Pothohari language
Encyclopedia
), is a rich north Indian sub-continent dialect spoken in the Pothohar Plateau
Pothohar Plateau
The Pothohar Plateau is a plateau in north-eastern Pakistan and the western parts of Pakistan-administered Kashmir. The area was the home of the Soanian Culture, which is evidenced by the discovery of fossils, tools, coins, and remains of ancient archaeological sites...
around Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi , locally known as Pindi, is a city in the Pothohar region of Pakistan near Pakistan's capital city of Islamabad, in the province of Punjab. Rawalpindi is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad...
, Kahuta
Kahuta
Kahuta is a town and tehsil in the Rawalpindi District of Pakistan's Punjab Province. According to Pakistan's 2008 census, Kahuta tehsil has a population of approximately 160,000....
, Gujar Khan
Gujar Khan
Gujar Khan is a city in Rawalpindi District, Punjab, Pakistan. It is the headquarters of Gujar Khan Tehsil, the largest tehsil of Punjab. It is approximately 55 kilometres southeast of Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan and 220 km to the north west of Lahore, capital of Punjab...
, Jehlum, up to Gujrat
Gujrat
Gujrat is a city in Pakistan. It is the capital of Gujrat District and the Gujrat Tehsil subdivision in the Punjab Province. People living in Gujrat refer to themselves as Gujratis, which sometimes leads to confusion with people from the Indian state of Gujarat which adjoins Pakistan...
in the south and Chakwal in the West, Hazara in the north, Azad Kashmir
Azad Kashmir
Azad Jammu and Kashmir or Azad Kashmir for short, is the southernmost political entity within the Pakistani-administered part of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir...
(Pahari) in the east and also by Sikh
Sikh
A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
s from the Pothohar region now living in India. It is considered a transitional dialect between Lahnda and Pahari
Pahari languages
The Pahari languages are a geographic group of Indic languages spoken in the lower ranges of the Himalayas, from Nepal in the east to the Indian states of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir in the west.-Classification:The Pahari languages fall into three groups:*Eastern, consisting...
, Hindko as well as Dogri. It is often referred to as Pahari-Potwari. Semi Dialects include Dhundi-Kairali, Chibhali, Mirpuri, Jhelumi, Pindiwali and Punchhi (Poonchi). Speakers of Pahari-Pothwari can understand spoken Punjabi, however the opposite is difficult in terms of comprehension. Pahari is translated as 'mountain' in the Potwari language and its use is prevalent in Azad Jammu and Kashmir. There are slight variations in the vocabulary with regards to the Potwari speakers of the west on the Potohar plateau and the speakers on the east in the Pakistani-administered Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
Written Potohari
Written Pahari-Potohari is based on a variety of stansted dialect of northern Lanhda as wriiten by Sir Geroge Gierson in his LSI. It is widely spoken in the northern parts of PakistanPakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, namely Azad Jammu and Kashmir and the Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi , locally known as Pindi, is a city in the Pothohar region of Pakistan near Pakistan's capital city of Islamabad, in the province of Punjab. Rawalpindi is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad...
district (and it is sometimes also known as Pahari). It is semi-officially written and Perso-Arabic standardised orthography is utilised. Speakers literate in Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
often write mostly in Perso-Arabic style and do not sometimes regard Potwari
Pothohari language
Potwari , also known as Potohari ), is a rich north Indian sub-continent dialect spoken in the Pothohar Plateau around Rawalpindi, Kahuta, Gujar Khan, Jehlum, up to Gujrat in the south and Chakwal in the West, Hazara in the north, Azad Kashmir in the east and also by Sikhs from the Pothohar...
as a literary language. When in some cases Potwari
Pothohari language
Potwari , also known as Potohari ), is a rich north Indian sub-continent dialect spoken in the Pothohar Plateau around Rawalpindi, Kahuta, Gujar Khan, Jehlum, up to Gujrat in the south and Chakwal in the West, Hazara in the north, Azad Kashmir in the east and also by Sikhs from the Pothohar...
is written, the Perso-Arabic orthography is utilised or it is written in Roman Potwari
Roman Urdu
Roman Urdu is the name used for the Urdū language written with the Roman alphabet.According to the famous Urdū scholar Habib R. Sulemani: "Roman Urdu is strongly opposed by the traditional Arabic script lovers...
