An Investigative Study of Transliteration of English Words in Monolingual Urdu Dictionaries ( Feroz ul Lughat, Ilmi Urdu Lughat and jammay ul Lughat)

Abstract

The present study focuses on issues of English to Urdu transliteration and problems of orthography. Transliteration is the transcription of words of one language to another. This study identifies the transliteration of English words in monolingual Urdu dictionaries i.e. Feroz-ul-Lughat and Azhar-ul-Lughat. When English words are transliterated, the problems of orthography, pronunciation, written script, sound inventories and lexicography occur. This study aims to explore the transliterated English words in Urdu dictionaries and to discover the precise orthographic forms according to the exact shape and tone of the words. The study is descriptive and exploratory in nature. A documentary analysis approach has been utilised. The research sample consisted of monolingual Urdu dictionaries like Feroz- ul- Lughaat, Ilmi Urdu Lughat and Jammay- ul- Lughaat. Different features of these monolingual Urdu dictionaries including contents, preface, pronunciation symbols, list of headwords (macrostructure) are used for analysis. The analysis of these dictionaries reveal that many words of English origin and usage have been taken as it is in the said dictionaries. The headwords have been given with their English spellings as well in some of the entries. The study concludes that the compilers have not considered the modern rules of modern lexicography. This study paves the way for lexicographers, dictionary compilers, syllabus designers and policy makers and it will also be useful for both native and foreign speakers of Urdu.