjabi, Pushto and Balochi as the national languages of Pakistan.
The federation must declare Sindhi, Punjabi, Pushto and Balochi being the majority languages of all the four federating units as the national languages of Pakistan. Constitution of Pakistan must be amended and the four national languages constitution (amendment) bill to declare majority Sindhi, Punjabi, Pushto and Balochi languages as the national languages must be adapted by the national assembly. A National Language and Cultural commission be setup by the federal government for promotion of Sindhi, Punjabi, Pushto and Balochi languages and to promote inter-cultural harmony.
21) “National Cultural Day” be celebrated on the national level
It is proposed that a “National Cultural Day” be celebrated on the national level, to promote the Indus valley culture as the culture of Pakistan. It shall help to promote the inter-provincial harmony, unity and brotherhood among the provinces .A public holiday be declared on the occasion to celebrate the “National Cultural Day” throughout the country. And the Indus Valley culture be declared as the national culture of Pakistan.
22) Integrity of the motherland Punjab will be defended at all costs.
PLM is strongly opposed to the idea of creating new provinces and the division of ancient motherlands of Sindh, Punjab, Balochistan and Khyber Pukhtoonkhwah .Division of any of the federating unit (province) be it lingual or administrative is strongly rejected. Such demands are meant to impose the minority and pseudo nationalities on the ancient majority nations .Division of Punjab (be it lingual or administrative) is meant to disintegrate Pakistan. It is meant to divide Sindh to split Karachi from Pakistan. New provinces if attempted are bound to push the country in to an endless ethno-lingual civil war in which millions will be slaughtered that will result in breakup of Pakistan .The day Punjab is divided Pakistan falls.170 million people enslaved forever. PLM therefore is strongly committed to defend the integrity of Punjab that means it is defending the integrity of Pakistan. The imperialists’ agenda being pushed ahead by imperialists Pakistani touts for the division of Punjab be it lingual or administrative is strongly rejected. Punjab is the ancient motherland of Punjabi nation. Punjab belongs to Punjabis only. And all those who live in Punjab are Punjabis. The enemy is all out to destroy Pakistan by dividing Punjab. Pseudo nationalities, imperialists’ touts and vested interests are being organized, conspiring and targeting Punjab to divide it. The malicious media trial of Punjab and Punjabis is part of the sinister move to break up Paksitan.PLM is to organize Punjabi people to defend the integrity of its motherland Punjab. And it will be defended at all costs no matter what may come.
PLM is to work to secure and is committed to organize the masses to retain and protect Punjabi language’s constitutional rights through peaceful means. The very existence of Punjabi language, the mother tongue of more than 100 million people of Punjab is threatened seriously. The issued needs to be addressed seriously. The federation/state must return Punjab its mother tongue now.
Punjabi Language Movement has decided in principal to celebrate year 2011 as the year of Punjabi language. Our slogan is “Punjabi is the destiny”.
PLM is here to Save Punjab, Punjabi language, Punjabi culture to save Pakistan”. Its a “Jehad” to fight for the rights of one mother tongue. And PLM will fight it in a befitting manner Punjabis…lets join hands and be a part of this historic struggle being launched. Punjabi Language Movement is all about Punjab and Punjabi rights and it is here to save, protect and preserve ancient beloved. motherland Punjab, Punjabi Language, Punjabi nation, Punjabi culture and our future generations……Jeewey Punjab
Chaudhry Nazeer Kahut: Convener, Punjabi Language Movement (Pakistan), Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan
Email: nazeerkahut@yahoo.com punjabilanguage.m@gmail.com
 

Gyani Jarnail Singh

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and think about it..THERE is NO SUCH MOVEMENT in the Indian punjab...not Badals Akali dal..Not the SGPC..not the DERAS..not the Punjab Education board..NO ONE is remotely interested in PUNJABI...PUNJABI is daily LOSING GROUND in punjab..DELHI Haryana himachal...all by DESIGN. Ad Hoc Protests and little WHIMPERS do happen now and then..like when the Chandigarh Adminsitartion REMOVED the Clause requiring a Std 10 pass in Punjabi for jobs..or like when the DelhI uni drops Punajbia s a subject..etc etc..a few days some noise..then silence...
 

Tejwant Singh

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Gyani ji,

Guru Fateh.

Sadly, this is the difference between East and West Punjab. On our side, even Sikhs feel ashamed to speak Punjabi in Punjab. They talk to each other in Hindi. Punjabi used to be spoken not only in Punjab but also in Delhi, UP, Haryana and parts of HP and Rajasthan. Now, all these Punjabi Delhivallahs speak Hindi instead. We can blame the Hindutva government as much as we want to, which does have its agenda to make Hindi the only language. But one should ask oneself why it has only influenced the Punjabi speaking people not the Malay, or other people who speak their languages in the southern states with great pride.

When a language like Punjabi has been an oral language for many centuries and has been written in different alphabets, then it becomes incumbent on the Punjabis to irrigate it so it can flourish despite the outer pressures.

