Q1. Answer any one of the following:
- (a)) Comment on the process of congruence/agreement in Urdu. (400 words)
- (b)) Comment on five important Arabic and Persian sounds in Urdu, their pronunciation, points of articulation, and manner of articulation. (400 words)
- Urdu congruence involves gender and number agreement for adjectives, verbs, and postpositions.
- Adjectives agree with nouns by changing their endings (e.g., `بڑا` for masculine singular, `بڑی` for feminine singular).
- Verbal agreement depends on `نے`: with `نے`, the verb matches the object; without `نے`, it matches the subject.
- `ع` (Ain) is a voiced pharyngeal fricative; `ح` (Ḥa) is its voiceless pharyngeal counterpart, both without direct English equivalents.
Answer: Congruence, or agreement, is a key grammatical feature in Urdu where elements like adjectives, verbs, and postpositions modify their forms to match the grammatical characteristics of associated nouns or pronouns. This primarily involves agreement in gender and number. Urdu nouns are inherently masculine or feminine, and this gender dictates the form of dependent words. Adjectives typically agree with the noun they qualify. For example, "بڑا لڑکا" (baṛā laṛkā - big boy, masc. sing.) becomes "بڑی...