The Linguistic Link: Urdu's Presence In Afghanistan

Afghanistan is a linguistically diverse country with over 40 distinct languages. Dari and Pashto are the two most prominent languages, with shared official status under various governments of Afghanistan. Dari, a shared language between multiple ethnic groups in the country, is the most widely understood language in the country. Pashto is the native tongue of the Pashtuns, the dominant ethnic group in Afghanistan. Due to Afghanistan's multi-ethnic character, multilingualism is a common phenomenon. Urdu is a minority language in Afghanistan, with no official status. However, in the 1930s, Urdu was the dominant foreign language in Afghanistan and was widely spoken by Afghan government officials. It is also spoken by a sizeable population in Afghanistan, especially in Kabul, due to the influence of Bollywood films and songs in the region.

Urdu was the dominant foreign language in Afghanistan in the 1930s

In the 1930s, no foreign language was more dominant in Afghanistan than Urdu. After Persian, Urdu was the most widely spoken language by Afghan government officials.

This was in part due to the influence of King Nadir Khan and his family, who ran Afghanistan like a family business. King Nadir Khan (1929-1933) was a fluent Urdu speaker, having spent the first 18 years of his life in India. His brothers were also fluent in Urdu, having also spent time in India. It is believed that the elder members of the Afghan royal family even spoke Urdu at home.

In addition, the Afghan government employed Indian citizens to teach in Afghan schools and to undertake technical assignments. When the Habibia School (Afghanistan's first modern school) was founded in 1903, the majority of its teachers were Indians, who taught in Urdu and Persian.

Urdu was also the language of choice for Afghan students who wished to continue their studies in India. Travelling to non-Muslim Europe for educational purposes was frowned upon, so India was considered the best option.

In the early 1930s, there were nearly 200 Indian teachers and skilled workers in Kabul. Urdu was also spoken by Indian Muslim religious scholars who resided in Kabul, as well as Afghan businessmen who travelled regularly between India and Afghanistan.

With the passage of time, many Urdu terms and phrases have replaced their Persian counterparts or are used alongside Persian in Afghanistan. For example, Afghans have abandoned the Persian term "khiaban" in favour of its Urdu counterpart "sarak".

As the most widely spoken foreign language in the 1930s, Urdu's influence in Afghanistan was more pronounced than at any other time in the country's history.

Urdu is a minority language in Afghanistan

Afghanistan is a linguistically diverse country with upwards of 40 distinct languages. Urdu is one of the many minority languages spoken in the country, with no official status. It is estimated that only 2% of the population speaks Urdu as a first or second language.

Historically, Urdu has had periods of influence in Afghanistan. In the 1930s, it was the most dominant foreign language in the country and was widely spoken by Afghan royalty and government officials. King Nadir Khan and his family, who ran Afghanistan like a family business at the time, were fluent Urdu speakers. They had spent a significant part of their lives in India, where they learned the language. The king's attachment to Urdu continued throughout his life, and he regularly received Urdu journals and newspapers from India.

Urdu was also the language of instruction in Afghan schools during this period, with Indian teachers employed by the Afghan government. Additionally, Afghan students who wished to pursue further studies in India needed to know Urdu, as travelling to non-Muslim Europe for education was culturally frowned upon. However, this changed in the 1920s when King Amanullah Khan replaced Urdu as the medium of education with Turkish and European languages.

Today, Dari and Pashto are the official languages of Afghanistan, recognised by the 1964 Constitution of Afghanistan. Dari, a variety of Persian, is the most widely spoken language and serves as the lingua franca. Pashto is also widely spoken, particularly by the Pashtuns, the dominant ethnic group in the country.

While Urdu is a minority language in Afghanistan today, its influence from previous decades remains. Due to Afghans' familiarity with Urdu, many Urdu terms and phrases have replaced their Persian counterparts or are used alongside them. For example, Afghans have adopted the Urdu word "sarak" for "street" instead of the Persian "khiaban". Additionally, Urdu has influenced both Persian and Pashto in Afghanistan.

Urdu is a lingua franca in Pakistan

Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also one of the country's two official languages, the other being English. While only about 7-8% of Pakistanis speak Urdu as their first language, it is widely spoken and understood as a second language by the vast majority of Pakistanis. It is also being adopted increasingly as a first language by urbanised Pakistanis.

