To quote Noam Chomsky: “Language is a set of sentences each finite in length constructed out of a finite set of elements” 

Language often acts as a mother tongue, second language, foreign language and lingua franca depending upon geographical, social and cultural factors. As the international day of mother tongue was celebrated across the world and a seminar in that connection was also held in Chitral, my focal point is only mother tongue.

Our mother tongue is “Khowar” which is the first language of around four lacs people inhabiting the territorially largest district of Frontier Province . It is also spoken by a small section of people in the neighboring Northern areas of Gilgit. The irony is that the original Khowar dialect out of the numerous dialects spoken in different areas even inside Chitral is still unfamiliar to the majority of the population due to obvious reasons. firstly, that there should be a “standardized dialect” of Khowar language that is no where in sight; even if there is one the majority of our population is still unaware of that. secondly, codification of language based on the standardized dialect is a must, but it is still unknown whether the Khowar language has been codified or not. Had it been codified we would probably have come across an authentic Khowar Grammar and lexicon. So far as my knowledge goes that a few foreigners have brought out khowar dictionary with English translation. Though a commendable contribution made by a foreigner, my question is that whether we can accept such a compilation to be authentic. In fact, Khowar is a foreign language for such a novice.

Anjuman Taraqi Khowar is no doubt an institution which has done a great deal in the promotion of the language. In the recently held seminar of course organized by ATK, apprehensions were reported to have been raised regarding the preservation and promotion of “Khowar”. I would like to put a query to the office holders of ATK whether it is possible to preserve a language or make it a part of education curriculum without its standardization and codification. No doubt that language is bound to change through widening, narrowing and borrowing of words according to a theory put forward by certain linguists. Even Khowar language, if I might not be wrong, also contains words borrowed from other languages.

 Once a standardized dialect is put in place, Khowar language as a mother tongue might stand on sound footing with respect to the prospects of sliding into moribund. The task is not an uphill for the ATK given that it can hire the services of some well-known literary figures like Dr Inayat ullah Faizi, Mr Yousaf Shahzad, Mr Mukarram Shah, Mr Sher Wali Khan Aseer and Mr Mola Nigah. These are the few names that we can arguably term as an authority on Khowar Language and Literature. It is time the ATK took drastic steps towards the preservation and promotion of Khowar language as a mother tongue.

Truly, it is no overstatement that language is a mirror on to one’s culture and identity. As long as one feels proud of one’s language or mother tongue, such is a nation that can not be subdued and overpowered by alien culture and values. Let’s join hands to make our mother tongue “Khowar” a flourishing language in a true sense.

Khalid Pervez,

Peshawar