Often in literature, Pakistani Punjabi (written in Shahmukhi) is referred as Western-Punjabi (or West-Punjabi) and Indian Punjabi (written in Gurmukhi) is referred as Eastern-Punjabi (or East-Punjabi), although the underlying language is the same with a very slight shift in vocabulary towards Islamic and Sikh words respectively.
Punjabi descended from the Shauraseni language of medieval northern India and became a distinct language during the 11th century. There are two main varieties of Punjabi: Eastern Punjabi and Western Punjabi, each of which has a number of dialects.
Punjabi is the tenth most commonly spoken language in the world and one of the most respected languages in South Asia. More than 130 million around the world speak this language.
As a member of the Indo-Aryan branch of the larger Indo-European language family, Punjabi has evolved through three main stages: Old Punjabi, Medieval Punjabi, and Modern Punjabi.
Punjabi is a robust and vibrant language, as is Punjabi culture, rich in literature with traditions in folk and modern literatures alike. Though it is mother tongue of the natives of Punjab in India and Pakistan, it is spoken internationally by an estimated 100 to 125 million people.
Punjabi (also known as Pañjābī) is a member of the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language family. Eastern Punjabi is spoken as a first language primarily in the state of Punjab of India by 28.2 million people (Ethnologue).
Punjabi is one of the ancient Indo-Aryan languages that is considered the world’s 9 th most widely spoken language. Punjabi is widely spoken by several people residing in India, Pakistan, United States, United Arab Emirates, Canada, Australia, France, Netherlands, New Zealand, Italy, and England.