Sindhi language

Sindhi is a way to talk.

Many people use it. They live in Sindh. This is a land in Pakistan.

It is a very old language. People use it to tell tales. They also sing songs. It has its own special letters. Some people use two ways to write it. Many people around the world speak it today. It is a big part of their lives.

Sindhi is a way of speaking. It is a major language in South Asia. More than 37 million people speak it. Most speakers live in the Sindh province of Pakistan.

Many people also speak it in India. Some Sindhi speakers live all around the world. They live in places like the USA and the UK.

Sindhi has a very long history. The name comes from the Indus River.

The language has changed over many years. It grew by using words from Arabic and Persian. Long ago, people used Sindhi to write stories and poems. One famous poet was Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai. He wrote many great verses.

People still read his work today.

There are different ways to write Sindhi. In Pakistan, people use the Perso-Arabic script. This is a set of letters. In India, people may use that script or the Devanagari script.

Sindhi is a big part of life for many people. It helps them share their culture and stories.

Sindhi is a major language spoken in South Asia. It is the most widely spoken language in southern Pakistan. More than 34 million people in Pakistan call it their mother tongue. About 1.7 million people in India also speak Sindhi. This includes many people who moved during the partition era. Many Sindhi speakers live in a diaspora around the world. They live in the Gulf states, the Western world, and the Far East. This language is a vital way for people to share their culture.

Writing Sindhi uses different sets of letters depending on the country. In Pakistan, the official way to write it is the Perso-Arabic script.

In India, people use both the Perso-Arabic and Devanagari scripts. The language has many different dialects. One standard form is based on the dialect from Hyderabad. This version is called Standard Sindhi. The Sindhi Language Authority helps to promote and develop the language. It is an inflected language with many rules. It uses five cases for nouns and two genders.

The history of Sindhi goes back many centuries. Its name comes from the Sanskrit word for the Indus River.

The language grew from older forms like Shauraseni Prakrit. It changed through stages called Apabhraṃśa and Early Sindhi. During the Islamic Golden Age, it gained many new words. It took words from Arabic and Persian. The earliest written evidence of the language is from 883 AD. This was a translation of the Quran.

This shows how long the written tradition has lasted.

Many famous stories and poems were written in Sindhi. Middle Sindhi produced some of the best literature. This included folk tales that were told out loud for a long time.

One of the greatest poets was Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai. His verses were collected in a work called Shah Jo Risalo. He wrote about Sufi traditions and old folktales. Other early poets include Qazi Qadan and Shah Inat Rizvi. These writers helped make the language a tool for great art. Their work still matters to people today.

Sindhi connects to many other languages in the region. It is most closely related to the Punjabi language. It also shares influences with languages like Balochi and Gujarati.

In the 1800s, the British changed how the language was used. In 1848, they made Sindhi an official language in the province. This replaced Persian as the main official language. Today, Sindhi is still a big part of daily life. It is taught in many schools in the Sindh province. Many television channels also broadcast in Sindhi for people to watch.

Sindhi is a major Indo-Aryan language spoken by millions of people. It belongs to the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European language family.

Today, it is the most widely spoken language in southern Pakistan. It is also the third most widely spoken language in all of Pakistan, following Punjabi and Pashto. The language serves as the mother tongue for over 34 million people in Pakistan. In India, approximately 1.7 million people speak Sindhi. Many of these speakers are descendants of people who moved during the era of partition. Beyond South Asia, a large Sindhi diaspora lives in the Gulf states, the Western world, and the Far East.

The structure of Sindhi is complex and highly inflected. This means the forms of words change based on their grammatical role. The language uses five cases for nouns and three cases for personal pronouns. There are also four cases for third-person pronouns. Sindhi features eleven different case markers to organize these relationships. The language recognizes two genders, which are masculine and feminine. It also uses two numbers, singular and plural.

The vocabulary is built on a base from Sanskrit, specifically through Prakrit and Apabhraṃśa. However, high-register speech often includes many loanwords. These come from Persian, Arabic, English, Portuguese, and French.

Writing Sindhi requires different scripts depending on the geographic location. In Pakistan, the sole official script is the Perso-Arabic script.

In India, speakers use both the Perso-Arabic and the Devanagari scripts. The language also contains various dialects. There is an established version called Standard Sindhi. This standard is based on the dialect spoken in Hyderabad and the surrounding central Sindh areas.

To help develop and promote the language, the government of Sindh created the Sindhi Language Authority. This is an autonomous institution dedicated to the language's growth.

The history of Sindhi is deeply tied to the Indus River. The name "Sindhi" comes from the Sanskrit word *síndhu*, which was the original name for the river.

While the Bronze Age Harappan language was once spoken in this region, researchers do not know exactly when it was replaced by Indo-Aryan languages. Sindhi descended from Shauraseni Prakrit, which developed into Apabhraṃśa and then into Early Sindhi. During the Islamic Golden Age, the language expanded its vocabulary through contact with Arabic and Persian. The earliest written evidence of Sindhi dates back to 883 AD. This evidence is a translation of the Quran.

Literature has played a massive role in the development of the language. The Middle Sindhi period produced the greatest works of literature. This included many folk tales that were originally passed down through oral traditions.

One of the most famous poets was Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai. His verses were later collected by his followers into a work called *Shah Jo Risalo*. His writing often combined Sufi mysticism with traditional Sindhi folktales. Other important poets include Qazi Qadan, Shah Inat Rizvi, and Shah Abdul Karim Bulri. These writers helped establish the religious and mystical character of the language.

Significant changes occurred during the British colonial era. In 1843, the British conquered Sindh and made it part of the Bombay Presidency. In 1848, Governor George Clerk established Sindhi as the official language of the province. This replaced Persian as the primary official language.

In 1868, the Bombay Presidency attempted to replace the existing script with the Khudabadi script. This caused significant unrest in the region. Eventually, modern Sindhi literature began to develop rapidly through printed works. The first Sindhi books were produced at the Muhammadi Press in Bombay starting in 1867.

Today, Sindhi remains a vibrant and essential part of regional identity. In Pakistan, the Sindh Assembly has ordered that Sindhi be taught in all private schools.

It is also a major language on television, with many dedicated channels like KTN and Sindh TV. In India, Sindhi is recognized as a scheduled language, meaning it is an official option for education. While the language in Pakistan and India has begun to diverge due to different influences, it remains a powerful connection for the Sindhi people worldwide.