DEVELOPMENT OF URDU PICTUREABLE WORD BANK FOR YOUNG MUSLIM URDU SPEAKERS

Abstract

Languages are not only the tool of communication, but they also represent the rich cultural diversity of its speakers. Urdu language embodies the rich Islamic civilization presented through literary documents also preserving historical evidence. In nurturing the language development of Muslim Urdu-speaking children, establishing a robust vocabulary bank is essential. This will help them communicating their thoughts and emotions within their Islamic cultural context. For promoting language proficiency in young children and strengthening their cultural identity, we need evidence-based document and mechanisms. Unfortunately, our society is not giving attention to development of Urdu language assessment and intervention tools for instilling a sense of pride and belonging in Muslim Urdu-speaking children. Our basic books for early childhood language development present the vocabulary that a publisher wishes to. It does not follow the rules of developing any intervention strategy focusing the evidence-based findings from research in language acquisition and child development. Word banks usually provide information about the age of acquisition of vocabulary and the frequency of use of words. It is suitable to serve as a research tool as well as a visual teaching resource. We can find word banks of various languages of the world but unfortunately no such resource is available for Urdu language nationally or internationally.  The current research aims to develop a Urdu picture-able word bank on the basis of frequency of use of words in order to support parents and practitioners working with early childhood language development and therapeutic interventions.

Keywords

Urdu Picturable Word-bank, Early Childhood, Assessment, Urdu language development