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Running Head: LANGUAGE AND MEDIA

Impact of Electronic Media on Urdu Language

Daniyal Malik

Hamid Javaid

Meher Ali

Murtaza Waheed

Nousherwan Tariq

Dr. Shahid Siddiqui

Language, Culture and Society, A

206

July 2, 2010

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Abstract

This research paper would discuss about the impact of the most important source of
electronic media i.e. television on Urdu language. We took three program categories and
analyzed the variations that have taken in Urdu language in ten years (1999-2009). Moreover,
the causes and consequences of these variations were also examined closely by analyzing
popular programs in the selected categories, conducting interviews and interpreting articles
from the internet. According to our findings, in each program category, the effect of
television on Urdu language was neither entirely positive nor negative but the scales tipping
were more towards the negative side.
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Acknowledgements

We would like to show our utmost gratitude and thank, firstly, to our course instructor, Mr.
Shahid Siddiqui and his teaching associate, Mr. Umar Anjum for their invaluable help and
support throughout the making of this project. Secondly, we would like to thank Mr. Ataullah
Aali, Writer for Dunya TV and Ms. Isabelle William, Linguist at Kinnaird College for their
time and valuable opinions on our topic through which we were able to finish the project with
effortless ease. As the leader of the group, I, Nousherwan Tariq, am also grateful to all the
group members for their immense hard work and dedication to the project.
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Impact of Electronic Media on Urdu Language

In the rapid changing world of today, media has turned out to be the most influential
phenomenon. Having different forms i.e. electronic and print, it has been able to virtually
touch the lives of people and society at large. Media forms the public opinion and shapes the
perspective of the people.

Electronic media includes all means of communication, the network of which is scattered
throughout the world. It is supposed to play a big role in spreading the social values, culture
and civilization. It has played a functional role in modifying the cultural and moral values of
society. Electronic media has wiped out distances between remote countries. It's a chained
system in the form of a complete network. (Maza) Pakistan can be categorized as one of the
countries where the electronic media has also proved itself to be the phenomenon of
revelation of the present age, exhibiting in its modern form. It can make the impossible things
possible.

Being rich in media resources, Pakistan is also classified as multi-lingual country. Besides
Urdu being a national language, there are various other languages that are part of Pakistani
culture which include Punjabi, Sindhi, Balochi, Pashto, Sairaiki, Kashmiri and English. In
recent years, the national language Urdu has undergone many changes primarily in areas
where the language is used such as government institutions, private offices, educational
institutions and the media.

With such a strong influence of media on society, it's obvious that the language used
become crucial. It can unite or break a society with its language usage. In electronic media
terms, television is a language, radio is a language, cinema is a language etc. These in their
own way can play on the minds of the people and form beliefs.

Our aim is to study the changes that have taken place in Urdu language in the past ten
years (1999-2009) and how media, particularly electronic media, has been involved. This
study will be quite useful for the people of our community in analyzing how Urdu is being
portrayed in electronic media and how it is impacting the people in their daily
communication.

We will be analyzing the variations of Urdu language on television programs. We have

delimited ourselves in the frame of three program categories and will analyze programs
within these categories aired on the local popular channels from 1999-2009.
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Research Questions

Primary Research Question

How has electronic media impacted Urdu language from 1999 to 2009?

Subsidiary Research Questions

1) What type of programs has an impact on Urdu language?

2) What variations in Urdu language have been observed on such television programs over
the past ten years?

3) What are the major causes of such variations?

4) What are the consequences of such variations?

5) What are future concerns and hopes of Urdu language on television?

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Literature Review

(Salman, 2009) talks about the views of different people regarding language used in media,
both print and electronic. This article discusses about views of some people criticizing about
the incorrect pronunciation and cadences of the words of Urdu language by the media men
and no importance is given to such important factors. Moreover, the article talks about the
lack of educated individuals in the media who do not care about how the language is to be
spoken. Also the medium of instructions at school is also English which also impacts the
growing children. On the other hand, the article discusses the point of view of the advocates
of media people. They think that the electronic media people are keeping the Urdu language
alive and the future of Urdu language is in good hands due to television and radio
particularly.

