Punjabi language
Punjabi (/pʌnˈdʒɑːbi/;[8] Shahmukhi: پن٘جابی, Gurmukhi: ਪੰਜਾਬੀ, Punjabi pronunciation: [pənˈdʒaːbːi]), sometimes spelled Panjabi, is an Indo-Aryan language that is natively spoken by the Punjabi people in the Punjab region of Pakistan and India. It is the most spoken language in Pakistan and the 11th most spoken language in India.
Punjabi | |
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![]() 'Punjabi' written in Shahmukhi script used in Punjab, Pakistan (top) and Gurmukhi script used in Punjab, India (bottom) | |
Pronunciation |
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Native to | India and Pakistan |
Region | Punjab |
Ethnicity | Punjabis |
Native speakers | 113 million (2011–2017)[1] |
Dialects |
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Official status | |
Official language in | ![]() |
Regulated by | Department of Languages, Punjab, India[7] Punjab Institute of Language, Art, and Culture, Pakistan |
Language codes | |
ISO 639-1 | pa |
ISO 639-2 | pan |
ISO 639-3 | Either:pan – Panjabipnb – Western Panjabi |
Glottolog | panj1256 Eastern Panjabiwest2386 Western Panjabi |
Linguasphere | 59-AAF-e |
![]() Punjabi speaking areas | |
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Punjabis |
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Punjabi is spoken by 80.5 million people in Pakistan (as of 2017). It is the most spoken language in Pakistan.
Punjabi is spoken by 31.1 million people (as of 2011[update]) and has official status in the Indian state of Punjab. It is the 11th most spoken language in India.
The language is spoken among a significant overseas diaspora, particularly in Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom.
Punjabi language has approximately 113 million native speakers.
In Pakistan, Punjabi is written using the Shahmukhi alphabet, based on the Perso-Arabic script; in India, it is written using the Gurmukhi alphabet, based on the Indic scripts. Punjabi is unusual among the Indo-Aryan languages and the broader Indo-European language family in its usage of lexical tone.