| British Urdu | |
|---|---|
| برطانوی اردو | |
| Pronunciation | [ˈbəɾt̪ɑːnʋiːˈʊrduː] |
| Ethnicity | British Asians |
| Speakers | 270,000 (2021) |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-1 | ur |
| ISO 639-2 | urd |
| ISO 639-3 | urd |
| Glottolog | urdu1245 Urdu |
| This article containsIPA phonetic symbols. Without properrendering support, you may seequestion marks, boxes, or other symbols instead ofUnicode characters. For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, seeHelp:IPA. | |
Urdu in the United Kingdom (Urdu:برطانیہ میں اردو) is the fourthmost commonly spoken language. It is seen as thelingua franca for around two millionBritish South Asians.[1] According to the2021 census, 270,000 people (0.5% of UK residents) listed Urdu as their main language, an increase of 1,000 from 2011.[2]Ethnologue reports the total number of Urdu speakers in the UK at over 400,000.[3] Since the 1990s, theDepartment of Health has issued patient information (pamphlets etc.) in Urdu in conjunction with local authorities,[4] which has also led other organisations, institutions and councils to publish public information in Urdu.
Britain'sAnglophone tradition and inheritance centralises English as the national lingua and vernacular. Radical opportunities exist, however, for the productive growth of minorityCommonwealth migrant languages such as Urdu andPunjabi, particularly in curriculum-based education,[5] and many Urdu literary societies exist in the UK,[1]: 334 such as theCU Urdu society.[6] The history of Urdu in British Education can be traced to as early as the 1800s when, under one of its old names,Hindustani,[1] it was being taught toEIC recruits and civil servants, which was mandatory for those wishing to join theIndian Civil Service.[7] For this reason, theEast India Company founded the Oriental Institute in London, in 1816.[8]
In Britain, Urdu has been standardised for education, and opportunities to incorporate Urdu as part of teaching exist all the way from primary education to a PhD in Urdu. Urdu books are also widely found in British libraries, where in 1967, Britain's first Urdu library was opened in Nottingham.[8]
In 1841, a grammar school inGloucester began teaching Urdu to British children, which entailed other institutions to follow, such as theUniversity College, London, followed by theUniversity of Oxford and theUniversity of Cambridge by 1859.[1]: 333
Curriculum-wise, students in the UK are able to take Urdu as aGCSE andA-Level subject,[9] which is examined by theAQA andEdexcel exam-board,[10][11] and in 2015,Manchester Metropolitan University became the first university in the UK to offer an Urdu degree.[12] Around 5,000 students in England take Urdu as a GCSE subject every year,[13] and as perOfqual, in 2024, 4,370 students certified in GCSE Urdu, an increase of 5% from the year before.[14]
Urdu became the first non-European language which was recognised at a Higher level, back in 2006, when theSQA (Scottish Qualifications Authority) incorporated Urdu as a Higher subject for the first time.[15] In 2022, 90 students partook an Urdu exam at Higher level.[16]
One of the earliest Urdu periodicals in the UK was established inLondon during the 1880-90s, and was known as the Ainah-e-Angrezi Saudagri (آئینۂ انگریزی سوداگری) –Mirror of British Merchandise and, undoubtedly, it revolved mainly around trade relations withthe Raj.[18]: 13 Following this, Urdu periodicals transpired during theFirst World War, when the Urdu press was established by the British government during the 1910s, when publications like Jangi Akhbar (the War Journal) emerged, shortly after Urdu captions being discontinued from the pictorial newspaper Al-Haqiqah –the Truth. Similar newspapers, like theفوجی اخبار (Fauji Akhbar– the Military Newspaper) also existed inLondon.[8] It carried on until 1919, postWorld War I, which paved way for the Taswiri Akhbar (thePictorial News) paper.[18]: 18–19 In 1920, a newspaper by the name ofہند –Hind (which was later rebranded toUnited India) was established by some Indian students, which supposedly held on until 1930.[8][18]: 21–22
The wave of migrants during the 1950s fromSouth Asian countries likeIndia andPakistan, followingWorld War II, introduced the modern era of Urdu periodicals in Britain. These Urdu papers were distinct in their approach and pattern of ownership and coverage. Urdu papers up until 1965 were all launched by immigrants fromPakistan[18]: 37 and quickly became the source of communication for immigrants fromPakistan andAzad Kashmir, due to the lack of coverage of news in British media regarding their homeland.
Weekly newspapers such asنوائے وقت – Nawa-e-Waqt(The Voice of the Time) published 'overseas editions' that were sent over to Britain, however, due to issues in logistics, it was unable to satisfy demand and eventually collapsed.[18] In 1961, a weekly by the name ofمشرق – Mashriq('The East') was launched by a student, along with an editor of a Pakistani daily. TheMashriq, which published stories from thePothohar Plateau fromLondon, was embraced by the immigrants at the time, as a source of unity for a various reasons.[19][18]: 27–29
As a modern paper, it introduced advertisements for various industries, such as the Urdu magazines and Urdu cinemas. The paper would print rights on the columns to raise awareness. It continued on until the 1970s, when its decline came about due to the rise of the daily Urdu press.[18] TheMashriq remained as the sole Urdu newspaper in Britain during this period until the launch of the weekly'Asia' fromBirmingham, setup by a Pakistani journalist fromAzad Kashmir. It was eventually taken over by'Mashriq' in 1969 to be turned into a daily in '71, however this again did not last as the paper turned into a weekly a year later, before finally disappearing.
