Punjabi language
Punjabi is an Indo-Aryan language. Native to Punjab region of Indian Subcontinent, which includes Pakistani province of Punjab and Indian state of Punjab. It is the first language of about 113 million people in the world[2] and is the 9th most spoken language in the world. It is also spoken in Haryana, Himachal Pradesh states of India and in capital Delhi. It is spoken by the majority of the population of Pakistan (60%).[3]
| Panjabi | |
|---|---|
| ਪੰਜਾਬੀ پنجابی | |
 'Punjabi' written in Shahmukhi (top) and Gurmukhi (bottom) scripts | |
| Pronunciation | /pʌnˈdʒɑːbi/ |
| Native to | Panjab, Khalistan (unrecognized) |
| Ethnicity | Panjabis |
Native speakers | Panjabi: 245 million (2022) |
Indo-European
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Standard forms | Majhi dialect
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| Dialects |
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| Gurmukhi Perso-Arabic (Shahmukhi) Punjabi Braille Laṇḍā (historical) | |
| Official status | |
Official language in |  Pakistan [1]  India (Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh) |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-1 | pa |
| ISO 639-2 | pan |
| ISO 639-3 | Either:pan – Chardi Punjabipnb – Lehndi Punjabi |
| Glottolog | panj1256 Punjabi |
| Linguasphere | 59-AAF-e |
| Part of a series on | |
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| Constitutionally recognised languages of India | |
| Category | |
| Scheduled Languages | |
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A
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Official languages of India
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Punjabi developed from the ancient language of Prakrit developed simultaneously with Sanskrit.
Punjabi is written in two different scripts, called Gurmukhī and Shahmukhī. Punjabi is the main language spoken by the Sikhs.[4] Most parts of the Guru Granth Sahib use the Punjabi language written in Gurmukhī, though Punjabi is not the only language used in Sikh scriptures. The Janamsakhis, stories on the life and legend of Guru Nanak (1469–1539), are early examples of Punjabi literature.
Dialects change
Punjabi language has many dialects. The dialects are similar to each other that speakers can understand most of the dialects that are related to theirs. Major dialects of Punjabi include Majhi, Puadhi, Malwai, Pothohari, Shahpuri, Jhangvi, Jatki, Doabi among others.[5]
Majhi is Punjabi's standard dialect because it forms the standard for writing in Punjabi. It is spoken in the centre of Punjab, including the districts of Lahore, Sheikhupura, Kasur, Okara, Nankana Sahib, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Narowal, Gujrat, Pakpattan, Hafizabad and Mandi Bahauddin. In India it is spoken in Amritsar, Tarn Taran Sahib and Gurdaspur districts.
Other dialects of Punjabi include Rachnavi, Chenavari, Chhachi, Jandali, Ghebi. The relation of several dialects to languages other than Punjabi creates problems in assigning them to one or another "language".[6][7][8]
Distribution change
Over 95% of people who speak Punjabi as their first language live in Pakistan and India. It is the most widely spoken native language in Pakistan. It is spoken as a first language by over 56% of Pakistanis. There were 112 million Punjabi speakers in Pakistan in 2023.[9] In India, Punjabi is spoken as a native language by 4% of the population. This was about 40 million in 2011.[10] It is the official language of the Indian states of Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and Himachal Pradesh.
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Punjabi is also spoken as a minority language in several other countries where large numbers of Punjabis have emigrated.In the United Kingdom, it is the second-most-commonly used language.[11] In Canada, it is the fourth-most-spoken language.[12] There were 4 million Panjabi speakers in the US in 2023.[13] and 2.4 million in the UK in 2023.[11]
Phonology change
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Writing system change
There are three ways to write Punjabi: Gurmukhi, Shahmukhi, and Devanagari. In the Punjab province of Pakistan, the script that is most used is Shahmukhī. The Majhi dialect is the written standard for Punjabi in both parts of Punjab.
References change
- ↑ "Pakistan Census". Census.gov.pk. Archived from the original on 12 September 2011. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
- ↑ "World", The World Factbook, Central Intelligence Agency, 2023-11-29, retrieved 2023-12-05
- ↑ "Pakistan Census". Archived from the original on 2011-09-12. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
- ↑ Melvin Ember, Carol R. Ember, Ian A. Skoggard, ed. (2005). Encyclopedia of Diasporas: Immigrant and Refugee Cultures Around the World. Springer. p. 1077. ISBN 978-0-306-48321-9.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: editors list (link) - ↑ Grierson, George A. 1904–1928. Grierson's Linguistic Survey of India. Calcutta.
- ↑ Masica, Colin (1991) The Indo-Aryan languages. Cambridge Univ. Press. p 25.
- ↑ Burling, Robbins. 1970. Man's many voices. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
- ↑ Shackle, C. 1972. Punjabi. London: English Universities Press. p 240.
- ↑ "Pakistan 1998 census – Population by mother tongue" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-02-17. Retrieved 2014-11-19.
- ↑ "Indian Census".
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 McDonnell, John (7 March 2000). "Punjabi Community". Parliamentary Business: Commons Debates. UK Parliament. p. Column 142WH. Retrieved 15 July 2012.
- ↑ "Punjabi is 4th most spoken language in Canada". The Times of India. 14 February 2008.
- ↑ http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articlesho/62121520.cms
More reading change
Punjabi phrasebook travel guide from Wikivoyage
- Bhatia, Tej (1993 and 2010) Punjabi: a cognitive-descriptive grammar. London: Routledge. Series: Descriptive grammars.
- Singh, Maya (1895) The Panjabi dictionary. Lahore: Munshi Gulab Singh & Sons.
- Ethnologue: Languages of India and Pakistan