Urdu was chosen as a symbol of unity for the new state of Pakistan in 1947, as it had already served as a lingua franca among Muslims in north and northwest British India. It is written, spoken and used in all provinces and territories of Pakistan, and together with English, it is the main language of instruction.

Urdu is taught as a compulsory subject up to higher secondary school in both English and Urdu medium school systems, which has produced millions of second-language Urdu speakers among people whose native language is one of the other languages of Pakistan. This has led to the absorption of vocabulary from various regional Pakistani languages, while some Urdu vocabularies have also been assimilated by Pakistan's regional languages.

Urdu is a form of the Hindustani language and has been described as a Persianised register of it. Urdu and Hindi share a common Sanskrit- and Prakrit-derived vocabulary base, phonology, syntax, and grammar, making them mutually intelligible during colloquial communication. However, they are from different sources: Urdu draws its literary, political, and technical vocabulary from Persian, while Hindi draws these aspects from Sanskrit.

Urdu is written using a modified form of the Perso-Arabic script known as Nastaliq. It is spoken predominantly in Pakistan and India and has official recognition in the constitution of India. Significant Urdu communities also exist in the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Urdu is mutually intelligible with Hindi

Urdu and Hindi are mutually intelligible as spoken languages. They are often considered to be dialects or registers of a single spoken language, Hindustani. Hindi and Urdu share a core vocabulary and grammar. They have a common Sanskrit- and Prakrit-derived vocabulary base, phonology, syntax, and grammar. However, the mutual intelligibility between the two languages decreases in literary and specialised contexts that rely on academic or technical vocabulary.

The differences between the two languages are largely restricted to the standard forms. Standard Urdu is written using a modified version of the Arabic script, whereas Standard Hindi is written using Devanagari. Formal Urdu draws literary, political, and technical vocabulary from Persian, whereas formal Hindi draws these aspects from Sanskrit.

Urdu and Hindi are, thus, two standardised forms of the same language, Hindustani.

Urdu is a dying language

Urdu is a language that evolved from the Apabhraṃśa register of the Shauraseni language, a Middle Indo-Aryan language and ancestor of other modern Indo-Aryan languages. It is an Indo-Aryan language spoken mainly in South Asia and is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan, where it is also an official language. In India, Urdu is an Eighth Schedule language recognised by the Constitution of India and has official status in several Indian states. It is also a minority language in Afghanistan and Bangladesh.

However, despite its widespread usage, Urdu is facing a slow death, especially in India. The merger of the Hyderabad state into the Indian Union in 1948 marked the beginning of its decline. Previously, Urdu had the status of the official language for all communication during the Nizam period. However, with the declaration of Hindi as the national language of India, the notion that Urdu could no longer provide job opportunities quickly caught on. This resulted in a lack of interest in the language within university departments, and the production of mediocre Urdu teachers and intellectuals.

Additionally, Urdu has faced challenges due to the influence of English. In Pakistan, Urdu faced competition from English and Bengali, and attempts to Urduise politics, the legal system, the army, and the economy were unsuccessful. In India, the use of English in higher education and the association of fluency in English with being well-educated and belonging to the upper class have further contributed to the decline of Urdu.

Urdu has also been impacted by the influence of Bollywood and the Indian media, with many people incorporating English words into their speech. This has led to a decrease in the relative and absolute number of native Urdu speakers and a decline in the knowledge of Urdu's Perso-Arabic script, vocabulary, and grammar. Furthermore, the publication of books in Urdu has steadily declined, and governments have not actively supported the preservation of the language in professional and official spaces.

Despite these challenges, there are efforts to revive Urdu. In India, the government established the Bureau for the Promotion of Urdu in 1969, and private organisations such as the Anjuman-e-Tariqqi Urdu promote the use and preservation of the language. In Pakistan, Urdu is still widely spoken and understood, and it has acquired a unique Pakistani flavour due to the incorporation of words from regional languages.

In conclusion, while Urdu is facing a gradual decline, it is not too late to save this beautiful language. Millions of Urdu speakers, readers, and writers continue to enjoy and take immense pride in it. By promoting and encouraging writers to breathe life into Urdu, we can ensure its survival for future generations.

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