Punjabi has remained culturally significant.
The Punjabi language has a vibrant history as one of South Asia’s most widely spoken languages.
South Asian communities include Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, and Sri Lankan groups.
It has developed through centuries of religious movements, social change and cultural exchanges.
Punjabi has been shaped by the influences of local dialects, Persian, and Arabic and has approximately 100 million speakers, 90% of whom are from India or Pakistan.
It is also widely spoken amongst the Punjabi diaspora worldwide.
Join DESIblitz as we trace the fascinating journey of the Punjabi language, from its ancient roots to its emergence as a powerful communication medium in the modern world.
Ancient Roots
Punjabi’s inception can be traced back to the Indo-Aryan languages and Vedic Sanskrit, the language of the ancient Vedas.
Punjabi is over 5,500 years old and was believed to have been officially formed in the seventh century as an Apabhramsa, or degenerated form, of the Prakrit language.
These were Sanskrit, Shauraseni, and Jain Prakrit, and they were seen as the ‘common man’s’ language.
Its phonology and composition also have some influence from the Indo-Aryan languages.
Due to the influence of many regional languages, many forms of these languages started to be generated every day.
Punjabi is seen to take the most influence from the Shauraseni Prakrit language in the Seventh Century.
However, due to the rapid change and influence in this region, it developed into an entirely independent language by the 10th century.
Influence of Sufism
From the 11th century onwards, Sufi saints played a crucial role in the spread of Islam in Punjab.
They used the language to make their teachings accessible to the ordinary people.
By using the people’s language, Sufis ensured that all understood their message, regardless of their background.
This helped make Sufi ideals more popular and integrate them into people’s daily lives.
Sufis also introduced a diverse vocabulary into the spiritual world of Punjabi.
Words like “Ishq” (divine love), “Faqr” (spiritual poverty) and “Murshid” (spiritual guide) became common in poetic expression.
Punjabi Sufi poetry often uses metaphors about the lover and beloved, the moth and flame, and the intoxication of divine love.
Sufi teachings also concerned unity, where an individual soul merges with the divine.
This significantly influenced Punjabi poetry, as poets began to explore their longing for union with the divine using these metaphors and symbolism.
Sufism is also seen in newer dance forms such as Bhangra and Giddha, where the subject often searches for one’s love.
This has embedded Sufi concepts into the cultural fabric of Punjab.
It made Punjabi a language of the arts, with an influx of literature and music being written in the language.
Gurmukhi and Shahmukhi Script
Gurmukhi is the script used to write Punjabi in Indian Punjab, or at the time of its creation, East Punjab.
“Gurmukhi” means ‘from the mouth of the Guru.’
The script owes its name to Guru Angad Dev Ji, the second Sikh Guru.
Lahnda was the only alphabet known for writing Punjabi in Guru Angad Dev Ji’s time.
However, this form of writing was likely misinterpreted when writing Sikh hymns.
Therefore, Guru Angad Dev Ji standardised the language, adding letters from other local scripts such as Devanagari, Takri and Sarada.
The alphabet is also called the ‘painti’ because it historically had 35 letters divided into seven rows with five characters each.
With the newly added sounds, the script has 41 letters.
In addition, the Gurmukhi script comprises 10 vowel accents, three conjunct consonants, two nasal markers and one symbol for a double letter.
Shahmukhi was the script used to write Punjabi in East Punjab, now Pakistani Punjab.
It uses the Persio-Arabic Urdu alphabet, with some extra characters added.
Shahmukhi means “from the King’s mouth” and is a local variant of the Arabic script.
There are 36 letters in the Shahmukhi alphabet – the official script and format for writing Punjabi in Pakistan.
Whereas Gurmukhi is written left to right, Shahmukhi is written right to left.
The most well-known writers in Shahmukhi are Guru Nanak Dev Ji, Baba Farid Ji and Bulleh Shah.
Colonial Period
During the colonial period, the British made Urdu the official language of Punjab.
British officers were against Gurmukhi because it was a symbol of religious identity.
In a letter on 16th June 1862, the Commissioner of Delhi wrote to the Punjab Government.
They stated: “Any measure which would revive the Goormukhee, which is the written Punjabee tongue, would be a political error.”
By 1854, the whole province of Punjab used Urdu in lower levels of administration, judiciary, and education.
