Punjabi Linguistics: Majhi vs. Malwai Dialects Explored

Punjabi is one of the Indo-European languages. Mainly, there are more than 122 million people from Pakistani and Indian Punjab who speak this culturally rich language, which makes it the 10th most spoken language around the globe. Nevertheless, it is a pity that neither country has adopted this language as its official language. 

Based on language, Punjab has been divided into three regions and so is the Punjabi language. Generally speaking, Punjabi dialects are divided into four significant parts. Doabi, Puadhi, Majhi and Malwai. Today we’ll take about the two latter ones. Now, if you’re wondering what sets Majhi and Malwai dialects apart. Here’s a little peak of it;

Majha region is located between two out of five rivers of Punjab named Ravi and Beas. People from this area speak the Majhi dialect. There are very well-known cities in this region such as Amritsar and Pathan Kot. 

The Malwa region is situated near the Satluj river, and the people who live here speak the Malwai dialect. It’s worth mentioning that Malwa is a much bigger region as compared to the other two Majha regions. 

If you’re interested to learn some basics and differences between these two dialects, stick around through the article!

Let’s get into it…

Is Punjabi A Dialect Of Hindi?

Many people have a misconception about Punjabi that it’s a dialect of the Hindi language. However, it’s not true by any shot. Punjabi history‘s roots dates back to the 7th century. It may surprise you that Punjab has poetry dating back to the 10th century. 

On the other hand, Hindi came into existence in the 1800s during the Mughal reign. 

It’s also true that Hindi and Punjabi languages share 60% similarity, which makes people believe that Punjabi is a dialect of Hindi. Interestingly, Portuguese and Spanish have almost 90% similarity, yet they’re independent languages. 

Punjabi has adopted a few words from the Hindi language, though it has its own two scripts. 

Dialects Of Punjabi Language

There are almost 20 to 24 dialects of the Punjabi language that people from Pakistani and Indian Punjab speak. It’s important to mention that all dialects have different tones and their cultural beauty. 

The most common ones out of these 24 are three; Malwai, Majhi, and Doabi. Majhi is the standard Punjabi dialect that is most common on both sides of Punjab. It’s quite disappointing to see that Punjabis living outside the Punjab region don’t know how to speak this language properly. 

Majhi vs. Malwai Dialect

Majhi dialect isn’t only spoken in Indian Punjab, but the biggest city of Pakistani Punjab, Lahore, also has speakers of this dialect. 

Malwai dialect is spoken in the Malwa region which is known as the soul of Punjabi culture. You can find colorful bangles, shoes, and dresses reflecting the true Punjabi culture. 

Let’s compare them both with the help of this table;

Majhi	Malwai
Spoken in Amritsar, Pathankot, and Lahore	Spoken in Bhatinda, Sangrur, Faridkot
Tonal	Less-tonal
Unofficial dialect	Unofficial dialect

You can watch this video to learn vocabulary differences between Majha and Malwa.

Grammar

English	Majhi	Malwai
You	Thanu	Tuhanu
Us	Asi	Apa
Was doing	Kardy pay	Karan daey
Your	Tada	Tuwada
How	Kiven	Kidan
I do	Main krna wan	Main karda wan
From me/from you	Mere ton/tere ton	Methon/tethon

Daobi vs. Majhi

Daobi is the third dialect of Punjabi, mostly spoken by people living near the Satluj and Beas rivers. You may find this region more advanced than the other two because most people from this area have frequently moved to Canada and other foreign countries. And they send remittances.

Let’s compare the standard Punjabi dialect (Majhi) and Doabi. 

Majhi	Doabi
Past tense ends with san  Eg; Tusi ki karde san        What were you doing?	Past tense ends with sige Eg; Tusi ki krde sige        What were you doing?
Present tense ends with ne, oh Eg; Tusi ki karde pay oh        What are you doing?        Oh ki karde pay ne       What are they doing?	Present tense ends with aa Eg; Oh ki krdi payi aa       What is she doing?
Aistaran, kistaran, jistaran (common adverbs)	Aidan, kiddan, jiddan (common adverbs)
Present indefinite tense ends with haan Main parhni haan I study	Present indefinite ends with waan Main pardhi waan I study
Tada (Your)	Tauhada (your)

Do Lahoris Speak The Same Dialect Of Punjabi Spoken In Amritsar?

Since Amritsar (India) is just 50 km away from Lahore (Pakistan), you may wonder if they speak the same Punjabi dialect or not. 

Let me tell you that there will be quite few people from Lahore who speak fluent Punjabi, especially the new generation feel shame to converse in this language and they rather prefer Urdu. Another reason of Urdu adoption is Urdu being a national language and being properly taught in schools. Unfortunately, because of these reasons, the Punjabi language has lost its value over time in this region.

While you will see everyone from Amritsar proudly own this language. 

• There’s a difference in tone
• Lahori Punjabis have adopted many Urdu words
• Even though Lahore and Amritsar are in the Majha region, you’ll find a huge disparity in the same dialect

Conclusion

In the end, all the dialects of the Punjabi language represent different cultures and have their unique features. Majhi and Malwai dialects have the same grammar rules however, the vocabulary and adverbs do differ. Most Punjabis (people who live in Punjab) speak a combination of Majhi and Urdu. The young generation living in Lahore doesn’t speak this language at educational institutions rather they are being taught Urdu and English as compulsory subjects.

You’ll see people from other parts of Pakistan and India speak their native languages such as Hindi, Sindhi, Pashto. Also, Punjabi is an independent language, so it’s not true that it’s a dialect of Hindi. 

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