Majhi dialect
Majhi (Gurmukhi: ਮਾਝੀ, Shahmukhi: ماجھی, Punjabi: [ˈmäd̆.d͡ʒì][1]) is the standard dialect of Punjabi[2] and is spoken in the Majha region of the Punjab. The two most important cities in this area are Lahore and Amritsar because of their historic significance.
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Majhi | |
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ਮਾਝੀ, ماجھی | |
Native to | Pakistan, India |
Region | Majha of central Punjab |
Ethnicity | Majhi (Majhail) Punjabis |
Shahmukhi Gurmukhī | |
Language codes | |
ISO 639-3 | – |
Glottolog | majh1252 |

Notable features
Verbs
- Use of 'ḍéa' (ਡਿਆ/ਡਿਹਾ ڈیا/ڈہا/ڈہیا) in continuous tenses:
Phrase | Majhi | Standard Written Punjabi |
---|---|---|
He was doing | Oh karan ḍéā si
ਉਹ ਕਰਨ ਡਿਆ ਸੀ اوہ کرن ڈہیا سی |
Oh kar réā sī
ਉਹ ਕਰ ਰਿਹਾ ਸੀ اوہ کر رہیا سی |
She is doing | Oh karan ḍéī ay
ਉਹ ਕਰਨ ਡਈ ਏ/ਵੇ اوہ کرن ڈئی اے |
Oh kar ráī ay
ਉਹ ਕਰ ਰਹੀ ਹੈ اوہ کر رہی اے |
- Alternate auxiliary verbs
'han' (ਹਨ / ہَن) is never used in spoken Majhi, 'nae' (ਨੇ, ਨੈਂ / نے، نَیں) is used instead. E.g. ó karde ne (ਉਹ ਕਰਦੇ ਨੇ / اوہ کردے نے)
First person singular ã or je (ਆਂ, ਵਾਂ, ਜੇ / آں، واں، جے) is used. E.g. maĩ karnā ā̃̀/wā̃, maĩ karnā je ਮੈਂ ਕਰਨਾ ਆਂ, ਮੈਂ ਕਰਨਾ ਜੇ / میں کرنا آں، میں کرنا جے
Third person singular ee or ae (ਏ, ਵੇ , ਈ / اے، وے، ای) is used. E.g. Oh karda ee (ਉਹ ਕਰਦਾ ਈ / و) (ਓਹ ਕਰਦਾ ਵੇ/ਏ)
- Use of na- verb ending instead of da- ending for habitual-imperative
Phrase | Majhi | Standard Written Punjabi |
---|---|---|
I do | maĩ karnā ā̃̀
ਮੈਂ ਕਰਨਾ ਆਂ میں کرنا آں |
maĩ kardā hā̃
ਮੈਂ ਕਰਦਾ ਹਾਂ میں کردا ہاں |
Let's go home | asī kàr jāne ā̃̀
ਅਸੀ ਘਰ ਜਾਨੇ ਆਂ اسی کٰر جانے آں |
asī̃ ghar jānde hā̃
ਅਸੀਂ ਘਰ ਜਾਂਦੇ ਹਾਂ اسی گھر جاندے ہاں |
We (f.) do | asī̃ karniyā̃ ā̃̀
ਅਸੀ ਕਰਨੀਆਂ ਆਂ اسی کرنِیاں واں |
asī̃ kardiyā̃ hā̃
ਅਸੀਂ ਕਰਦੀਆਂ ਹਾਂ اسی کردِیاں ہاں |
You (sing.) do | tū̃ karnā aĩ̀
ਤੂੰ ਕਰਨਾ ਐਂ تُوں کرنا ایں |
tū̃ kardā haĩ
ਤੂੰ ਕਰਦਾ ਹੈਂ تُوں کردا ہیں |
You (f.pl.) do | tusī karniyā̃ ò/je
ਤੁਸੀ ਕਰਨੀਆਂ ਓ/ਜੇ تسی کرنِیاں او/جے |
tusī̃ kardiyā̃ ho
ਤੁਸੀਂ ਕਰਦੀਆਂ ਹੋ تسی کردِیاں ہو |
- Absent subject realised in auxiliary verb
ਕੀ ਕੀਤਾ ਈ کی کیتا ای : What have you (sing.) done?
ਕੀ ਕੀਤਾ ਜੇ کی کیتا جے : What have you (sing. formal or plu.) done?
ਕੀ ਕੀਤਾ ਸੂ کی کیتا سُو : What has he/she done?
ਕੀ ਕੀਤਾ ਨੇ کی کیتا نے : What have they done?
ਲੜਾਈ ਕੀਤੀ ਸਾਈ لڑائی کیتی ساای : You (sing.) made a fight.
ਲੜਾਈ ਕੀਤੀ ਸਾਜੇ لڑائی کیتی ساجے : You (sing. formal or plu.) made a fight
ਲੜਾਈ ਕੀਤੀ ਸਾਸੂ لڑائی کیتی ساسُو : He/She made a fight.
ਲੜਾਈ ਕੀਤੀ ਸਾਨੇ لڑائی کیتی سانے : They made a fight.