(Khattak, 2007) discusses about the negative impact of electronic media on Urdu. The article
says that the electronic media caused damage to the language by pronouncing words wrongly.
The management of TV channels should instruct their announcers and newscasters in the
proper pronunciation of the Urdu language as well acquire the services of language experts to
train young people at the channels so that they can promote correct usage.c It also highlighted
the effects of modern communication like mobile SMS in causing damage to the script.

(Explore, 2010) talks BBC launching a television news channel in Pakistan in order to
provide an alternative to the so called ³sensationalist´ and ³biased´ reports of some existing
broadcasters in the politically-volatile South Asian state. It further tells that the provision of a
BBC Urdu television service will offer a valued source of independent journalism to the
people of Pakistan. The BBC ideally will be providing an important alternative source of
news in such a politically important part of the world.

(Explore, Dawn News to broadcast in Urdu only, ceases English language broadcast, 2010)
talks about Dawn News channel, claiming to be the first 24 hour English news channel of
Pakistan, decided to turn the channel into full fledged Urdu news channel. Dawn News first
changed it transmission into Urdu language first for four hours, then twelve and now for all
time. The article further discusses about the tough competition other Urdu news channels like
Geo News and Express News were giving to Dawn News in terms of advertising revenue and
wide viewership. So in order to cater for the masses, Dawn Media Group has decided to come
into competition with other channels with the help of Urdu language.
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Design/Methodology

We will be using primary and secondary modes of research in the analysis of data.
Questionnaires will be provided to a sample of 30 individuals comprising of a mixture of
open and close ended questions to collect different views on the topic. We shall also be
conducting two official interviews; one from a media expert and another from a linguist.
Moreover, the group members will be interpreting articles from the newspapers and the
internet, viewing television programs, making critical observations and analyzing facts and
figures through statistical tools (pie charts, bar charts, line charts).

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Analysis of Data and Discussion

Ôews Bulletins

Pakistan is one of those countries where the media, especially electronic media, spread
like wildfire. After 14 years of independence, the first state-owned television network,
Pakistan Television Network was introduced. Being the channel of the nation, PTV was
responsible to represent the Pakistani language, culture and society. PTV strove at its best to
fulfill the responsibilities laid on it. Programs were broadcasted not only in the national
language but in the regional languages too in order to cater the people of different areas and
groups of people of Pakistan.

But state's channel monopoly was challenged after 26 years of service when in 1990
Network Television Marketing (NTM) started broadcasting. However, the commonality
between the former and the latter television networks was that they were true reflectors of
pure Pakistani culture. Television was a good source and school, for learning a language,
which was readily available to all the natives of Pakistan. In late 2002, when Musharraf
somewhat legitimized his rule, he began liberalizing the media by giving private broadcasting
licenses. By 2003, due to global market forces, independent media had rapidly grown in
Pakistan.

With a constant increase of television channels in Pakistan, the news channel segment can
be regarded as the fastest growing segment. A humongous number of news channels like
GEO News, ARY News, Express News, Dunya News etc have been updating the people
about the happenings around the world around the clock and this too in the national language
of Pakistan, Urdu.

The introducing of these channels was considered a positive move towards the
development of the country. All the events and incidents occurring domestically and
internationally were broadcasted on the television screens of the general public within
minutes after the event happened. Moreover, as these channels were privately owned, there
was no bias involved. There was no government pressure as in the case of PTV. The news
shown on these channels was not fabricated and the true picture was shown. We also see that
these news channels were also able to show their unbiased stories in the remote areas of
Pakistan too. The medium which made such things possible was language and that too the
national language, Urdu. We know that Pakistan is multi-lingual country but Urdu is
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understood by everyone so in areas where the mother tongue was not Urdu, people still
understood the news bulletins.

However, with time passing by, the trends of news bulletins have changed a lot.
Nowadays, the news shown on these channels has become extremely sensational and
exaggerated. The newscasters while reading the news in Urdu tend to create an atmosphere of
tension and anxiety even if the news was not too much of a sensation and this exaggeration of
words is not only used in one particular channel but now has become a trend. The spicier the
news, the better has become the motto of these news channels. Mr. Ataullah Aali, Writer for
Dunya TV (personal communication, June 16, 2010) verified this statement and said, "When
event of 7/7 occurred in London, the media there did not create any sensation the way we
create for a minor incident like blast of gas stove. The first line on the respective news
channels after such an incident would be an exaggerating expression like "bomb blast heard".

