# Saraiki language

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Indo-Aryan language variety spoken in Pakistan

Not to be confused with the [Sarikoli language](/source/Sarikoli_language) or [Siraiki (Sindhi dialect)](/source/Siraiki_(Sindhi_dialect)) of Pakistan.

Saraiki سرائیکی Saraiki in Shahmukhi script (Nastaʿlīq style) Native to Pakistan Region Southern Punjab[1] Southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa[2] Northern Sindh[3] Ethnicity Saraikis[4] Native speakers 28.84 million[5] Language family Indo-European Indo-Iranian Indo-Aryan Northwestern Punjabi Lahnda Saraiki Writing system Shahmukhi (Saraiki alphabet) Gurmukhi Language codes ISO 639-3 skr Glottolog sera1259 The proportion of people with Saraiki as their mother tongue in each Pakistani District as of the 2017 Pakistan Census This article contains IPA phonetic symbols. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Unicode characters. For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see Help:IPA.

**Saraiki** ( سرائیکی, **Sarā'īkī**, [\[səɾaːiːkiː\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA); also spelt **Siraiki**, or **Seraiki**) is a [Lahnda](/source/Lahnda) [language variety](/source/Variety_(linguistics)) in the [Indo-Aryan](/source/Indo-Aryan_languages) language family.[6] It is spoken by 28.84 million people, as per the [2023 Pakistani census](/source/2023_Pakistani_census), taking prevalence in southern [Punjab](/source/Punjab) with remants in northern [Sindh](/source/Sindh) and southern [Khyber Pakhtunkhwa](/source/Khyber_Pakhtunkhwa).[7]

Saraiki has partial [mutual intelligibility](/source/Mutual_intelligibility) with [Standard Punjabi](/source/Standard_Punjabi),[8] and it shares with it a large portion of its vocabulary and [morphology](/source/Linguistic_morphology). At the same time in [its phonology](#Phonology) it is radically different[9] (particularly in the lack of tones, the preservation of the voiced aspirates and the development of implosive consonants), and has important grammatical features in common with the [Sindhi language](/source/Sindhi_language) spoken to the south.[10]

Due to the effects of dominant languages in Pakistani media like [Urdu](/source/Urdu), Standard Punjabi and [English](/source/English_language) and the religious impact of [Arabic](/source/Arabic) and [Persian](/source/Persian_language), Saraiki, like other regional language varieties of Pakistan, is continuously expanding its vocabulary base with loan words.[11]

## Name

The present extent of the meaning of **Sirāikī** is a recent development, and the term most probably gained its currency during the nationalist movement of the 1960s.[12] It has been in use for much longer in [Sindh](/source/Sindh) to refer to the speech of the immigrants from the north, principally Siraiki-speaking [Baloch tribes](/source/Baloch_tribes) who settled there between the 16th and the 19th centuries. In this context, the term can most plausibly be explained as originally having had the meaning "the language of the north", from the [Sindhi](/source/Sindhi_language) word **siro** 'up-river, north'.[13] This name can ambiguously refer to the northern dialects of Sindhi, but these are nowadays more commonly known as "[Siroli](/source/Siraiki_(Sindhi_dialect))"[14] or "Sireli".[15]

An alternative hypothesis is that *Sarākī* originated in the word *sauvīrā*, or [Sauvira](/source/Sauvira),[16] an ancient kingdom which was also mentioned in the Sanskrit epic [Mahabharata](/source/Mahabharata).

Currently, the most common rendering of the name is *Saraiki*.[a] However, *Seraiki* and *Siraiki* have also been used in academia until recently. Precise spelling aside, the name was first adopted in the 1960s by regional social and political leaders.[24]

## Classification and related languages

Further information: [Punjabi dialects](/source/Punjabi_dialects)

Map of Punjabi dialects and language varieties, including Saraiki (Multani, Riasti and Derawali) in the south-west

Saraiki is a member of Western Punjabi sub family of the [Indo-Aryan](/source/Indo-Aryan_languages) subdivision of the [Indo-Iranian](/source/Indo-Iranian_languages) branch of the [Indo-European](/source/Indo-European_languages) language family.

In 1919, [George Abraham Grierson](/source/George_Abraham_Grierson) maintained that the dialects of what is now the southwest of Punjab Province in Pakistan constitute a dialect cluster, which he designated "Southern [Lahnda](/source/Lahnda)" within a putative "Lahnda language". Subsequent Indo-Aryanist linguists have confirmed the reality of this dialect cluster, even while rejecting the name "Southern Lahnda" along with the entity "Lahnda" itself.[25] Grierson also maintained that "Lahnda" was his novel designation for various dialects up to then called "Western Punjabi", spoken north, west, and south of [Lahore](/source/Lahore). The local dialect of Lahore is the [Majhi dialect](/source/Majhi_dialect) of [Punjabi](/source/Punjabi_language), which has long been the basis of standard literary Punjabi.[26] However, outside of Indo-Aryanist circles, the concept of "Lahnda" is still found in compilations of the world's languages (e.g. [Ethnologue](/source/Ethnologue)). Saraiki appears to be a transitional language between [Punjabi](/source/Punjabi_language) and [Sindhi](/source/Sindhi_language). Spoken in Upper Sindh as well as the southern Panjab, it is sometimes considered a dialect of either Sindhi or of Panjabi due to a high degree of mutual intelligibility.[27]

### Dialects

The following dialects have been tentatively proposed for Saraiki:[28]

- Central Saraiki, including Multani: spoken in the districts of [Dera Ghazi Khan](/source/Dera_Ghazi_Khan_District), [Muzaffargarh](/source/Muzaffargarh_District), [Leiah](/source/Layyah_District), [Multan](/source/Multan_District), [Bahawalpur](/source/Bahawalpur_District) and [Taunsa](/source/Taunsa_District).

- Southern Saraiki: prevalent in the districts of [Rajanpur](/source/Rajanpur_District) and [Rahimyar Khan](/source/Rahim_Yar_Khan_District).

- Sindh Siraiki: dispersed throughout the [Northern Sindh](/source/Northern_Sindh) and in [Kachhi Plain](/source/Kacchi_Plain) region in [Balochistan](/source/Balochistan%2C_Pakistan) province.

