Pakistani English | |
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Region | Pakistan |
Native speakers | 108 million (2022)[1] |
Early forms | |
Latin (English alphabet) Unified English Braille | |
Official status | |
Official language in | Pakistan |
Language codes | |
ISO 639-1 | en |
ISO 639-2 | eng |
ISO 639-3 | eng |
Glottolog | paki1244 |
IETF | en-PK |
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Pakistani English (Paklish, Pinglish, PakEng, en-PK[2][3]) is a group of English-language varieties spoken in Pakistan and among the Pakistani diaspora.[4] English is the primary language used by the government of Pakistan, alongside Urdu, on the national level. While being spoken natively by only a small percentage of the population,[5] it is the primary language used in education, commerce, administration, and the legal and judicial systems.[6]
It was first recognised as a distinct variety of South Asian English and designated in the 1970s and 1980s.[7] Pakistani English, similar and related to Indian English, is slightly different from other varieties of English in respect to vocabulary, syntax, accent, spellings of some words[citation needed] and other features.
With the exception of this educated elite, English is spoken fluently by only a small percentage of the population.