Since the competition in electronic media has increased tenfold, every channel, especially
news channels, would like to be ahead of one another. The only thing matter now to these
channels is ratings and the solution is to be as much sensational as possible. The more
embellishment of words there is, the viewers will get more attracted in watching their news
bulletins and hence, their channels ratings will go sky rocketing. If they use the word Saaniha
(Doomsday) for Haadsa (Accident) during reading, people are bound to be glued in front of
the TV. The element of creating awareness and peace in the society by using correct choice
of words, which should have been the purpose of the electronic media personnel, has
vanished and the only thing matters are profits, no matter how they are earned.

The use of such sensational language in news bulletins has a negative impact on society.
The viewers with ailments like a weak heart, high blood pressure etc tend to also get mentally
disturbed when such the reporters and news anchors on news bulletins make a mountain of a
molehill. Moreover, as these news channels are seen internationally too and when news are so
overstressed in these channels, the foreigners also think negatively about the country. These
points were also supported by Mr. Ataullah Aali, Writer for Dunya TV during personal
communication.

According to our survey, 45% of the respondents believed that news bulletins tend to
create sensationalism, 20% said no and 35% said sometimes. (See Appendix C, Figure 5)
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Another significant aspect of news bulletins is accent and pronunciation of newscasters. At

time of PTV, the accent and pronunciation when hiring newscasters was very critically
checked and even today, PTV newscasters have an excellent Urdu accent and pronunciation.
Even in the recent news bulletins shown on news channels, the accent and pronunciation is
quite satisfactory. However, Ms. Isabelle William, Linguist at Kinnaird College (personal
communication, June 23, 2010) differed and said," We do not care how correctly the
language is spoken. But on the other hand, you take BBC, they concentrate on pronunciation,
they concentrate on the structure of the language as well as the correctness and accuracy of
the language.

Her statement can be considered true in case of the reporters hired by news channels. They
have a very poor knowledge of the Urdu language. Their accent and pronunciation is terrible
and there are no checks from the authorities. As we know that television influences people to
a great extent, the field media personnel's poor usage of Urdu language also affects
negatively to the society, especially the ones who are illiterate.

In such a scenario, we see opening of many Urdu news channels in these ten years
showing the contribution of electronic media in promoting the national language of Pakistan.
A survey was carried out by Gallup Pakistan which showed that 95 percent of all Pakistani
TV Viewers prefer Urdu language for news channels.c Only 3 percent say they watch news in
English while the remaining 2% either do not watch news or gave no response. The
respondents were here principally making a choice only between the two languages, said the
survey. (Explore, 95% of Pakistanis prefer Urdu TV news channels: survey, 2010)

This survey becomes true with advent of Dawn News, the first 24 hour English news
channel of Pakistan, changed its entire transmission into Urdu language. It wasn't able to
compete with Urdu news channels like GEO News, Express News. (Explore, Dawn News to
broadcast in Urdu only, ceases English language broadcast, 2010) However, whilst electronic
media is promoting Urdu language by opening Urdu news channels, it's also creating a havoc
environment for the society and the language itself by creating sensational news with
exaggerating vocabulary and poor pronunciation and cadences of words of Urdu respectively.

Such a trend should not be encouraged and this matter should be looked upon the channel
owners and the government in order to have a proper use of the Urdu language rather than it
making a language of mockery.
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alk Shows

With the changing trend in media, there has been an increasing trend of talk shows in
Pakistan. These programs are inexpensive to produce and are widely imitated around the
world. They tend to elevate personal opinion and private experience over authoritative facts
relevant to Pakistan¶s public life. These talk shows can be divided into many categories such
as political talk shows, morning shows, tabloid shows and late night shows. These talk shows
have opened up the media to more diverse views and voices, imparting a sense of democratic
legitimacy and have overcome geographical limits, creating virtual communities by
connecting the like-minded.

