Language Policy, Power and The Weaker Languages of Pakistan

Abstract

Pakistan is a multilingual country with six major and over 59 small languages. However, the languages of the domains of power---government, corporate sector, media, education etc---are English and Urdu. The state’s policies have favoured these two languages at the expense of others. These have resulted into the expression of ethnic identity through languages other than Urdu. It has also resulted in English having become a symbol of the upper class, sophistication and power. The less powerful indigenous languages of Pakistan are becoming markers of lower status and culture shame. Some small languages are also on the verge of extinction. It is only by promoting additive multilingualism that Pakistani languages will gain vitality and survive as cultural capital rather than cultural stigma.