- Northern Saraiki, or [Thali](/source/Thali_dialect):[29] spoken in the district of [Dera Ismail Khan](/source/Dera_Ismail_Khan_District) and the northern parts of the [Thal region](/source/Thal_Desert), including [Mianwali](/source/Mianwali_District) and [Bhakkar](/source/Bhakkar_District) districts.

The historical inventory of names for the dialects now called Saraiki is a confusion of overlapping or conflicting ethnic, local, and regional designations. One historical name for Saraiki, Jaṭki, means "of the [Jaṭṭs](/source/Jat_people)", a northern [South Asian](/source/South_Asia) ethnic group. Only a small minority of Saraiki speakers are Jaṭṭs, and not all Saraiki speaking Jaṭṭs necessarily speak the same dialect of Saraiki. However, these people usually call their traditions as well as language as *Jataki*. Conversely, several Saraiki dialects have multiple names corresponding to different locales or demographic groups. The name "[Derawali](/source/Derawali_dialect)" is used to refer to the local dialects of both [Dera Ghazi Khan](/source/Dera_Ghazi_Khan) and [Dera Ismail Khan](/source/Dera_Ismail_Khan), but "Ḍerawali" in the former is the Multani dialect and "Derawali" in the latter is the Thaḷi dialect.[30][31]

When consulting sources before 2000, it is important to know that Pakistani administrative boundaries have been altered frequently. Provinces in Pakistan are divided into [districts](/source/Districts_of_Pakistan), and sources on "Saraiki" often describe the territory of a dialect or dialect group according to the districts. Since the founding of Pakistan in 1947, several of these districts have been subdivided, some multiple times.

### Status of language or dialect

In the context of South Asia, the choice between the appellations ["language" and "dialect"](/source/Dialect#Dialect_or_language) is a difficult one, and any distinction made using these terms is obscured by their ambiguity.[32] In a sense both Saraiki and Standard Panjabi are "dialects" of a "[Greater Punjabi](/source/Punjabi_dialects_and_languages)" macrolanguage.[33] The term "Saraiki" was first introduced for the [Multani](/source/Multani_dialect), [Riasti](/source/Riasti_dialect) and [Derawali](/source/Derawali_dialect) dialects of this "[Greater Punjabi](/source/Punjabi_dialects_and_languages)" macrolanguage in the 1960s as a result of a sociopolitical movement.[34] According to [Pakistani](/source/Pakistanis) politicians such as [Hanif Ramay](/source/Hanif_Ramay) and [Fakhar Zaman](/source/Fakhar_Zaman_(poet)), the Saraiki linguistic movement was thought to have been pushed by feudal landowners of the Seraiki belt.[35]

Saraiki was considered a [dialect of Punjabi](/source/Punjabi_dialects) by most [British colonial](/source/British_Raj) administrators,[36] and is still seen as such by many [Punjabis](/source/Punjabis).[37] Saraikis, however, consider it a language in its own right[38] and see the use of the term "dialect" as [stigmatising](/source/Social_stigma).[39] A language movement was started in the 1960s to standardise a script and promote the language.[24][40] The [national census of Pakistan](/source/Census_in_Pakistan) has tabulated the prevalence of Saraiki speakers since 1981.[41]

## Geographical distribution

Ashu Lal, A Saraiki poet and intellectual

### Pakistan

Saraiki is primarily spoken in the south-western part of the province of [Punjab](/source/Punjab%2C_Pakistan), in an area that broadly coincides with the extent of the proposed [South Punjab Province](/source/South_Punjab_Province). To the west, it is set off from the [Pashto](/source/Pashto)- and [Balochi](/source/Balochi_language)-speaking areas by the [Suleiman Range](/source/Suleiman_Range), while to the south-east the [Thar desert](/source/Thar_desert) divides it from the [Marwari language](/source/Marwari_language). Its other boundaries are less well-defined: [Punjabi](/source/Panjabi_language) is spoken to the east; [Sindhi](/source/Sindhi_language) is found to the south, after the border with [Sindh province](/source/Sindh_province); to the north, the southern edge of the [Salt Range](/source/Salt_Range) is the rough divide with the northern varieties of Lahnda, such as [Pothwari](/source/Pahari-Pothwari).[42]

Saraiki as a first, second, and third largest mother tongue by district in Pakistan.

Saraiki is the first language of approximately 29 million people in Pakistan according to the 2023 census.[7] The first national census of Pakistan to gather data on the prevalence of Saraiki was the census of 1981.[43] In that year, the percentage of respondents nationwide reporting Saraiki as their native language was 9.83. In the census of 1998, it was 10.53% out of a national population of 132 million, for a figure of 13.9 million Saraiki speakers resident in Pakistan. Also according to the 1998 census, 12.8 million of those, or 92%, lived in the province of Punjab.[44]

### India

After [Partition](/source/Partition_of_India) in 1947, Hindu and Sikh speakers of Saraiki migrated to India, where they are currently widely dispersed, though with more significant pockets in the states of [Punjab](/source/Punjab%2C_India), [Haryana](/source/Haryana), [Rajasthan](/source/Rajasthan), [Uttar Pradesh](/source/Uttar_Pradesh), [Delhi](/source/Delhi) and [Jammu and Kashmir](/source/Jammu_and_Kashmir_(state)).[45] There is also a smaller group of Muslim [pastoralists](/source/Pastoralist_nomads) who migrated to India, specifically [Andhra Pradesh](/source/Andhra_Pradesh), prior to Partition.[46]

There are census figures available – for example, in the 2011 census, 29,000 people reported their language as "[Bahawal Puri](/source/Bahawalpuri_dialect)", and 62,000 as "Hindi Multani".[47] However, these are not representative of the actual numbers, as the speakers will often refer to their language using narrower dialect or regional labels, or alternatively identify with the bigger language communities, like those of Punjabi, Hindi or Urdu. Therefore, the number of speakers in India remains unknown.[48] There have been observations of Lahnda varieties "merging" into Punjabi (especially in Punjab and Delhi), as well as of outright [shift](/source/Language_shift) to the dominant languages of Punjabi or Hindi.[49] One pattern reported in the 1990s was for members of the younger generation to speak the respective "Lahnda" variety with their grandparents, while communicating within the peer group in Punjabi and speaking to their children in Hindi.[50]

