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By Canela
One language with two different forms of writing? That’s only one of the many unique characteristics and history of this month’s language: Panjabi!
Panjabi, also known as Punjabi, is an Indo-Aryan language with Persian and Arabic influences. Punjabi, although not an official language in any country, is widely spoken by 70 million people in Pakistan and 30 million in India. However, the language is not bound solely to the Asian continent. In Canada, Panjabi is the 4th most spoken language after Mandarin, French, and English. The United Kingdom is also home to 300,000 Punjabi speakers.
History and Scripts
Panjabi is widely written in two different scripts, Gurmukhi and Shahmukhi. In India, the Sikhs began to use the Gurmukhī script to record sacred scriptures as early as the 17th century. In fact, Sikhism’s primary holy text, the Guru Granth Sahib, is often written in Gurmukhī script. Due to its prominence in Sikhism, Gurmukhī script is usually regarded as a Sikh script. This became known as Indian Punjabi, which is how Punjabi is usually depicted.
In Pakistan, the population’s attachment to the Urdu language led to Punjabi being written with the Urdu script. Also known as the Shahmukhi script, the Urdu script originates from the Perso-Arabic script. The Shahmukhi script traces back to the 12th century when it was originally used by Muslim poets. Many consider the Shahmukhi script to be slightly harder to learn than the Gurmukhi script. Unlike the Gurmukhi script, Shahmukhi is written from right to left and the shape of its letters changes depending on their placement in a word.
Despite conveying the same exact language, both scripts are written differently. There has not been much action to officially standardize the language. Differences in cultural preferences between the Sikh, Muslim, and Hindu Punjabi-speaking populations are considered to be a possible cause, especially after India’s partition in 1947. After the partition, India and Pakistan expelled religious groups, resulting in an exchange between the two countries. The Muslim Punjabi population wanted their own language along with Urdu, which led to the Shahmukhi script.
Punjabi’s long standing history allowed for the creation of a rich and historical culture.
For example, the lively traditional folk dance Bhangra made its way across the world while modernizing for the newer generations. The dance inspired the Bhangra genre of pop music that was a British hit during the 1970’s and 1980’s. The traditional Bhangra dance remains popular among the Punjabi population in India and Pakistan.
Did you know?
“Panjabi” comes from the Persian word Panj-āb, which translates to “Five Rivers.”
Panjabi has around 30 dialects with Majhi being the “standard” dialect. Most dialects can be understood by each other.
Panjabi is a tonal language.
Panjabi is one of the most common languages to be spoken by Sikhs.
Panjabi is the official language of the state of Punjab in India.
Basic Phrases in Panjabi
Hello! — ਸਤਿ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਅਕਾਲ। / ست سِری اَکال (sat srī akāl)
How are you? — ਤੁਹਾਡਾ ਕੀ ਹਾਲ ਹੈ? / تُہاڈا کی حال ہے؟ (tuhāḍā kī hāl he?)
Where’s the bathroom? — ٹوائلٹ کِتھے وا؟ (tolet kiṭai wai?)
Sorry — ਖਿਮਾ/ਮਾਫ਼ ਕਰੋ ਜੀ। / معاف کرو جی۔ (kimā/māf karō jī)
Thank you — ਧਨਵਾਦ / مہربانی (tànvād)
I love you — ਮੈਂ ਤੈਨੂੰ ਪਿਆਰ ਕਰਦਾ ਹਾਂ। / میں تینوں پیار کردا ہاں (mẽ tenū̃ piār kardā hā̃)
Congratulations! — ਮੁਬਾਰਕਾਂ! (Mubārakāṁ!)
Help! — ਮੱਦਦ! / مدد! (madad!)
Do you speak English? — ਤੁਸੀਂ ਅੰਗਰੇਜੀ ਬੋਲਦੇ ਹੋ? / تُسیں انگریزی بولدے ہو؟ (tusī̃ angrējī bōldē hō?)
About Canela
A daydreamer, Canela spends some of their time trying to learn more about themselves and the world around them. Most of the time though, they can be found hunched over their battered desk studying for their next test.