The first non-Pakistani Urdu paper was published by anIndian Punjabi in August 1965, and was known asملاپ – Milap(Reunion). Other weeklies likeاخبارِ وطن – Akhbar-e-Watan(News of the Homeland) were brought out inLondon, in 1969 by the veteran journalist Inayat Ullah, who also launched TheMashriq, followed byجنگ – theDaily Jang(The War) in 1971. The latter is one of the few papers that has published regularly since its inception. Since then, many weekly, fortnightly, and monthly Urdu language periodicals were once published in the UK.[20][18]: 37–39
Aside fromBBC Urdu,The Independent, which was previously a print newspaper, operates an Urdu-branded website, which began in 2018.[21] TheDaily Al-Fazl, run by theAhmadiyya Muslim Community, which started inQadian, India, launched its weekly international service in 1994. Since 2015,Al-Fazl has shifted toTilford, Surrey where it is published from.[22] Other newspapers like theDaily Jang continue to operate aLondon Edition, which can be obtained from libraries.[citation needed]
BBC Urdu Service, part of theBBC News network, is based inLondon and covers relevant news in theUrdu language, typically aimed towards middle-class Urdu speakers. It serves as a bridge for thePakistani diaspora and certain parts of theIndian diaspora in the UK.[23][24][25] In 2024, the Easter Sunday service at theCanterbury Cathedral, which was broadcast by theBBC included a segment in which theLord's Prayer was led in Urdu, along with subtitles inEnglish.[26]
Other renowned Urdu television stations, usually based inPakistan, such asPTV andARY Digital are also typically broadcast on theSky platform,[citation needed] while somePakistani Urdu dramas are also broadcast on Indian channels likeZee Entertainment.[27]
TheBBC Urdu service began its radio service back in 1940, when it was known as 'BBC Hindustani', launched to mitigate wartime misinformation. Following thePartition of India, it was renamed to 'BBC Urdu', and continued until 2022 after which it was discontinued.[28][29] Many other radio stations in Urdu are broadcast throughout the UK. A rugby match featuring theHuddersfield Giants was broadcast on a local station with Urdu commentary.[30]
The largest Urdu-speaking communities in the UK are predominantly found inNorthern England.[31] Urdu is the most spoken language, after English, in cities likeManchester,[32] where in certain areas likeRusholme,Longsight andCheetham Hill, signs and posters in Urdu are a common sight, and often used to promote businesses and products.[citation needed]London andBradford are considered two major Urdu centres, among cities likeIslamabad,Karachi andLahore.[1]: 334
| City | Region | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birmingham | West Midlands | 25,131 | 2.28% |
| Manchester | North West England | 17,672 | 3.31% |
| Bradford | Yorkshire and the Humber | 15,270 | 2.91% |
| Luton | London | 8,714 | 4.04% |
| Redbridge | 8,315 | 2.79% | |
| Newham | 7,438 | 2.21% | |
| Bolton | North West England | 7,144 | 2.51% |
| Kirklees | Yorkshire and the Humber | 6,857 | 1.64% |
| Slough | South East England | 6,497 | 4.28% |
| Oldham | North West England | 5,598 | 2.41% |
| Rochdale | 5,218 | 2.43% |
Queen Victoria was taught to write Urdu after requesting her servantAbdul Karim, who had arrived inEngland to deliver a seal mark celebrating the Queen's Golden Jubilee.[34] She began learning in 1887, and also began keeping a diary written in Urdu, which she called her 'Hindustani Journal', totalling 13 volumes altogether.[35]
When Pakistani-origin Scottish MSPBashir Ahmad was elected to theScottish parliament in 2007, he took his oath in both English and Urdu.[36] Similarly, the ex-First Minister of Scotland,Humza Yousaf, also took his oath in Urdu when he became an MP in 2016.[37]
It is aimed at an international Urdu-knowing middle-class rather than a mass audience in one country and to that extent serves a different purpose. But it has given the service a new global profile in an increasing competitive multimedia world.
The Urdu Service reflected the life of the Asian community in Britain for the benefit of target audiences in India and Pakistan. In that sense the service acted as a bridge between the diaspora and their home communities. But it was only in the 1990s, with the emergence of satellite communication, that Asian audiences in Britain acquired much easier access to BBC service for Asia and to Indian and Pakistani TV channels. From the late 1970s, the Urdu service broadcast a number of ambitious feature programmes which reflected the increasingly global character of the Urdu speaking community. For example, after the oil price hike of 1973, the Gulf exploded as a destination for Pakistanis and Indians, many of them in professional jobs but hundreds of thousands employed as laborers with minimal rights.
