History
Punjabi is an [[Indo-Aryan languages|Indo-Aryan]] language like many other modern languages of [[South Asia]]. It is a descendant of [[Sauraseni Prakrit]], which was the chief language of medieval northern India.''India's culture through the ages'' by Mohan Lal Vidyarthi. Published by Tapeshwari Sahitya Mandir, 1952. Page 148: "From the apabhramsha of Sauraseni are derived Punjabi, Western Hindi, Rajasthani and Gujerati [sic]..."National Communication and Language Policy in India By Baldev Raj Nayar. Published by F. A. Praeger, 1969. Page 35. "...Sauraseni Aprabhramsa from which have emerged the modern Western Hindi and Punjabi."[http://linguistlist.org/forms/langs/LLDescription.cfm?code=psu The Sauraseni Pr?krit Language]. "This Middle Indic language originated in Mathura, and was the main language used in drama in Northern India in the medieval period. Two of its descendants are Hindi and Punjabi."
Punjabi emerged as an independent language in the 11th century. The first traces of Punjabi language can be found in works of nath yogis(jogis) gorkahnath & charpat nath in 9th & 10th century. The Punjabi literary tradition is popularly seen to commence with [[Fariduddin Ganjshakar]] (Baba Farid) (1173–1266), many ancient Sufi mystics and later [[Guru Nanak Dev]] ji, the first Guru of [[Sikhism]]. The early Punjabi literature was principally spiritual in nature and has had a very rich oral tradition. The poetry written by Sufi saints has been the folklore of the Punjab and is still sung with great love in any part of Punjab.{{Citation needed|date=September 2010}}
Between 1600 and 1850, Muslim Sufi, Sikh and Hindu writers composed many works in Punjabi. The most famous Punjabi Sufi poet was [[Baba Bulleh Shah]] (1680–1757), who wrote in the [[Kafi]] style. Bulleh Shah practiced the Sufi tradition of Punjabi poetry established by poets like [[Shah Hussain]] (1538–1599), [[Sultan Bahu]] (1629–1691), and [[Shah Sharaf]] (1640–1724). His lifespan also overlapped with the legendary Punjabi poet [[Waris Shah]] (1722–1798), of [[Heer Ranjha]] fame. [[Waris Shah]]'s rendition of the tragic love story of [[Heer Ranjha]] is among the most popular medieval Punjabi works. Other popular tragic love stories are [[Sohni Mahiwal]], [[Mirza Sahiba]] and [[Sassi Punnun]]. [[Shah Mohammad]]'s [[Jangnama]] is another fine piece of poetry that gives an eyewitness account of the [[First Anglo-Sikh War]] that took place after the death of [[Ranjit Singh|Maharaja Ranjit Singh]].
The linguist [[George Abraham Grierson]] in his multivolume ''[[Linguistic Survey of India]]'' (1904–1928) used the word "Punjabi" to refer to several languages spoken in the [[Punjab region]]: the term "[[Western Panjabi language|Western Punjabi]]" ([[ISO 639-3]] pnb) covered dialects (now designated separate languages) spoken to the west of [[Montgomery District|Montgomery]] and [[Gujranwala District|Gujranwala]] districts, while "Eastern Punjabi" referred to what is now simply called Punjabi ([[ISO 639-3]] pan)Shackle 1970:240 After [[Saraiki language|Saraiki]], [[Pothohari language|Pothohari]] and [[Hindko]] (earlier categorized as "Western Punjabi") started to be counted as separate languages, the percentage of Pakistanis recorded as Punjabi speakers was reduced from 59% to 44%. Although not an official language, Punjabi is still the predominant language of Pakistan.
Modern Punjabi is not the predominant language of the [[Sikh scriptures]] (which though in Gurmukhi script are written in [[Sikh scriptures#Languages|several languages]]).{{Cite book
| first = Paul R.
| last = Brass
| title = Language, Religion and Politics in North India
| publisher = iUniverse
| year = 2005
| isbn = 9780595343942
| page = 326
}} A few portions of Guru Granth Sahib use the Punjabi dialects, but the book is interspersed with several other languages including [[Brajbhasha]], [[Khariboli]], [[Sanskrit]] and [[Persian language|Persian]].The Adi Granth: Or The Holy Scriptures Of The Sikhs by Ernest Trumpp. 2004. ISBN 81-215-0244-6. [[Guru Gobind Singh]], the last Guru of the Sikhs composed [[Chandi di Var]] in Punjabi, although most of his works are composed in other languages like Braj bhasha and Persian.
