Preservation of Chitrali languages urged
CHITRAL: The linguists and writers expressed their concern over the impending danger of extinction of a number of languages spoken in different valleys of Chitral which did not withstand the brunt of the modern age and are gradually mingling into Khowar, the major language here.
In the assembly of the writers and poets of the twelve languages of Chitral held here Monday under the auspices of Frontier Languages Initiative (FLI), an Islamabad-based organization, the speakers said that the during the past quarter-century, more than three languages had drifted to the brink of extinction.
They said that Chitral was the land of a rich diversity of languages as out of the twenty-eight languages spoken in the province, Chitral had a share of twelve despite its very thin population which has recently crossed the figure of half-a-million.
They said that the extermination of the primitive languages of Chitral meant the loss of the cultural traits associated with its speakers and the pity was that the decaying languages are not in written form.
They appreciated the efforts of FLI for salvaging some of the endangered languages by its special initiatives which included the steps to eventually put the language in written form by encouraging its speakers.
They said that some of the languages including Palula, Gawarbati, Kataweri, Yidgha, Dameli and Wakhi had been pushed beyond the danger zone as the basics of the languages have been transformed to written form by the locals.
Those who spoke on the occasion included director of FLI, Fakhruddin Akhunzada, Zahoorul Haq Danish, Naqeebullah Razi, Mulla Adina Shah, Asmatullah Dameli, Allauddin Haideri, Iqbaluddin Sahar, Ijaz Ahmed, Prof Hissamuddin and others.
Later on, the book on the languages of Chitral in Urdu named ‘Chitral ki zubanen’ written Fakhruddin Akhunzada was launched in another ceremony held in the town hall.
The speakers described the book as an invaluable contribution for the preservation of the languages in Chitral.
