Editing Punjabi language (section)

==Status==
Despite Punjabi's rich literary history, it was not until 1947 that it would be recognised as an official language. Previous governments in the area of the Punjab had favoured Persian, Hindustani, or even earlier standardized versions of local registers as the language of the court or government. After the annexation of the [[Sikh Empire]] by the [[East India Company|British East India Company]] following the [[Second Anglo-Sikh War]] in 1849, the British policy of establishing a uniform language for administration was expanded into the Punjab. The British Empire employed Urdu in its administration of North-Central and Northwestern India, while in the North-East of India, [[Bengali language]] was used as the language of administration. Despite its lack of official sanction, the Punjabi language continued to flourish as an instrument of cultural production, with rich literary traditions continuing until modern times. The Sikh religion, with its [[Gurmukhi alphabet|Gurmukhi]] script, played a special role in standardising and providing education in the language via [[gurdwara]]s, while writers of all religions continued to produce poetry, prose, and literature in the language.

In India, Punjabi is one of the 22 [[scheduled languages of India]]. It is the first official language of the [[Punjab, India|Indian State of Punjab]]. Punjabi also has second language official status in Delhi along with [[Urdu]], and in [[Haryana]].

<!-- [[WP:NFCC]] violation: [[File:2000 INR Rev 2016.jpg|thumb|right|upright=0.7|Punjabi on Indian currency, see in language box on eleventh place]] -->
In Pakistan, no [[Languages of Pakistan|regional ethnic language]] has been granted official status at the national level, and as such Punjabi is not an official language at the national level, even though it is the most spoken language in Pakistan. It is widely spoken in [[Punjab, Pakistan]],<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Hussain |first1=Fayyaz |last2=Khan |first2=Muhammad Asim |last3=Khan |first3=Hina |date=2018 |title=The implications of trends in Punjabi: As a covert and/or an overt Prestige in Pakistan |url=https://www.ahbabtrust.org/ojs/index.php/jicc/article/view/188 |journal=Kashmir Journal of Language Research |volume=21 |issue=2 |pages=59–75 |doi=10.46896/jicc.v3i01.188 |doi-broken-date=1 November 2024 |access-date=April 19, 2024 |quote=Punjabi in Pakistan [is] language that is numerically prevalent. |archive-date=19 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240419195902/https://www.ahbabtrust.org/ojs/index.php/jicc/article/view/188 |url-status=live }}</ref> the second largest and the most populous province of Pakistan, as well as in [[Islamabad]] Capital Territory. The only two official languages in Pakistan are [[Urdu]] and [[Pakistani English|English]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Facts about Pakistan |url=http://opr.gov.pk/Detail/ZmI0YjVhNTEtZTE0OS00NDcxLWE0NDEtNGI2ZDY3N2UxYzg3 |website=opr.gov.pk |publisher=Government of Pakistan – Office of the Press Registrar |access-date=4 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220204114529/http://opr.gov.pk/Detail/ZmI0YjVhNTEtZTE0OS00NDcxLWE0NDEtNGI2ZDY3N2UxYzg3 |archive-date=4 February 2022 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

===In Pakistan===
[[File:Punjabi-speakers by Pakistani District - 2017 Census.svg|thumb|right|upright=1.35|<div style="text-align: center">The proportion of people with Punjabi as their [[mother tongue]] in each Pakistani [[Districts of Pakistan|District]] as of the [[2017 Pakistan Census]]</div>]]
[[File:Punjabi prachar demand.jpg|thumb|A demonstration by Punjabis at Lahore, Pakistan, demanding to make Punjabi as official language of instruction in schools in Punjab]]

