Can all pakistanis Speak Punjabi?

[American Pakistani]

I can understand few words of Punjabi, like gaddi(gari), gal(baat), ki(kya), tenu(tumhay), etc. I can speak or understand Sindhi more than Punjabi. Rest i speak Urdu & English.

 

[Tiki Tam Tam]

I am ethnically a Punjabi Pakistani (like almost half of Pakistan's population) and I dont see any reason to learn this useless language.


Urdu, Arabic, and English are important languages to learn. Urdu to communicate with fellow Pakistanis. Arabic to learn the Holy Quran. English because its a universal language and most univeristies and colleges in Pakistan teach in English. Punjabi has no use in today's society.

Have you ever considered the fact that Punjabi is a very powerful weapon when in an argument turning foul?

 

[American Pakistani]

BTW i love Punjabi songs too much.

 

[JonAsad]

As a Punjabi i cannot speak Punjabi fluently - People laugh when i try
but i can understand most of it and i love Punjabi Stage Dramas

 

[BelligerentPacifist]

I can speak Punjabi fluently and I can understand it as well !!!

But how many Pakistanis (you Punjabis) can read Punjabi "fluently"

Written in Shahmuk.hi it should be a piece of cake since the script is almost the same as Urdu's. Written in Gurmuk.hi, no chance for me.

 

[Malik Usman]

Nothing more,is it the case?

This quetion is same like.......................can all indians speak hindi (Consider from south india, Kerala, Tamil and other states).............also can all punjabi's in India can speak Hindi

 

[Tiki Tam Tam]

This quetion is same like.......................can all indians speak hindi (Consider from south india, Kerala, Tamil and other states).............also can all punjabi's in India can speak Hindi

Aho, pajji.

Hore das!

And I am not even a Punjabi!!

Kar le gal!

The question asked was genuine.

In what was West Pakistan, the majority of Pakistanis are believed to be Punjabis.

Urdu was not a common language in what the land even before it came to be called West Pakistan.

Maybe in Lahore it was a fashionable language for the literati.

Therefore, possibly that is why it was asked.

 

[53fd]

I can assure everyone, that despite Punjabi being a huge language in Pakistan, almost everyone from all parts of Pakistan speaks Urdu. I don't think Hindi/Hindustani is spoken as much over India, given my prolonged experience with Gujaratis (outside of Ahmedabad & Baroda), South Indians & other Indians. In fact, I had to learn Gujarati living with my Gujju friends to communicate effectively with them. Only in Madhya Pradesh & a few central Indian states is pure Hindi spoken, most other people speak Hindustani.

Anyways, some cities in Pakistan, such as Lahore & others played a very important in the development of Urdu language over centuries. Even if it might not be everyone's first language, it is spoken & understood by almost all Pakistanis. Urdu is spoken because people in Pakistan are proud of their national language, & speak with each other in it, even when they speak in other languages at home & are proud of their regional language. I've met Gujarati people here, & almost all of them are extremely poor in Hindi, & cannot live anywhere with people other than Gujjus, or get out of their Gujju circle. Outside of Pakistan, Pakistanis call themselves Pakistanis, not their ethnicity. Most Pakistanis don't even care or bother to find out what ethnicity the other person is, being Pakistani is just fine for them. Outside of India, Gujaratis call themselves Gujaratis first, Punjabis call themselves Punjabis first, Tamils call themselves Tamils first etc. In Pakistan, national identity is more important than ethnic identity, even though ethnic identity is important to all, & cherished by all. Most regional languages are written in Urdu script as well.

 

[Tiki Tam Tam]

Thank you for the information.

I appreciate the official line.

The posts seem to suggest otherwise and so the dilemma.

But then I presume that the posters belong to the elite class of Pakistan as possible do the others here of other nationalities since English is the language of the Forum and this language is the preserve of those who go to expensive exclusive schools.

