[lg policy] Fwd: Auto-discard notification

Tue Oct 6 14:50:12 UTC 2015

---------- Forwarded message ----------

Date: Tue, Oct 6, 2015 at 10:44 AM

To: lgpolicy-list-owner at groups.sas.upenn.edu

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: HFS <>
To: LP <lgpolicy-list at groups.sas.upenn.edu>
Cc:
Date: Tue, 6 Oct 2015 14:43:59 +0000
Subject: Recommended Article By HFS: Handling the language issue

Hi *LP*,
Your friend, *HFS*, has recommended this article entitled '*Handling the
language issue*' to you.

*Here is his/her remark:*
Officialization of Urdu in Pakistan

*Handling the language issue*
Posted By irfan.shaikh On Oct 5, 2015 (11:41 PM) In Opinion
<http://tribune.com.pk/opinion/>

The Supreme Court recently directed the federal government to enforce the
national language, Urdu <http://tribune.com.pk/urdu-language/>, as the
country’s official language as required under Article 251 of the
Constitution, within a given time line. What makes this judgment distinct
is its binding nature on an issue of public importance. A general
impression has been created that it is time now for the foreclosure of
English when it comes to its use in official business. A plain reading of
the Article, however, suggests that Urdu is the national language of
Pakistan and “arrangements” were to be made to enable it to be used as
official language within 15 years from the commencement of the
Constitution. This commitment did not exclude the use of English in the
public domain. In all certainty, this was never the intent of the
Constitution’s framers. The moot point at this stage is whether
arrangements on the ground are sufficient enough for this initiative to be
implemented. So far, there seems to be a reliance on a circular issued by
the cabinet division, obligating all ministries, attached departments and
state-owned organisations to enforce Urdu as the official language within
90 days. This will involve a massive exercise of translation of enactments,
rules, policies and official documents. Other than the volume, it is the
quality of translation which would also be of critical importance. Knowing
the working of the government, the cabinet division circular s eems to be
more of a knee-jerk reaction to the Court order. What could not be
materialised in the last 40 years is expected to be done in just 12 weeks’
time.

The recent developments, at the same time, have created some unease in
certain provinces in view of strong regional proclivities. There may not be
a problem in Punjab when it comes to implementing the Court decision, but
what about Sindh, with its politics and social life revolving around a
bilingual axis of Urdu and Sindhi? The order appreciates efforts made in
the past in Balochistan and in the erstwhile NWFP for the promotion of
Urdu. There is no reference to Sindh however, where in 1972, the language
issue led to a formal urban-rural divide. Sindhi had been declared the
official language replacing Persian, way back in 1857 by the then
commissioner, Sir Henry Bartle Frere. In the public-sector school system,
two distinct streams of Urdu and Sindhi mediums exist with a convergence
into English when it comes to university and professional education. There
are going to be problems when it comes to taking steps and making
arrangements for the use of Urdu or for that matter of any regional
language in official transactions.

Language is a fairly sensitive issue in Pakistan and far beyond the purview
of a literalist interpretation.

Given our fractious history, I cannot help but drift towards the fading
years of united Pakistan when I was studying in Dhaka. The language
controversy involving Urdu and Bengali in the early years of the country’s
existence had not only created a deep wedge between the two wings, but also
sowed the seeds of disintegration. It all started with a plea to make
Bengali a state language along with Urdu. The centrist leadership of the
early years was not prepared to yield. The demand to accept Bengali as a
state language was conceded only after a sustained movement resulting in
many deaths. From there onwards, Pakistan was never the same again.

The framers of the Constitution, with the core leadership coming from the
province of Sindh, were not naive enough to put the case of regional
languages, especially Sindhi, on the back burner. Adequate provision in
this regard was made in a sub-section of Article 251. The second part of
the Article deals with regional languages and efforts to promote them.
There is a need to foresee consequential effects of the Supreme Court’s
order on the linguistic dynamics of Sindh. The Court’s key focus on the
details of the first part of Article 251 is understandable since the main
concern of the petitioner who had invoked Article 184 of the Constitution
was about the enforcement of Urdu as the official language.

The judgment, while dealing with the use of English in the public domain,
draws an analogy with Latin, Sanskrit and Persian, the lingua franca of
elitist Catholic clerics, of pandits and Brahmins, and of courts and
nobility, respectively. The first two are now virtually extinct languages,
and as rightly observed, these could not become languages of the populace.
The analogy, therefore, may not entirely fit the bill. English, as of
today, is not the language of the elite. It has emerged as a functional
language providing connectivity the world over. It is the vehicle of trade,
transactions, business and finance, and of information and communication
technology, throwing up jobs for millions around the world.

Dilating on the governance of the federation and provinces, a conclusion
has been reached that there isn’t any necessity of using a “colonial
language”. English, today, is no longer just a colonial language. It is
widely accepted as the lingua franca of the 21st century, an abiding link
with the knowledge-based global economy. Some of the best creative
literature in English, imbibing local nuance, is springing up from South
Asia, the Caribbean and from Africa. In any case, what isn’t colonial in
this country? Starting from the Westminster-style democracy, procedures and
practices, these are all legacies of the colonial era that we so readily
follow.

In Pakistan over the years, more than the state, it is the media that has
served the cause of Urdu as the national language. It has permeated the
most complex societal layers in all regional domains. In this novel
venture, great reliance has been placed on imbibing local and regional
diction and vocabulary, creating more space and ready acceptability for
Urdu. State-run organisations entrusted with the promotion of Urdu as
official language, in their pursuit, tend to create a sense of alienation
by introducing inscrutable terms in official parlance. The word
‘authority’, for instance, is now a naturalised word, but academics insist
on using the term ‘*muqtadra*’.

The federal government has taken on a huge responsibility on its shoulders
in implementing the Court order within the given timeline. This requires a
good understanding of the working of the government machinery and its
capacity to achieve desired outcomes. This has been a leftover task for
some 40-odd years. It remains to be seen whether we can reach the finish
line in three months’ time.

*Published in The Express Tribune, October 6th, 2015.*

*Like **Opinion & Editorial on Facebook* <http://www.facebook.com/EToped>*,
follow **@ETOpEd* <https://twitter.com/ETOpEd>* on Twitter to receive all
updates on all our daily pieces.*

Article taken from The Express Tribune - http://tribune.com.pk
URL to article:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/967745/handling-the-language-issue/

-- 
**************************************
N.b.: Listing on the lgpolicy-list is merely intended as a service to its
members
and implies neither approval, confirmation nor agreement by the owner or
sponsor of the list as to the veracity of a message's contents. Members who
disagree with a message are encouraged to post a rebuttal, and to write
directly to the original sender of any offensive message.  A copy of this
may be forwarded to this list as well.  (H. Schiffman, Moderator)

For more information about the lgpolicy-list, go to
https://groups.sas.upenn.edu/mailman/
listinfo/lgpolicy-list
*******************************************
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/lgpolicy-list/attachments/20151006/ef1255aa/attachment.htm>
-------------- next part --------------
_______________________________________________
This message came to you by way of the lgpolicy-list mailing list
lgpolicy-list at groups.sas.upenn.edu
To manage your subscription unsubscribe, or arrange digest format: https://groups.sas.upenn.edu/mailman/listinfo/lgpolicy-list