When [[Pakistan]] was created in 1947,  despite Punjabi being the majority language in [[West Pakistan]] and [[Bengali language|Bengali]] the majority in [[East Pakistan]] and [[Pakistan]] as whole, English and [[Urdu]] were chosen as the official languages. The selection of Urdu was due to its association with South Asian Muslim nationalism and because the leaders of the new nation wanted a unifying national language instead of promoting one ethnic group's language over another, due to this the [[Punjabis|Punjabi]] elites started identifying with [[Urdu]] more than Punjabi because they saw it as a unifying force on an [[Ethnoreligious group|ethnoreligious]] perspective.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ahmed |first=Ishtiaq |date=14 July 2020 |title=Why Punjabis in Pakistan Have Abandoned Punjabi |url=https://www.fairobserver.com/region/central_south_asia/ishtiaq-ahmed-pakistan-punjab-south-asian-languages-punjabi-language-world-news-16791/ |access-date=9 April 2023 |website=Fair Observer |archive-date=9 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230409074915/https://www.fairobserver.com/region/central_south_asia/ishtiaq-ahmed-pakistan-punjab-south-asian-languages-punjabi-language-world-news-16791/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Broadcasting in Punjabi language by [[Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation]] decreased on TV and radio after 1947.  Article 251 of the [[Constitution of Pakistan]] declares that these two languages would be the only official languages at the national level, while provincial governments would be allowed to make provisions for the use of other languages.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pakistani.org/pakistan/constitution/part12.ch4.html|title=Chapter 4: "General." of Part XII: "Miscellaneous"|website=pakistani.org|access-date=30 December 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140603233302/http://pakistani.org/pakistan/constitution/part12.ch4.html|archive-date=3 June 2014}}</ref> However, in the 1950s the constitution was amended to include the [[Bengali language]].

Punjabi is not a language of instruction for primary or secondary school students in Punjab Province (unlike Sindhi and Pashto in other provinces).<ref>{{cite web|last1=Zaidi|first1=Abbas|title=Linguistic cleansing: the sad fate of Punjabi in Pakistan|url=http://www.gowanusbooks.com/punjabi.htm|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161029194115/http://www.gowanusbooks.com/punjabi.htm|archive-date=29 October 2016}}</ref> Pupils in secondary schools can choose the language as an elective, while Punjabi instruction or study remains rare in higher education. One notable example is the teaching of Punjabi language and literature by the [[University of the Punjab]] in Lahore which began in 1970 with the establishment of its Punjabi Department.<ref>University of the Punjab (2015),  "B.A. Two-Year (Pass Course) Examinations"
*{{cite web|url=http://pu.edu.pk/page/show/ba_gen_pattern.html|publisher=pu.edu.pk|title=University of the Punjab – Examinations|access-date=13 January 2017|url-status=live|archive-date=8 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170208022145/http://pu.edu.pk/page/show/ba_gen_pattern.html}}
</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://pu.edu.pk/home/department/32/Department-of-Punjabi|title=Department of Punjabi|last=University of the Punjab|date=2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161127220237/http://pu.edu.pk/home/department/32/Department-of-Punjabi|archive-date=27 November 2016}}</ref>

In the cultural sphere, there are many books, plays, and songs being written or produced in the Punjabi-language in Pakistan. Until the 1970s, there were a large number of Punjabi-language films being produced by the [[Lollywood]] film industry, however since then Urdu has become a much more dominant language in film production. Additionally, television channels in Punjab Province (centred on the Lahore area) are broadcast in Urdu. The preeminence of Urdu in both broadcasting and the [[Lollywood]] film industry is seen by critics as being detrimental to the health of the language.<ref>{{cite web | last=Masood | first=Tariq | title=The colonisation of language | website=The Express Tribune | date=21 February 2015 | url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/841584/the-colonisation-of-language/ | access-date=19 September 2015 | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150912044311/http://tribune.com.pk/story/841584/the-colonisation-of-language/ | archive-date=12 September 2015 | df=dmy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Warraich |first1=Faizan |last2=Ali |first2=Haider |title=Intelligentsia urges govt to promote Punjabi language |website=DailyTimes |date=15 September 2015 |url=http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/punjab/07-Feb-2015/intelligentsia-urges-govt-to-promote-punjabi-language |access-date=15 September 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150630230024/http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/punjab/07-Feb-2015/intelligentsia-urges-govt-to-promote-punjabi-language |archive-date=30 June 2015 }}</ref>

