A Study of Dr. G. A. Allana’s Theory about Origin of Sindhi Language

Abstract

Dr. Ghulam Ali Allana (1930-2020), commonly referred to as
Dr. Allana, was a distinguished author in the literary field. He was a prominent writer, researcher, and linguist of the Sindhi language, credited with numerous significant books and research papers written in Urdu and English under the name Dr. G. A. Allana. Dr. Allana served as a professor in the Sindhi Department at the University of Sindh, Jamshoro. He was the first individual to obtain a PhD in Sindhi Language and Literature from the University of Sindh in 1971, with his dissertation titled "لاڙ جي ادبي ۽ ثقافتي تاريخ" (A Literary and Cultural History of Laar, a region in lower Sindh). Notably, Dr. Allana authored more than 200 research papers and articles on topics related to language, literature, classical poetry, and teaching methodologies. Additionally, he published over 50 literary and research books exploring various aspects of linguistics. This research paper aims to investigate Dr. Allana’s contributions to the study of the origin of the Sindhi language. In his research paper published in the second issue of the Quarterly Mehran magazine in 1967, Dr. Allana presented a theory regarding the origin of the Sindhi language. Prior to his work, several other scholars and linguists, including Dr. Ernest Trump (1872), Dr. A. G. Grierson (1903), Mr. Bheroomal Meherchand Adwani (1941), Mr. Jayramdas Dolatram (1957), Dr. N. A. Baloch (1962), and Mr. Siraj ul Haq Memon (1964), had proposed their own theories. Scholars from earlier periods generally believed that the Sindhi language is derived from Sanskrit, while others argued the opposite, claiming that Sindhi is a foundational language from which Sanskrit is derived. Following the publication of his initial paper, Dr. Allana further reviewed and analyzed his theory, culminating in a full-length book titled “سنڌي ٻوليءَ جو بڻ بنياد” (Origin of Sindhi Language), published in 1974. He revisited his theory three decades later in light of modern research, resulting in an expanded edition of the same book published in 2004. This research article seeks to discuss the theories surrounding the Sindhi language by delving into Dr. G. A. Allana’s comprehensive descriptions.