Hindko is one of the oldest languages in our region. It has an history even older then Punjabi I once read some where that punjabi is a stolen egg of the hen called Hindko.
Today it looks like this sweet language is dying and there is no one else responsible for it but US (the speakers of this language). We have injected a great amount of urdu in hindko and now the therapy of hindko is not less than an immense task. Just like the habit we all have of mixing English in urdu we are mixing urdu in hindko and we are not even aware of that. We dont even know that we are using urdu words not the actual hindko words. There are so many hindko words that you now hear rarely in daily talks. Sometimes it feels like there is no word in hindko glossary for some thing.
Sometimes we even know the actual hindko words but we still keep speaking urdu words instead. The reason I am not sure what actually is but some people think that these are old fashioned words and its much better to replace them with urdu. While doing that we don’t realize that we are killing hindko. Another big factor is the bad habbit of speaking Urdu with our children. Don’t know why do we think that children won’t be able to learn urdu in school and we start speaking urdu with them instead of hindko. Well Children can learn urdu in school but not hindko. I am not talking only about people living in cities or abroad but also families living in bakote or other villages nearby.
If you look around your self or look at yourself and say the name of what ever you see you will find that 80% of the thing names are in urdu not in hindko. Like cloths are called Kapray not Chipray, buttons are called buttons not bee(d)ray, shalwar qameez is no more a tambi pairni. You have a gardan (neck) not narri. There is a Taala (lock) at your door and Jandra is lost somewhere in bakote. Chaawal has replaced patt (putt) from our dinner and salan is used instead of lotar. You eat Dahi (yogurt) not Jamya wa Dhud. You don’t call it Gooyor (lawn) any more instead its sehan.
These are all very few basic examples and yes we all know about these words but we won’t use them because its not smart to say these words and it makes us look like an old fashioned and not some modern person.
It’s very unfair with hindko and with ourselves as well that we are killing this beautiful language. We have to stop this practice and we need to quit this habit of giving priority to urdu over hindko other wise we will destroy this language completely and after few years the situation will be worse and we will pour even more urdu in hindko. There will be an UrdKo rather than hindko where there will be more urdu and less hindko.
5 Comments
ITS REALY UNFAIR….WE MUST NOT FORGET THE REAL LANGUAGE AND EVERY ONE SHOULD TRY ATLEAT AT HIS OWN TO SPEAK PROPER HINDKO…..WE R DOING SAME WITH URDU ….WE HAVE INVOLVED SO MUCH ENGLISH WORDS IN URDU IN DAILY LIFE THAT EVEN AN ILLETRATE PERSON USE THE ENGLISH WORDS FREQUENTLY THINKING AS THEY BELONG TO URDU….
ONE MORE UNFAIR THING IS THAT MANY PEOPLE WANT THAT THIER CHILDREN SPEAK URDU EVEN AT HOME AND THEY SPEAK URDU WITH THEM AT HOME IN THIS WAY THEY ARE STOPPING THE MOTHER TONGUE THERE AND NOT PASSING IT TO NEXT GENERATION….ENGLISH,URDU CAN BE LEARNT AT SCHOOLS BUT MOTHER TONGUE BECOMES VERY DIFFICULT TO LEARN IN THE LATER AGES….AND WE CAN OBSERVE THAT THOSE PEOPLE WHO DONT KNOW THIER MOTHER TONGUE THEY FACE PROBLEMS WHEN THEY COME AMONG THIER OWN PEOPLE IN VILLAGES AND FEEL CONFUSED.
APNI MATTI PA CHALNY KA SALIKA SIKHO
SANG E MARMAR PA CHALO GY TO PHISAL JAO GY
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I think, it is very unfair with our mother tongue but in spite of making effort once again to revive our customs and languages, it is not possible to fully recover all that, as we all know world today is a global village, so changes are being replaced at one region to another. All in all, we should try to protect our traditions, which are very valuable to us especially in Circle Bakote.
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What I have under stand about Languages, Borrowing words from other language would help any language to exist or sustain in arena.Language only can sustain, then its borrow words from other languages, instead that considers a dead language, as thousand of languages are no more in this world, ets Roman, Greek and Celtics languages.
Language always has needs the speakers, who would prove the strength of their tongue. I mean how much power they have in Literature, science and technology. English as language is not more powerful but the people who speak the English; they are considers most powerful nations of the world, as concerns with Military power, literature or science and technology. Imagine why we speak Toyota, Suzuki or Honda without knowing the meaning, because that consider the technological development of Japanese .If my friends are agree or not after 17th Century , British Militarism has gives great support to English as proved its strengths as langue franca. Because wherever Britishers had enhanced their colonies, advance her language as well in different regions of the world.
Our Hindko need the power of Literature and strength of Knowledge able society
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Borrowing words from other languages when there is no specific word available in the vocabulary of the borrower is not bad and it is must. But using words of other language when there are words available is not called borrowing. This is sign of complexity (superior & inferior).
Toyota, suzuki or honda are not some terms or name of technology these are names of people who founded these companies. Just like habib bank will remain habib bank no matter what the language is you can’t name it beloved bank in english.
[Reply]
Brother, you have right views, these are the precious words for me, but as concerned with that, what I want to explained, Honda and Toyota as not the name of technology. Instead, here same words,
“Why we speak Toyota, Suzuki or Honda without knowing the meaning, because that consider the technological development of Japanese.”
In this statement I want to explain only technological development, which gives no other option aliens to used same word for that particular invention in their own language. As like we have no other word for computer in Urdu. Any how it was nice suggestion to help me for more learning. Thanks
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