Punjabi language

Punjabi language
Name	Punjabi
Nativename	ਪੰਜਾਬੀ / پنجابی
States	Pakistan, India
Region	Punjab
Ethnicity	Punjabis
Speakers	~ 130 million
Familycolor	Indo-European
Fam2	Indo-Iranian
Fam3	Indo-Aryan
Fam4	Northwestern
Script	Gurmukhi, Shahmukhi
Iso1	pa
Iso2	pan
Iso3	pan
Glotto	panj1256
Glottorefname	Panjabi
Mapcaption	Areas where Punjabi is the majority language (dark blue) or a significant minority language (light blue).

Punjabi language. It is an Indo-Aryan language primarily spoken by the Punjabis inhabiting the historical Punjab region, which is now divided between Pakistan and India. With approximately 130 million native speakers, it ranks among the world's most widely spoken languages and possesses a rich literary tradition dating back centuries. The language is written in two distinct scripts: Gurmukhi, predominantly used in the Indian state of Punjab, India, and Shahmukhi, a Perso-Arabic script used in the Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan.

History

The language evolved from Shauraseni Prakrit, a Middle Indo-Aryan vernacular, through the Apabhraṃśa stage around the 7th century CE. Early development was significantly influenced by the arrival of Islam in the region, incorporating vocabulary from Persian and Arabic during the period of the Delhi Sultanate and the Mughal Empire. The formative phase of its modern literature is often associated with the works of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, in the 15th and 16th centuries. Subsequent poets like Baba Farid, Bulleh Shah, and Waris Shah further enriched its literary and spiritual corpus, with Shah's epic Heer Ranjha standing as a monumental work.

Geographical distribution

It is the official language of the Indian state of Punjab, India and one of the 22 scheduled languages in the Constitution of India. Across the border, it is the most widely spoken language in Pakistan, particularly in the province of Punjab, Pakistan, though it lacks official status at the national level where Urdu is the sole official language. Significant diaspora communities exist worldwide, notably in the United Kingdom, Canada (especially in cities like Brampton and Surrey), the United States, and the United Arab Emirates, where it maintains cultural vitality.

Phonology

The language is characterized by a rich consonantal system, most notably featuring a three-way contrast in stop articulations: voiced, voiceless, and voiceless aspirated. A distinctive and celebrated phonetic feature is the presence of tonal contrasts, a rarity among Indo-European languages, which developed from the historical loss of voiced aspirated consonants. It possesses a set of retroflex sounds, influenced by the Dravidian substratum, and a series of nasals that carry phonemic weight. The vowel system is relatively symmetrical, with contrastive vowel length playing a significant role.

Grammar

It is a head-final language, typically following a Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) word order. The noun system incorporates grammatical case, primarily marked through postpositions rather than inflection, and distinguishes between two genders: masculine and feminine. Verbs are highly inflected for tense, aspect, mood, and agree with the subject in person and number, and sometimes in gender. A notable feature is the use of ergative case marking on subjects in certain past tense constructions, a trait shared with other Indo-Aryan languages like Hindi and Urdu.

Writing systems

Two primary scripts are employed, largely divided along national and religious lines. The Gurmukhi script, standardized by the second Sikh Guru, Guru Angad, in the 16th century, is strongly associated with the Sikh community and is the official script in Punjab, India. The Shahmukhi script, an adaptation of the Persian alphabet which itself derives from the Arabic script, is used by Muslim populations, particularly in Pakistan. Historically, the Lahnda dialects in western regions were also written in the Landā scripts, while the Devanagari script has seen limited use.

Literature

Its literary heritage is vast and encompasses both secular and religious themes. The foundational text of Sikhism, the Guru Granth Sahib, composed between the 16th and 17th centuries by the Sikh Gurus and other saints, is written in Gurmukhi and is a cornerstone of its classical literature. The medieval period produced iconic Qissa (epic romances) such as Heer Ranjha by Waris Shah and Mirza Sahiban. The modern era saw the rise of influential figures like the poet Mohan Singh and the novelist Nanak Singh, while contemporary literature continues to flourish with writers such as Amrita Pritam and Surjit Patar.

Status and recognition

In India, it is an official state language of Punjab, India and is also recognized as a second official language in the neighboring states of Haryana and Delhi. It is a medium of instruction in schools and universities within the Indian Punjab and is used in the Punjab and Haryana High Court. In Pakistan, despite being the majority language of Punjab, Pakistan, it has no official status at the federal level, a subject of ongoing cultural and political advocacy. Globally, it is taught in universities such as the University of British Columbia and SOAS University of London.

Category:Languages of Pakistan Category:Languages of India Category:Punjabi language