Ethnolinguistic Vitality of Saraiki Language: A study in the Perspective of Primordial Theory of Ethnicity
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47067/jlcc.v3i4.82Keywords:
Ethnolinguistic vitality, Multilingualism, Ethnic Identity, Language maintenance, Saraiki LanguageAbstract
The study examines the existence of the Ethnolinguistic vitality of the Saraiki language in the perspective of the Primordial theory of ethnicity and observes the attitude of the Saraiki speakers towards their ethnic language. The concept of Primordialism emphasizes the emotional attachment of the people to their group of association and the cultural traits including language. A narrative approach is employed to capture the lived experiences of the respondents that help the reader, a better insight into the targeted phenomenon. Data were drawn from an interview with 20 native speakers of the Saraiki language of district Bahawalpur. The responses of the respondents were analyzed through Thematic Analysis to develop various themes related to the study. The emergent themes from the data include, Ethnic Pride, the prestige of language, ethnolinguistic vitality and intergenerational transmission, the sphere of language use, and language skills. The findings of the study indicated that Saraiki speakers of this area were very loyal towards their language. They are emotionally attached to their culture, ethnic identity, community ties, and language. They are proud of their ethnic language and want to maintain it at any cost. They strongly aspired that, for the maintenance of the Saraiki language, its transmission from the older to the younger generation is indispensable. They want to learn English and Urdu for their successful future as well, but simultaneously they want that their language should not to be ignored. It was also their wish that their ethnic language should be employed as a compulsory or at least optional subject in educational institutes.
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