## Phonology

Saraiki's consonant inventory is similar to that of neighbouring [Sindhi](/source/Sindhi_language).[51] It includes [phonemically](/source/Phoneme) distinctive [implosive consonants](/source/Implosive_consonant), which are unusual among the Indo-European languages. In Christopher Shackle's analysis, Saraiki distinguishes up to 48 consonants and 9 [monophthong](/source/Monophthong) vowels.[52]

### Vowels

The "centralised"[b] vowels /ɪ ʊ ə/ tend to be shorter than the "peripheral" vowels /i ɛ a o u/.[53] The central vowel [/ə/](/source/Mid_central_vowel) is more [open](/source/Open_vowel) and [back](/source/Back_vowel) than the corresponding vowel in neighbouring varieties.[54] [Vowel nasalisation](/source/Vowel_nasalisation) is distinctive: /'ʈuɾẽ/ 'may you go' vs. /'ʈuɾe/ 'may he go'.[55] Before /ɦ/, the contrast between /a/ and /ə/ is neutralised.[56] There is a high number of vowel sequences, some of which can be analysed as [diphthongs](/source/Diphthong).

Saraiki vowels[c] Front Near-front Central Near-back Back Close i u Near-close ɪ ʊ Mid e o Near-open ɛ ə Open a

### Consonants

Saraiki possesses a large inventory of [consonants](/source/Consonants):[57]

Labial Dental/ Alveolar Retroflex Post-alv./ Palatal Velar Glottal Stop/ Affricate voiceless p t̪ ʈ t͡ʃ k aspirated pʰ t̪ʰ ʈʰ t͡ʃʰ kʰ voiced b d̪ ɖ d͡ʒ ɡ voiced aspirated bʱ d̪ʱ ɖʱ d͡ʒʱ ɡʱ implosive ɓ ᶑ ʄ ɠ Nasal plain m n ɳ ɲ ŋ aspirated mʱ nʱ ɳʱ Fricative voiceless f s ʃ x voiced v z ɣ ɦ voiced aspirated vʱ Tap plain ɾ ɽ aspirated ɾʱ ɽʱ Approximant plain l j aspirated lʱ

In its [stop consonants](/source/Stop_consonant), Saraiki has the typical for Indo-Aryan four-fold contrast between [voiced](/source/Voiced_consonant) and [voiceless](/source/Voiceless_consonant), and [aspirated](/source/Aspirated_consonant) and unaspirated. In parallel to [Sindhi](/source/Sindhi_language) it has additionally developed a set of [implosives](/source/Implosive_consonants), so that for each place of articulation there are up to five contrasting stops, for example: voiceless /tʃala/ 'custom' ~ aspirated /tʃʰala/ 'blister' ~ implosive /ʄala/ 'cobweb' ~ voiced /dʒala/ 'niche' ~ voiced aspirate /dʒʰəɠ/ 'foam'.[58]

There are five contrasting places of articulation for the stops: [velar](/source/Velar_consonant), [palatal](/source/Palatal_consonant), [retroflex](/source/Retroflex), [dental](/source/Dental_consonant) and [bilabial](/source/Bilabial_consonant). The dentals /t tʰ d dʰ/ are articulated with the [blade of the tongue](/source/Laminal_consonant) against the surface behind the teeth. The retroflex stops are [post-alveolar](/source/Post-alveolar), the articulator being the [tip of the tongue](/source/Apical_consonant) or sometimes the [underside](/source/Subapical_consonant).[59] There is no dental implosive, partly due to the lesser retroflexion with which the [retroflex implosive](/source/Retroflex_implosive) /ᶑ/ is pronounced. The palatal stops are here somewhat arbitrarily represented with [tʃ] and [dʒ].[d] In casual speech some of the stops, especially /k/, /g/ and /dʒ/, are frequently rendered as [fricatives](/source/Fricatives) – respectively [x], [ɣ] and [z].[60]

Of the [nasals](/source/Nasal_consonant), only /n/ and /m/ are found at the start of a word, but in other phonetic environments there is a full set of contrasts in the place of articulation: /ŋ ɲ ɳ n m/. The retroflex [ɳ](/source/Voiced_retroflex_nasal) is realised as a true nasal only if adjacent to a retroflex stop, elsewhere it is a nasalised [retroflex flap](/source/Retroflex_flap) [ɽ̃].[61] The contrasts /ŋ/ ~ /ŋɡ/, and /ɲ/ ~ /ɲdʒ/ are weak; the single nasal is more common in southern varieties, and the nasal + stop cluster is prevalent in central dialects. Three nasals /ŋ n m/ have aspirated counterparts /ŋʰ nʰ mʰ/.

The realisation of the [alveolar tap](/source/Alveolar_tap) /ɾ/ varies with the phonetic environment. It is [trilled](/source/Trill_consonant) if geminated to /ɾɾ/ and weakly trilled if preceded by /t/ or /d/. It contrasts with the [retroflex flap](/source/Retroflex_flap) /ɽ/ (/taɾ/ 'wire' ~ /taɽ/ 'watching'), except in the variety spoken by Hindus.[62] The fricatives /f v/ are [labio-dental](/source/Labio-dental). The [glottal fricative](/source/Voiced_glottal_fricative) /ɦ/ is voiced and affects the voice quality of a preceding vowel.[63]

### Phonotactics and stress

There are no [tones](/source/Tone_(linguistics)) in Saraiki.[64] All consonants except /h j ɳ ɽ/ can be [geminated](/source/Geminated) ("doubled"). Geminates occur only after stressed centralised vowels,[65] and are phonetically realised much less markedly than in the rest of the Punjabi area.[66]

A [stressed](/source/Stress_(phonetics)) syllable is distinguished primarily by its [length](/source/Vowel_length): if the vowel is peripheral /i ɛ a o u/ then it is lengthened, and if it is a "centralised vowel" (/ɪ ʊ ə/) then the consonant following it is geminated. Stress normally falls on the first syllable of a word. The stress will, however, fall on the second syllable of a two-syllable word if the vowel in the first syllable is centralised, and the second syllable contains either a diphthong, or a peripheral vowel followed by a consonant, for example /dɪɾ'kʰan/ 'carpenter'. Three-syllable words are stressed on the second syllable if the first syllable contains a centralised vowel, and the second syllable has either a peripheral vowel, or a centralised vowel + geminate, for example /tʃʊ'həttəɾ/ 'seventy-four'. There are exceptions to these rules and they account for minimal pairs like /it'la/ 'informing' and /'itla/ 'so much'.[67]

### Implosives

Unusually for [South Asian languages](/source/South_Asian_languages), [implosive consonants](/source/Implosive_consonant) are found in [Sindhi](/source/Sindhi_language), possibly some [Rajasthani dialects](/source/Rajasthani_languages),[68] and Saraiki, which has the following series: /[ɓ](/source/Voiced_bilabial_implosive) [ᶑ](/source/Voiced_retroflex_implosive) [ʄ](/source/Voiced_palatal_implosive) [ɠ](/source/Voiced_velar_implosive)/.

