Looking back at the semester, I feel I have come along way. I started off not knowing anything about the language. However, now I can understand two individuals speak. However, I was not able to make much progress on the reading and writing front. This was evident from my conversations with my reading partner. Siraiki is increasingly becoming an oral tradition. There are not many Siraiki magazines or newspapers in circulation. This has been due to the fact that Urdu was made the official language in 1947. This move sidelined all the other four dozen languages of Pakistan.
However, as all the languages of Pakistan use the Persian script. Urdu, my mother language, is also written using Persian script. This means that if I were to ever come in contact with the Siraiki literature in the coming years, I will be able to read the material. Even though I imagine it will be a struggle.
This also true for my Siraiki writing abilities. I can vaguely spell and write out words in Siriaki using the Persian script. However, because my language partner has not been taught to write Siraiki, I imagine we won’t much progress.
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