In talk shows, the use of language is the main criteria. The way one speaks, whether the
host or the guest, will be the success of a show. As the national language of Pakistan is Urdu
so the talk shows where Urdu language is dominant, that show is bound to succeed. In
Pakistan, the most popular types of talk shows presented in Urdu are political talk shows and
morning talk shows. There are also other talk shows too.

The political talk shows have taken the television channels by storm. For every news
channel opened in Pakistan, there are always one or more talk shows related to politics. Many
examples include Capital Talk, Off the Record, Kal Tak etc. The political talk shows have
provided new avenues for swaying public opinion and winning vote and have promoted
opinion over detached observation. In the past, talking about national issues by Pakistani
citizens was considered an impossible task but now the general public can participate through
live calls in these talk shows. This has provided the common man a sense of importance and
as well as freedom of speech. The politicians on these talk shows are answerable to the
general public.

However, these political talk shows have now become more of the platform for abusive
language, negative connotations, character assassination and verbal fights rather than a
healthy debate and they have used Urdu language as their weapon. Ms. Isabelle William,
Linguist at Kinnaird College (personal communication, June 23, 2010) said," These political
talk shows have taught the society how to fight. They have not shown how to debate in Urdu,
meaning that they have told how to debate in an ethical and proper manner. They have surely
taught misbehavior. Overall, I can conclude that these shows are teaching how disrespect to
each other in Urdu language."
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There are several examples of such disrespectful and unethical situations on many famous
poltical talk shows. One of the most popular examples was the fight between two women
politicians on 'Kal Tak', a political talk shown on Express News. Both women passed out
such disgusting and immoral statements towards one another that one cannot watch it with a
family. They literally were assassinating each other's character on live show. But even the
most shameful thing was observed that the host, instead of closing the program or trying to
control the situation, was listening idly.

This 'vulgarization' of Urdu language has negative impact on the society as well as the
language itself and loud and unethical arguments have become a common element in most
political talk shows. If we carefully analyze, the hosts should act as moderators on their
respective shows. They should maintain the ethics when on television in terms of behavior
and language. But actually they are the ones who spice up the things even more by not
stopping the angry politicians.

The reasons that can be associated with such tactics are to again increase program and
channel ratings. The more the louder or heated conversation, the better it was for the
program's success. Moreover, it has been observed that program extracts of such verbal
heated arguments are posted on video sharing websites, which creates a bad impression of the
country's citizens around the world. The language which is an identity maker of Pakistan and
is associated with positive connotations is only used for useless and filthy arguments.

Another reason why these anchors are more interested in augmenting television ratings is
because they are being paid heavily. A blog post on internet by a Pakistani student said that
anchors like Kamran Khan, Shahid Masood and Hamid Mir are paid Rs. 20,000,000 to Rs.
25,000,000 a month. As long as they are paid so handsomely, they will continue to increase
program ranking with other fresh tactics.

So, it can be said that Urdu being the representative of culture and a source of keeping the
nation united is suffering the most by losing its values which were the key features of its
fame and success. And these talk shows being the major point of interest for the people are
playing the leading role of the deterioration of Urdu Language. According to our survey, 60%
of the people say that Urdu is not spoken is an ethical way, 30% agree that Urdu is spoken in
an ethical way and 10% were not sure.
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The other popular segment of talk shows is morning shows. These shows are mostly
targeted to the women who are housewives all around the country but gradually it has created
popularity among the males as well. Here various topics of women, health, and other general
topics are discussed. They are very useful source of creating awareness among the society.
The most popular morning shows include Nadia Khan Show, Marina Mornings (till 2008),
Good Morning Pakistan, Morning with Hum etc. The talk show hosts have become idols for
women all over Pakistan.

However, with reference to Urdu language, these shows become a point of criticism in the
way that the hosts of some of these talk shows tend to mix the Urdu with most popular
language of the world, English. They are speaking 'Unglish'. Most of these hosts cannot speak
a single sentence purely in Urdu. Some way or the other, English tends to be a part of their
conversation.