The "palatal" /ʄ/ is [denti-alveolar](/source/Denti-alveolar)[69] and [laminal](/source/Laminal_consonant), articulated further forward than most other palatals.[59][e]

The "[retroflex](/source/Retroflex)" /ᶑ/ is articulated with the [tip](/source/Apical_consonant) or the [underside](/source/Subapical_consonant) of the tongue, further forward in the mouth than the plain retroflex stops. It has been described as [post-alveolar](/source/Post-alveolar),[70] [pre-palatal](/source/Pre-palatal) or [pre-retroflex](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pre-retroflex&action=edit&redlink=1).[69] [Bahl (1936](#CITEREFBahl1936), p. 30) reports that this sound is unique in Indo-Aryan and that speakers of Multani take pride in its distinctiveness. The plain voiced /ɖ/ and the implosive /ᶑ/ are mostly in [complementary distribution](/source/Complementary_distribution) although there are a few minimal pairs, like /ɖakʈəɾ/ 'doctor' ~ /ᶑak/ 'mail'.[71][72] The retroflex implosive alternates with the plain voiced dental stop /d/ in the [genitive](/source/Genitive_case) [postposition](/source/Postposition)/suffix /da/, which takes the form of /ᶑa/ when combined with 1st or 2nd person pronouns: /meᶑa/ 'my', /teᶑa/ 'your'.[73]

A [dental implosive](/source/Dental_implosive) (/ɗ̪/) is found in the northeastern [Jhangi dialect](/source/Jhangi_dialect), considered transitional between Standard Punjabi and Saraiki by [Wagha (1997](#CITEREFWagha1997), p. 229), which is characterised by a lack of phonemic contrast between implosives and plain stops,[74] and a preference for implosives even in words where Saraiki has a plain stop.[61] The dental implosive in Jhangi is articulated with the tongue completely covering the upper teeth.[69] It is not present in Saraiki, although [Bahl (1936](#CITEREFBahl1936), p. 29) contends that it should be [reconstructed](/source/Linguistic_reconstruction) for the earlier language. Its absence has been attributed to structural factors: the forward articulation of /ʄ/ and the lesser retroflexion of /ᶑ/.[72][71]

Aspirated ([breathy voiced](/source/Breathy_voiced)) implosives occur word-initially, where they contrast with aspirated plain stops: */ɓʰɛ(h)/* 'sit' ~ */bʰɛ/* 'fear'.[75] The aspiration is not [phonemic](/source/Phonemic);[59] it is phonetically realised on the whole syllable,[76] and results from an underlying /h/ that follows the vowel, thus [ɓʰɛh] is phonemically /ɓɛh/.[77]

The historical origin of the Saraiki implosives has been on the whole[f] the same as in Sindhi. Their source has generally been the older language's series of plain voiced stops, thus [Sanskrit](/source/Sanskrit) ****j**anayati** > Saraiki ***ʄ**əɲən* 'be born'. New plain voiced stops have in turn arisen out of certain consonants and consonant clusters (for example, ****y**ava** > ***dʒ**ao* 'barley'), or have been introduced in loanwords from [Sanskrit](/source/Sanskrit), [Hindi](/source/Hindi), [Persian](/source/Persian_language) or [English](/source/English_language) (***ɡ**ərdən* 'throat', ***b**əs* 'bus'). The following table illustrates some of the major developments:[78]

Sanskrit/ Prakrit Saraiki example word[g] b- ɓ bahu > ɓəhʊ̃ 'many' dv- dvitiya- > ɓja 'another' v- vṛddhā > ɓuɖɖʱa 'old' b vaṇa- > bən 'forest' v vartman- > vaʈ 'path' j ʄ jihvā > ʄɪbbʰ 'tongue' jy- jyeṣṭhā > ʄeʈʰ 'husband's elder brother' -jy- ʄʄ rajyate > rəʄʄəɲ 'to satisfy' -dy- adya > əʄʄə 'today' y- dʒ yadi > dʒe 'if' ḍ- ᶑ Pk. gaḍḍaha- > gəᶑᶑũ 'donkey' d- duḥkha > ᶑʊkkʰə 'sorrow' -rd- ᶑᶑ kūrdati > kʊᶑᶑəɲ 'to jump' -dāt- *kadātana > kəᶑᶑəɳ 'when' -bdh- ɖɖ stabdha > ʈʰəɖɖa 'cold' -ṇḍ- ɳɖ ḍaṇḍaka > ᶑəɳɖa 'stick' g ɠ gāva- > ɠã 'cow' gr- grantha > ɠəɳɖʰ 'knot' ɡ grāma > ɡrã 'village'

Within South Asia, implosives were first described for [Sindhi](/source/Sindhi_language) by Stake in 1855. Later authors have noted their existence in Multani and have variously called them "recursives" or "injectives", while [Grierson](/source/G._A._Grierson) incorrectly treated them as "double consonants".[79]

## Writing system

See also: [Saraiki alphabet](/source/Saraiki_alphabet)

Saraiki alphabet آ ا ب ٻ پ ت ٹ ث ج ڄ چ ح خ د ڈ ݙ ذ ر ڑ ز ژ س ش ص ض ط ظ ع غ ف ق ک گ ڳ ل م ن (ں) ݨ و ہ ھ ی ے Extended Perso-Arabic script History Transliteration Diacritics Hamza Numerals Numeration v t e