We should learn from our Pakistani brethren how to keep the language alive by speaking it at home. This is the only way we give it a life support it needs on our side where this rich language has been made into a sub cultured one by the Hindutva propaganda but the actual blame lies on us Punjabis.

I was shocked to notice when I went back to India in 1985 after 15 years that two of my own brothers in law, whom I had the chance to meet for the first time, did not know how to read Gurmukhi. One of them is a retired Brigadier born and raised in Amritsar, the other is from Faridabad.

It is also a fallacy to claim that one forgets the language/s after sometime. I only studied Gurmukhi till 5th grade and then was sent to a school where it was not taught. I was able to convince the school principle to have it as an optional language like Sanskrit was. It started in the 7th grade. I had some say with her because she was a family friend.All my younger siblings learned Gurmukhi at home so they could read Gurbani from the Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. It was encouraged in our home.

I had not spoken Punjabi for 15 years. Yes, I taught Punjabi as a teacher's training tool for the ESL teachers in Brasil, but those were broken sentences for them to have the flavour of the difficulties of learning another language.

When I landed in India, I understood Punjabi but could not speak it because my muscles were not used to it.I responded in English. It just took me a week to get it all back. I had never forgotten how to read or write it though.

I can say the same for Portuguese. I left Brasil in 1985 and had been back 3 times till 1988 but I still speak, write, read it fluently like English and Punjabi. Thanks to Portuguese, I am also able to read, speak Spanish without even having learnt it through any school or books.

There is an interesting comparison that can be made between Punjabi and Portuguese because of the syntax/is in both languages. One who speaks Punjabi can speak,understand Hindi and Urdu and also is able to make sense of Pahari, Rajasthani to certain extent but the vice versa is not possible. The same goes for Portuguese. We can speak,understand Spanish and make sense of Italian and French when they are spoken but the vice versa is not possible unless one is familiar with Latin.

So, if we want the language of our land, of our Gurus, of our Punjabi writers like Amrita Pritam, Sohan Singh Seetal, Nanak Singh and others like them along with of the great Sufi Punjabi poets like Bulleh Shah, Waris Shah and many more; not to be put on a pyre, then it becomes our responsibility not to kill it.

All it needs for a revival is a bit of oral exercise, on which we Punjabis have sadly bit our tongue.

Regards

Tejwant Singh
 
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spnadmin

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When a language dies a culture dies and its people are lost to themselves. To destroy a language is the most effective genocide. It is painful only once one notices that the language is lost to you. In a way you have lost yourself; you can no longer hear your own voice. This method takes longer than starvation, civil war or poison gas. However, its effects last longer and its effects can be permanent.
 

Tejwant Singh

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When a language dies a culture dies and its people are lost to themselves. To destroy a language is the most effective genocide. It is painful only once one notices that the language is lost to you. In a way you have lost yourself; you can no longer hear your own voice. This method takes longer than starvation, civil war or poison gas. However, its effects last longer and its effects can be permanent.

Spnadmin ji,

Guru Fateh.

Well said as usual.

Following are some interesting articles to give your well said thoughts some much needed voice/s:

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2012/07/vanishing-languages/rymer-text

http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/enduring-voices/

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8500108.stm
(The tragedy of dying languages)
 
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spnadmin

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From the first link - and believe me the story there highlights, underlines, writes in bold so many of the issues already visited on this thread. So I am posting the intro. The question it asks will keep this thread alive. It is so important to take seriously.


Vanishing Voices
One language dies every 14 days. By the next century nearly half of the roughly 7,000 languages spoken on Earth will likely disappear, as communities abandon native tongues in favor of English, Mandarin, or Spanish. What is lost when a language goes silent?​

What was lost when a language spoken by only a few hundred people in a now ruined pueblo of Arizona died? What will be lost were Punjabi to die? We have to do something with those threads so people know this is important.
 
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angrisha

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1. Unnecessary infiltration of foreign words into the Punjabi language, including Hindi and Engish

Honestly, I think this is inevitable as the world becomes more and more interconnected. It isnt only Punjabi which is being infiltrated but most other mother tongues are as well. Many words we use even in English can actually be french or different origin.

2. Distortion of the Punjabi language by media that reflect government views that Punjabi is not technically sophisticated enough for technical education

4. Marginalizing Punjabi by reflecting Hindi as the language of an elite class

Both of these statements are interesting to me, in Canada I guess we can take for granted speaking Punjabi (its now the most commonly spoken second language in Canada). It wasn't until recently when I actually saw this happen, in Toronto while visiting relatives. Where, people who were born and raised in Punjab were raising their kids as Hindi speakers, because of this idea of 'class'. It was, very interesting to me, as I cant speak hindi, and i've only ever heard it spoken by chance or through films. So, communicating wasnt exactly easy. So, I think this concept may be spreading also.