However, in the 20th century, the Punjabi-speaking Sikhs started attaching importance to the Punjabi written in the Gurmukhi script as a symbol of their distinct identity. The Punjabi identity was affected by the communal sentiments in the 20th century. [[Bhai Vir Singh]], a major figure in the movement for the revival of Punjabi literary tradition, started insisting that the Punjabi language was the exclusive preserve of the Sikhs.[http://www.apnaorg.com/articles/ishtiaq8/ Punjabis Without Punjabi] By Ishtiaq Ahmed. The News, 24 May 2008. After the [[partition of India]], the [[Punjab region]] was divided between Pakistan and India. Although the Punjabi people formed the 2nd biggest linguistic group in Pakistan after Bengali, Urdu was declared the national language of Pakistan, and Punjabi did not get any official status. The Indian Punjab, which then also included what are now [[Haryana]] and [[Himachal Pradesh]], became [[Hindi]]-majority.
In the 1960s, the [[Shiromani Akali Dal]] proposed "[[Punjabi Suba]]", a state for Punjabi speakers in India. Paul R. Brass, the Professor Emeritus of Political Science and South Asian Studies at the University of Washington, opines that the Sikh leader [[Fateh Singh (Sikh leader)|Fateh Singh]] tactically stressed the linguistic basis of the demand, while downplaying the religious basis for the demand—a state where the distinct Sikh identity could be preserved. The movement for a Punjabi Suba led to trifurcation of Indian Punjab into three states: [[Punjab (India)]], [[Haryana]] and [[Himachal Pradesh]].
===Modern Punjabi===
[[File:Punjab map.svg|right|thumb|300px|Punjabi is native to the [[Punjab region]] of South Asia]]
In India, Punjabi is one of the 22 [[languages with official status in India]]. It is the first official language of Punjab (India). In Pakistan, Punjabi is the most spoken language and is the provincial language of [[Punjab (Pakistan)]] the second largest and the most populous province of [[Pakistan]].
The famous Punjabi writers from Pakistan include:
*[[Shareef Kunjahi]]
*[[Mir Tanha Yousafi]]
*[[Sanawar Chadhar]]
*[[Abid Tamimi]]
*[[Anwar Masood]]
*[[Afzal Ahsan Randhawa]]
*[[Aatish]]
*[[Shaista Nuzhat]]
The famous Indian Punjabi poets in modern times are:
*[[Prof. Mohan Singh]]
*[[Amrita Pritam]]
*[[Balwant Gargi]]
*[[Shiv Kumar Batalvi]]
*[[Surjit Paatar]]
Punjabi is an [[Indo-Aryan languages|Indo-Aryan]] language like many other modern languages of [[South Asia]]. It is a descendant of [[Sauraseni Prakrit]], which was the chief language of medieval northern India.''India's culture through the ages'' by Mohan Lal Vidyarthi. Published by Tapeshwari Sahitya Mandir, 1952. Page 148: "From the apabhramsha of Sauraseni are derived Punjabi, Western Hindi, Rajasthani and Gujerati [sic]..."National Communication and Language Policy in India By Baldev Raj Nayar. Published by F. A. Praeger, 1969. Page 35. "...Sauraseni Aprabhramsa from which have emerged the modern Western Hindi and Punjabi."[http://linguistlist.org/forms/langs/LLDescription.cfm?code=psu The Sauraseni Pr?krit Language]. "This Middle Indic language originated in Mathura, and was the main language used in drama in Northern India in the medieval period. Two of its descendants are Hindi and Punjabi."
Punjabi emerged as an independent language in the 11th century. The first traces of Punjabi language can be found in works of nath yogis(jogis) gorkahnath & charpat nath in 9th & 10th century. The Punjabi literary tradition is popularly seen to commence with [[Fariduddin Ganjshakar]] (Baba Farid) (1173–1266), many ancient Sufi mystics and later [[Guru Nanak Dev]] ji, the first Guru of [[Sikhism]]. The early Punjabi literature was principally spiritual in nature and has had a very rich oral tradition. The poetry written by Sufi saints has been the folklore of the Punjab and is still sung with great love in any part of Punjab.{{Citation needed|date=September 2010}}
Between 1600 and 1850, Muslim Sufi, Sikh and Hindu writers composed many works in Punjabi. The most famous Punjabi Sufi poet was [[Baba Bulleh Shah]] (1680–1757), who wrote in the [[Kafi]] style. Bulleh Shah practiced the Sufi tradition of Punjabi poetry established by poets like [[Shah Hussain]] (1538–1599), [[Sultan Bahu]] (1629–1691), and [[Shah Sharaf]] (1640–1724). His lifespan also overlapped with the legendary Punjabi poet [[Waris Shah]] (1722–1798), of [[Heer Ranjha]] fame. [[Waris Shah]]'s rendition of the tragic love story of [[Heer Ranjha]] is among the most popular medieval Punjabi works. Other popular tragic love stories are [[Sohni Mahiwal]], [[Mirza Sahiba]] and [[Sassi Punnun]]. [[Shah Mohammad]]'s [[Jangnama]] is another fine piece of poetry that gives an eyewitness account of the [[First Anglo-Sikh War]] that took place after the death of [[Ranjit Singh|Maharaja Ranjit Singh]].
