Editing Punjabi language (section)

== Grammar ==
{{Main|Punjabi grammar}}
[[File:Gurmukhi Script - traditional alphabet.svg|thumb|The 35 traditional characters of the [[Gurmukhi]] script]]
Punjabi has a canonical word order of [[subject–object–verb|SOV]] (subject–object–verb).<ref>Gill, Harjeet Singh and Gleason Jr, Henry A. (1969). ''A Reference Grammar of Panjabi''. Patiala: Department of Linguistics, Punjabi University</ref> Function words are largely [[postposition]]s marking [[grammatical case]] on a preceding nominal.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://wals.info/languoid/lect/wals_code_pan|title=WALS Online – Language Panjabi|website=wals.info|access-date=4 December 2019|archive-date=12 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191212073124/https://wals.info/languoid/lect/wals_code_pan|url-status=live}}</ref>

Punjabi distinguishes two [[grammatical gender|genders]], two [[grammatical number|numbers]], and six [[grammatical case|case]]s, [[direct case|direct]], [[oblique case|oblique]], [[vocative case|vocative]], [[ablative case|ablative]], [[locative case|locative]], and [[instrumental case|instrumental]]. The ablative occurs only in the singular, in free variation with oblique case plus ablative [[postposition]], and the locative and instrumental are usually confined to set [[adverb]]ial expressions.<ref>{{Harvcoltxt|Shackle|2003|p=599}}</ref>

[[Adjective]]s, when declinable, are marked for the gender, number, and case of the nouns they qualify.<ref>{{Harvcoltxt|Shackle|2003|p=601}}</ref> There is also a [[T-V distinction]].
Upon the [[inflection]]al [[grammatical case|case]] is built a system of [[Grammatical particle|particle]]s known as [[postposition]]s, which parallel English's [[preposition]]s. It is their use with a noun or verb that is what necessitates the noun or verb taking the [[oblique case]], and it is with them that the locus of grammatical function or "case-marking" then lies. 
The Punjabi [[verb]]al system is largely structured around a combination of [[Grammatical aspect|aspect]] and [[Grammatical tense|tense]]/[[Grammatical mood|mood]]. Like the nominal system, the Punjabi verb takes a single inflectional suffix, and is often followed by successive layers of elements like auxiliary verbs and postpositions to the right of the [[Root (linguistics)|lexical base]].<ref>{{Harvcoltxt|Masica|1991|p=257}}</ref>