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1、1LanguagePolicyandLocalizationinPakistan:ProposalforaParadigmaticShiftTariqRahman.AbstractThispaperexaminesthepresentlanguagepolicyofPakistananditsconsequencesfortheindigenouslanguagesofthecountry.Itthenrelatesthistoeffortsatlocalization---creatingcompu
2、tersoftwareinthelanguagesofthecountry---andarguesthatallsucheffortshavebeenpower-oriented.Thismeansthatonlythoselanguageshavebeenselectedforlocalizationwhichareusedinthedomainsofpower---government,bureaucracy,judiciary,military,commerce,media,education,
3、researchetc---thusfurtherstrengtheningthemvisavisthemarginalizedlanguagesofthepeople.Itisthereforearguedthattheeffortsatlocalizationshouldberights-basedi.e.alllanguagecommunitiesshouldbeconsideredequalandtheirlanguagesshouldbelocalizednotbecauseoftheirp
4、resentuseinthedomainsofpowerbutbecausetheytooshouldbestrengthenedbybeingputtosuchuse.1.IntroductionPakistanisacountrywithatleastsixmajorlanguagesand58minorones(seeAnnexure-A).Thenationallanguage,Urdu,hasover11millionsmother-tonguespeakerswhilethosewhous
5、eitasasecondlanguagecouldwellbemorethan105million(Grimes2000).ThosewhomaybeconsideredbarelyliterateinUrdu---iftherateofliteracyisreally43.92%asclaimedinthecensusof1998---arenearly66million.Thatisratheralargenumbercomparedtonearly26million(17.29%)who,hav
6、ingpassedtheten-yearschoolsystem(matriculation),canpresumablyreadandunderstandalittleEnglish(Census2001).Andyetcomputerprograms,includinge-mailandtheinternet,functioninEnglishinPakistanandnoteveninUrduletalonetheotherlanguages.ThismeansthatmostPakistani
7、sareeitherexcludedfromthedigitalworldorfunctioninitashandicappedaliens.Indeed,mostmatriculatesfromUrdu-andSindhi-mediumschoolshavesuchrudimentaryknowledgeofEnglishthattheycannotcarryoutanymeaningfulinteraction,especiallythatwhichwouldincreasetheirknowle
8、dgeoranalyticalskills,withthecomputer.Perhapsonlythe4.38%graduates(Census2001)(about6.5millions)coulddosoiftheycouldaffordtobuycomputers.However,themushroomgrowthofsmallshops,or‘computercafes’astheyarecalled,hasmadePCsavailableto
