PANJABI pfin-jii'0) LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE. The modern Indian language and literature of the Punjab (Tv.). The 'Pan jabi represents, roughly speaking, an archaic dialect of Hindi, supplemented by a large numts.r of loan-words from Arabic and Persian. oa the other hand, the infusion of Sanskrit loan-words (technically called fatsunia, is small, as compared with the Eastern languages of India, especially Bengali (q.v.) and Uriya Panjahi, like all the Indian languages, has many small sub•dialects, which shade off into earls other. The chief these dialects are Slultani in the South, which st and: intermediate between Patti:1bl and Sindbi Jathki in the Centre, and Chibhali-Dogri in the North. There are sev eral alphabets. Of the..e the oldest the Gor mukhi, a nindifieation of the Sanskrit Devana gari alphabet. with the omission of the signs for r, r, I, ii, and hit, but with the addition of r and 1. It is in the Gummi:hi script that the Adi-Granth (q.v.) of the Sikhs is written. Next
to the Gnonukhi the Lawn, which is employed by the merchant class, deserves mention. The official chararter of the Government. ever, is the Arabic, which is the one most generally em ployed. Panjabi has practically no literature, excepting the Sikh although the New Testament. and parts of the Old Testament have been translated into Alultani and Dugri.
Consult: Cust, Modern Languages of the East Indies (London, 1878) ; ('oejiarotir.e of the .Modern Aryan Langur] peg of I lll(' (Be, 187'2-80) ; Punjabi Ilar and kiwiling Book (ib., 188:11; Wilson, Grammar and Dictionary of Westin, Punjabi (Lahore, 1899) ; O'Brien, Glossary of the Mul tani Language (ib., 1S81) ; Starkey and Bussau a Sing. English and I'unjabee Dictionary (Cal cutta, 18411) Newton and Janvier, Dictionary of the Paninti Language ILoeliara, 1854).