Gurmukhi - Numerals

A number is a mathematical object used to count, measure and label.The original examples are natural numbers 1,2,3, and so on, A notation symbol that represents a number is called numeral. In addition to their use in counting and measuring, numerals are often used for labels (as on mobile keypad,calculators etc.) In common usage a number may refer to a symbol, a word or a mathematical abstraction. Punjabi numerals differ in shape then of English numerals or any other numerals. They are listed as below : -

       

Fig : - Gurmukhi Numerals (1-20)

Gurmukhi - Vowels

Vowel is the word which can be spoken without the help of any letter. It has its own sound.There are three vowels in punjabi,by using these three vowels ten vowel sounds are obtained, 
as shown below: - (vowel and its pronunciation)

Fig : - Gurmukhi Vowels

Gurmukhi - Punjabi

Although the word Gurmukhi has been commonly translated as "from the Mouth of the Guru," the term used for the Punjabi script has somewhat different connotations. The opinion traditional scholars for this is that as the Sikh holy writings, before they were written down, were uttered by the Gurus, they came to be known as Gurmukhi or the "Utterance of the Guru". Consequently, the script that was used for scribing the utterance was also given the same name. The term that would mean "by the Guru's mouth" would be "Gurmukhi," which sounds considerably different but looks similar in Latin script.

However, the prevalent view among Punjabi linguists is that as in the early stages the Gurmukhī letters were primarily used by Gurmukhs (literally, those who follow or face the Guru), the script came to be associated with them. Another view is that as the Gurmukhs, in accordance with the Sikh belief, used to meditate on the letters ਵ, ਹ, ਗ, ਰ which jointly form ਵਾਹਿਗੁਰੂ or Praise of Guru in Sikhism, these letters were called Gurmukhi, or "of the Gurmukhs". Later, the whole script came to be known as Gurmukhī.Gurmukhi has played a significant role in Sikh faith and tradition. It was originally employed for the Sikh scriptures. The script spread widely under Maharaja Ranjit Singh Ji and after him under the Punjab Sikh chiefs, for administrative purposes. It played a great part in consolidating and standardizing the Punjabi language. For centuries it has been the main medium of literacy in the Punjab and its adjoining areas where earliest schools were attached to gurdwaras. Now it is used in all spheres of culture, arts, education and administration. It is the state script of the Punjab and as such its common and secular character has been firmly established.

The alphabet has also crossed the frontiers of its homeland. Sikhs have settled in all parts of the world and Gurmukhi has accompanied them everywhere. It has a brighter future, indeed, in and outside the land of its birth. Till recently, Persian script was largely used for Punjabi and there was initially a considerable amount of writing in this script, but it is becoming dated now. However, in the Pakistan Punjab, Punjabi is still studied, at the postgraduate level, is Persian script now called "Shah Mukhi".

Punjabi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by about 130 million people mainly in West Punjab in Pakistan and in East Punjab in India. There are also significant numbers of Punjabi speakers in the UK, Canada, the UAE, the USA, Saudi Arabia and Australia. Punjabi descended from the Shauraseni language of medieval northern India and became a distinct language during the 11th century.

In India Punjabi is written with the Gurmukhi (ਗੁਰਮੁਖੀ) alphabet, while in Pakistan it is written with a version of the Urdu alphabet known as Shahmukhi (شاہ مکھی). The written standard for Punjabi in both India and Pakistan is known as Majhi (ਮਾਝੀ/ ماجھ), which is named after the Majha region of Punjab.


Punjabi at a glance : -

Native name: ਪੰਜਾਬੀ / پنجابی
Alternative names: Panjabi
Linguistic affliation: Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan, Central
Number of speakers: c. 130 million
Spoken in: India, Pakistan, the UK, USA, UAE, Canada, Saudi Arabia and Australia
First written: 16th century
Writing system: Gurmukhi and Shahmukhi scripts
Status: official status in the Indian states of Punjab, Chandigarh, Haryana, and Delhi; secondary officially recognized language in Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, and West Bengal; and in the Pakistani provinces of Punjab, Azad Kashmir, Islamabad Capital Territory, Rajasthan, and Uttarakhand
Punjabi is one of India's 22 official languages and it is the first official language in East Punjab. In Pakistan Punjabi is the second most widely-spoken language but has no official status.
Gurmukhi script (ਗੁਰਮੁਖੀ)
The Gurmukhi alphabet developed from the Landa alphabet and was standardised during the 16th century by Guru Angad Dev Ji, the second Sikh guru. The name Gurmukhi means "from the mouth of the Guru" and comes from the Old Punjabi word guramukhī.
Notable Features
Type of writing system: syllabic alphabet
Direction of writing: left to right in horizontal lines
Used to write: Punjabi
Consonants have an inherent vowel. Diacritics, which can appear above, below, before or after the consonant they belong to, are used to change the inherent vowel.
When they appear at the beginning of a syllable, vowels are written as independent letters.
When certain consonants occur together, special conjunct symbols are used which combine the essential parts of each letter.
Punjabi is a tonal language with three tones: high falling, low rising and level. The letters ਹ (ha), ਘ (gha), ਝ (jha), ਢ (ḍha), ਧ (dha) and ਭ (bha) have a level tone when at the beginning or a word of syllable, and a high falling tone when elsewhere. The conjuncts ਗ੍ਹ (gha), ਜ੍ਹ (jha), ਡ੍ਹ (ḍha), ਦ੍ਹ (dha) and ਬ੍ਹ (bha) have a level tone when at the beginning or a word of syllable, and a low rising tone when elsewhere.

