Asian Research Thesis Index

Abstract

Dr. John Borthwick Gilchrist is one of those Orientalists, who did great service for the development of Urdu Language and Literature. His scholarly interests were not too limited to Urdu only; he did linguistic research in Sanskrit, Arabic, Persian and Hindee also. He is among the founders of Urdu Grammar and lexicography. Gilchrist's Grammar can be called the first comprehensive effort in Urdu. He introduced a new method in the tradition of Urdu Grammar. He was the first one who wrote Grammar on the basis of Parts of speech in Urdu. In reality Gilchrist had done this scholarly almost one and a half century prior to Moulvi Abdul Haq, who compiled "Quwaid-e-Urdu" on the same Grammatical Model. Gilchrist's Grammar is written in English, and for Urdu words Roman Script and vis-a-vis Urdu type is used. Gilchrist's English Hindoostani Dictionary a huge one, consists of thirteen hundred pages. It is important to analyze the similarities and differences between the dictionary part of Hindoostanee Philology (1810) and the original Dictionary. Moreover in this dissertation the different pieces of dictionary dispersed into different books of Gilchrist are analyzed. It is tried to bring to light the behaviors and strategies of colonizers on the basis of analysis of Gilchrist's Grammar, Dictionary and other linguistic work of Gilchrist. In this study the focus is, to enquire the method, theory and Grammatical model of Gilchrist. After the detailed analytical study of Gilchrist's Grammar and Dictionary, his other linguistic works are studied which hitherto were undiscussed in Urdu circles. Among them Gilchrist's efforts in laying down the foundation of renaissance of Urdu prose, Structuring of "Language of command", publishing of Urdu prose books and his translations, and struggle for making Urdu an official language along with any other effort which helped in one or the other way, in promoting Urdu Language and literature are discussed in detail. Gilchrist wrote more than twenty titles on Urdu Language in English and Roman Script. Their scarcity and roman script were the main causes, that they were not studied and acknowledged in Urdu circles. This dissertation is written to fill that space. I hope it will start a serious discussion in Urdu Grammar and Dictionary studies.

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