In the province of Punjab, Saraiki is written using the [Arabic](/source/Arabic_script)-derived [Urdu alphabet](/source/Urdu_alphabet) with the addition of seven [diacritically](/source/Diacritic) modified letters to represent the implosives and the extra nasals.[80][h] In [Sindh](/source/Sindh) the [Sindhi alphabet](/source/Sindhi_alphabet) is used.[10] The calligraphic styles used are [Naskh](/source/Naskh_(script)) and [Nastaʿlīq](/source/Nasta%CA%BFl%C4%ABq_script).[81]

Historically, traders or bookkeepers wrote in a script known as *kiṛakkī* or [laṇḍā](/source/La%E1%B9%87%E1%B8%8D%C4%81_scripts), although use of this script has been significantly reduced in recent times.[64][82] Likewise, a script related to the [Landa scripts](/source/Landa_scripts) family, known as [Multani](/source/Multani_script), was previously used to write Saraiki. A preliminary proposal to encode the Multani script in ISO/IEC 10646 was submitted in 2011.[83] Saraiki Unicode has been approved in 2005.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*] The [Khojiki script](/source/Khojki) has also been in use, whereas [Devanagari](/source/Devanagari) and [Gurmukhi](/source/Gurmukhi) are not employed any more.[81][*[better source needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Verifiability#Questionable_sources)*]

## Language use

### In academia

The Department of Saraiki, [Islamia University](/source/Islamia_University), Bahawalpur was established in 1989[17] and the Department of Saraiki, [Bahauddin Zakariya University](/source/Bahauddin_Zakariya_University), Multan[18] was established in 2006. BS Saraiki is also being offered by English department of [Ghazi University](/source/Ghazi_University), Dera Ghazi Khan and MA Saraiki is being offered by [Gomal University](/source/Gomal_University), Dera Ismail Khan privately. It is taught as a subject in schools and colleges at higher secondary and intermediate.[84][85] Saraiki is also taught at degree level at the [Allama Iqbal Open University](/source/Allama_Iqbal_Open_University) at Islamabad,[19] and the Al-Khair University at Bhimbir have Pakistani Linguistics Departments. They offer M.Phil. and Ph.D in Saraiki. The Associated Press of Pakistan has launched a Saraiki version of its site, as well.[86]

### Arts and literature

Main article: [Saraiki literature](/source/Saraiki_literature)

See also: [Saraiki culture](/source/Saraiki_culture)

Tomb of Sufi poet [Khwaja Ghulam Farid](/source/Khwaja_Ghulam_Farid)

The language, partly codified during the [British Raj](/source/British_Raj), derived its emotional attraction from the poetry of the [Sufi](/source/Sufism) saint, [Khawaja Ghulam Farid](/source/Khwaja_Ghulam_Farid), who has become an identity symbol.[87] His poems, known as [Kafi](/source/Kafi) are still famous.

The beloved's intense glances call for blood The dark hair wildly flows The Kohl of the eyes is fiercely black And slays the lovers with no excuse My appearance in ruins, I sit and wait While the beloved has settled in Malheer I feel the sting of the cruel dart My heart the, abode of pain and grief A life of tears, I have led Farid

— one of Khwaja Ghulam Farid's poems (translated)

Shakir Shujabadi (*Kalam-e-Shakir*, *Khuda Janey*, *Shakir Diyan Ghazlan*, *Peelay Patr*, *Munafqan Tu Khuda Bachaway*, and *Shakir De Dohray* are his famous books) is a very well recognised modern poet.[88]

[Ataullah Khan Esakhelvi](/source/Attaullah_Khan_Esakhelvi) and [Shafaullah Rokhri](/source/Shafaullah_Rokhri) are considered legends of [Saraiki music](/source/Saraiki_music) and the most popular singers from the [Saraiki belt](/source/Saraiki_belt).[89]

### Media

#### Television channels

See also: [Television in Pakistan](/source/Television_in_Pakistan)

Former Pakistan Prime Minister [Yousaf Raza Gillani](/source/Yousaf_Raza_Gillani) had said southern Punjab is rich in cultural heritage which needs to be promoted for next generations. In a message on the launch of Saraiki channel by Pakistan Television (PTV) in [Multan](/source/Multan), he is reported to have said that the step would help promote the rich heritage of 'Saraiki Belt'.[90]

TV Channel Genre Founded Waseb TV (وسیب ٹی وی) Entertainment Kook TV (کوک ٹی وی) Entertainment Rohi TV (روہی ٹی وی) Entertainment PTV Multan (پی ٹی وی ملتان) Entertainment PTV National (پی ٹی وی نیشنل) Entertainment

#### Radio

These are not dedicated Saraiki channels but most play programmes in Saraiki.

See also: [Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation](/source/Pakistan_Broadcasting_Corporation)

Radio Channel Genre Founded FM105 Saraiki Awaz Sadiq Abad Entertainment

## See also

- [Saraikistan province movement](/source/Saraikistan_province_movement)

- [Saraiki people](/source/Saraiki_people)

- [List of Saraiki people](/source/List_of_Saraiki_people)

- [Saraiki culture](/source/Saraiki_culture)

- [Saraiki cuisine](/source/Saraiki_cuisine)

- [Saraiki literature](/source/Saraiki_literature)

- [Saraiki diaspora](/source/Saraiki_diaspora)

## Notes

1. **[^](#cite_ref-24)** *Saraiki* is the spelling used in universities of Pakistan (the [Islamia University of Bahawalpur](/source/Islamia_University), department of Saraiki established in 1989,[17] [Bahauddin Zakariya University](/source/Bahauddin_Zakariya_University), in Multan, department of Saraiki established in 2006,[18] and [Allama Iqbal Open University](/source/Allama_Iqbal_Open_University), in Islamabad, department of Pakistani languages established in 1998),[19] and by the district governments of Bahawalpur[20] and Multan,[21] as well as by the federal institutions of the Government of Pakistan like Population Census Organization[22] and Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation.[23]

