The Indo-Aryan language Urdu is an official state language of Pakistan and is also spoken throughout India, where it’s officially recognized as well. Urdu is both melodious and recognized for its sophistication and beauty. The language also has a number of different dialects and accents. In fact, spoken Urdu varies markedly across regions. With that said, here are the top Pakistani accents to know.
What is an Accent?
An accent is the way people in a specific country, region, or social group enunciate the words comprising a specific language. In a nutshell, it’s how people speak. What’s more, we all have one, whether we are aware of it or not. However, as ubiquitous as they are, accents can become problematic in certain business-related situations, leading to the need for accent reduction measures.
Origins of Urdu
Developed around the 12th century in Delhi and becoming the preferred language of the Mughal Empire, Urdu traces its etymological roots back to Sanskrit. Known at first as Old Hindi or Hindavi, the language ultimately incorporated elements of Arabic, Persian, and Turkish vocabularies, while retaining Hindi’s language structure.
Urdu and English became co-official Indian subcontinent languages during the 1800s. Since then, Urdu, with its poetic and musical qualities, has evolved into a prominent medium of art, communication, and culture.
Here’s a closer look at the languages that comprise Urdu:
Arabic
A number of formal and religious Urdu terms derive from Arabic.
Persian
This language contributed substantially to Urdu’s literary and vocabulary traditions.
Sanskrit
This is the origin of many Urdu words, particularly those with Indo-Aryan origins.
Turkish
While the Turkish language is not related genetically, Urdu did take some pronunciation and vocabulary from it.
Hindi
Hindi and Urdu share the same basic structure and grammar.
Prakrit
This ancient Indian language influenced Urdu’s early development.
Chagatai
During the Mughal period, this central Asian language put its stamp on Urdu.
Urdu’s Global Presence
Urdu has more than 170 million native speakers in Pakistan and India alone, and there are large Urdu-speaking communities in countries including Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, and other regions within the Pakistani diaspora.
Top Pakistani Accents
Note that there are a number of different languages, and their accents, that can affect the varying accents of Urdu in Pakistan. The language variations mark the effect and influences of the native languages on Urdu.
Urdu
There are a number of characteristics to the Urdu accent itself. For one, there is a definite distinction between unvoiced and voiced consonants, which have different pronunciations. Retroflex consonants such as “d” and “t” are pronounced with the tongue’s tip curled back toward the mouth’s roof. Also, “s” is pronounced “sh,” and “z” is pronounced “zh.”
Then there’s the glottal stop, a sound made by briefly halting the airflow in the throat. Think of the sound emitted in the middle of the English “uh-oh.” Also, there’s the use of a quick pause before beginning a sentence.
Punjabi
From British colonialism to the Mughal Empire, the Punjabi accent has been influenced and shaped by a host of cultural and historical factors. It was the Empire that brought the Persian language, with its distinctive syntax and vocabulary, to the region. As a result, the Punjabi language incorporated Persian syntax and loan words.
During British colonial rule, English significantly influenced the Punjabi accent and language. The pronunciation of “v” as “w” is an example of this influence. Over time, the accent has evolved to reflect regional language and culture changes. An example is the use of nasalized vowels.
Sindhi
The Sindhi people are indigenous to Pakistan and India. Closely related to the ancient Prakrit, Sindhi derives from Sanskrit. In addition to Urdu, the language also possesses loan words from Persian and Arabic. Sindhi shares with the language Siraiki the implosive consonants /b/, /d/, /g/, and /j/, which are pronounced with breath indrawn.
Sindhi also uses short final vowels and a great deal of irregular past participles, such as “muo” (“died”) from “maranu” (“to die”), and “ditho” (“saw”) from “disanu” (“to see”). The language also generously uses suffixed pronouns, such as “atha-mi” (“is mine”) and “atha-si” (“is his”).
Pashto
In addition to southern and eastern Afghanistan, this Eastern Iranian language in the Indo-European language family is natively spoken in northwestern Pakistan. It has borrowed extensively from other languages, including varieties of Persian, Ancient Greek, Parthian, and Saka.
In addition, northwestern Indian languages such as Sindhi, Balochi, and the Pakrits have influenced Pashto. It acquired more than 5,550 loan words from these languages, as well as retroflex sounds — those that are made with the tongue’s tip curled against the mouth’s roof.
Balochi
This northwestern Iranian language is mainly spoken in the Balochistan region of Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iran. However, there are also speakers in East Africa, Turkmenistan, Oman, and the Arab states of the Persian Gulf.
Along with Pashto, Balochi uses retroflex consonants. It also has at least five long vowels and three short ones, the latter of which has relatively more centralized phonetic qualities. In Karachi, the gender-marker-less language also has nasalized vowels.
Saraiki
The Saraiki language, spoken in the southern parts of Sindh and Punjab, is linguistically between Sindhi and Punjabi, but is generally closer to Punjabi. It shares a number of grammatical features with Sindhi, including the implosive consonants /b/, /d/, /g/, and /j/.
Saraiki has a myriad of vowel sequences such as vowel nasalization; with the central vowel more back and open than in varieties used in area regions. The language also has a great deal of consonants, including implosive ones that are scarce in Indo-European languages.
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