PUNJABI LANGUAGE – WAR OF SURVIVAL!

Assignment # 2

Saadia Bashir 

Someone rightly said that, languages not being learnt by children are not just endangered they are doomed. Punjabi is one of the famous languages that is rich in vocabulary and not only widely spoken in Pakistan but India. However, speakers’ attitude towards Punjabi, especially, in Pakistan is indeed ‘a pity.’ Researchers are of the view that the language will get endangered in the long run if its speakers will not change their attitude of indifference towards its usage.

Analysis of the Punjabi Verses:

Meher Ali Shah was a Sufi scholar, known to his followers as a saint, who was born on 14 April 1859  in Golra Sharif, which is located midway between Rawalpindi and Islamabad, in present-day Pakistan. These verses were written by him more than a hundred year ago.

English Translation:

Why is it that the yearning for the Loved One is especially strong today?

Why is my heart sadder today than ever before?

Why does longing penetrate every tissue of mine?

Why are the eyes shedding tears like a shower rain?

Word	Present Status (Common/Rare/ Not in Use)	Meaning	Description
Aj	Common	Today	Word is commonly in use and has not undergone any change
Sik	Common	Yearning/ Longing	Word is commonly in use, however, due to easy access of print and electronic media as well as its influence, Punjabi speakers are often found using words such as ‘pyar,’ and ‘chah’ instead of ‘sik’
Mitran	Common	Loved One	Present status of this word is quite interesting. Middle Aged Punjabi speakers are found speaking this word in their day to day conversation, however, the younger speakers prefer using word ‘dost.’ One of its Punjabi dialects is ‘sangi’ which is also spoken. Possible reason of using Urdu word ‘dost’ is greater impact of print and electronic media.
Wadheri	Rare	Great Indeed/Strong	This word is rarely used by younger speakers of Punjabi. Elder speakers speak its other forms such as ‘wadh ke’ or ‘wadhera.’ Other Punjabi dialects are
Ae	Common	Is	Word is commonly in use and has not undergone any change. Other Punjabi dialects of this word are ‘ei’ and ‘aa’
Kioun	Common	Why	Word is commonly in use and has not undergone any change.
Dilri	Rare	Heart	Common usage is ‘dil.’ This word has been particularly modified by the poets to make it rhyme with other words with same sounds. In this example, this word is rhymed with ‘wadheri’ ‘ghaneri’ and ‘changeri’
Udas	Common	Sad	Commonly used! One of the dialects is ‘okha’
Ghaneri	Rare	Thick / Like a Reed	Rarely used in this form. Common form used is ‘boun.’ Young Punjabi speakers also use Urdu words ‘kafi.’ Reason is same stated above.
Loun	Rare	Vein/ Tissue	This word is rarely in use. Words commonly used are ‘rag’
Which	Common	In	Commonly used
Shouk	Common	Desire	Commonly used
Changeri	Rare	Penetrate	This word is rarely in use.
Nainaan	Common	Eyes	Commonly used
Laiyan	Common	Done	Commonly used
Jharian	Common	Shower of Rain	Commonly used. One of the dialects is ‘barishan’

If we analyse the above quoted verses only, we observe no drastic changes in the structure of Punjabi language or its lexical items. There are a few lexical differences, however, morphological and phonological changes are none in the verses understudy.  Reason behind this could be the low prestige attached to the language by its common users. Further, no literary work of substantial amount is done in this language in past half century. Thereby, it is less exposed to the factors that evolve language. By and large, it is used by the middle and old aged speakers, therefore they take a very little influence of other languages; hence these findings.