The linguist [[George Abraham Grierson]] in his multivolume ''[[Linguistic Survey of India]]'' (1904–1928) used the word "Punjabi" to refer to several languages spoken in the [[Punjab region]]: the term "[[Western Panjabi language|Western Punjabi]]" ([[ISO 639-3]] pnb) covered dialects (now designated separate languages) spoken to the west of [[Montgomery District|Montgomery]] and [[Gujranwala District|Gujranwala]] districts, while "Eastern Punjabi" referred to what is now simply called Punjabi ([[ISO 639-3]] pan)Shackle 1970:240 After [[Saraiki language|Saraiki]], [[Pothohari language|Pothohari]] and [[Hindko]] (earlier categorized as "Western Punjabi") started to be counted as separate languages, the percentage of Pakistanis recorded as Punjabi speakers was reduced from 59% to 44%. Although not an official language, Punjabi is still the predominant language of Pakistan.
Modern Punjabi is not the predominant language of the [[Sikh scriptures]] (which though in Gurmukhi script are written in [[Sikh scriptures#Languages|several languages]]).{{Cite book
| first = Paul R.
| last = Brass
| title = Language, Religion and Politics in North India
| publisher = iUniverse
| year = 2005
| isbn = 9780595343942
| page = 326
}} A few portions of Guru Granth Sahib use the Punjabi dialects, but the book is interspersed with several other languages including [[Brajbhasha]], [[Khariboli]], [[Sanskrit]] and [[Persian language|Persian]].The Adi Granth: Or The Holy Scriptures Of The Sikhs by Ernest Trumpp. 2004. ISBN 81-215-0244-6. [[Guru Gobind Singh]], the last Guru of the Sikhs composed [[Chandi di Var]] in Punjabi, although most of his works are composed in other languages like Braj bhasha and Persian.
However, in the 20th century, the Punjabi-speaking Sikhs started attaching importance to the Punjabi written in the Gurmukhi script as a symbol of their distinct identity. The Punjabi identity was affected by the communal sentiments in the 20th century. [[Bhai Vir Singh]], a major figure in the movement for the revival of Punjabi literary tradition, started insisting that the Punjabi language was the exclusive preserve of the Sikhs.[http://www.apnaorg.com/articles/ishtiaq8/ Punjabis Without Punjabi] By Ishtiaq Ahmed. The News, 24 May 2008. After the [[partition of India]], the [[Punjab region]] was divided between Pakistan and India. Although the Punjabi people formed the 2nd biggest linguistic group in Pakistan after Bengali, Urdu was declared the national language of Pakistan, and Punjabi did not get any official status. The Indian Punjab, which then also included what are now [[Haryana]] and [[Himachal Pradesh]], became [[Hindi]]-majority.
In the 1960s, the [[Shiromani Akali Dal]] proposed "[[Punjabi Suba]]", a state for Punjabi speakers in India. Paul R. Brass, the Professor Emeritus of Political Science and South Asian Studies at the University of Washington, opines that the Sikh leader [[Fateh Singh (Sikh leader)|Fateh Singh]] tactically stressed the linguistic basis of the demand, while downplaying the religious basis for the demand—a state where the distinct Sikh identity could be preserved. The movement for a Punjabi Suba led to trifurcation of Indian Punjab into three states: [[Punjab (India)]], [[Haryana]] and [[Himachal Pradesh]].
===Modern Punjabi===
[[File:Punjab map.svg|right|thumb|300px|Punjabi is native to the [[Punjab region]] of South Asia]]
In India, Punjabi is one of the 22 [[languages with official status in India]]. It is the first official language of Punjab (India). In Pakistan, Punjabi is the most spoken language and is the provincial language of [[Punjab (Pakistan)]] the second largest and the most populous province of [[Pakistan]].
The famous Punjabi writers from Pakistan include:
*[[Shareef Kunjahi]]
*[[Mir Tanha Yousafi]]
*[[Sanawar Chadhar]]
*[[Abid Tamimi]]
*[[Anwar Masood]]
*[[Afzal Ahsan Randhawa]]
*[[Aatish]]
*[[Shaista Nuzhat]]
The famous Indian Punjabi poets in modern times are:
*[[Prof. Mohan Singh]]
*[[Amrita Pritam]]
*[[Balwant Gargi]]
*[[Shiv Kumar Batalvi]]
*[[Surjit Paatar]]