Editing Saraiki language (section)

==Name==
The present extent of the meaning of ''{{IAST|Sirāikī}}'' is a recent development, and the term most probably gained its currency during the nationalist movement of the 1960s.{{sfn|Rahman|1995|p=3}} It has been in use for much longer in [[Sindh]] to refer to the speech of the immigrants from the north, principally Siraiki-speaking [[Baloch tribes]] who settled there between the 16th and the 19th centuries. In this context, the term can most plausibly be explained as originally having had the meaning "the language of the north", from the [[Sindhi language|Sindhi]] word ''{{lang|sd|siro}}'' 'up-river, north'.<ref>{{harvnb|Rahman|1995|p=4}}; {{harvnb|Shackle|1976|p=2}}; {{harvnb|Shackle|1977|p=388}}</ref> This name can ambiguously refer to the northern dialects of Sindhi, but these are nowadays more commonly known as "Siroli"{{sfn|Shackle|2007|p=114}} or "Sireli".{{sfn|Shackle|1976|p=24}}

An alternative hypothesis is that ''Sarākī'' originated in the word ''sauvīrā'', or [[Sauvira]],{{sfn|Dani|1981|p=36}} an ancient kingdom which was also mentioned in the Sanskrit epic [[Mahabharata]].

Currently, the most common rendering of the name is ''Saraiki''.{{efn|''Saraiki'' is the spelling used in universities of Pakistan (the [[Islamia University|Islamia University of Bahawalpur]], department of Saraiki established in 1989,<ref name="iub.edu.pk">{{cite web|url=http://www.iub.edu.pk/department.php?id=26|title=The Islamia University of Bahawalpur Pakistan - Department|work=iub.edu.pk}}</ref> [[Bahauddin Zakariya University]], in Multan, department of Saraiki established in 2006,<ref name="bzu.edu.pk">{{cite web|url=http://www.bzu.edu.pk/departmentindex.php?id=33|title=Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Pakistan |work=bzu.edu.pk}}</ref> and [[Allama Iqbal Open University]], in Islamabad, department of Pakistani languages established in 1998),<ref name="aiou.edu.pk">{{cite web|url=http://www.aiou.edu.pk/DeptDetail.asp?DeptID=47|title=Department Detail|work=aiou.edu.pk}}</ref> and by the district governments of Bahawalpur<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bahawalpur.gov.pk/history.htm|title=History of Bahawalpur|work=bahawalpur.gov.pk|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120611045704/http://www.bahawalpur.gov.pk/history.htm|archive-date=11 June 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> and Multan,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.multan.gov.pk/page.php?data=136|title=Introduction -City District Government Multan|work=multan.gov.pk}}</ref> as well as by the federal institutions of the Government of Pakistan like Population Census Organization<ref>[https://www.census.gov.pk/MotherTongue.htm Population by Mother Tongue] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110912021653/http://www.census.gov.pk/MotherTongue.htm |date=12 September 2011 }}, website of the Population Census organization of Pakistan</ref> and Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation.<ref>[http://www.radio.gov.pk/cms/TopStoryDetail.asp?id=490 Saraiki News Bulletins] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006092215/http://www.radio.gov.pk/cms/TopStoryDetail.asp?id=490 |date=6 October 2014 }}, website of Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation</ref>}} However, ''Seraiki'' and ''Siraiki'' have also been used in academia until recently. Precise spelling aside, the name was first adopted in the 1960s by regional social and political leaders.{{sfn|Shackle|1977}}