1. **[^](#cite_ref-54)** The terms "centralised" and "peripheral" are used in [Shackle 1976](#CITEREFShackle1976) and [Shackle 2003](#CITEREFShackle2003).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-59)** The symbols used follow [Shackle (2003)](#CITEREFShackle2003). [Shackle (1976)](#CITEREFShackle1976) has *ʌ* for *ə* and *æ* for *ɛ*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-63)** They are transcribed as such by [Awan, Baseer & Sheeraz (2012](#CITEREFAwanBaseerSheeraz2012), p. 127). [Latif (2003](#CITEREFLatif2003), p. 91) reports that these consonants have similar [spectrograms](/source/Spectrogram) to [those of Urdu](/source/Hindustani_phonology#Consonants). [Shackle (1976](#CITEREFShackle1976), p. 22) has them as [pre-palatal](/source/Pre-palatal). None of these sources discuss the issue at length.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-74)** [Bahl (1936](#CITEREFBahl1936), p. 28) describes its place of articulation as almost identical to the ⟨d'⟩ [[ɟ](/source/Voiced_palatal_plosive)] of [Czech](/source/Czech_phonology).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-83)** Saraiki differs for example in the presence of geminated implosives, or the treatment of Sanskrit **vy-**, whose Saraiki reflex /ɓ/ contrasts with the Sindhi /w/.([Bahl 1936](#CITEREFBahl1936), pp. 57–64)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-85)** Sanskrit words are transliterated using [IAST](/source/IAST). An asterisk *** denotes an unattested but [reconstructed](/source/Linguistic_reconstruction) form.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-88)** The practice is traced back to Juke's 1900 dictionary. The modern standard was agreed upon in 1979 ([Wagha 1997](#CITEREFWagha1997), pp. 240–41).

## Further reading

- Atta, Firdos; van de Weijer, Jeroen; Zhu, Lei (2020). "Saraiki". Illustrations of the IPA. *Journal of the International Phonetic Association*: 1–21. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1017/S0025100320000328](https://doi.org/10.1017%2FS0025100320000328), with supplementary sound recordings.

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["Population by mother tongue, sex and rural/urban, census-2023"](https://web.archive.org/web/20250130024854/https://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files/population/2023/tables/table_11_punjab_province.pdf) (PDF). Archived from [the original](https://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files/population/2023/tables/table_11_punjab_province.pdf) (PDF) on 30 January 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["Population by mother tongue, sex and rural/urban, census-2023"](https://web.archive.org/web/20250110094147/https://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files/population/2023/tables/table_11_kp_province.pdf) (PDF). Archived from [the original](https://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files/population/2023/tables/table_11_kp_province.pdf) (PDF) on 10 January 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["Population by mother tongue, sex and rural/urban, census-2023"](https://web.archive.org/web/20250129035009/https://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files/population/2023/tables/table_11_sindh_province.pdf) (PDF). Archived from [the original](https://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files/population/2023/tables/table_11_sindh_province.pdf) (PDF) on 29 January 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGrierson1919240_4-0)** [Grierson 1919](#CITEREFGrierson1919), p. 240.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["Population by mother tongue, sex and rural/urban, census-2023"](https://web.archive.org/web/20240723195551/https://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files/population/2023/tables/national/table_11.pdf) (PDF). Archived from [the original](https://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files/population/2023/tables/national/table_11.pdf) (PDF) on 23 July 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-:0_6-0)** [Grierson 1919](#CITEREFGrierson1919), p. 233 "The existence of Lahnda as a separate language has long been recognised under various names such as Jatki, Multani, Hindki or Hindko and Western Panjabi....it is called Multani, but this name properly applies only to the form of Lahnda spoken around Multan and the neighbourhood."

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-pbs.gov.pk_7-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-pbs.gov.pk_7-1) ["Key Findings Report - The Largest Digitization Exercise of South Asia"](https://web.archive.org/web/20240719134526/https://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files/population/2023/key_findings_report.pdf) (PDF). Archived from [the original](https://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files/population/2023/key_findings_report.pdf) (PDF) on 19 July 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** [Bashir, Conners & Hefright 2019](#CITEREFBashirConnersHefright2019); see also [Rahman 1995](#CITEREFRahman1995), p. 16 and [Shackle 2014b](#CITEREFShackle2014b).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEShackle1977389_9-0)** [Shackle 1977](#CITEREFShackle1977), p. 389.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEShackle2014b_10-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEShackle2014b_10-1) [Shackle 2014b](#CITEREFShackle2014b).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** Shams, Shammim Ara (2020). ["The Impact of Dominant Languages on Regional Languages: A Case Study of English, Urdu and Shina"](https://doi.org/10.35484%2Fpssr.2020%284-III%2979). *Pakistan Social Sciences Review*. **4** (III): 1092–1106. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.35484/pssr.2020(4-III)79](https://doi.org/10.35484%2Fpssr.2020%284-III%2979).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTERahman19953_12-0)** [Rahman 1995](#CITEREFRahman1995), p. 3.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-13)** [Rahman 1995](#CITEREFRahman1995), p. 4; [Shackle 1976](#CITEREFShackle1976), p. 2; [Shackle 1977](#CITEREFShackle1977), p. 388

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEShackle2007114_14-0)** [Shackle 2007](#CITEREFShackle2007), p. 114.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEShackle197624_15-0)** [Shackle 1976](#CITEREFShackle1976), p. 24.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEDani198136_16-0)** [Dani 1981](#CITEREFDani1981), p. 36.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-iub.edu.pk_17-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-iub.edu.pk_17-1) ["The Islamia University of Bahawalpur Pakistan - Department"](http://www.iub.edu.pk/department.php?id=26). *iub.edu.pk*.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-bzu.edu.pk_18-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-bzu.edu.pk_18-1) ["Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Pakistan"](http://www.bzu.edu.pk/departmentindex.php?id=33). *bzu.edu.pk*.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-aiou.edu.pk_19-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-aiou.edu.pk_19-1) ["Department Detail"](http://www.aiou.edu.pk/DeptDetail.asp?DeptID=47). *aiou.edu.pk*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-20)** ["History of Bahawalpur"](https://web.archive.org/web/20120611045704/http://www.bahawalpur.gov.pk/history.htm). *bahawalpur.gov.pk*. Archived from [the original](http://www.bahawalpur.gov.pk/history.htm) on 11 June 2012.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-21)** ["Introduction -City District Government Multan"](http://www.multan.gov.pk/page.php?data=136). *multan.gov.pk*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-22)** [Population by Mother Tongue](https://www.census.gov.pk/MotherTongue.htm) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20110912021653/http://www.census.gov.pk/MotherTongue.htm) 12 September 2011 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine), website of the Population Census organization of Pakistan