The use of Urdu and English as the near-exclusive languages of broadcasting, the public sector, and formal education have led some to fear that Punjabi in Pakistan is being relegated to a low-status language and that it is being denied an environment where it can flourish. Several prominent educational leaders, researchers, and social commentators have echoed the opinion that the intentional promotion of Urdu and the continued denial of any official sanction or recognition of the Punjabi language amounts to a process of "Urdu-isation" that is detrimental to the health of the Punjabi language<ref>{{cite web|url=http://apnaorg.com/articles/ishtiaq8/|publisher=apnaorg.com|title=Punjabis Without Punjabi|access-date=13 January 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525144848/http://apnaorg.com/articles/ishtiaq8/|archive-date=25 May 2017}}</ref><ref>"Inferiority complex declining Punjabi language: Punjab University Vice-Chancellor". PPI News Agency
*{{cite web|url=http://ppinewsagency.com/inferiority-complex-declining-punjabi-language-punjab-university-vice-chancellor/|publisher=ppinewsagency.com|title=Inferiority complex declining Punjabi language: Punjab University Vice-Chancellor &#124; Pakistan Press International|access-date=13 January 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161127220151/http://ppinewsagency.com/inferiority-complex-declining-punjabi-language-punjab-university-vice-chancellor/|archive-date=27 November 2016}}
</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/880483/urdu-isation-of-punjab/|title=Urdu-isation of Punjab – The Express Tribune|date=4 May 2015|newspaper=The Express Tribune|language=en-US|access-date=30 December 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161127215535/http://tribune.com.pk/story/880483/urdu-isation-of-punjab/|archive-date=27 November 2016}}</ref> In August 2015, the Pakistan Academy of Letters, International Writer's Council (IWC) and World Punjabi Congress (WPC) organised the ''Khawaja Farid Conference'' and demanded that a Punjabi-language university should be established in [[Lahore]] and that Punjabi language should be declared as the medium of instruction at the primary level.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nation.com.pk/lahore/21-Feb-2011/Rally-for-ending-150yearold-ban-on-education-in-Punjabi|title=Rally for ending 150-year-old 'ban on education in Punjabi|date=21 February 2011|website=The Nation|access-date=15 September 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307142807/http://nation.com.pk/lahore/21-Feb-2011/Rally-for-ending-150yearold-ban-on-education-in-Punjabi|archive-date=7 March 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://nation.com.pk/lahore/26-Aug-2015/sufi-poets-can-guarantee-unity|title=Sufi poets can guarantee unity|date=26 August 2015|magazine=The Nation|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151030021751/http://nation.com.pk/lahore/26-Aug-2015/sufi-poets-can-guarantee-unity|archive-date=30 October 2015}}</ref> In September 2015, a case was filed in [[Supreme Court of Pakistan]] against [[Government of Punjab, Pakistan]] as it did not take any step to implement the Punjabi language in the province.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nation.com.pk/blogs/15-Sep-2015/supreme-court-s-urdu-verdict-no-language-can-be-imposed-from-above|title=Supreme Court's Urdu verdict: No language can be imposed from above|date=15 September 2015|website=The Nation|access-date=15 September 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150916165410/http://nation.com.pk/blogs/15-Sep-2015/supreme-court-s-urdu-verdict-no-language-can-be-imposed-from-above|archive-date=16 September 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.brecorder.com/top-news/109-world-top-news/254518-two-member-sc-bench-refers-punjabi-language-case-to-cjp.html|title=Two-member SC bench refers Punjabi language case to CJP|date=14 September 2015|website=Business Recorder|access-date=15 September 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151021133224/http://www.brecorder.com/top-news/109-world-top-news/254518-two-member-sc-bench-refers-punjabi-language-case-to-cjp.html|archive-date=21 October 2015}}</ref> Additionally, several thousand Punjabis gather in [[Lahore]] every year on [[International Mother Language Day]]. Thinktanks, political organisations, cultural projects, and individuals also demand authorities at the national and provincial level to promote the use of the language in the public and official spheres.<ref>"Mind your language—The movement for the preservation of Punjabi". ''The Herald''. 2 September 2106.
*{{cite web|url=http://herald.dawn.com/news/1153482|publisher=herald.dawn.com|title=Mind your language—The movement for the preservation of Punjabi – People & Society – Herald|access-date=13 January 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161223065731/http://herald.dawn.com/news/1153482|archive-date=23 December 2016|date=4 August 2016}}</ref><ref>"Punjabi in schools: Pro-Punjabi outfits in Pakistan threaten hunger strike". ''The Times of India''. 4 October 2015.
*{{cite news|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/Punjabi-in-schools-Pro-Punjabi-outfits-in-Pakistan-threaten-hunger-strike/articleshow/49214265.cms|work=The Times of India|title=Punjabi in schools: Pro-Punjabi outfits in Pakistan threaten hunger strike|access-date=13 January 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160927231834/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/Punjabi-in-schools-Pro-Punjabi-outfits-in-Pakistan-threaten-hunger-strike/articleshow/49214265.cms|archive-date=27 September 2016}}
</ref><ref>"Rally for Ending the 150-year-old Ban on Education in Punjabi" ''The Nation.'' 21 February 2011.
*{{cite web|url=http://nation.com.pk/lahore/21-Feb-2011/Rally-for-ending-150yearold-ban-on-education-in-Punjabi|publisher=nation.com.pk|title=Rally for ending 150-year-old 'ban on education in Punjabi|access-date=13 January 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307142807/http://nation.com.pk/lahore/21-Feb-2011/Rally-for-ending-150yearold-ban-on-education-in-Punjabi|archive-date=7 March 2016|date=21 February 2011}}
</ref>