Tone
Unlike typical Punjabi, Majhi usually does not indicate low tone through its script (except through the five tonal plosives, plus ṛh ੜ੍ਹ / ڑھ). Thus, low-tone syllables typically drop the h letter (ਹ / ہ) which is exclusively used for high tone.
Standard Written | Majhi | IPA | Meaning |
---|---|---|---|
ਹਾਂ ہاں | ਆਂ آں | /ã̀ˑ/ | am |
ਨਹੀਂ نہیں | ਨਈਂ نئیں | /ˈnə.ĩ̀ˑ/ | no, not |
ਤੁਹਾਡਾ تہاڈا | ਤੁਆਡਾ تواڈا | /tʊ.ˈàˑɖ̆.ɖaˑ/ | your/yours |
ਹੈ ہے | ਐ اے | /ɛ̀ˑ/ | is |
Variation
Because of the lack of standardisation in Shahmukhi, words with the six tonal consonants (gh, jh, ḍh, dh, bh, ṛh) which are now unaspirated and voiceless word-initially[a] (k, c, ṭ, t, p)[3] have multiple spellings. The word ghar (house) for example is sometimes written as a voiced aspirate گھر , unaspirated and voiceless کر , with a long vowel کار , and in many other ways. Low tone slightly lengthens the vowel, which is why some speakers use spellings like کٰر and کار.
- ^a ṛh does not occur word-initially and is always voiced.
Low tone in general is not well represented, and low-tone words in both major scripts have various spellings, e.g. tuā̀ḍā (your/yours): تواڈا ਤੁਆਡਾ, ਤਵਾਡਾ, تاڈا ਤਾਡਾ, تہاڈا ਤੁਹਾਡਾ etc.
Sometimes high tone is not even written, also dropping the h letter (ਹ / ہ) in words like réā ਰਿਹਾ / رہا which become ਰਿਆ / ریا .
In more northern cities such as Gujrat, the word-initial 'h' is very faint, acting more as a low-tone marker, like in Dogri. Words such as hatth ਹੱਥ ہَتّھ (hand) are pronounced more like àtth.
Other Features
Nasalisation of tusī̃ (ਤੁਸੀਂ / تُسِیں) and asī̃ (ਅਸੀਂ / اَسِیں) are lost in Majhi, and are said as tusī (ਤੁਸੀ / تُسی) and asī (ਅਸੀ / اَسی) respectively.
Sometimes when speaking fast in Majhi, the first-person plural pronouns asī (ਅਸੀ / اَسی), sāḍā (ਸਾਡਾ / ساڈا), and sānū̃ (ਸਾਨੂੰ / سانُوں) sometimes round the s to a h sound, colloquially being heard as ahī, hāḍā, and hānū̃ respectively. This is more common in Indian Majhi-speaking areas and less in Pakistan.
'ਹੈਗਾ ਸੀ'/ ਹੈ ਸੀ (haiga si/hai si) is used instead of 'sīgā' 'ਸੀਗਾ'.
'ਐਂਜ' (ainj-aivẽ), 'ਉਂਜ' (unj-ovẽ), 'ਕੈਂਜ' (kinj-kivẽ), 'ਜੈਂਜ' (jainj-jivẽ) are used in place of ਐਦਾਂ (aidaã), ਓਦਾਂ (odaã), ਕਿੱਦਾ (kiddaã), ਜਿੱਦਾਂ (jiddaã), respectively, which are not commonly used.
Examples of Majhi
Sentence | IPA | Translation | |
---|---|---|---|
Shahmukhi | Gurmukhi | ||
تُوں لہور جاندا سیں | ਤੂੰ ਲਹੌਰ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਸੈਂ | /t̪ũˑ lə̞ɔ̀ːɾᵊ d͡ʒäˑn̪d̪äˑ sɛ̃ˑ/ | You used to go to Lahore |
میں پہلوں ای آکھدا ساں | ਮੈਂ ਪਹਿਲੋਂ ਈ ਆਖਦਾ ਸਾਂ | /mɛ̃ˑ pɛ́ˑlˑõˑ iˑ äˑkʰˑdäˑ sä̃ˑ/ | I used to tell it from before |
اودن بھرجائی کتھے سن | ਓਦਣ ਭਰਜਾਈ ਕਿੱਥੇ ਸਣ/ਸਨ | (transcription needed) | Where were their sisters-in-law? |
References
- Mangat Rai Bhardwaj (2016). Panjabi: A Comprehensive Grammar. Abingdon-on-Thames: Routledge. p. 88. ISBN 978-1-138-79385-9. LCCN 2015042069. OCLC 948602857. Wikidata Q23831241.
- Grierson, George A. (1916). Linguistic Survey of India. Vol. IX Indo-Aryan family. Central group, Part 1, Specimens of western Hindi and Pañjābī. Calcutta: Office of the Superintendent of Government Printing, India. p. 609.
- Bowden, A.L. (2012). "Punjabi Tonemics and the Gurmukhi Script: A Preliminary Study" Archived 17 April 2018 at the Wayback Machine.