So is the mischief being done by Professor Bathia who is observing and reporting? Or is the damage done elsewhere. Dr. Parmjeet Singh Gazi quotes UNESCO:

There are many practical questions rising from all of this. One of the least important: Should Hindi and Latin scripts be abolished from Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji? Are we sleeping with the enemy? Or can we simply change our preferences to see what we want to see? ( I do this on search engines because the Devanagari drives me crazy) IN INDIA most cannot simply change their preferences. Professor Bathia, the "outsider," is keeping Punjabi alive. Isn't it a matter of common sense that keeping Punjabi alive will have to take many forms and a lot of will?

Many religious books have been translated into many different languages, bible is one of them, Tao is another. But, the question I think becomes, do we associate the SGGS with punjabi alone? If it is a relgious text, then doesnt having different versions offer that accessibility to those who may not have access if its only written in one script?

I understand that problem with losing Punjabi lanauge, however I actually have seen the opposite occur living in Canada. We actually have a full Punjabi school, where kids are taught to read and write Punjabi along with regular curriculum. We are also seeing changes with introduction of Punjabi based classes at the university level as well. I think at some point it becomes our responsibility too keep our own language alive. Meaning, what we chose to teach our children and what we choose to learn ourselves?
 

spnadmin

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angrisha ji

You are right. Many of the issues that are connected with language loss are inevitable. However, the impact on any particular language differs and the problem is complex.

Commercial influences, media distortion, the amalgamation of Devanagri script with Punjabi --- that is going to happen because we live in modern times and languages have always changed in response to contact with other languages and economic and social pressure. No question.

Punjabi in India, like languages over history, has changed and will change. Will the language remain vital? One factor working against the continued vitality of Punjabi is national language policy. As I mentioned earlier Cantonese has been preserved only outside of China. Punjabi seems to have a bright future - in parts of the diaspora. The Punjabi Language Movement is a Pakistan-based initiative.

Drs. Joda Singh, Sikhandar Singh and Paramjeet Singh were examining the problem within India. What were they railing against? They know as well as any that Punjabi is under pressure from inevitables. The impact of national language policies however worsens the effect. National language policies and educational reforms that can be shown to be biased against Punjabi (please check the complete article) are "sinister" to borrow from the thread title.

I don't think they are taking a radical stand because the same pattern of language suppression has occurred at the hands of national policy in other nations and at other times. Here are just two of many possible examples. The systematic loss of native american languages in the United States happened in less than one century by government fiat under a policy of cultural assimilation. Mussolini attempted to eradicate Italian dialect in the name of national identity by destroying cultural identities, burning entire libraries of dialect-based grammars, poetry, fiction and theater throughout the Italian peninsula and Sicily, by posting spies and imprisonment.

The good professors know, because the study of language is their expertise, that concerted will, and organized opposition to policies that are proposed in the name of national identity, is a defense against all of that. In Italy virtually no dialects are spoken today in their original form, because of television, except in Sicily where no one calls it a dialect. They call it the Sicilian language because there is enough cultural will to preserve it and to insist that it is in fact a language, their language. If you read through the PLM manifesto (posted by Gyani ji) you will see that the PLM strategy is all about finding the cultural will to sustain cultural identity; and the PLM is fighting to preserve the cultural identities of speakers of other languages too. Sometimes national policy has to be tackled politically, sometimes in courts of law. Two significant Supreme Court decisions in the mid 20th Century asserted the right of Native Americans to have tribal schools. For the Navajo, who have both the Navajo language and a Dineh script, an entire legacy of cultural tradition, spiritual belief and folk lore can now be transmitted from elders to the young, through schooling, in the mother tongue. The Navajo btw refuse to downplay the importance of the script in teaching and learning their language, in spite of transliterations for the benefit of whiteys like me. The same cannot be said for most other tribal peoples of North America. Court decisions alone could not re-school tribal cultures where languages that had already been lost. Because educational policies and the law eventually did respect the integrity of their cultural text, there was a different outcome for the Navajo

Devanagari script seems like such an odd start for a thread, seeming so narrow in scope. Uncovered are much broader problems. Languages change for many reasons that are inevitable. One lesson might be not to take the inevitables lightly; another might be to find the will to take a stand.
 
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Gyani Jarnail Singh

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aNGRISHA jI..

ITS S NOT THE FACT OF "INFILTRATION/ADAPTATION OF FOREIGN WORDS..INTO PUNJABI THATS a problem per se...Even the GURUS have taken words from other languages..PUNJABI is RICHER due to f{censored}e words, arabic words English Words..

Whats "wrong" is the TOTAL "ELIMINATION" of Existing valid PUNJABI WORDS and usage/replacement by hidni/sanskrit words. Pick up a PUNJABI Newspaper today. so called Punjabi Academic books from Universities, Text Books etc....and the SCRIPT may be GURMUKHI..but the language is NOT PUNJABI..its almost always a 70-30 MIX..30 being Punjabi and 70 being hindi derivatives.....same policy is being carried out by the Punjab Universities, Govt Institutions...no PUNJABI but HINDI in Gurmukhi script..followed by DEVNAGREE whioch is actually already on the FRONT BURNER !! Then no more Punjabi no more Gurmukhi..two birds killed with one stone.
 

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