A very popular example can be quoted of former morning show host, Marina Khan. She
used to do a morning show on ARY channel called "Marina Mornings". However, the show
was a failure solely due to the language factor. Not a single sentence of her was purely in
Urdu and overall she ended speaking much of English, which unfortunately in Pakistan, only
a certain percentage of people comprehend. This program only lasted a year. However, in
comparison, the Nadia Khan Show on GEO TV has been a phenomenal success as the host,
Nadia Khan, was catering her program to the masses and she was able to achieve this with the
help of Urdu language. Both morning shows began at the same time period and the results are
clear. A similar problem of mixing both languages has been observed by the morning show
host of Hum TV, Sana Tariq. Her program ratings are quite less as compared to Nadia
Khan's.

According our survey, 50% agree that morning talk show hosts tend to mix English with
Urdu, 30% disagree and 20% were not sure. (See Appendix C, Figure 9)

However, there are still other miscellaneous talk shows in where this mixing of languages
is prevalent such as D-Bate, Late Night with Begum Nawazish Ali of Aaj TV. The hosts of
their respective shows not only tend to mix both English and Urdu but even speak Urdu in an
English accent. On the other hand, there are shows like Aalim Online on GEO TV and
Ankahi on Samaa TV where the medium of communication of between hosts and guests is
purely Urdu. It is anchors like Aamir Liaqat Hussain and Faisal Qureshi respectively who are
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trying to promote Urdu and removing the inferiority complex or the shame which people face
in speaking the national language of the country.

Overall, we can see that in the talk shows department of television, there is a two way
street. There are shows which are vulgarizing and mixing the language and there are shows
which are trying to promote and reform the national language of Pakistan.

2ramas

Another influential segment of television programs having an influence on Urdu language

can be associated to dramas. Dramas are of many types namely serials, series, soap operas
and long plays. In Pakistan, all types of dramas have been created since the advent of the first
channel. The dramas broadcasted on PTV in the 80s and 90s era were hailed with great
respect. They were not only popular in Pakistan but even more around the world especially in
the archrival country, India. As there was only one channel at that time, all the streets of the
cities looked deserted during the drama hour merely because of the overall quality of the
drama; the script, the actors and the rich Urdu language. It was due to writers like Ashfaq
Ahmed, Bano Qudsia, Anwar Maqsood that created masterpieces for television merely
because of their writing and language. These were the true proponents of Urdu language and
contributed immensely in promoting it in dramas.

With an increase number of television channels, the number of dramas has also been
increased and hence we see that Urdu language in dramas is also being promoted. At first
there was only one Urdu drama channel, now, there are a variety of choices of Urdu dramas.
However, the trend of dramas has changed. Firstly, the dramas shown on various television
channels also have the element of mixing Urdu with English. The dialogues spoken by actors
are never purely in Urdu as compared to earlier times. Secondly, it is observed that in dramas
nowadays, many types of abusive Urdu words are being included in scripts. Even in the late
90s and early 2000s, at least foul language was not used as openly as it is being spoken in
dramas today. Moreover, too loud and bold dialogues have also been observed.

The main reasons for such variations can be attributed to first of all to the script writers.
Mr. Ataullah Aali, Writer for Dunya TV (personal communication, June 16, 2010) narrates,
"In the old times on PTV, the writers were from Urdu literature background. Examples
include Ashfaq Ahmed, Bano Qudsia, Kamal Ahmed Rizvi etc. Nowadays, even you a non-
writer can write a script; there will be no problem. The only thing matters that there is a
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script. Moreover, the person assessing the script, he himself has no command on the language
so how can you expect a script written in rich Urdu language." This shows the failure of
writers in maintaining and reforming the Urdu script.

According to our survey, 40% of the respondents disagreed of that Urdu is spoken in its
purest form in dramas, 3% strongly disagree, 30% were neutral, 17% of the respondents
agreed and 10% strongly agreed that Urdu is spoken in its purest form in dramas. (See
Appendix C, Figure 7)

Secondly, great amount of emphasis is being laid on the glamour quotient in dramas
nowadays rather than the quality of the script and language. The elaborate sets, the designer
clothes, expensive jewellery and make-up have lead to a decline of the pure form of Urdu
language. This glamour trend can be blamed on the channels of our neighboring country,
India. It is in their dramas and soaps such exquisite make up, sets and jewellery is witnessed
and our dramas more or less have influenced by them.

