Language is a mode of communication through which people living in this world communicate with each other. The ancient languages were consisted mostly of symbols and gestures.
With the passage of time, letter and alphabets got developed which gave rise to a lot of languages. Now thousands of languages are being spoken in various parts of the world including Pakistan.
Pakistan has a rich culture and many languages are spoken here by a diversified group of people. After the partition of the subcontinent, people from different background and races settled in Pakistan; each had their own culture and language.
There are two official languages in Pakistan namely Urdu and English with various four main regional languages. The four languages that are spoken in the four provinces of Pakistan are Punjabi, Pashtu, Sindhi and Balochi.
However, there are other regional languages also that are spoken in various areas of Pakistan. These languages include Kashmiri, Saraiki, Hindko and some others. It is important to note that the majority of population in Pakistan speaks regional or provincial languages other than Urdu. There are also a few endangered languages that may soon not be spoken at all.
A list of the different languages spoken in Pakistan is given below:
- Punjabi Language spoken mostly in the province of Punjab
- Pashto Language frequently spoken in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
- Sindhi Language predominantly spoken in Sindh province
- Seraiki Language mostly spoken in Punjab province
- Urdu Language frequently spoken all over Pakistan. Urdu is Pakistan’s national language.
- Balochi Language predominantly spoken in Balochistan province
- Hindko language spoken in hilly areas of Pakistan
- Kashmiri language spoken in Azad Kashmir and adjacent areas
- Brahui spoken in Southern suburbs of Pakistan
- Shina mostly spoken in Gilgit-Baltistan
- Persian mostly spoken in Sindh
- Bengali mostly spoken by people who have migrated from East Bengal
- Gujarati
- Kalkoti
- Balti