This was first challenged by the British and then the Hindus and Sikhs, whilst Muslims continued to support Urdu.
In a letter on 2 June 1862, a British Officer in Punjab advocated for Punjabi in the Gurmukhi script.
This was because it was the vernacular language that the British should support in principle.
This was rejected by other officers who felt that Punjabi was just a dialect of Urdu.
Their views about Punjabi not being a ‘natural dialect or a form of patois’ prevented it from being considered an actual language during this time.
However, things changed when the British began to recruit Sikhs into their army.
Sikhs predominantly promoted the Punjabi language and literature, so its usage was no longer discouraged.
In the 1900s, British officers were “instructed to encourage the use of Punjabi colloquially in all Lower Primary classes.”
The number of Gurmukhi schools slowly increased but Urdu remained the primary and higher education medium.
One of the reasons for the lack of interest in Punjabi was that it was seen as “ghetto” at the time.
Punjabi speakers, who were not very conscious of their identity, did not want to sacrifice their social mobility for a linguistic symbol.
Others who were more conscious of their identity did promote Punjabi as a language.
Therefore, Punjabi became the informal language to speak in casual social spheres and at home.
However, Urdu was seen as the adopted language of intelligence in Punjab.
Post-Partition
The partition in 1947 divided not only the province of Punjab but also the Punjabi language.
This was also the first time Punjabi received official state patronage in India.
It is now officially recognised as one of the 22 official languages in India.
Post-partition, many notable poets, writers, and playwrights came onto the scene, promoting the language and continuing its rich tradition.
Punjabi newspapers, television and radio also played a significant role in promoting the language.
However, the same cannot be said for Pakistan, where Urdu’s official language status is reserved.
Punjabi is also not part of the official curriculum in Pakistan, which has contributed to a decline in Punjabi literacy.
However, there has been a revival in interest in Punjabi in Pakistan, with more efforts being made to promote its use in education, media, and literature.
There are also movements dedicated to giving Punjabi greater recognition and support as an educational and literary language.
The Punjabi-speaking diaspora has also contributed to keeping the language alive.
Punjabi culture is heavily promoted in countries such as the UK, Canada and the US.
Punjabi films, music and literature made by those in the diaspora have become international successes and have boosted the language’s profile further.
Contemporary Dialects
Within the Punjabi-speaking territories, there are many dialects.
The main ones include Majhi, Doabi, Malwai and Puadhi.
Malwai is spoken in the Southern part of Indian Punjab and Pakistan’s Bahawalnagar and Vehari districts.
In Indian Punjab, the dialects are spoken in places including Ludhiana, Moga, and Firozpur, among others.
It is also spoken in other regions of Northern India, such as the Ganganagar, Ropar, Ambala, Sirsa, Kurukshetra, Fatehabad, the Hanumangarh districts of Rajasthan, and the Sirsa and Fatehabad districts of Haryana.
The people that live in the Majha region are known as ‘Majhe.’ This is the heartland – the central part of Indian and Pakistani Punjab.
The districts in Majha where people speak Majhi include Lahore, Shiekhupura, Okara, and many more.
In India, Majhi is seen as the standard way of speaking Punjabi, and the dialect is used in formal education, literature, and media in Punjabi, Pakistan.
Doabi is spoken in the central areas of Indian Punjab, which includes the districts of Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Hoshiarpur and Nawanshahr, and the Una District of Himachal Pradesh.
Due to its location sandwiched between the Southern and northern sides of Punjab, some areas of Doaba also have a dialect that blends with the Majhi or Malwai dialects.
Puadi, also spelt ‘Pwadhi’ or ‘Powadhi’, is another dialect of Punjabi.
Puadh is between Punjab and Haryana, between the Satluj and Ghagghar rivers.
It is spoken in places including Kharar, Kurali, Ropar, Morinda, Nabha, and some parts of Patiala.
The Punjabi language reflects Punjab’s rich history, with its migration, culture and evolving identities.
From its roots in the Prakrit language to its evolution as a language of its right, Punjabi has withstood the tests of time.
Punjabi has remained culturally significant despite its absence in formal education.
As it continues to flourish throughout the Indian subcontinent and the diaspora, it highlights its ability to adapt and connect globally.
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