What's new

What is the name of "locust" insect in your language?

These days Pakistan and some neighboring countries are under attack of locust swarms. In Pakistani media they have given it a name of "tiddi dil" or something in Urdu language but I was surprised because in Punjabi language at least in our area we used to call locust as "Toka". I even used to catch them a lot in my childhood in crops of "jvar" (fodder for horses/donkeys/buffaloes etc.) which were cultivated a lot in empty fields in our neighborhood (they are no more now as there are houses built all over them).

So what is locust called in your local language?

Locust

_112479364_gettyimages-1215149351-594x594.jpg


One of their favorite foods was the "jvar" crop (Sorghum) leaves in our areas.

maxresdefault.jpg
Tidda in Urdu
 
. .
Everyone at your home speaks urdu? And grandfather bachpan main Punjabi kyon nhi bolta that?

Yes, at home and with all relatives/family friends we speak urdu. Punjabi is rarely spoken. You will find in many of those families who have lived in cities for generations that they mostly speak Urdu with their kids.

Neither my grandfather nor his family thinks any "less of punjabi" at all.

After all they passed on punjabi to me with full command of the language.

Its just that when you have mixed relatives from different parts, even grandfather has to speak a common language. Its looks polite and natural that way. Even my pashtun relatives speak to me in Urdu and they are die hard pashto lovers.

Also please NO, we are NOT a burger or westernized family. We don't speak Urdu English mix like they do. Just pure Urdu.

I came from a very religious family. By very religious I mean very deeply Islamist family from all sides.
 
Last edited:
.
Within the Potohar plateau I have observed two intermingled accents/dialects. Potohari and the more kattar Hindko.

And these two dialects start Jehlum northwards. In Jehlum I have seen both lower/central Punjab's dialects and some mixture of the northern dialects. Me and my family used to say out loud when entering Kewra mountain range that we are now officially entering the Potohar region. Jehlum was where we used to draw line between the two regions.

The lower/central Punjab dialects very distinctive from the northern ones. Lower/central dialects are much more closer to the dialect spoken in Indian Punjab(especially Faisalabadi and some in Gujranwala). From Jehlum southwards until Multan is lower/central Punjabi dialect

The lower/central Punjabi dialect should not be confused with Southern Punjab where Saraiki begins.

These are some observations I got to make travelling length and breadth of Punjab bcz of my father's job.
Like many kids born in cities, in my case Islamabad, Urdu was was the only language I could speak until I was in high school.

It was then when my grand father started teaching and speaking to me in Punjabi. Within a year I was fluent. Being Urdu speaker by birth, surrounded by a very urban family means I speak urdu with a very urban, clean accent. My Punjabi accent and some vocabulary is as a result influenced by it. It has urduish tone to it. But my Punjabi is still excellent.

Even though I myself consider my Punjabi to be more closer to say Rawalpindi or adjacent muree area. It still maybe mix since its does not seem to be standard Punjabi or Pahari of any area. The reason that my Punjabi still may be a mix of various dialects of Punjabi is due to my grandfather's varying Punjabi heritage.

I think I have already stated this in my introduction that my grandfather is Hindkowan and potohari/pahari mix. His relatives exists both in KP and northern Punjab and even Azad Kashmir. As a growing kid/teenager I absorbed their various Punjabi dialects including Pahari as a one unified whole. Hence I kind of speak a mix Punjabi.

My grandmother is from Kashmir valley (the part still occupied). My own mother is a baloch Pashtun (whose own mother is Baloch ). But most of them spoke in urdu to me. Only my Punjabi relatives at times spoke in Punjabi to me even when I could not speak it. Regardless now my Punjabi is very good.

Still they all hail from very mountainous regions of Punjab, Kashmir, KP and Balochistan. So not just Punjabi dialect wise, I am pahari in that sense too.
 
Last edited:
. . . . . .

Pakistan Affairs Latest Posts

Country Latest Posts

Back
Top Bottom