1. **[^](#cite_ref-23)** [Saraiki News Bulletins](http://www.radio.gov.pk/cms/TopStoryDetail.asp?id=490) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20141006092215/http://www.radio.gov.pk/cms/TopStoryDetail.asp?id=490) 6 October 2014 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine), website of Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEShackle1977_25-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEShackle1977_25-1) [Shackle 1977](#CITEREFShackle1977).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEMasica199118–20_26-0)** [Masica 1991](#CITEREFMasica1991), pp. 18–20.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGrierson1919_27-0)** [Grierson 1919](#CITEREFGrierson1919).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-JBM_28-0)** Klein, Jared; Joseph, Brian; Fritz, Matthias, eds. (2017). *Handbook of comparative and historical Indo-European linguistics; Volume 1*. Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter Mouton. pp. 434–435. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9783110393248](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9783110393248).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-29)** This is the grouping in [Wagha (1997](#CITEREFWagha1997), pp. 229–31), which largely coincides with that in [Shackle (1976](#CITEREFShackle1976), pp. 5–8).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEShackle19768_30-0)** [Shackle 1976](#CITEREFShackle1976), p. 8.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEMasica1991426_31-0)** [Masica 1991](#CITEREFMasica1991), p. 426.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGrierson1919239ff_32-0)** [Grierson 1919](#CITEREFGrierson1919), pp. 239ff.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-33)** See [Masica 1991](#CITEREFMasica1991), pp. 23–27. For a brief discussion of the case of Saraiki, see [Wagha (1997](#CITEREFWagha1997), pp. 225–26).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTERahman199516_34-0)** [Rahman 1995](#CITEREFRahman1995), p. 16.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-35)** Nazir, Kahut (24 May 2009). ["The origin and politics of the Seraiki movement"](https://www.dawn.com/news/881086/the-origin-and-politics-of-the-seraiki-movement#:~:text=To%20alienate%20central,Punjabi.%E2%80%9D%20(P.%20180).). *DAWN*. p. 1. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20210126124345/https://www.dawn.com/news/881086/the-origin-and-politics-of-the-seraiki-movement#:~:text=To%20alienate%20central,Punjabi.%E2%80%9D%20%28P.%20180%29.) from the original on 26 January 2021. Retrieved 28 January 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-36)** Ahmed, Ishtiaq (1 January 1998). [*State, Nation and Ethnicity in Contemporary South Asia*](https://books.google.com/books?id=czSm7cmhgA0C&dq=Main+ethnicity+of+saraikis&pg=PA184). A&C Black. p. 184. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-85567-578-0](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-85567-578-0). The president of the Punjab PPP, Fakhir Zaman, thought that Seraiki was one among many other dialects of Punjabi. Hanif Ramay a former PPP chief minister of Punjab, had a similar stance. Both also thought that it was the feudal landowners of the Seraiki belt who were behind the separatist movement.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTERahman1996173_37-0)** [Rahman 1996](#CITEREFRahman1996), p. 173.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEShackle2014a_38-0)** [Shackle 2014a](#CITEREFShackle2014a): "it has come to be increasingly recognized internationally as a language in its own right, although this claim continues to be disputed by many Punjabi speakers who regard it as a dialect of Punjabi".

1. **[^](#cite_ref-39)** [Rahman 1995](#CITEREFRahman1995), p. 16: "the Punjabis claim that Siraiki is a dialect of Punjabi, whereas the Siraikis call it a language in its own right."

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTERahman1996175_40-0)** [Rahman 1996](#CITEREFRahman1996), p. 175.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTERahman1997838_41-0)** [Rahman 1997](#CITEREFRahman1997), p. 838.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEJavaid200446_42-0)** [Javaid 2004](#CITEREFJavaid2004), p. 46.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEShackle19761–2_43-0)** [Shackle 1976](#CITEREFShackle1976), pp. 1–2.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEJavaid2004_44-0)** [Javaid 2004](#CITEREFJavaid2004).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-45)** Pakistan census 1998