===In India===
At the federal level, Punjabi has official status via the [[Eighth Schedule to the Indian Constitution]],<ref name="Khokhlova">{{cite journal|last1= Khokhlova|first1= Liudmila|date= January 2014|title= Majority Language Death|url= https://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/bitstream/10125/4600/1/02Khokhlova.pdf|journal= Language Endangerment and Preservation in South Asia|access-date= 29 April 2017|quote= Punjabi was nonetheless included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution of India and came to be recognized as one of the fifteen official languages of the country.|url-status= live|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170525141614/https://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/bitstream/10125/4600/1/02Khokhlova.pdf|archive-date= 25 May 2017|df= dmy-all}}</ref> earned after the [[Punjabi Suba movement]] of the 1950s.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.panjabdigilib.org/webuser/searches/displayPageContent.jsp?ID=2123&page=1&CategoryID=1&Searched=W3GX|title=Fifty Years of Punjab Politics (1920–70)|website=[[Panjab Digital Library]]|access-date=6 January 2019|archive-date=6 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190106204510/http://www.panjabdigilib.org/webuser/searches/displayPageContent.jsp?ID=2123&page=1&CategoryID=1&Searched=W3GX|url-status=live}}</ref> At the state level, Punjabi is the sole official language of the state of Punjab, while it has secondary official status in the states of Haryana and Delhi.<ref>{{cite journal|last1= Ayres|first1= Alyssa|date= 2008|title= Language, the Nation, and Symbolic Capital: The Case of Punjab|url= https://alyssaayres.com/pdf/Ayres-JAS-Language-Nation.pdf|journal= The Journal of Asian Studies|volume= 67|issue= 3|pages= 917–946|doi= 10.1017/S0021911808001204|s2cid= 56127067|access-date= 28 April 2017|quote= in India, Punjabi is an official language as well as the first language of the state of Punjab (with secondary status in Delhi and widespread use in Haryana).|url-status= live|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170525141617/https://alyssaayres.com/pdf/Ayres-JAS-Language-Nation.pdf|archive-date= 25 May 2017|df= dmy-all}}</ref> In 2012, it was also made additional official language of [[West Bengal]] in areas where the population exceeds 10% of a particular block, sub-division or district.<ref name="The Telegraph-2012" />