, which is used for the writing of Urdu in Roman script. This is largely the case in the UK where a large percentage of Pahari-Potohari speakers reside, who are found to constitute the majority of the expatriate Pakistani
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
(from the Potohar plateau e.g Gujar Khan
Gujar Khan
Gujar Khan is a city in Rawalpindi District, Punjab, Pakistan. It is the headquarters of Gujar Khan Tehsil, the largest tehsil of Punjab. It is approximately 55 kilometres southeast of Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan and 220 km to the north west of Lahore, capital of Punjab...
, Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi , locally known as Pindi, is a city in the Pothohar region of Pakistan near Pakistan's capital city of Islamabad, in the province of Punjab. Rawalpindi is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad...
, Kahuta
Kahuta
Kahuta is a town and tehsil in the Rawalpindi District of Pakistan's Punjab Province. According to Pakistan's 2008 census, Kahuta tehsil has a population of approximately 160,000....
etc.) and Azad Jammu & Kashmiri community. Pahari-Potohari is widely spoken and is used in many traditional shers and poetry due to its richness, the most famous of which is by the poet Mian Muhammad Bakhsh, whose poetry is still performed and enjoyed to this present day. Pahari-Potohari is an interestingly unique dialect that has some resemblance to Punjabi but more interestingly has Pashto/Hindko inflections to the soundings of the words.
It is not the case that Potwari
Pothohari language
Potwari , also known as Potohari ), is a rich north Indian sub-continent dialect spoken in the Pothohar Plateau around Rawalpindi, Kahuta, Gujar Khan, Jehlum, up to Gujrat in the south and Chakwal in the West, Hazara in the north, Azad Kashmir in the east and also by Sikhs from the Pothohar...
has never been written; during the Buddhist reign Potwari
Pothohari language
Potwari , also known as Potohari ), is a rich north Indian sub-continent dialect spoken in the Pothohar Plateau around Rawalpindi, Kahuta, Gujar Khan, Jehlum, up to Gujrat in the south and Chakwal in the West, Hazara in the north, Azad Kashmir in the east and also by Sikhs from the Pothohar...
was written using the Laṇḍā
Landa
Landa is a Basque surname.Landa may refer to:Places* Landa, North Dakota* Landa de MatamorosPeople* Alfredo Landa* Diego de Landa, fourth bishop of Yucatan* Daniel Landa, Czech musician* Eli Landa* Honorino Landa* Konstantin Landa...
script which evolved from the Sharada
Sarada script
The Śāradā, or Sharada, script is an abugida writing system of the Brahmic family of scripts, developed around the 8th century. It was used for writing Sanskrit and Kashmiri. The Gurmukhī script was developed from Śāradā...
script. Sharada was invented in the Buddhist university of the same name located in the Neelam Valley
Neelam Valley
Neelam Valley is located in Pakistani Kashmir Region. Neelam valley is a 144 km long bow-shaped deeply forested region in Azad Kashmir.Neelum Valley is situated at the North & North-East of Muzaffarabad, running parallel to Kaghan Valley. The two valleys are only separated by snow-covered...
in modern day Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Presently, the Perso-Arabic script is standard and has been since the Mughal
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
rule. Pahari-Potohari has a rich oral tradition, which has been passed down from generation to generation and is used in many famous shers and poetry. This is by in large due to the rampant illiteracy in the communities that uses Pahari-Potohari as their dialect, which may be due to labour trends/tradition, personal choice or lack of facilities and establishments in the past.
Pahari
Pahari languages
The Pahari languages are a geographic group of Indic languages spoken in the lower ranges of the Himalayas, from Nepal in the east to the Indian states of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir in the west.-Classification:The Pahari languages fall into three groups:*Eastern, consisting...
is also a term used for a language in the Himachal Pradesh region of Northern India. It must be noted that the Pahari-Potohari language is incomprehensible with this dialect.
Modern Pahari-Potohari Arts
Pahari-Potohari has a rich tradition of sung poetry recital accompanied by SitarSitar
The 'Tablaman' is a plucked stringed instrument predominantly used in Hindustani classical music, where it has been ubiquitous since the Middle Ages...
