Shahpuri is a Punjabi dialect spoken in the Sargodha Division of Punjab Province in

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

. Grierson considered it to be representative of

Lahnda Lahnda () () also known as Lahndi or Western Punjabi, is a group of north-western Indo-Aryan language varieties spoken in parts of Pakistan and India. Its validity as a genetic grouping is not certain. Terms like ''Lahnda'' or ''Western Punja ...

(Western Punjabi), but later opinions have tended to see it as a dialect of

Punjabi Punjabi, or Panjabi, most often refers to: * Something of, from, or related to Punjab, a region in India and Pakistan * Punjabi language * Punjabi people * Punjabi dialects and languages Punjabi may also refer to: * Punjabi (horse), a British Th ...

that is transitional to Saraiki. Its name is derived from former Shahpur District (now Shahpur Tehsil, part of Sargodha District).

Geographic distribution and classification

It is mostly spoken in Sargodha District and Khushab District. It is also spoken in the neighbouring districts of Mianwali,

Jhang Jhang ( Punjabi, ur, ), ) is the capital city of Jhang District, in the central portion of the province of Punjab, Pakistan. Situated on the east bank of the Chenab river, it is the 18th largest city of Pakistan by population. The histori ...

, Chiniot, Mandi Bahauddin, and

Bhakkar Bhakkar ( ur, ), is the principal city of Bhakkar District located in Punjab, Pakistan. It lies on the left bank of the Indus River. It is the 86th largest city in Pakistan. Administration Bhakkar city is also the administrative centre of Bh ...

. It is mainly spoken on western end of Sindh River to Chenab River, traversing the Jhelum River. This entire area has almost the same traditions, customs and culture. The Shahpuri dialect of Punjabi has several aspects that set it apart from other Punjabi and Lahnda variants as it is an intermediary variety between

and

Jatki language Jatki, Jadgali, and other related terms have sometimes been used to refer to one or another of the Indo-Aryan languages spoken in Balochistan and neighbouring parts of Sindh and Punjab. These terms have their origin in the association (real or perc ...

is a common name for the

Jhangvi dialect Jhangli (), Jangli () or Rachnavi () is an Indo-Aryan dialect spoken in Punjab. It is intermediate between Standard Punjabi and Saraiki. Its name is derived from the Pakistani city of Jhang. It is spoken throughout a widespread area, starting fro ...

, Shahpuri dialect and

Dhani dialect Dhani, or Dhanni, is a group of Western Punjabi dialects spoken in parts of Rawalpindi Division (Pothohar) of Pakistani Punjab. They are spoken throughout a widespread area, including Chakwal and Jhelum Districts, as well as in neighbouring Attock ...

. The glotlog codes for these are: * shah1266 * jatk1238 * jang1253 Languages_and_Dialects_of_Lahnda

Grammar

In its phonology Shahpuri has the same tonal pattern as

Standard Punjabi Punjabi (; ; , ), sometimes spelled Panjabi, is an Indo-Aryan language of the Punjab region of Pakistan and India. It has approximately 113 million native speakers. Punjabi is the most widely-spoken first language in Pakistan, with 80.5 m ...

. In common with Thali and

Hindko Hindko (, romanized: , ) is a cover term for a diverse group of Lahnda dialects spoken by several million people of various ethnic backgrounds in several areas in northwestern Pakistan, primarily in the provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punj ...

, there is a class of two-syllable nouns that mark

case Case or CASE may refer to: Containers * Case (goods), a package of related merchandise * Cartridge case or casing, a firearm cartridge component * Bookcase, a piece of furniture used to store books * Briefcase or attaché case, a narrow box to ca ...

distinctions by

vowel alternation In linguistics, apophony (also known as ablaut, (vowel) gradation, (vowel) mutation, alternation, internal modification, stem modification, stem alternation, replacive morphology, stem mutation, internal inflection etc.) is any alternation wi ...

. The case suffixes of the older language have dropped, leaving the assimilated root vowels as the only indicator of the case: /jʌŋɡʊl/ ~ /jʌŋɡəl/ /jʌŋɡɪl/. Grierson explains this by substratal Dardic influence, whereas

Shackle A shackle (or shacklebolt), also known as a gyve, is a U-shaped piece of metal secured with a clevis pin or bolt across the opening, or a hinged metal loop secured with a quick-release locking pin mechanism. The term also applies to handcuff ...

finds it more plausible that it is the result of Shahpuri's central position between areas favouring one or another vowel in these contexts.

References

Bibliography

* *

Geographic distribution and classification

Grammar

References

Bibliography

Further reading