Speakers at a seminar on “Protection of Ecology through Mother Languages” held at the Pir Hisamuddin Shah Auditorium, University of Sindh, on Monday emphasized the critical role of indigenous languages in safeguarding both cultural heritage and environmental sustainability.

They said 26 major languages were spoken by nearly half of the world’s population, while the remaining inhabitants spoke around the rest 6,000 languages.

 This they said while addressing the seminar titled “Protection of Ecology through Mother Language” organized by the Institute of Sindhology, University of Sindh at its Pir Hisamuddin Shah Rashdi Auditorium in connection with the International Mother Language Day. The seminar chaired by Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Fateh Muhammad Marri brought together scholars, linguists and intellectuals who highlighted the challenges facing languages like Sindhi in the modern era and the urgent need to preserve them.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Marri congratulated the organizers and appreciated the diversity of viewpoints shared during the deliberations.

He observed that the real vulnerability today lay not in the Sindhi language itself but in the broader ecology of research, institutions and infrastructure.

He said that although Sindhi had three major dialects in Sindh, there was no conflict among them.

Writer and intellectual Jami Chandio described the 21st century as an era of immense knowledge as well as serious threats to linguistic diversity.

Referring to reports by UNESCO, he said languages were disappearing at an alarming rate and warned that only around 200 out of 7,000 languages might survive in the long run due to sociological, economic and demographic factors.

Dr Muhammad Ali Manjhi said Sindhi was more than 5,000 years old and possessed a rich written tradition.

Citing archaeological evidence from Mohenjo-daro and other historical sites, he said ancient inhabitants of the region were familiar with writing in local scripts as well as in the languages of ruling empires.

He said that language could serve as a powerful tool for safeguarding cultural and environmental ecology.

Chairman Sindhi Language Authority Dr Sher Mahrani remarked that while people offered prayers in Arabic, educated their children in English and used unnecessary talk in Sindhi, adding that they often neglected their mother tongue.

He argued that languages of living communities did not die naturally but weakened when their speakers abandoned them.

He stressed that foundational knowledge should be imparted in the mother tongue, though learning other languages was equally important.

Scholar Shafqat Qadri pointed out that nearly 20 percent of the world’s languages disappeared between 1970 and 2005.

He maintained that languages were not dying but being “killed” by social attitudes and policy choices, particularly when parents preferred English-medium schooling over native-language instruction.

Referring to global linguistic data, he noted that 26 major languages were spoken by nearly half of the world’s population, while the remaining population spoke around 6,000 languages.

Director Dr N.A Baloch Chair Dr Shazia Pitafi highlighted the emotional and cognitive bond between a child and the mother tongue, saying that abandoning one’s native language in favour of another resulted in cultural loss.

Director Institute of Sindhology Dr Fayaz Latif urged participants to pledge never to forget their mother tongue, emphasizing that there was no substitute for one’s native language.

He underscored the link between language, identity and environmental consciousness.

Earlier, the seminar started with a recitation of poetry by Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai by Dr Zulfiqar Ali Qureshi. The proceedings were moderated by Dr Ghulam Ali Buriro and attended by faculty members, students and scholars in a large number.