, Tabla
Tabla
The tabla is a popular Indian percussion instrument used in Hindustani classical music and in popular and devotional music of the Indian subcontinent. The instrument consists of a pair of hand drums of contrasting sizes and timbres...
, Harmonium
Harmonium
A harmonium is a free-standing keyboard instrument similar to a reed organ. Sound is produced by air being blown through sets of free reeds, resulting in a sound similar to that of an accordion...
and Dholak
Dholak
The Dholak is a North Indian, Pakistani and Nepalese double-headed hand-drum Madal. The name dholki may also refer to a slightly different instrument that uses high-pitch tabla style syahi masala on its treble skin. This instrument is also known as Naal or Dholki....
, these poems are called Sher and are often highly lyrical and somewhat humorous and secular in nature, although there are plenty of religious sher.
Please see below in the references section for a famous Potohari sher, 'Saif-ul-Malook'
Potohari Film
Notable PothohariPothohari language
Potwari , also known as Potohari ), is a rich north Indian sub-continent dialect spoken in the Pothohar Plateau around Rawalpindi, Kahuta, Gujar Khan, Jehlum, up to Gujrat in the south and Chakwal in the West, Hazara in the north, Azad Kashmir in the east and also by Sikhs from the Pothohar...
films produced by (Pearl communication) based in pakistan are:
- Miki Kharo EnglandMiki Kharo EnglandMiki Kharo England, released in 2006, was the first ever Pothwari/Mirpuri comedy telefilm, as well as the first ever production of Pahariwood, Azad Kashmir's newly founded Pothwari language filming industry.- Plot :...
(Written, produced & directed by Anjum Malik) - Main Julian EnglandMain Julian EnglandMain Julian England is a 2007 Pothwari/Mirpuri comedy telefilm. Main Julian England is a sequel to the successful Miki Kharo England which was the first ever Pothwari comedy telefilm.- Plot :...
- Nahla pa Dahla
- Paira Chaska Walayat Naa
- Sayr Upar Sawa Sayr
- Mister Saadah
- Khushian
- Chabarey
- Khaie Aaye O
- Nikka Raja
- Chan Mhara Charya
- Chan Pardeshi
- Uchay Shamlay
- Maye Ni Maye
All these films are part of the Pothohari TV series Miki Kharo (take me to).
Also an online English/Potwari drama:
Mirpuri Boyz (Youtube)
The starting scene is in english but the rest of the drama is more of potwari.
Popular Phrases (Comparison with Punjabi)
| Pahari-Potohari | Punjabi | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Tusanā (Formal) / Tarā (Informal) | tvādā | Your |
| Kai yây? (Formal) / Kai? (Informal) | kī | What? |
| Tusaakī pukh laggī yây? (Formal) / Tukkī pukh laggī yây? (Informal) | kī, twannu bookh lag di? | Are you hungry? |
| Tusaa kay khannay chaanay yō? (Formal) / Keh khassay? (Informal) | tussi kī kanī? | What would you like to eat? |
| Mein ' |
mènnu ' |
I would like to eat ' |
| Mikī dây shōwr (Formal) / Mikī dây (Informal) | mènnu de | Give me |
| Tōwl chây shōwr (Formal) / Tōwl chaa (Informal) | tol nu chākk de | Pick up the drum |
| Nach Punjaban | nach punjaban Abrar-ul-Haq Abrar-ul-Haq is a Pakistani pop, bhangra and folk singer. On his first album "Billo De Ghar" his name appears as simply "Abrar". Before becoming a singer, he was a geography teacher at the Aitchison College in Lahore.- Life :Abrar has kept the year of his birth a secret, so as to not reveal his age... |
Dance Punjaban |
| Mikī bây shōwr (Formal) / Mikī baa (Informal) | mènnu bataa do | Tell me |
| Assani keh wâe? | Saanu kī? | What has it to do with us? |
| Tukkī keh wâe? | Twannu kī? | What has it to do with you? |
| Uthay kitnay banday san? | kitnai admi tay? | How many men were there? |
