Lahnda | |
---|---|
لہندی ਲਹਿੰਦੀ | |
Region | Western Punjab region |
Shahmukhi alphabet | |
Language codes | |
ISO 639-2 | lah |
ISO 639-3 | lah |
Glottolog | lahn1241 |
Lahnda, also known as Lehndi or Western Punjabi,[3] is a group of Punjabi dialects and varieties,[4][2] within the north-western Indo-Aryan language family. It is spoken in Pakistan and India,[5][6] which originates in areas of western Punjab region, as well as in Hazara region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Saraiki and Hindko are often grouped in the Lahnda dialects. When the partition of India occurred in 1947, many speakers of Lahnda varieties migrated to areas of eastern Punjab in India. Today the dialects of Lahnda spoken in both Pakistan and India are mixed in origin.[7][8]
Lahnda includes the following varieties:
Ethnologue also adds the Majhi dialects transitional between Lahnda and Eastern Punjabi; these are spoken by about 66 million people.[9][10]
LAHNDA – Lahnda (Lahndi) or Western Panjabi is the name given to a group of dialects spread over the northern half of Pakistan. In the north, they come into contact with the Dardic languages with which they share some common features, In the east, they turn gradually into [Eastern/Central] Panjabi, and in the south into Sindhi. In the south-east there is a clearly defined boundary between Lahnda and Rajasthani, and in the west a similarly well-marked boundary between it and the Iranian languages Baluchi and Pushtu. The number of people speaking Lahnda can only be guessed at: it is probably in excess of 20 million.