GCSE Urdu₈₆₄₈

Whilst it is useful for students to concentrate on a core of key language for any given topic, it is impossible to predict all the linguistic elements they might meet when reading and listening to authentic Urdu, or which they themselves might need to use.

For this reason, the student will need to develop communication strategies as part of the teaching and learning process, which will greatly increase their ability to cope successfully with unknown words.

There are two main types of strategy: those that relate to understanding (reading and listening) and those that relate to production (speaking and writing).

3.4.1 Strategies for understanding

3.4.1.1 Ignoring words which are not needed

Many tasks contain words which are not essential for an understanding of the main points of the text. What is important in the text is often presented more than once, in different ways: the student may not understand a point in one form of words and understand it fully in another.

3.4.1.2 Using the visual and verbal context

The skilled reader can find many clues about the purpose and content of a text from a study of the layout, the title, the length, the typeface and any related pictures.

When reading and listening, students can learn to infer the meaning of new words from the verbal context. For example, someone who did not know the word شجر/درخت might be able, after some appropriate practice, to deduce from the following context that it is some sort of tree:

اس کی لکڑی سے میز،کرسیاں،اور پلنگ بنائے جاتے ہیں یا اس کا پھل بہت مزے دار ہوتا ہے

بہت مزے دار ہوتا ہے

یا ایک آدمی اس کی چھ

ؤ ں میں بیٹھا تھا

اور اس [درخت]کی

ایک شاخ پر بیٹھ کر گا رہا تھا۔

3.4.1.3 Making use of grammatical markers and categories

Students will be helped to master all these strategies if, when reading and listening, they learn to use such clues as the plural forms of nouns and verbs, the ways verbs change to form tenses, word order and other such features to help them to recognise to which category (verb, noun, adjective etc) an unknown word belongs. This can be a considerable help in making intelligent guesses about the meaning of the word.

مثلاً کتاب پڑھی۔کتابیں پڑھیں ۔میں نے ایک دلچسپ کتاب پڑھی۔کتاب

[اسم [پڑھی] فعل [دلچسپ

صفت جملے کی ساخت۔فاعل۔مفعول۔فعل۔فعل "جانا "سےجاتا ہے۔گیا۔جائے

گا۔

3.4.1.4 Making use of the social and cultural contex

Another aid to the drawing of correct inferences is for the students to bear in mind that there are regularities in the real world which make it possible to anticipate what people may say or write about it. The ability to predict occurrences in the real world makes it possible sometimes to anticipate words and their meaning, in a given context. This is one reason why it is important for an Urdu course to develop awareness and understanding of countries and communities where Urdu is spoken.

3.4.1.5 Using common patterns within Urdu

Knowledge of the following patterns of word formation in Urdu can help to understand a text. Students will be expected to be able to make use of these patterns in both directions: so, the use of چوڑا should permit understanding of چوڑے چوڑی

Some more examples:

چند مزید مثالیں

ملازم/ملازمت۔نوکر۔نوکری۔اچھا۔اچھائی۔خوبصورت۔خوبصورتی۔نماز۔نماز۔

ماز۔نماز۔

روزہ۔ روزہ دار۔دیانت دار۔دیانت

-داری۔وفادار۔وفاداری۔غریب۔غربت۔عبادت

عبادت

گزار۔سُسست۔سُسستی۔پریشان۔پریشانی۔کامیاب۔ناکامیاب۔مناسب۔نا مناسب

پیاسا۔پیاس۔بھوکا۔بھوک۔

3.4.1.6 Using common patterns between Urdu and English

There are thousands of words in Urdu which, although not having exactly the same form as the English word, can easily be understood with the application of a few, simple rules. When words which can be understood using the rules below occur in context, students will be expected to understand them.

Strategies such as those outlined above will generally be more easily applied in reading than in listening, as reading offers more opportunities to slow down, look at unknown items at some leisure and study the context. However, the general strategies for understanding listed above can be used successfully in listening to Urdu.

In order to hear accurately, students should have the relationship between the spoken and written language brought to their attention. Words which look the same in Urdu and English may sound different and conversely, words with similar sounds may be written very differently in the two languages.

3.4.1.7 Dictionaries

The use of dictionaries is not permitted in the exam, but should be encouraged in class. Students need to acquire good dictionary skills and to understand the limitations of dictionary use, eg choosing the wrong word from a list of definitions, confusion over parts of speech, the dangers of word-for-word translations. Successful strategies for dictionary use include:

• understanding the meaning of terms and abbreviations used in a dictionary entry
• recognising different parts of speech so as to be able to find the word required
• recognising the word may be listed in a different form or may be required in a different form from the one given in the dictionary. Students wishing to find the meaning of میں پوچھتا/پوچھتی ہوں must first work out that this is a verb form in order to look up the meaning of مصدر)پوچھنا ) and conversely the infinitive found in the English-Urdu section will need to be changed in order to express 'I ask ...'
• picking the correct word from a list of alternatives, if necessary checking back in the Urdu-English part of the dictionary to find the word with the appropriate meaning. A student looking up the word 'jog', for example, may have to choose from: دوڑنا/بھاگنا. They must check these words in the Urdu-English part of the dictionary to ensure they have the correct meaning in the context.
• recognising that word for word translation is often impossible eg expressions such as 'to make fun of' مذاق اُڑانا or 'to pull a fast one' کرن چالاکی cannot be translated literally.

3.4.2 Strategies for production

Research and experience show that people who communicate effectively in a foreign language tend to make good use of systematic efficient verbal and non-verbal strategies to get meaning across, in spite of their imperfect command of the language.

