Academician: Chinese, Korean languages challenging Persian in Pakistan
Persian language is facing a serious challenge from Chinese and Korean languages in Pakistan, said an Iranian professor of Persian language at Pakistan’s National University of Modern Languages (NUML).
Alireza Shaadaram told IRNA in Islamabad that the people in Pakistan believe that learning Chinese or Korean would guarantee better job opportunities.
“Most of the products available in the world today are produced in China or Korea that is why people prefer to learn these languages to get a good job,” he said.
Persian has been the official language of the sub-continent for centuries and the Urdu language was originated from Persian.
Persian language was replaced by English when the British took over the control of the area in the 18th century.
Pakistan society has deep roots in Persian language and culture and there is a strong lingual and cultural bond between Iran and Pakistan.
People in Pakistan speak Urdu, but they are fully aware that their language originated from Persian language and no doubt Persian is the mother of Urdu.
Persian cannot be separated from Urdu literature and poetry as most of writers and authors of Pakistan have published their works in Persian language.
About 70 percent of the works of Pakistan’s national poet Allama Muhammad Iqbal is in Persian.
Even the national anthem of Pakistan is written in Persian.
When Pakistan came into being in 1947, Persian and Arabic languages were taught in schools and colleges. When former Pakistani ruler General Zia ul-haq took over the government, Persian language as a compulsory subject was reduced to eight class.
Now Persian has been ignored in all educational institutions of Pakistan even Urdu language is facing lot of difficulty. Urdu used in Pakistan right now is full of English words and could become an extinct language if proper steps are not taken to save the language.
There was a time when teaching Persian language was a matter of great honor and all the writers, poets and authors have strong grip on Persian language.
Expressing his views, Shaad-aram said that right now there are 60 students enrolled in Persian department at NUML whereas there are 500 students in Chinese department and 200 in Korean department, respectively.
The professor noted that unfortunately the private sector of Iran and Pakistan have not played an effective role in promoting Persian language in Pakistan.
He said that traders of Iran and Pakistan can be better connected to each other through Persian language and that could also play an important role in enhancing trade and economic ties between the two friendly states.
Shaad-aram called for the establishment of special translation centers to keep the Persian and Urdu literature alive.
The professor added that modern technology should be utilized for promoting Persian language in Pakistan and online dialogue and e-library, which can be easily accessed by Pakistan teachers and students, should also be established.