ISLAMABAD: After observing flaws in pronunciation, especially in electronic media, the Urdu Dictionary Board has decided to introduce a pronunciation dictionary which will be implemented through the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra).

The dictionary will also be introduced for the general public so that the correct pronunciation of Urdu words can be ensured.

The first Urdu Digital Dictionary consisting of 22 volumes is also ready to be launched.

Talking to Dawn, Urdu Dictionary Board Chief Editor Aqeel Abbas Jafri said the Urdu Development Board was constituted in 1958 to prepare an Urdu dictionary on the pattern of the Oxford Dictionary. The first volume of the dictionary was launched in 1978 and by 2010, 22 volumes of the dictionary were introduced.

The decision was taken after mistakes in the pronunciation of words was noticed in the electronic media, digital Urdu dictionary will also be introduced

“Because people search for everything on the internet, we decided to launch a digital dictionary which can be accessed on the internet or an application for it on mobile phones and computers,” he said.

He added that the digital dictionary consists of 22,000 pages and contains 264,000 words.

“The dictionary will be improved and upgraded as a number of new words have been included in the Urdu language and other words have become obsolete and need to be removed. According to my estimate, there are about 300,000 words in the Urdu language,” he said.

“We have requested the president and prime minister to give us time for the launch of the digital dictionary which will hopefully be after Eid,” he said.

Mr Jafri said some pronunciation errors were observed during general conversations and on television and radio channels after which it was decided that a pronunciation dictionary should be implemented through Pemra because people learn from wrong pronunciation as they cannot imagine words will be said the wrong way on the electronic media,” he said.

He said the digital dictionary has been complied under the supervision of the National History and Literary Heritage Division.

“The launch of the first Urdu digital dictionary will serve as a milestone towards the preservation and promotion of Urdu as our national language. The initial phase of the project is being executed at the cost of Rs13 million by UDB,” he said.

The digital dictionary will be created in the Nastaleeq Font which is easy to comprehend so that readers can have access to it in a standardised found on the Internet, he added.

Adviser to the Prime Minister on National History and Literary Heritage Irfan Siddiqui said the implementation of Urdu as the official language is a constitutional, legal and national duty and the present leadership is taking viable initiatives to realise this dream. He said the reactivation of the Urdu Dictionary Board was a step in this direction.

He said this comprehensive dictionary will serve as a valuable gift for literature lovers and the younger generation. He said people will not face difficulties finding Urdu words, their meanings and pronunciation now.

Published in Dawn, May 30th, 2017