 

[Leader]

I can assure everyone, that despite Punjabi being a huge language in Pakistan, almost everyone from all parts of Pakistan speaks Urdu. I don't think Hindi/Hindustani is spoken as much over India, given my prolonged experience with Gujaratis (outside of Ahmedabad & Baroda), South Indians & other Indians. In fact, I had to learn Gujarati living with my Gujju friends to communicate effectively with them. Only in Madhya Pradesh & a few central Indian states is pure Hindi spoken, most other people speak Hindustani.

Anyways, some cities in Pakistan, such as Lahore & others played a very important in the development of Urdu language over centuries. Even if it might not be everyone's first language, it is spoken & understood by almost all Pakistanis. Urdu is spoken because people in Pakistan are proud of their national language, & speak with each other in it, even when they speak in other languages at home & are proud of their regional language. I've met Gujarati people here, & almost all of them are extremely poor in Hindi, & cannot live anywhere with people other than Gujjus, or get out of their Gujju circle. Outside of Pakistan, Pakistanis call themselves Pakistanis, not their ethnicity. Most Pakistanis don't even care or bother to find out what ethnicity the other person is, being Pakistani is just fine for them. Outside of India, Gujaratis call themselves Gujaratis first, Punjabis call themselves Punjabis first, Tamils call themselves Tamils first etc. In Pakistan, national identity is more important than ethnic identity, even though ethnic identity is important to all, & cherished by all. Most regional languages are written in Urdu script as well.

One of the best things about Lahore, we dont give a fcuk which ethnicity one belongs !! whoever one is, got to join the league, that is be Pakistani...

we take people for what they are saying, not what their face is telling about their background...

that is why despite the migration burden was most on Punjab, we still maintain no ethnic hatred at all...

even we dont have any problem with Afghanis, they didnt bring anything bad to our lands... they are just trying to earn their living... and thats all...so welcome all, is typical culture of Lahore.

 

[S.M.R]

As a Punjabi i cannot speak Punjabi fluently - People laugh when i try
but i can understand most of it and i love Punjabi Stage Dramas

Actually what i have observed, take the example of Pashtuns, Balochis, Sindhis, they will speak in Pashtu, Balochi, Sindhi with their kids while at home, irrespective how much they are literate. But there is a 'Beemari' with punjabis, They will always try to Speak Urdu with their kids, therefore most the punjabi kids speak 'gulabi urdu'.

Btw that reminds me an sms which I got some time back,,,,

Ghar main punjabi bolo,
School main Urdu Bolo,
Papers english main do,
aur jab mar jao to hisaab Arby main do,

hum kaun kaun si zabane sikhain.....

 

[S.M.R]

Aho, pajji.

Hore das!

And I am not even a Punjabi!!

Kar le gal!

The question asked was genuine.

In what was West Pakistan, the majority of Pakistanis are believed to be Punjabis.

Urdu was not a common language in what the land even before it came to be called West Pakistan.

Maybe in Lahore it was a fashionable language for the literati.

Therefore, possibly that is why it was asked.

Urdu is not a language itself, it is mixture of many languages, like we have many english, punjabi, persian, arabic, hindi words in Urdu.

 

[53fd]

Another thing I wanted to add: even though English is considered a 'foreign language' (even though people desire to learn that as well, as it helps job prospects), the language of the colonialists; Urdu is NOT considered a 'foreign language' in Pakistan, it is the language of the land, Pakistanis are proud of Urdu & speaking it, & most regional languages in Pakistan are written in Urdu script.

 

[Awesome]

When I go to Lahore I try my best to speak as much Punjabi I can. If you go to the market and speak in Urdu, its a dead give away that you've come from outside and prices would increase. If you still have to speak in Urdu, say you're from Karachi, not a foreign country.

I am somebody who has made an effort to learn Punjabi, as it is not regularly spoken at home. I too think Urdu is dominant as it being one of the easiest languages ever created and is spreading more and more, but when you're in Punjab, speaking Punjabi is definitely still the norm in the market place even for people who speak Urdu at home.

 

[Mo12]

I know a lot of Punjabi speaking Pakistanis in London and we get along well, family friends etc.