Re-imagining Linguistic Diversity of Local Languages of Pakistan

Pakistan is a multicultural and multilingual place having speakers from various regions and similarly, Forman Christian College (A Chartered University) hosts students from every nook and corner of the country representing linguistic diversity on campus such as Pashtuns, Balochis, Sindhis, Baltis, etc. There are sixty-nine languages spoken in Pakistan, Urdu is national and is recognized in each province of Pakistan. The non-recognition of minority languages causes the death of these languages. Provincial languages have been waning and can be entitled as endangered languages. Preserving and representing these languages through language documentation is the sole purpose of this project from a linguist’s point of view.

This project will introduce students to the study of endangered, minority, and less-described languages of Pakistan and what role a linguist can play while documenting a language. It would engage students in critical discussion of theoretical, ideological, practical, and ethical factors in language documentation and description, and critically examines issues and problems that often arise when working in this field. Examples will be drawn from successes and failures in the applications of linguistic techniques to practical language problems.

Funding & Acknowledgements

This faculty-mentored student research is made possible by Oral History in the Liberal Arts and the generous support of the Mellon Foundation through the Great Lakes Colleges Association.