Table Of ContentA Reference Grammar
of Punjabi
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Harjeet Singh Gill
Henry A. Gleason, Jr.
A Reference Grammar
of Punjabi
2013 revised edition by
Mukhtiar Singh Gill
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PREFACE
A Reference Grammar of Punjabi was first published as Hartford Studies in Linguistics,
number 3, in 1962. The Patiala edition differs from the Hartford version in two respects :
the revised section on the phonology of Punjabi reflects my stay at Paris (1964-68) as a
member of the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique with Professor Andre Martinet
and there are two new chapters-On the Concept of Linguistic Sanjam and the Phonology of
Punjabi as compared to that of Hindi and other Aryan languages; secondly, in the chapter
dealing with morphology and syntax, the Punjabi examples are given in Gurumukhi
orthography instead of earlier phonemically transcribed words or phrases.
If I had enough time, I would probably have rewritten the second part also to bring it
closer to my present theoretical inclinations. In a reference grammar of this type, however,
the traditional presentation is perhaps more suited. Moreover, the syntactic analysis based
on the syntagmatic autonomy or the functional independence of phrases followed in this
grammar is definitely closer to the Punjabi sentence patterns. This autonomy plays a vital
role in stylistics and the present writer considers style to be an integral part of language,
whatever level of discourse we may be analysing. The primordial interest here is not only to
construct the so-called grammatical sentences but those sentences which serve to
communicate the ideas or impressions most effectively. The ideal is communication, not just
talking. This is why, most of the examples given in this grammar are taken directly from
contemporary literature. Those who are interested in a further expose of these views may
refer to my article, Syntaxe fonctionnelle du pendjabi, published in the proceedings of the
International Congress of Linguists, Bucharest, 1967.
In the running text of the second part, the words written in Gurumukhi are
sometimes given in oblique bars. This is by oversight and no phonemic significance may be
attached to them.
I regret very much that in preparing the Patiala edition. I did not have the privilege
of discussing all these changes with Professor Gleason under whose guidance the first
version was presented.
In the end I would like to thank Danielle Gill with whom I discussed many of these
theoretical issues and who read the first part of this grammar with me.
Patiala, November, 1969. Harjeet Singh Gill
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The 2013 edition is annotated and revised by Mukhtiar Singh Gill, Project
Associate with the active participation of Professor Gurpreet Singh Lehal, Director
of the Advanced Centre for the Technical Development of Punjabi Language,
Literature and Culture, Punjabi University, Patiala.
Harjeet Singh Gill
Professor of Eminence
Punjabi University, Patiala, 2013.
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CONTENTS
PREFACE 3,4
CHAPTER 1. ON THE CONCEPT OF LINGUISTIC SANJAM 11
CHAPTER 2. PHONOLOGY 15
2.1 Consonants 15
2.2 Phonetics of the consonants 17
2.3 Notes on the oppositional network and neutralisation. 18
2.4 Final clusters 20
2.5 Medial clusters 21
2.5.1 Geminates 21
2.5.2 Clusters of stops - /ḷ/, /r/, or /ṛ/ 22