The impact of dramas on society these days is great especially kids and youth. They have
the tendency to imitate their favorite actors or actresses. They would like to speak and dress
in a similar way so if their favorite actors are abusing or speaking an overall different
language in a different style, they are bound to imitate them and will lose their identity, which
is their language.

However, there are still exceptions in this pool of dramas. There are some writers trying to
reform the national language of the country. One of the notable and emerging writers we can
quote is Umera Ahmed. She started as an Urdu novelist and nowadays writing scripts for
television. Her most popular novel, Veri Zaat Zaare-e-Beenishan, now turned into a
television drama of GEO TV has re-written the history of Pakistani drama. Not only did it get
it critical acclaim but was also a commercial success. The success was attributed the high
standard of storyline and the pure form of Urdu language used. The vocabulary, accent and
pronunciation of Urdu were par excellence. This drama proved that it is never about the
glamour quotient or the mega cast to make a drama successful rather than a powerful story
line with great dialogues and Urdu language has so much potential in it that some dialogues
written in Urdu are matchless against any other language.

Another positive way dramas promote Urdu language is through usage of Urdu subtitles
when the actors are not speaking Urdu. Dramas where actors are speaking in English or some
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other language tend to have Urdu subtitles so that the comprehension level of the drama
among the non-English speakers increases tenfold.

So we see that in the line of dramas, Urdu's survival is a guarantee in a way that a variety
of channels are showing Urdu dramas but to remain in its purest form is an issue of concern.
The vulgarization and mixing of Urdu language shown in dramas can have negative impact
on society and language itself.

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Recommendations

Our recommendations to improve the position of Urdu language in the television industry
include, firstly, that being a Pakistani national, one must learn to love the language. In the
modern times, a sense of inferiority complex is felt when speaking or learning Urdu
language. People will not be hesitant in speaking English but become when speaking Urdu.
The criteria developed in a society of a literate and illiterate person on the basis of language
should be removed.

Secondly, there should be introduction of writers who are the students of Urdu by the
television channel owners. Such writers from Urdu background will have a thorough
command on the language; the accent, the pronunciation and the vocabulary. These writers
will be able to write scripts in Urdu in its pure form like they used to be in 80s and 90s era.
Writers like Umera Ahmed should be brought in the limelight that will help to revive the
language on television.

Thirdly, Urdu language is attributed as a symbol of respect and dignity. It is one of the
sweetest languages of the world and using it to lower one's self-esteem, degrade and
disrespect someone is poison for the person and the language's status. The television shows
where such a situation is seen should be supervised and moderated strongly by the host and
the officials in charge of the show rather than just to increase program ratings when people
are virtually destroying one another's character and do nothing.

Moreover, the government should take some measures in order to maintain the Urdu
language by reforming the education system. The medium of instruction from the primarily
level should be in Urdu. English should also be there but at the same time Urdu should not be
ignored. There should be better teachers of Urdu language in schools. Books of Urdu in
libraries have almost become negligible in comparison to English books so this matter should
be looked upon

Furthermore, only those languages grow which satisfy the people's economic needs. It has
been in seen here that the citizens who are fluent in English are the ones with respect and
high paid jobs in comparison to those who know Urdu. The language that does not provide
any sort of benefit to the person, he or she will not be interested in learning the language so
the government should rise the stature of Urdu by ensuring job incentives to the Urdu
speaking people as well.
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Conclusion

From our conducted research, we conclude that electronic media, especially television,
undoubtedly had an impact of Urdu, the national language of Pakistan. However, it cannot be
said that the impact was entirely negative or positive. It had both sides but the scales were
tilting more towards the negative side. On one hand where there are Urdu channels being
introduced on a regular basis, simultaneously the quality and standard of the language is not
being maintained or reformed. It is time for the government and these channel owners to
work together as a team in promoting and developing the identity of Pakistan ± Urdu
language.
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References

Explore, T. (2010, May 23). (
of Pakistanis prefer Urdu  news channels: survey.
Retrieved June 20, 2010, from TV Explore Website:
http://www.tvexplore.com/2010/05/95-of-pakistanis-prefer-urdu-tv-news-channels-survey/

