I do not agree with the argument. ‘Ramzan’ has now become ‘ramazan’ with the addition of an ‘a’ sound.
KARACHI: Zahra Sabri’s article of September 9 titled “Pakistan’s encounter with westernisation” provided for an excellent and thoughtful analysis. It was much-needed respite from all the shrill discourse that surrounds the issue of Islamisation in Pakistan. Having said that, I do not completely agree with the argument that the writer has made.
There is plenty of empirical evidence to suggest that the change is occurring not just in writing but also in the way people speak (phonetics). I do agree that people do not necessarily say ‘ramadan’ but they also do not say ‘ramzan’ as they used to in Urdu. ‘Ramzan’ has now become more of a ‘ramazan’ with the addition of an ‘a’ sound, and seems to be something of a hybrid between the Arabic and the Urdu. This may be an effort by those who say it to mimic without losing some of the authenticity of the original.
In any case, the writer’s point suggesting the increasing popularity of the English usage of Arabic terms in popular print is very interesting, and does suggest that there are multiple sources to the process of the Arabisation of language. Such articles are welcome, and I wish your newspaper would publish fewer liberal ideological rants.
Arsalan Khan
Published in The Express Tribune, September 12th, 2011.