Individual students may fail to learn – or forget – language items required by some tests, or they may wish to attempt to go beyond the demands of the specification in completing the task set. In these circumstances, the following strategies can prove useful. They fall into two main categories: non-verbal and verbal.

3.4.2.1 Non-verbal strategies

Pointing and demonstration

This may be accompanied by some appropriate language eg

“ جیسی یہ چیز ہے، وہ چیزہے یا میرے ہاتھ میں جو چیز ہے۔” انگلی سے اشارہ کرکے بتانا یا کہنا

Expression and gesture

This may be accompanied, where appropriate, with sounds (eg 'Oh!' which, with appropriate intonation, facial expression and gestures, can convey such attitudes and functions as pain, surprise, anger, fear, pleasure and admiration).

Mime

Mime, which again can be accompanied by appropriate sounds and language, can sometimes help communication to be maintained when it might otherwise break down eg with a suitable mime if one has forgotten words such as

رونا and مسکرانا

This strategy has obvious limitations in a speaking test which is recorded and assessed on the basis of the recording.

Drawing

This can be an efficient strategy with some tasks (especially written) and can convey both attitude and information (eg a diagram showing how to get from one point, such as a station, to another, for instance a home.

3.4.2.2 Verbal strategies

Using a word which refers to a similar item

Using a word which refers to a similar item to the one the speaker/writer wishes to refer to, but for which he has forgotten the word

eg وقت for گھڑی

and خوشبو for عطر

This strategy is not always effective and its use would be assessed according to its effectiveness in a particular context.

Description of physical properties

This can be used to refer to something of which the name has been

وہ گول ہے۔اس کا رنگ پیلا ہے اور وہ ایک پھل ہے۔[مالٹا -خربوزہ]

The physical properties refer to colour, size, material, position and shape. The use of this strategy in an exam would be assessed according to its communicative effectiveness.

Requests for help

These can include requests for translation eg

دیوار اور فرش کو انگریزی میں کیا کہتے ہیں۔

moon اور sky یا

کو اردو میں کیا کہتے ہیں۔آپ مجھےبتا سکتے ہیں

کہ اس چیز کا نام کیا ہے؟ یا مجھے پتا نہیں اس لفظ کے ہجے کیا ہیں؟

It is clearly preferable to use such requests for help than for communication to collapse and their use will be assessed according to the context. When requests for help with specific problems occur, the teacher should maintain the role of a sympathetic native speaker and help accordingly. The teacher should avoid taking over from the student and carrying out the tasks set.

Simplification

This is when a student avoids the use of a form of which he is unsure eg

اگر طاب علم یہ بات " اگر موسم اچھا ہو تو میں کل پھر آؤں

نہیں کہہ سکتا اور صرف یہ کہتا ہے ۔ گا " میں اب

جاتا ہوں۔کل بارش نہ ہوئی پھر ملیں گے "

A systematic use of simplified forms may reduce error, facilitate communication and increase fluency, but if overused, this strategy may result in students failing to make full use of their capabilities.

Paraphrase

This is when a student avoids the use of a form of which he is unsure eg

اگر طالب علم لفظ " کرایہ دار " بھول گیا ہے اور اس کی جگہ یہ کہتا ہے کہ " وہ ایک کمرے میں رہتا ہے " اور اس کے پیسے دیتا ہے یا لفظ کنوارا/کنواری طالب علم کے ذہن سے نکل گیا ہے اور صرف یہ کہتا ہےکہ اس کی ابھی شادی نہیں ہوئی ہے۔

A systematic use of simplified forms may reduce error, facilitate communication and increase fluency, but if overused, this strategy may result in students failing to make full use of their capabilities.

Reference to specific features

Reference to specific features eg

وہ عمارت جو سنگ مرمر کی بنی ہوئی ہے اور جس کی پانچ منزلیں ہیں۔

یا

وہ لڑکی جس کے بال لمبے ہیں اور جو ہمیشہ خوبصورت لباس پہنتی ہے۔

This strategy is often quite effective, and effective use would be assessed accordingly in an exam.

Reference to the function of an object

Reference to the function of an object and the actions that can be performed with it eg

اچھے ہوٹلوں میں کھانا ختم کرنے کے بعد ہوٹل والے آپ کو گرم تولیہ

دیتے ہیں جس سے آپ اپنا

منہ اور ہاتھ صاف کرتے ہیں۔

This is a commonly used strategy which is usually effective in communicative terms.

Another strategy sometimes used by language students is word coinage, the creation of words based either on English or Urdu words. This strategy usually produces words which do not exist in Urdu or if they do exist, have a different meaning from the one intended. The use of this strategy is rarely effective in promoting communication and students would be well advised to use it only if all other strategies fail.

Another commonly used strategy is topic avoidance, when the student avoids or abandons a topic because of inability to deal with it. Use of this strategy in the examination will not allow the student to be given full credit. Use of it in a learning situation will reduce opportunities for the development or expansion of the student’s repertoire. It is a strategy which should be discouraged. A basic condition for communication strategies to have a potential learning effect is that they are governed by achievement, rather than avoidance, behaviour.

Evidence suggests that the availability of a range of strategies such as those outlined above, and flexibility in their use, represent an important advantage in overall communicative effectiveness. It also appears that the most effective strategies demand some linguistic proficiency and that the more proficient speakers are also better at using communication strategies effectively.

The development of such strategies cannot be seen as encouragement not to develop linguistic knowledge. Strategic competence is not a substitute for vocabulary learning, but a useful supplement. Indeed, all language users make use of communication strategies, even in their first language, and really successful strategies usually pass unnoticed. It is an important part of the teaching and learning process.