Bibliography: - www.wikipedia.org,www.sikhs.org

Gurmukhi - Origins

Notable features:

1. This is an abugida in which all consonants have an inherent vowel. Diacritics, which can appear above, below, before or after the consonant they belong to, are used to change the inherent vowel.
2. When they appear at the beginning of a syllable, vowels are written as independent letters.
3. When certain consonants occur together, special conjunct symbols are used which combine the essential parts of each letter.
4. Punjabi is a tonal language with three tones. These are indicated in writing using the voiced aspirates consonants (gh, dh, bh, etc.) and the intervocalic h.

There are two major theories on how the Proto-Gurmukhi script emerged in the 15th century. G.B. Singh (1950), while quoting Abu Raihan Al-Biruni's Ta'rikh al-Hind (1030 CE), says that the script evolved from Ardhanagari. Al-Biruni writes that the Ardhanagari script was used in Bathinda and western parts of the Punjab in the 10th century. For some time, Bathinda remained the capital of the kingdom of Bhatti Rajputs of the Pal clan, who ruled North India before the Muslims occupied the country. Because of its connection with the Bhattis, the Ardhanagari script was also called Bhatachhari. According to Al-Biruni, Ardhanagari was a mixture of Nagari, used in Ujjain and Malwa, and Siddha Matrika or the last stage of Siddham script, a variant of the Sharada script used in Kashmir. This theory is confusing as Gurmukhi characters have a very close resemblance with "Siddh Matrika" inscriptions found at some sacred wells in Punjab as G.B Singh notes, one being the hathur inscription dating to just before the brith of Guru Nanak. Siddh Matrika seems to have been the prevalent script for devotional writings in Punjab right up to the founding of Sikh faith, after which its successor Gurmukhi appears.

The 10 Sikh Gurus adopted the Proto-Gurmukhi script to write the Guru Granth Sahib, the religious scriptures of the Sikhs,( ie. 11th Sikh Guru). Other contemporary scripts used in the Punjab were Takri and the Laṇḍa alphabets. Also Takri script that developed through the Devasesha stage of the Sharada script, and is found mainly in the Hill States, such as Chamba, where it is called Chambyali and in Jammu, where it is known as Dogri. The local Takri variants got the status of official scripts in some of the Punjab Hill States, and were used for both administrative and literary purposes until the 19th century. After 1948, when Himachal Pradesh was established as an administrative unit, the local Takri variants were replaced by Devanagari.

Meanwhile, the mercantile scripts of Punjab known as the Laṇḍa were normally not used for literary purposes. Landa means alphabet "without tail", implying that the script did not have vowel symbols. In Punjab, there were at least ten different scripts classified as Laṇḍa, Mahajani being the most popular. The Laṇḍā alphabets were used for household and trade purposes. Compared to the Laṇḍā, Sikh Gurus favoured the use of Proto-Gurmukhi, because of the difficulties involved in pronouncing words without vowel signs.

The usage of Gurmukhi letters in Guru Granth Sahib meant that the script developed its own orthographical rules. In the following epochs, Gurmukhi became the prime script applied for literary writings of the Sikhs. Later in the 20th century, the script was given the authority as the official script of the Eastern Punjabi language. Meanwhile, in Western Punjab a form of the Urdu script, known as Shahmukhi is still in use.


Bibliography:- www.wikipedia.org,www.sikh.org

Gurmukhi - The Sikh Alphabet

The word 'Gurmukhi' literally means from the mouth of the Guru(Lord). Gurmukhi has some similarities to older Indian scripts of the times, but it's thirty five characters and vowel modifiers were standardized by Guru Angad Dev ji. Rather than use the Hindu scripts such as Sanskrit, Guru Angad Dev ji choose to make a new script the standard for the Sikhs. Sanskrit was only restricted to the "priestly Hindu class", but the Gurus did not believe in this 'elitism'. Guru Angad Dev ji spent his lifetime teaching the 'Gurmukhi' script to the common people of Punjab. Gurmukhi is not only used by Sikhs but by Hindus as well as Muslims living in Punjab to represent their common spoken language, Punjabi. Sikhs are expected to make an effort at learning the Gurmukhi script and teaching it to their children in order to read the Guru Granth Sahib ji in its original written form.

Gurmukhi has 35 letters as well as nine vowel modifiers. In addition there are six special sound modifiers symbols. A 'VERTICAL BAR'  (|) is used to indicate the end of a sentences like in English 'FULL STOP'  (.) is used. Two 'VERTICAL BARS'  (||) indicate a longer pause between sentences or paragraphs. The vowel modifiers are presented with english words, the sounds that they make being emphasized in capital letters.

Fig : - Gurmukhi Alphabets