Local name:	پنجابی (panjābī), ਪੰਜਾਬੀ (paṃjābī)
Language family:	Indo-European > Indo-Iranian > Indo-Aryan > North-western
Native speakers:	~100 millions (ne.se, 2010)
Script:	Shahmukhi (a modified version of the Arabic script) in Pakistan, Gurmukhi in India
Official in:	Pakistan (Punjab province), India (Punjab and Haryana provinces)
Spoken mostly in:	eastern Pakistan, northwestern India, United Kingdom, Canada

With 100 million native speakers, Punjabi is number 10 on the list of most spoken languages in the world. Punjabi forms a dialect continuum between Hindi in the east and Sindhi in the southwest, and the classification of the many different dialects of Punjabi have been disputed over time. The western dialects (Lahnda) have sometimes been seen as separate from Punjabi proper, but linguists nowadays consider that separation outdated. Hindko and Siraiki, that were earlier classified as northern and southern dialects respectively, are currently considered separate languages.

In Pakistan, Punjabi is written with Shahmukhi, an adapted version of the Arabic script very similar to the one used for Urdu, whereas in India, the Gurmukhi script, a Brahmi abugida, is used.

Punjabi is the only Indo-Aryan language that has developed phonemic tones. The voiced aspirated ("breathy voice") series of consonants collapsed into the voiced and tenuis series, but leaving its traces in the pronunciation of vowels which can be high tone, mid tone or low tone. This trait is not present in all varieties of Punjabi and is not reflected in spelling.

Thalochri Lahnda: “Parbat di havā te suraj”
Speaker: Hammad Hassan Meherzadé (حماد حسن مهرزاده) Age at recording: 29 (2013) Geographical reference: Sargodha, PK (Google Map) Script: Shahmukhi Transliteration scheme: Arbitrary

پربت دی ھوا تے سورج اس گل تے بحث کریندے پئے ھان کہ انھاں دوھان دے وچوں باھلا ترکڑا کون ھے کہ ڈٹھیونے کہ ہک مسافر اسے راھ توں لگھدا پیا ھے تے ڈاڈھا گرم جہا چولا پایا ھویاس وت اوہ دونھیں اس گل تے راضی ھو گئے کہ انھاں دوھاں دے وچوں جھڑا وی اس مسافر نوں پئوند آپنا چولا لھون تے مجبور کریسی اوھا دوجے توں باھلا ترکڑا منیسی۔
وت پربت دی ھوا جھلن لگی تے ﻷ تیز ھو گئی پر جیڈا تیز چلے اوڈائی مسافر کس کے چولے نوں بنھے چہ۔
اوڑک پربت دی ھوا من لیا کہ اوھ رھ گئی۔
وت سورج چمکن تے آیا تے مسافر اسے ویلے آپنا چولا لاھیا چہ تے انج پربت دی ھوا ایھ گل منن تے مجبورھوگئی کہ سورج دوھاں وچوں باھلا ترکڑا ھا۔

Parbat di havā te suraj is gal te behes karende paye han ke inhā̃ duhā̃ de vichũ bāhlā tarakṛā kauṇ he ke ḍiṭṭhiyonne ke hik musāfir use rāh tũ laghdā piā he te ḍāḍhā garam jihā cholā pāyā hoyās, vat oh dũhẽ es gal te rāzi ho gaye ke inhā̃ duhā̃ de vichũ jehṛā vi es musāfir nũ paund āpṇā cholā lahvaṇ te majbur karesi, uhā ḍuje tũ bāhlā tarakṛa manīsi.
Vat parbat di havā jhulaṇ laggi te la’ tez ho gayi par jeḍā tez challe oḍā’i musāfir kas ke chole nũ bannhe cha.
Oṛak parbat di havā man leyā ke oh reh gayi.
Vat suraj chamkaṇ te āyā te musāfir use vele āpṇā cholā lāhyā cha te inj parbat di havā eh gal manaṇ te majbur ho gayi ke suraj duhā̃ vichũ bāhlā tarakṛa hā.