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
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
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