Assignment topic: list of lexical variations among Punjabi dialects

Subject: socio/psycholinguistics
Submitted by: Rida
Roll no: FS-16001
Class BS eng 8th semester
Submitted to : ma’am Saida
Dialect
A dialect is a regional or social variety of a language distinguished by pronunciation,
grammar, and/or vocabulary. The adjective dialectal describes anything related to this
topic. The study of dialects is known as dialectology or sociolinguistics.
The term dialect is often used to characterize any way of speaking that differs from
the standard variety of a language which is largely considered to be dialect-free. With
that said, few people actually speak the standard variety and most language represents
a dialect.
Definition of Dialect
A dialect is a form of a language that is specific to a particular region or group.

Punjabi
Punjabi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by inhabitants of the historical Punjab region
(northwestern India and in Pakistan). For Sikhs, the Punjabi language stands as the
official language in which all ceremonies take place. Even though Punjabi is the most
spoken language in Pakistan.
According to the Ethnologies 2005 estimate, there are 88 million native speakers of the
Punjabi language, which makes it approximately the 12th most widely spoken language
in the world. According to the 2008 Census of Pakistan, there are 76,335,300 native
Punjabi speakers in Pakistan and according to the 2001 Census of India; there are
29,102,477 Punjabi speakers in India.
Punjabi language has many different dialects, spoken in the different sub-regions of
greater Punjab. Since the Partition of British India in 1947, the Punjabi spoken in the
two countries has deviated from each other, with Pakistanis retaining strong on Persian
and Arabic vocabulary through Urdu, and Indians relying more heavily on Sanskrit
vocabulary through Hindi.
The Majhi dialect is the prestige dialect of Punjabi. It is spoken in the historical region of
Majha, centralizing in Lahore and Amritsar. Due to the geographical location of
Lahore and Amritsar, being the central point for peripheries of Jurdga and Lahindā
Punjab , the Majhi dialect is a binding force to the other dialects of Punjabi language
i.e.Pothohari,Hindko, Jhangochi /Rachnavi/ Changvi or Chenavari, Shahpuri, Dhani,
Saraiki/Multani, Malwi, Doabi, Pwadhi and Dogri dialects, therefore Majhi dialect is
considered as the textbook Punjabi.
In Pakistan, the Punjabi speaking territory spans the east-central districts of Punjab
Province Lahore, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Jhang, Sargodha,
Sahiwal, Bahawalnagar, Multan, Jhelum and Gujrat. Lahore the historic capital of
Punjab is the largest Punjabi speaking city in the world. Lahore has 86% native
Punjabis of total population of the city and Islamabad the Capital of Pakistan has 71%
Native Punjabis of total population.

Major Punjabi dialects

1. Majhi Punjabi

The Majhi dialect is the prestige dialect of Punjabi's and spoken in the heart of
Punjab where most of the Punjabi population lives. The Majhi dialect, the dialect of
the historical region of Majha, spans the Lahore, Sheikhupura, Kasur, Okara,
Gujranwala, Wazirabad, Sialkot, Narowal, Gujrat and to some extant in Jhelum
District of Pakistani Punjab and Amritsar, Tarn Taran Sahib, and Gurdaspur Districts
of the Indian State of Punjab.
2. Pothowari Punjabi

This Pothowari dialect is spoken in north area of Pakistani Punjab. It extends in the
north from Muzaffarabad to as far south as Jhelum, Gujar Khan, Rawalpindi, Murree
Hills (north of Rawalpindi), and east to Bhimber. Poonchi is east of Rawalakot.
Potwari is in the plains around Rawalpindi.
3.Shah puri 
Shah puri is one of the oldest dialect of the Punjabi language spoken in Sargodh
Division [1] of Pakistani
Punjab. Its name is derived from former Shahpur District (now Shahpur Tehsil, part
of Sargodha District).

4. Doabi Punjabi
Doabi dialect is spoken in Indian Punjab. The word "Do Aabi" means "the land
between two rivers" and this dialect is spoken between the rivers of Beas and Sutlej.

Example:
English Majhi Punjabi Pothowari Shaha puri Doabi
Punjabi Punjabi

moment pal

fruit phal
Yes Haanji Aaho Haan/Aho

doing Ki karda ain Ka karne uo ki karda aa

what ki kay
This ae ay

boy munda chor

Kol
near
yours tohda tera Tossan da

much bohta baon baon

like jaiwn jistarah jidah

Whether bhawain bhalay chahy

quick chhati jaldi jhabady

much bohta ghanna baon

like jiwan jaistara jidah

women zanni budi

A lot bot bo

ten das daah

then fer vat

Red lal suwa Ratta

eye aakh

family khandaan tabbar

Doabi English Standard Punjabi

"hougā" Will Happen "hovegā"

"bāɽa" Cow shed "havelī"

"dhauṇ" Neck "gardan"

"pāḷā or ṭhanḍā" Cold weather "sardī"

"kunjī" Key "chābbī"

"gaṭhe" Onions "ganḍeh"

"niāṇe" Children "bacche"

"dekhnā" To See "vekhnā"

"kardā hɛgā / kardā sī” To Be Doing "kar riha ɛ̀"

"gábbe" Middle "vichkār"

"līre/kappaṛe/talle" Clothes "kappare"

"lītā" Bought "kharīdā"

Conclusion
Sociolinguistic studies have already discussed that how language varies from one
region to another and even person to person, the main concern of this investigation
is to examine lexical variation among five Punjabi dialects such as Majhi, Doabi,
Potohari, Jangli and Saraiki in Pakistani Punjab. The findings of this study lead us to
discover interesting things concerning these five Punjabi dialects. The results
demonstrate that linguistic variables are involved in lexical variation among Punjabi
dialects. Respondents from different dialects are heterogeneous in their linguistic
behaviors. Many factors are involved in making up the individual’s identity such as
region, gender, education, social and political back ground and ethnicity. People
from different dialects use distinct variants from one another. Moreover female
respondents are more likely to use standard linguistic forms in their conversation as
compared to male respondents, either educated or uneducated.