The language controversy There are many ways and tools a community can use for preserving and promoting its culture besides language The writer is a PhD in Administrative Sciences and associated with SZABIST, Islamabad. He can be reached at [email protected] Like many unresolved perennial issues in Pakistan, the question of which language to use as a medium of instruction during the formative years of school-going kids remains unaddressed. For some ordinary folks, language is a cultural artefact — a symbol of identity and carrier of a community’s unique way of life — which has to be preserved by all means. For others, language is no one’s property — just a means of communication — and so a community can adopt any language it deems fit.