PRESERVING THE ENDANGERED: A COMPREHENSIVE STUDY OF DOCUMENTATION OF POTOHARI/PAHARI, A LANGUAGE OF WESTERN PUNJAB AND KASHMIR

Abstract

The Potohar region has always been a center of social and economic activities, especially during the British era. It was considered a garrison region due to its high representation in the British Indian Army. The region's language, called Potohari, is mainly spoken in the tehsils of Rawalpindi District and some parts of Azad Kashmir. Potohari is a unique dialect of the Punjabi language, but unfortunately, due to neglect at the national level, it may be included among the endangered dialects of Punjabi. Initially, critics were adamant about not recognizing Potohari as a distinct dialect with its own folklore, and little was done to document the rich literature of the Potohar region. After the partition of India, Rawalpindi became an economic hub, attracting people from all over Pakistan for work and other engagements. Consequently, the dialect spoken in the main cities gradually became an amalgamation of different languages and dialects of Punjabi. Locals in their efforts to communicate with outsiders started using a more orthodox Punjabi dialect for the ease of listeners. This shift greatly affected Potohari, which is now primarily spoken in villages and outlying areas. With the rise in urban migration, this vulnerable dialect faces extinction and is in dire need of preservation. A mixed method approach with both descriptive and analytical methods is used to provide a clear understanding of the current status of the endangered language.