A Closer Look at the Sindhi Language
By: Eric Nelson
Sindhi is one of the oldest languages and seventy percent of words used in the Sindhi language are from the Sanskrit language. The Sindhi language is written in Arabic script. Because of Arabic script, many people think that Sindhi is the Persio-Arabic tongue but the truth is that Sindhi is purely Sanskritical language and its grammatical formation is concerned, it is free from foreign characteristics as compared to other languages.
Sindhi is among the most important languages in Pakistan. Over 34 million people in Pakistan are native Sindhi speakers. It is the official language of Sindh and is the third most spoken language in Pakistan. Moreover, there are three million Sindhi speakers who are from the area of Kutch India. Its importance can be judged by the fact that it is the only language in Pakistan that is used to issue Identity cards to citizens other than Urdu.
Sindhi is considered as the melodious language. It sounds like music and each word in Sindhi ends up with a vowel sound. It represents the rishis and saints of ancient Sindh. The beauty of Sindhi can be seen in the beautiful literary work of renowned poets and writers of the time. Their work depicts the Sindhi culture.
Origin of Sindhi Language
The Sindhi language evolved over a period of two thousand years. Sindh valley was on the northwest of the sub-continent and was initially invaded by invasions of Mughals, Turks, Arabs, Greeks, and even Portuguese. The base of Sindhi language is from Prakrit and Sanskrit that made this language very flexible in taking words from Arabic, Persian, and Dravidian. The Sindhi dialect has observed many changes over the period. Historians, despite their hard work, we're unable to trace the exact origin of Sindhi language. No doubt Sindhi has a common base with many of the languages but still, it is an independent language.
Dialects of Sindhi Language
There are six main dialects of Sindhi language.
- Siraiki is spoken in Siro Upper Sindh.
- Vicholi is spoken in Vicholi Central Sindh.
- Lari is spoken in Laru Lower Sindh.
- Lasi that is spoken in Lasa, is part of the Kohistan in Balochistan that is situated on the western side of the Sindh.
- Thari or Thareli that is spoken in Tharu, is the desert area in the Southern part of Sindh.
- Kachhi in the Kutch region is situated in a part of Kathiawar in Gujarat.
Among all these dialects, Vicholi is the standard dialect that is followed by all Sindhi speakers. The educated class uses this dialect and it is known as the language of literature and education. Moreover it is the administrative language of Sindh. The largest Sindhi speaking city in Pakistan is Hyderabad.
Sindhi Literature
The ancient record of Sindhi literature is shown in the musical composition of Shah Abdul Karim. The Sindhi literature started gaining popularity in the 18th century. Many pieces of literature were written. Shah Abdul Latif was the renowned Sindhi Muslim Scholar, poet, and musician. He is remembered as a great poet of Sindhi language. His poems were compiled with the name of Shah Jo Risalo and were later translated into Urdu, English other languages. Sachal Sarmast is another great Sufi rebel poet that is known for his religious criticism. Apart from these three Sufis Saami is the great poet produced by the great land of Sindh.
The poet Saami was not so poetical but religious. There are other Sindhi poets like Bedil and Bekas, and Dalpat which have produced different verses. Gul Mohammad came up with a Persian form of poetry that has changed the native baits and Mirza Kaleech Beg made a great contribution to Sindhi literature. Dayaram Gidumal is popular for metaphysical writings.
Another Sindhi prose writer was Mirza Kaleech. Other notable worth mentioning Sindhi poets are Dr. H.M.Gurbuxani, N.R Malkani, Acharya Gidwani, Jethmal Parsram, Lalchand Amardinomal, and Bherumal Mecherchand. Sindhi writers have contributed a lot to Sindhi literature. The rich heritage of Sindhi language is portrayed in Sindhi writings and poetry.
Wrapping Up
The inhabitants of the sub-continent cannot deny the importance of the Sindhi language. In order to conduct business in any of the Sindhi speaking regions, you will need professional translation services and that’s where we can help you out. At Mars Translation, we provide state-of-the-art Sindhi Translation Services with the help of native translators. Get in touch now!