National Language Authority
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| National Language Authority | |
| Type | Autonomous Regultory Institution |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1979 |
| Headquarters | Islamabad, Pakistan |
| Area served | Standardisation and promotion of Urdu language |
| Divisions | 6 |
| Website | http://www.nla.gov.pk |
The National Language Authority (Muqtadra Qaumi Zaban - مقتدرہ قومی زبان) (or Urdu Language Authority[1]) is an autonomous regulatory institution established in 1979 to support the advancements and promotion of Urdu which is the national language of Pakistan. Initially it was aimed at creating synergies between national and provincial governments and institutions for use of Urdu language. However, with time, it expanded the horizons to the works on standardisation and linguistic aspects such as orthography and lexicography. It also provides recommendations for maximizing use of the language in all walks of life. In this respect, large amounts of legal and scientific documents are translated from English and other languages for publication into Urdu.
In 1980, the Authority standardised[2] the Urdu keyboard layout[3] for typewriters based on Naskh script. Later on, with the arrival of the digital age, the layout was improved for teleprinters and Information processing.[4] Subsequently, in 1998 efforts were initiated to standardize Urdu encoding, which resulted in the formation of Urdu Zabta Takhti (UZT 1.01) in 2000. Although the standard is not widely utilised, it has been used to update the Unicode support for Urdu.[5]
Contents |
[edit] Objectives
Major objectives of the Authority are:
- To facilitate use of Urdu through publications and other reading materials for individuals and institutions.
- Provide linkages for cooperation and collaboration among various academic, research and educational institutions for use of Urdu language.
- Facilitate the adoption of Urdu for individuals and institutions.
- Promote research and collaborations for use of Urdu in the modern world.
Over the years efforts have also been made to promote and facilitate Urdu as an official and business language; as a Medium of instructions; and, as a medium of expression
[edit] Organization
The organization comprises of six divisions:
- Dictionary section (Darul Lughaat)
- Translations section (Darul Tarjuma)
- Literature section (Darul Tasneef)
- Publications section (Darul Isha’at)
- Urdu Informatics
- Library, with extensive resources on Urdu. Also issues regular Urdu Bulletins.[6]
[edit] Publications
Range of the major publications by the National Language Authority include:
- General, scientific and technical dictionaries and Urdu Thesaurus
- Qaumi English-Urdu Dictionary (based on Webster's Dictionary)
- Dictionaries and works for Children
[edit] Notes
- ^ Khaver Zia, "Standard Code Table for Urdu". 4th Symposium on Multilingual Information Processing, (MLIT-4), Yangon, Myanmar. CICC, Japan
- ^ Sajjad, Akbar, "Efforts in the Standardization of Urdu code table", Akhbar-e-Urdu. Urdu Language Authority, Islamabad. June 1999 (In Urdu)
- ^ Aziz, T. "Urdu type Machine kay kaleedi Takhtay", Muqtadra Qaumi Zaban, Islamabad, Pakistan. 1987. (in Urdu)
- ^ Mohammad Afzal, Urdu Software Industry: Prospects, Problems and Need for Standards. 4th National Computer Conference, Islamabad. Pakistan. 1997
- ^ Hussain S, Durrani N, and Gul S, "Survey of Language Computing in Asia 2005", Center for Research in Urdu Language Processing, National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences, Lahore. Walayatsons. ISBN 969-8961-00-3
- ^ Ahmed, Saeed, "Library Muqtadra Qaumi Zaban: An Introduction". Pakistan Library Bulletin, Vol. 21 (3-4): 1-3, Sept-Dec. 1990
