The switch-over to Urdu could be easy by writing familiar English terms in the Urdu script instead of replacing them
MIANWALI: This is with reference to your editorial “The Language Dilemma” (November 18). The switch-over to Urdu could be made easy by writing familiar English terms in the Urdu script instead of replacing them altogether with awkward-sounding, hard to spell Arabic and Persian substitutes. Dozens, if not hundreds, of English words are already commonly written in the Urdu script. For instance, school, college, car, bus, truck, tractor, match, meeting, phone, call, etc., to name just a few, are already commonly used in the Urdu script.
There are no abbreviations in Urdu. Most commonly used abbreviations like DCO, SSP, IG, AC, CID, FIA, PIA, etc. should be retained for easy and efficient communication. Most importantly, let there be no bias in replacing English with Urdu. We should not force a handy English word or phrase out just because it is in English.
Munawar Ali Malik,
Published in The Express Tribune, November 19th, 2015.
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