If you hail from the Indian subcontinent region, then there is a 95% chance that you speak your mother tongue peppered with a lavish smattering of English vocabulary. And if you are a North Indian or Pakistani, the percentage shoots up to 99%! You see, English loan words in Punjabi and Urdu, along with Hindi, have become ubiquitous features of these languages.
Real-life conversations in this day and age are no longer carried in chaste and pure native tongues these days. English, being the modern language of a modern world that is driven by technical advancement, has blurred linguistic boundaries. The language of the Britons has reached every corner of the world and penetrated many a linguistic cohort to make its presence felt. In this article, we will find out how it bombarded its way into the Punjabi language.
Words Borrowed In The Punjabi Language
The Punjabi language has heavily borrowed words from languages like Arabic, Sanskrit, Urdu, and English, to name a few. However, in this article, we will speak about the English words borrowed and assimilated in this particular Indo-Aryan language of the Indo-European language family. From everyday words like “biscuit” and “bat” to technical terms like “algorithm” and “software,” Punjabi has integrated a plethora of English vocabulary into its lexicon over the years.
List Of English Loan Words In Punjabi
Before we go deeper into the history of this linguistic pattern, let’s take a look at some of these borrowed words along with their meanings.
English | Punjabi | Roman Transcription |
---|---|---|
America | ਅਮਰੀਕਾ | Amrīkā |
Australia | ਅਸਟ੍ਰੇਲੀਆ | Asaṭrelīā |
Ice Cream | ਆਈਸ ਕਰੀਮ | Āīsa karīm |
Italy | ਇਟਲੀ | Iṭalī |
Estonia | ਇਸਟੋਨੀਆ | Isaṭonīā |
Calendar | ਕਲੰਡਰ | Kalaṇḍar |
Copy | ਕਾਪੀ | Kāpī |
Coffee | ਕਾਫ਼ੀ | Kāfī |
College | ਕਾਲਜ | Kālaj |
Column | ਕਾਲਮ | Kālam |
Canada | ਕਨੇਡਾ | Kaneḍā |
Cable | ਕੇਬਲ | Kēbala |
Cooler | ਕੂਲਰ | Kūlara |
Cricket | ਕ੍ਰਿਕਟ | Krikaṭ |
Christmas | ਕ੍ਰਿਸਮਸ | Krismas |
Gunner | ਗਨਰ | Ganar |
Gas | ਗੈਸ | Gais |
Gram | ਗਰਾਮ | Garām |
January | ਜਨਵਰੀ | Janvarī |
German | ਜਰਮਨ | Jarman |
Jail | ਜੇਲ੍ਹ | Jelh |
Truck | ਟਰੱਕ | Ṭarakka |
Taxi | ਟੈਕਸੀ | Ṭaiksī |
Tyre | ਟਾਇਰ | Ṭā’ira |
Doctor | ਡਾਕਟਰ | Ḍākṭar |
Dope | ਡੋਪ | Ḍopa |
Driver | ਡਰਾਈਵਰ | Ḍarā’īvara |
December | ਦਸੰਬਰ | Dasambar |
Knicker | ਨਿੱਕਰ | Nikkar |
Picture | ਨਿੱਕਰ | Pikcar |
Picnic | ਪਿਕਨਿਕ | Piknik |
Pizza | ਪੀਜ਼ਾ | Pīzā |
Police | ਪੁਲਿਸ | Pulisă |
Pencil | ਪੈਨਸਿਲ | Painsil |
Parachute | ਪੈਰਾਸ਼ੂਟ | Pairāśūṭ |
Potassium | ਪੋਟਾਸ਼ੀਅਮ | Poṭāśīama |
Protein | ਪਰੋਟੀਨ | Paroṭīn |
February | ਫ਼ਰਵਰੀ | Farvarī |
Film | ਫ਼ਿਲਮ | Filam |
Phone | ਫ਼ੋਨ | Fōna |
Fail | ਫੇਲ | Phēla |
Button | ਬਟਨ | Baṭana |
Bill | ਬਿਲ | Bil |
Biscuit | ਬਿਸਕੁਟ | Biskuṭ |
Beer | ਬੀਅਰ | Bīara |
Bus | ਬੱਸ | Bassa |
Master | ਮਾਸਟਰ | Māsṭar |
Minute | ਮਿੰਟ | Miṇṭ |
Member | ਮੈਂਬਰ | Maimbar |
Nurse | ਨਰਸ | Naras |
Rail | ਰੇਲ | Rel |
Record | ਰਿਕਾਰਡ | Rikāraḍa |
Library | ਲਾਇਬ੍ਰੇਰੀ | Lāibrerī |
Life | ਲਾਈਫ਼ | Lāīfa |
List | ਲਿਸਟ | Lisaṭ |
Video Game | ਵਿਡਿਓ-ਗੇਮ | Viḍio-gem |
Whiskey | ਵਿਸਕੀ | Viskī |
Weekend | ਵੀਕਐਂਡ | Vīkaaiṇḍa |
Scale | ਸਕੇਲ | Sakēla |
School | ਸਕੂਲ | Sakūl |
Station | ਸਟੇਸ਼ਨ | Saṭeśan |
Cycle | ਸਾਈਕਲ | Sāīkal |
Seat | ਸੀਟ | Sīṭ |
Cement | ਸੀਮਿੰਟ | Sīmiṇṭ |
Social Media | ਸੋਸ਼ਲ ਮੀਡੀਆ | Sośal mīḍīā |
Colonial Impact On Punjabi
It is an old adage that languages get in contact with other languages, and this causes linguistic change at different levels. These changes can be phonological, morphological, grammatical, or semantic in nature. Now, the colonial history of the Indian subcontinent is a big reason for the adaptation of English loanwords in various recipient languages spoken in the region. The most basic reason for this patterned and systematic phenomenon was the establishment of various institutes and institutions in British-ruled India, most particularly those related to education and academics.
A Look At Patterns Substitution
English-medium education has been one of the most prominent reasons behind the emergence of this linguistic merger across the region, but most importantly in its Punjab region. Now, in this scenario, even though the vocabulary was borrowed from the English language, the phonology was still Punjabi at its core.
Vowel substitution was the mainstay of this merger. English vowels like ‘a’, ‘o’, and ‘i’ have hugely undergone vowel substitution in Punjabi phonology. For instance, words like ‘copy,’ ‘record,’ and ‘line’ are pronounced as ‘Kāpī,’ ‘Rikāraḍa,’ and ‘Lā’īna,’ respectively. The Punjabi pronunciation of the word ‘Canada’ as ‘Kanēḍā’ in Indian pop culture is a nod to the intrinsic Punjabi phonology that has been gradually but constantly gaining popularity worldwide.
Journey Of The English Loanwords In Punjabi
Another reason for the heavy use of English loanwords in Punjabi and Urdu is the ever-expanding Indian and Pakistani Punjabi diaspora in countries where English is the lingua franca. Punjabi speakers have been borrowing language from the host countries, picking up colloquial terms and slang, and integrating them with their native language to adapt smoothly to their new home.
Not only that, even Punjabi dramas, films, and popular media are replete with this mixed language. English loans a vast vocabulary to Hindi, Punjabi, and Urdu, as evidenced by the bilingual multimedia content being churned out of these regions.
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