| Tusaa kutthây julâi yō? / Tusaa kutthây janai pyō? (Formal) / Tu kutthây julâi? (Informal) | kiti jarai? | Where are you going? |
| Tusaa keh ahnay pyō? (Formal) / Keh ahnay peh? (Informal) | ki ahndai? | What are you saying? |
| Tusanā nā kây yā? (Formal) / Tārā nā kây yā? (Informal) | terā nā kī eh? / tvādā nā kī? | What is your name? |
| Alā firh / Teek hây firh / Changā firh | changā | OK |
| Allah Allah Allah is a word for God used in the context of Islam. In Arabic, the word means simply "God". It is used primarily by Muslims and Bahá'ís, and often, albeit not exclusively, used by Arabic-speaking Eastern Catholic Christians, Maltese Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox Christians, Mizrahi Jews and... nây walây / Allah Hafiz |
Rab Rakha | Goodbye |
| ōsnā nā ' |
Odā nā ' |
His name is ' |
| Bāl bāchây teekh nuh? / Sabb teekh nuh? | tvādā tabar da haal theek ai? | Is your family OK? |
| Mehrbanī howây / Shukr yā | Mehrbani | Thank you |
| Trây | tinna | Three |
| Haazāār / Zār | hazār | Thousand |
| Mein tusanā pyār karnah yā / Mein tārāy naal pyār karnah yā / Mein tukkī pyār karnah yā (man to woman) | mèh tenu pyaar kardaa wan | I love you (man to woman) |
| Mein tusanā pyār karni yā / Mein tārāy naal pyār karni yā / Mein tukkī pyār karni yā (woman to man) | mèh tenu pyaar kardii yan | I love you (woman to man) |
| Bāray pāpā kutthây gae nuh? (Formal) / Tārā bārā prā kutthây yā? (Informal) | pra ji kithe gae? | Where is your big brother? |
| Andar achō (Formal) / Andar ach / Andar aa / Marr andar (Informal) | andhar chayti awi | Get inside |
Pronunciation
Vowels:| a - IPA ə |
| ā - IPA ɑ |
| â - IPA æ |
| e - IPA ɛ |
| i - IPA ɪ |
| ī - IPA i Close front unrounded vowel The close front unrounded vowel, or high front unrounded vowel, is a type of vowel sound, used in many spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is .... |
| o - IPa ɔ |
| ō - IPA ɵ |
| u - IPA ʊ |
| ū - IPA u Close back rounded vowel The close back rounded vowel, or high back rounded vowel, is a type of vowel sound, used in many spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is , and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is u.... |
Aspirated consonants:
All consonants followed by a 'h' are aspirated, that is a puff of air follows the sound of the consonant, not aspirating the consonant alters the meaning of the word. E.g. 'tu' and 'thu' have different meanings (you and from respectively). A vowel followed by 'ṇ' is nasalised.
| Roman Potwari | Perso-Arabic | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| salām | سلام | hello |
| allāfiz | اﷲ ها فظ | Good Bye |
| āhāṇ | اہاں | yes (casual) |
| jī | جی | yes (formal) |
| nā | نا | no |
| tusān na nāṇ kâ? | تساں نا ناں کے اے | what is your name? (formal) |
| mārā nāṇ...â | مارا ناں...اے | my name is... |
| tusaṇkī mili ke bū khushī oy | تساںکی ملی کے بوں خشی اوی | very nice to meet you! |
| shukar | شکر | thank you |
| tusāna āl kâ â? | تساں ںہ ال کے اے | how are you? (formal) |
| pothohārī bolne ō? | پوٹهوهاری بولنے او | do you speak Potwari? |
| tusaṇ kudarō āyō? | تساں کدروں ائیو | where are you from (formal) |
| me valât thū ā | ميں ولايتوں آں | I'm from abroad |
| merbānī karī tā | مهربانى كرى تے | please |
| tusāne grāṇ na nāṇ kâ? | تساں نے گراں نہ ناں کے | what is your village's name? |
| kashmīr vich tashrīf āno | كشمیر وِچ تشريف آںو | come to Kashmir |
| pothwārī chaṇgī zabān â | پوٹھواری چنگى زبان اے | pothohari is a nice language |
| Teek-Taak (Very informal) | O-K. /I'M Good |
External links
- Miki Kharo England - GeoPakistani
- Pahari.org
- Jumtree.co.uk, examples of Potwari Sher (sung poetry)