Both union and state laws specify the use of Punjabi in the field of education. The state of Punjab uses the Three Language Formula, and Punjabi is required to be either the medium of instruction, or one of the three languages learnt in all schools in Punjab.<ref>{{cite journal|last1= Kumar|first1= Ashutosh|date= 2004|title= Electoral Politics in Punjab: Study of Akali Dal|journal= Economic & Political Weekly|volume= 39|issue= 14/15|pages= 1515–1520|quote= Punjabi was made the first compulsory language and medium of instruction in all the government schools whereas Hindi and English as second and third language were to be implemented from the class 4 and 6 respectively|jstor= 4414869}}</ref> Punjabi is also a compulsory language in Haryana,<ref>{{cite report|url= http://nclm.nic.in/shared/linkimages/NCLM52ndReport.pdf|title= 52nd Report of the Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities in India|date= 2015|page= 25|publisher= National Commission on Linguistic Minorities|access-date= 28 April 2017|quote= "Languages taught in the State under the Three Language Formula: First Language : Hindi Second Language : Punjabi Third language : English"|url-status= dead|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170525141614/http://nclm.nic.in/shared/linkimages/NCLM52ndReport.pdf|archive-date= 25 May 2017|df= dmy-all}}</ref> and other states with a significant Punjabi speaking minority are required to offer Punjabi medium education.{{dubious|date=October 2017}}

There are vibrant Punjabi language movie and news industries in India, however Punjabi serials have had a much smaller presence within the last few decades in television up to 2015 due to market forces.<ref>{{cite web | last=Singh | first=Jasmine | title=Serial killer | website=The Tribune | date=13 September 2015 | url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/spectrum/serial-killer/130865.html | access-date=15 September 2015 | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150916044000/http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/spectrum/serial-killer/130865.html | archive-date=16 September 2015 | df=dmy-all }}</ref> Despite Punjabi having far greater official recognition in India, where the Punjabi language is officially admitted in all necessary social functions, while in Pakistan it is used only in a few radio and TV programs, attitudes of the English-educated elite towards the language are ambivalent as they are in neighbouring Pakistan.<ref name="Khokhlova" />{{rp|37}} There are also claims of state apathy towards the language in non-Punjabi majority areas like Haryana and Delhi.<ref>{{cite web | title=SGPC claims Haryana govt ignoring Punjabi language | website=Hindustan Times | date=30 July 2015 | url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/amritsar/sgpc-claims-haryana-govt-ignoring-punjabi-language/article1-1374818.aspx | access-date=15 September 2015}}{{dead link|date=March 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last=Aujla | first=Harjap Singh | title=Punjabi's of Delhi couldn't get justice for Punjabi language | website=Punjab News Express | date=15 June 2015 | url=http://punjabnewsexpress.com/news/mainpage.aspx?name=news%5C41059-punjabi-s-of-delhi-couldn-t-get-justice-for-punjabi-language | access-date=19 September 2015 }}{{dead link|date=July 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Singh |first=Perneet |title=Sikh bodies oppose DU's 'anti-Punjabi' move |website=Tribune India |date=9 July 2013 |url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2013/20130710/punjab.htm#1 |access-date=21 February 2018 |archive-date=19 May 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180519214547/http://www.tribuneindia.com/2013/20130710/punjab.htm#1 |url-status=live }}</ref>