PUNJABI LANGUAGE

Origins of Punjabi

Relationship to Sanskrit

Punjabi (ਪੰ ਜਾਬੀ in Gurmukhi script, ‫ﭘﻨﺠﺎﺑﯽ‬in Shahmukhi script, Pañjābī in transliteration) is an Indo-Aryan language
spoken by inhabitants of the historical Punjab region (now split between India and Pakistan) and their diasporas.
Speakers include adherents of the religions of Islam, Sikhism, and Hinduism. It has over 90 million native speakers
according to the Pakistan census of 1998 and the India census of 2001, which makes it approximately the 11th most
widely spoken language in the world. Along with Lahanda and Western Pahari languages, Punjabi is unusual
among modern Indo-European languages in being a tonal language. The written standard for Punjabi for at least
300 years has been based on the Majhi dialect, the dialect of the historical region of Majha, which spans the Lahore,
Sheikhupura, Kasur, Gujranwala, and Sialkot Districts of the Pakistani Province of Punjab and Amritsar District
and Gurdaspur District of the Indian State of Punjab.

Gurmukhi and Shahmukhi scripts

Whereas Punjabi literature certainly exists as a single literature common to the Punjab region, such literature has
been rendered throughout history in ore than one script, and of which various scripts, the two Gurmukhi and
Shahmukhi are predominant. Gurmukhi (lit. 'Mouth of the Guru') originated during the fifteenth century and
according to tradition through the second Sikh teacher Guru Angad and Guru Nanak, whereas the Perso-Nastalliq
(Urdu) script called "Shahmukhi" (lit. '(from) Mouth of the King') is a term of later coinage, but whose script has
been used for Punjabi since at least the twelfth century.

Official Status of Punjabi in India and Pakistan

Punjabi today is recognized officially as one of the "major" languages of the Indian constitution, without having
status as the "official" language(s) of India which is accorded to Hindi and English. In the Punjab state of the India,
Punjabi (in the Gurmukhi script) can be found in the popular media, religious and secular literature alongside the
officially recognized "national" languages of Hindi and English.

In Pakistan, home to the greatest single number of Punjabi speakers worldwide, Urdu retains status as the official
and national language, and whereas Punjabi lacks official status within government, education and the media, a
contentious issue notwithstanding, Punjabi literature is still produced in Shahmukhi by writers in the Punjab region.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punjabi_language

History of the Punjabi Language:

http://languages.iloveindia.com/punjabi.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punjabi_language

Punjabi Dialects:
http://www.advancedcentrepunjabi.org/intro1.asp
P U N J A B I L I T E R AT U R E

Punjabi literature is that literature written in the Punjabi language, particularly by writers of the historical Punjab
region of South Asia which today includes citizens of India and Pakistan as well as members of the Punjabi
diaspora, of both Indian and Pakistani origin or descent, ranging from such regions as North America, the Middle
East, South East Asia, East Africa and the United States.

Punjabi contributions to Non-Punjabi literature

Despite its own literature, the Punjabi language has for its own unique historical, social and cultural reasons, co-
existed with other languages such as Sanskrit, Persian, Urdu, Hindi and English, which historically predominated as
the "classical" languages of religion, society, empire or modern governments. Punjabi literature has thus never
entirely supplanted those other languages and their respective literatures which were recognized as either ancient
(Sanskrit), imperial (Persian) or official (Hindi, Urdu and English) in the modern context.

Notable Literary Writers of Punjab

1173 – 1265 Baba Farid

1469 – 1539 Guru Nanak
1539 – 1599 Shah Hussain
1629 – 1690 Sultan Bahoo
1680 – 1758 Bulleh Shah
1722 – 1798 Waris Shah
1830 – 1904 Mian Muhammad
1841 – 1901 Khawaja Farid

Source: http://apnaorg.com

Love Legends of Punjab

The love legends of Punjab include the love stories of Sohni-Mahiwal and Heer Ranjha. These were included in
Sobha Singh’s paintings. (See Punjabi Art)

Sohni Mahiwal (Urdu/Punjabi: ‫ ) ﺳﻮﮨﻨﯽ ﻣﮩﻴﻮال‬is one of the four popular tragic romances of the Punjab, Sindh in
Pakistan. This is one of the four identity of Pakistans Literature, Sohni lived In Punjab (now Pakistan) followed by
Heer Ranjha, Mirza Sahiba and Sassi Punnun. The story is one of the most prominent examples of medieval poetic
legends in the Punjabi and Sindhi languages.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sohni_Mahiwal

Web Links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sohni_Mahiwal

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heer_ranjha

Academy of the Punjab in North America

http://apnaorg.com/

Likhari
A non-commercial, non-political, non-religious website dedicated to promoting Punjabi language and literature via
the internet.
http://likhari.org/