Explore, T. (2010, May 15). 2awn Ôews to broadcast in Urdu only, ceases English language
broadcast. Retrieved June 16, 2010, from TV Explore Website:
http://www.tvexplore.com/2010/05/dawn-news-to-broadcast-in-urdu-only-ceases-english-
language-broadcast/

Explore, T. (2010, June 2 ). We are planning Urdu  channel: 2irector BBC World Service.
Retrieved June 15, 2010, from TV Explore Website:
http://www.tvexplore.com/2010/06/we-are-planning-bbc-urdu-tv-channel-director-bbc-
world-service/

Khattak, K. (2007, March 17). Electronic Vedia damaging Urdu. Retrieved June 15, 2010,
from Daily Times Website:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007%5C03%5C17%5Cstory_17-3-
2007_pg7_40

Maza, E. (n.d.). Impact of Electronic Vedia on our Society. Retrieved June 20, 2010, from
Education Maza Website: http://www.educationmaza.com/content/impact-electronic-
media-our-society

Salman, P. (2009, November 20). Of media¶s Urdu language and nostalgia . Retrieved June
17, 2010, from Dawn Website: http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-
library/dawn/the-newspaper/local/karachi-of-medias-urdu-language-and-nostalgia-019
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Appendix A

Interview questions

1.c What is the current position of Urdu language in the electronic media?
2.c What changes have you seen in Urdu language used by electronic media people
during the last decade?
3.c What reasons have contributed to these changes?
4.c Do you think that the language spoken by people of the electronic media has an
impact on society? If yes, then how?
5.c What other factor(s) besides electronic media have an impact on Urdu language?
6.c Where do you see Urdu in the future and what are your expectations in this regard?
7.c Do you believe in the fact that Urdu is losing its real value of being a national
language of Pakistan?
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Appendix B

QUESTIONNAIRE

THIS QUESTIONAIRE CONCERNS YOUR OPINION TOWARDS THE IMPACT OF

ELECTRONIC MEDIA (TELEVISION) ON URDU LANGUAGE

YOUR HONESTY SHALL BE APPRECIATED!

(Tick the option that coincides with your opinion and please tick only one for every answer.)

1) Do you watch television?

Yes

No

Sometimes

2) What type of T.V. programs do you watch?

Talk Shows

Dramas

News Bulletins

Other_____________________________

3) Do you think television programs have an impact on Urdu language?

Yes

No

If YES, then whether:

Positive

Negative

Not Sure

4) Rank the following television programs from (1-3) most important to least important,
having the greatest effect on Urdu language.

a) Talk Shows ______

b) Dramas ______
 c Language and Media | 22
c

c) News Bulletins ______

5) Do you think that news bulletins tend to create "sensationalism" with Urdu language?

Yes

No

Sometimes

6) Do you think that accent and pronunciation of Urdu language during news bulletins over
the decade has changed?

Yes

No

Not Sure

If YES, then whether it is:

Satisfactory

Unsatisfactory

Not Sure

7) How far you agree that Urdu is being spoken in its purest form in dramas today?

Strongly Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly

Disagree Agree

8) Do you think that, in talk shows (political), Urdu language is spoken is an ethical manner?

Yes

No

Not Sure

9) Do you think that morning talk show hosts tend to mix Urdu with English frequently?

Yes

No

Not Sure
 c Language and Media | 23
c

10) Which age group is most impacted by the language spoken on television?

Kids

Youth

Middle Aged People

Old People

All of the above

11) Do you think that television programs tend to educate the masses at the expense of Urdu
language?

Yes

No

Not Sure

12) Do you think that television is the only 'strongest' factor effecting Urdu language?

Yes

No

Not Sure

If NO, then specify other factor(s)

___________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________ __________________

13) How do you see the future of Urdu language on television?

Bright

Dark

Not Sure

Gender: Male Female

Age: 18-25 26-45 46+

THANKYOU!
 c Language and Media | 24
c

Appendi C

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 c Language and Media | 25
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 c Language and Media | 26
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 c Language and Media | 27
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