Language change
In some ways, it is surprising
that languages change; after all, they are passed down through the generations
to the succeeding generations for the purpose of communication. But amazingly
this shifting from generation to generation causes changes.
Three main aspects of
language change over time: vocabulary, sentence structure and pronunciations.
Vocabulary can change quickly as new words are borrowed from other languages,
or as words get combined or shortened. Some words are even created by mistake. Changes
in sound are somewhat harder to document, but interesting.
Pashto belongs to
Indo-Iranian family. It has preserved archaic elements that
have lost by other languages. In Pashto it is more likely to borrow words from
Persian and Arabic language. There are different changes which occurred in the
pronunciation, vocabulary and orthography. Working on the poem by Abdur Rahman
it has revealed that since 17th century a lot of differences have occurred in
the all the above areas.
The orthography of Pashto language has changed
as there is difference in ‘yaa’. There are four types of Yaa. Similarly the
Arabic script is adopted rather than Urdu. The Arabic Script is replaced with
Urdu. There are a lot of borrowed words that is present in Pashto. Pashto
language is influenced by Arabic and Persian from the same Indo Iranian family.
Syntactic change cannot be noticed from the poem because in poem there is no
specific sentence structure. Semantic
change comes in the use of metaphor which is now generalized.
Poem
This extract has taken from AbdurRahman Baba poetry “ Deewan-e Rahman”. In this extract there are
sounds, words and sentence sturructure are found that are signaling towards
linguistic change.
Sounds
It is noticed that /ʔ/ in ‘aaliman’ is non- native
Pashto consonant sound, is borrowed from Arabic language and is used in formal
and educated conversation. In this poem a word in which the initial sound is
not pronounced as it is an Arabic word. This is because of difference of
education who pronounce these sounds are considered as literate or educated while
those who are uneducated do not pronounce these sounds and so these sounds are
looking like ‘aa’. Similarly ‘/ḣ/ sound is voiceless phyrangeal palatal and that
is borrowed sound, like in ‘halqa, ‘حلقه’ have the similar pronunciation ‘her/ هر’, means each and every, hagha/ هغه,
hum, means that jaahilan is plural of jaahil/ جاهل, means ignorant, jihan/ جهان,
means 'world', hase/ هسے. These sounds have similar pronuciation of /h/ sound because of the influence
of Arabic language they were pronounced at that time but now these sounds are
not pronounced and language change is taking place in the sounds of Pashto.
Similarly in Maseeha the /h/ sound is similar to that of Arabic and is a loanword
from Arabic langauge but those who have the knowledge of Quran and to read Quran with tarteel they try to pronounce it
correctly. These sounds are changed now in Pashto language and are replaced with ‘aa’ sounds.
Sporadic change
Voiced Retroflex nasal ‘ڼ’ /ṇ/ in ‘Rokhnai’, is a
sporadic change in the sounds because /w/ and /x/ sound is replaced with voiced
retroflex nasal /ṇ/. Furthermore /f/ is
a voiced labiodental borrowed sound and only occurs in borrowed words. This
sound is frequently replaced with /p/ in informal or uneducated speech like in
‘nafs’ is pronounce as /nups/ is a type of sporadic change.
Lexical Changes
Lexical Replacement
Lexical changes are that because there are words
which have not been used as ‘Rokhnai’, ‘روښنايي’ which is replaced with the
word ‘ranaye’, ‘رنړايي’,or ‘رڼا’, both have the same meaning that is ‘light’.
This word is a consonant cluster because there are so many consonants sounds
appear simultaneously. This word is used very rare in daily conversation.
Although it is used in formal and written work for emphasize and to look
everything as original.
It is a loan word fom Urdu ‘Roshni’ which /sh/
sound is replaced with ‘/x/’ sound. Similarly ‘Peshwa/ پيشوا’ is a word that is
not used more now it is replaced with ‘rehnuma/رهنما’’. The poet has used
‘Rehnuma’ at the same time but this word is rare in Pashto conversation. ‘Muradagano/
مردګانو’ is a word that is not used and is replaced with ‘mro/ مړو’ or ‘mre/ مړه’
means ‘dead’. Murda is loanword that is taken from Urdu and then the plural of
this word is made with Murdagano, ‘ګانو/ gaano’ is a suffix used to make plural of noun so the word is
plural. ‘Maseehha/ مسيحا’ is here referred to Hazrat Isa(A.S) and this word is
not used any more in Pashto and is replaced with Khe kaonki. Aala, awsat and
adna are the loanwords from Arabic language and now these are replaced with
Uchat, darmiana, spak. Aalim is root word from Arabic language. Wara ‘واړه’ is used in written Pashto but not in spoken Pashto. Persian word ‘ hamdami’ همدمي is a word used in old Pashto
means ‘ fellowship’ and commerdice, and association, but now it is replaced
with ‘ملګرتيا’, ‘friendship’ and also used for attachment and association.