2.6 Vowels 23
2.7 Phonetics of the vowels 25
2.8 Notes on the oppositional set-up and neutralization 26
2.9 Diphthongs 27
2.10 Disyllabic vowel sequences 27
2.11 Semivowels and glides 28
2.12 Nasalised vowels 30
2.13 The status of /a/ 31
CHAPTER 3. TONES 32
3.1 Oppositions 32
3.2 Phonetics of the tones 32
3.3 Notable vocalic variations 34
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3.4 Neutralisation 35
3.5 Contrastive tonal contours 35
3.6 Neutralisation 36
3.7 A note on terminology 36
3.8 Contrastive phenomenon in other languages 36
CHAPTER 3-A. THE PHONOLOGY OF PUNJABI AS COMPARED TO
THAT OF HINDI AND OTHER ARYAN LANGUAGES 37
CHAPTER 4. GURUMUKHI ORTHOGRAPHY 41
4.1 General notes 41
4.2 The alphabet 42
4.3 Vowels and accessory signs 43
4.4 Numerals and special characters 45
4.5 Conjunct consonants and clusters 46
4.6 Unwritten vowels 47
4.7 “Voiced aspirates” 51
4.8 The letter ਹ 53
4.9 The vowels ”ਿ◌ and◌ੁ 54
4.10 The letter ਲ 55
4.11 Irregular and morphophonemic writing 55
4.12 Spellings for consonants 57
4.13 Spellings for vowels and tones 59
PART II
CHAPTER 5. PARTS OF SPEECH AND INFLECTION 63
5.1 Word classes 63
5.2 Morphophonemic adjustments-vowels 64
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5.3 Morphophonemic adjustments-consonants 65
5.4 Nouns 66
5.5 Pronouns 68
5.6 Correlatives 70
5.7 Gender 71
5.8 Adjectives 72
5.9 Numerals 73
5.10 Tables of numerals 76
5.11 Alternative method of counting 77
5.12 Postpositions 77
5.14 Verbal auxiliaries 78
5.15 Causative extensions 79
5.16 Basic verb paradigms 80
5.17 Additional verb paradigms 82
5.18 Present 88
5.19 Past 89
5.20 Future 92
5.21 Hortative 94
5.22 Optative 95
5.23 Imperative 95
5.24 Infinitives 96
5.25 Verb stems 97
5.26 Comparison with Hindi 98
CHAPTER 6. NOMINAL PHRASES 100
6.1 Definition and classification 100
6.2 One-word phrases 101
6.3 Modifiers of nouns 102
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6.4 Order of modifiers of nouns 104
6.5 Modifiers of adjectives 105
6.6 Modifiers of numerals 107
6.7 Connectives 108
6.8 Apposition 109
6.9 Compounds 109
6.10 Postpositions 111
6.11 Examples 112
CHAPTER 7. VERB PHRASES 122
7.1 Scope and classification 122
7.2 Conjunct verbs 124
7.3 Catenatives 125
7.4 Reinforcers 131
7.5 Verbal compounds 136
7.6 Main verbal phrases 137
7.7 Subordinate verbal phrases 143
7.8 Adjectival and nominal verbal phrases 145
7.9 Longer phrases 147
CHAPTER 8. CLAUSES 149
8.1 Clause elements 149
8.2 The ‘indirect object’ 149
8.3 The ‘direct object’ 150
8.4 The ‘object’ 150
8.5 Concord 152
8.6 Clause patterns 153
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8.7 Postpositional phrases 160
CHAPTER 9. EMPHASIS 161
9.1 Principles 161
9.2 Meanings of particles 163
9.3 ਈ, ਹੀ 163
9.4 ਵੀ 164
9.5 ਜ ੁ 166
9.6 ਤ,ੇ ਤਾ ਂ 167
9.7 ਸਹੀ, ਭਲਾ 169
9.8 ਖਾ ਂ 170
9.9 ਹਾਂ 171
9.10 ਹ ੈ 171
9.11 ਥੁਹੜਾ 172
9.12 ਕਾਹਦਾ 172
9.13 ਿਕ 173
9.14 ਗਾ 173
9.15 ਨਾ 174
9.16 Iteration 176
CHAPTER 10. COORDINATION AND SENTENCE SEQUENCING 178
10.1 Coordination and balance 178
10.2 Connectives 180
10.3 ਜੇ......ਤਾ ਂ 181
10.4 Correlatives 182
10.5 Other patterns of coordination 185
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10.6 Styles 186
10.7 Word order 186
10.8 Phrase order 187
10.9 Phrase order and sequencing 190
10.10 Pronoun omission 193
10.11 One phrase sentences 196
10.12 Poetic syntax 197
ABBREVIATIONS 202
WORKS QUOTED 203
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