Another term ‘pagosh پګوش’ is a combined word means a server that he is the server of the scholars, now is an archaic word of Pashto language.
Changes in Orthography
Orthographic changes occur in this extract certain form of words that are not used anymore
Like keh/ کہ, is replaced with Arabic ‘که’means
if.
Similarly
Halqa (hɚlqa) ‘حلقه’ is a word used for circle, society and a group which is
not as written as in the above poetry ‘حلقہ’ is written. Another word ‘تہ/teh’ ,means ‘you’ is written as
like Urdu script but it is also replaced with ‘ته’.
Borrowed words
‘عالم/ aalim’ is an
Arabic word which is derived from a verb ‘علم/ ilm’ means to learn which is borrowed and thus makes it a
noun in Pashto by adding plural ‘aan’
thus a plural word is formed عالمان. It has phonological clue about sound /ʔ/
which is an Arabic sound. It is a direct grammatical case while making
plural. ‘تمام (tamām) means whole, full
and complete a cognate word with Herbew (tamim) and now replaced with ټول means
all and whole. While جهان (jahân) is a
word taken from Persian means world. Peshwa is Hindi & Marathi ‘pesva’, from Persian ‘پشه’ peshwa means leader, guide. The word is used
in Marathi language for ‘chief minister of a Maratha prince’. Rāhnamā/ رهنما is
a Persian word refers to a leader. خداے
is borrowed from Urdu which means God. The word بزرگ (bozorg), is
borrowed from Old Persian (vazraka, “great, large”) and in Hindi it
means senior but here the word means greatest which comes under the meaning of
('azim), magnificent, grand, glorious. Another word ‘مجلس/
Majlis (or Mejlis; Arabic: مجلس, pl. مجالس Majālis) is an Arabic term meaning "a place of
sitting", used in the context of "council", to describe various
types of special gatherings among common interest groups be it administrative,
social or religious in countries with linguistic or cultural connections
to Islamic countries. It shares its root with the verb meaning 'to sit,' جلس/
jalasa ( 'sitting room'). The Majlis can refer to a legislature as well and is used in the name of
legislative councils or assemblies in some of the states where Islamic culture dominates.
An Arabic words كيمياء/ kemia, has been found
in the poem which means Chemistry, is of Greek origin. The Greek word is ‘chimia’
and it is used by Zosimos in third century A.D. From the Arab world and the
article ‘al’ , derives the English word alchemy, which is the used in the same
category who used to norish the soul. It is used in metaphorical sense. The
scholars of this world have knowledge about the world and they can cure all the
diseases of the soul.
Messiah/
مسيحا word is found in many languages like Hebrew, in modern Jewish texts in
English spelled Mashiach, Classical Syriac as Məšîḥā, Arabic as المسيح, al-Masīḥ, Latin as (Messias)
literally means "anointed one". In Hebrew, the Messiah is often
referred to as (Meleḵ ha-Mašīaḥ in the Tiberian vocalization, pronounced,
literally meaning "the Anointed King. In this poem this word is used in
Arabic sense that refers to Hazrat Isah (A.S), Jesus Christ, who used to treat
all those who were not having the hope to be cured because they got hopeless
about their diseases and hence Jesus Christ was the one who cured those
diseased person.
Semantic Change
Metaphor
Kemiagar/ کيمياګر is a word that was used in the
sense of those who finding wealth like gold but in Pashto it is generalized
that is a person who used to treat the ill ones is also called Kemiagar but
here the word is used for the scholars whose knowledge is beneficial.
References
https://archive.org/details/adictionarypukk00bellgoog
http://thepashto.com/
Tegey, H.&,. Robson,
H. (1996).A Reference Grammar of Pashto.
Centre for Applied Linguistics. Washington DC.
Tabassum, A. Z. Deewani Rahman Baba.pg. 15
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