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGoswami199430_46-0)** [Goswami 1994](#CITEREFGoswami1994), p. 30.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-47)** ["Kahan se aa gai (کہاں سے کہاں آ گئے)"](https://web.archive.org/web/20130922000201/http://www.bbc.co.uk/urdu/india/2009/05/090505_wusat_multan_pkg.shtml). Archived from [the original](https://www.bbc.co.uk/urdu/india/2009/05/090505_wusat_multan_pkg.shtml) on 22 September 2013. Retrieved 8 April 2012.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-48)** ["2011 Census tables: C-16, population by Native languages"](https://web.archive.org/web/20191210063438/http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/C-16.html). *Census of India Website*. Archived from [the original](http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/C-16.html) on 10 December 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-49)** [Goswami 1994](#CITEREFGoswami1994), pp. 30–31; [Bhatia 2016](#CITEREFBhatia2016), pp. 134–35.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGoswami199431,_33_50-0)** [Goswami 1994](#CITEREFGoswami1994), pp. 31, 33.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGoswami199432–33_51-0)** [Goswami 1994](#CITEREFGoswami1994), pp. 32–33.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEMasica1991_52-0)** [Masica 1991](#CITEREFMasica1991).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEShackle197612,_18_53-0)** [Shackle 1976](#CITEREFShackle1976), pp. 12, 18.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEShackle197612–13_55-0)** [Shackle 1976](#CITEREFShackle1976), pp. 12–13.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEShackle2003588_56-0)** [Shackle 2003](#CITEREFShackle2003), p. 588.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEShackle197617_57-0)** [Shackle 1976](#CITEREFShackle1976), p. 17.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEShackle197632_58-0)** [Shackle 1976](#CITEREFShackle1976), p. 32.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEShackle2003590_60-0)** [Shackle 2003](#CITEREFShackle2003), p. 590.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEShackle197618–19_61-0)** [Shackle 1976](#CITEREFShackle1976), p. 18–19.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEShackle197622_62-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEShackle197622_62-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEShackle197622_62-2) [Shackle 1976](#CITEREFShackle1976), p. 22.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEShackle197621_64-0)** [Shackle 1976](#CITEREFShackle1976), p. 21.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEShackle197623_65-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEShackle197623_65-1) [Shackle 1976](#CITEREFShackle1976), p. 23.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEShackle197620–23,_27_66-0)** [Shackle 1976](#CITEREFShackle1976), pp. 20–23, 27.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEShackle197631–33_67-0)** [Shackle 1976](#CITEREFShackle1976), pp. 31–33.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEShackle2003594_68-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEShackle2003594_68-1) [Shackle 2003](#CITEREFShackle2003), p. 594.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEShackle197627_69-0)** [Shackle 1976](#CITEREFShackle1976), p. 27.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEShackle2003592_70-0)** [Shackle 2003](#CITEREFShackle2003), p. 592.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEShackle197628–29_71-0)** [Shackle 1976](#CITEREFShackle1976), p. 28–29.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEMasica1991104_72-0)** [Masica 1991](#CITEREFMasica1991), p. 104.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEBahl193628_73-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEBahl193628_73-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEBahl193628_73-2) [Bahl 1936](#CITEREFBahl1936), p. 28.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEShackle197622–23_75-0)** [Shackle 1976](#CITEREFShackle1976), pp. 22–23.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEShackle2003590–91_76-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEShackle2003590–91_76-1) [Shackle 2003](#CITEREFShackle2003), pp. 590–91.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEShackle197620–21_77-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEShackle197620–21_77-1) [Shackle 1976](#CITEREFShackle1976), pp. 20–21.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEBahl193680_78-0)** [Bahl 1936](#CITEREFBahl1936), p. 80.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEWagha1997234–35_79-0)** [Wagha 1997](#CITEREFWagha1997), pp. 234–35.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEBahl193677–78_80-0)** [Bahl 1936](#CITEREFBahl1936), pp. 77–78.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEBahl193639–40_81-0)** [Bahl 1936](#CITEREFBahl1936), pp. 39–40.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEShackle197631_82-0)** [Shackle 1976](#CITEREFShackle1976), p. 31.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEBahl193657–64_84-0)** [Bahl 1936](#CITEREFBahl1936), pp. 57–64.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEBahl19364,_10_86-0)** [Bahl 1936](#CITEREFBahl1936), pp. 4, 10.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEShackle2003598–99_87-0)** [Shackle 2003](#CITEREFShackle2003), pp. 598–99.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTELewisSimonsFennig2016_89-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTELewisSimonsFennig2016_89-1) [Lewis, Simons & Fennig 2016](#CITEREFLewisSimonsFennig2016).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEWagha1997239–40_90-0)** [Wagha 1997](#CITEREFWagha1997), pp. 239–40.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-91)** ["Preliminary Proposal to Encode the Multani Script in ISO/IEC 10646"](https://web.archive.org/web/20180926181548/http://std.dkuug.dk/JTC1/SC2/WG2/docs/n4027.pdf) (PDF). Archived from [the original](http://std.dkuug.dk/JTC1/SC2/WG2/docs/n4027.pdf) (PDF) on 26 September 2018. Retrieved 17 April 2012.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-92)** ["Govt plans to recruit teachers of Punjabi, Seraiki languages"](https://www.dawn.com/news/1674633). *DAWN.COM*. 12 February 2022.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-93)** ["In a first, K-P introduces regional-language books in govt schools"](https://tribune.com.pk/story/1341136/landmark-move-first-k-p-introduces-regional-language-books-govt-schools). *The Express Tribune*. 27 February 2017.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-94)** ["Associated Press Of Pakistan ( Pakistan's Premier NEWS Agency ) - Saraiki"](https://saraiki.app.com.pk/saraiki/). *app.com.pk*. 18 February 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-95)** Jaffrelot, Christophe (16 June 2016). [*The Pakistan Paradox: Instability And Resilience*](https://books.google.com/books?id=gQDzCQAAQBAJ&dq=saraiki+ghulam+farid&pg=PT177). Random House India. p. 187. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-81-8400-707-7](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-81-8400-707-7).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-96)** ["Shakir Shujabadi"](http://www.wasaib.com/shakir-shujabadi/).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-:1_97-0)** ["Legendary Saraiki singer Shafa Ullah passes away"](http://tribune.com.pk/story/2261722/legendary-saraiki-singer-shafa-ullah-passes-away). *The Express Tribune*. 29 August 2020. Retrieved 5 September 2020.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-98)** uploader. ["Associated Press Of Pakistan ( Pakistan's Premier NEWS Agency ) - PTV's Saraiki channel to promote area's culture: PM"](https://web.archive.org/web/20130921055954/http://www.app.com.pk/en_/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=36075). *app.com.pk*. Archived from [the original](http://www.app.com.pk/en_/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=36075) on 21 September 2013.

## Bibliography

- Asif, Saiqa Imtiaz. 2005. [Siraiki Language and Ethnic Identity](https://web.archive.org/web/20060925180100/http://www.bzu.edu.pk/jrlanguages/Journal%20Vol%207/Saqia%20Imtiaz.pdf). *Journal of Research (Faculty of Languages and Islamic Studies)*, 7: 9-17. [Multan](/source/Multan) (Pakistan): [Bahauddin Zakariya University](/source/Bahauddin_Zakariya_University).

- Awan, Muhammad Safeer; Baseer, Abdul; Sheeraz, Muhammad (2012). ["Outlining Saraiki Phonetics: A Comparative Study of Saraiki and English Sound System"](http://www.languageinindia.com/july2012/awansaraikisoundsystemfinal.pdf) (PDF). *Language in India*. **12** (7): 120–136. [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [1930-2940](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/1930-2940). Retrieved 21 October 2016.

- Bahl, Parmanand (1936). *Étude de phonetique historique et experimentale des consonnes injectives du Multani, dialecte panjabi occidental*. Paris: Adrien-Maisonneuve.

- [Bashir, Elena](/source/Elena_Bashir); Conners, Thomas J.; Hefright, Brook (2019). *A descriptive grammar of Hindko, Panjabi, and Saraiki*. Hefright, Brook. De Gruyter Mouton. pp. 62, 77. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-61451-296-7](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-61451-296-7). [OCLC](/source/OCLC_(identifier)) [1062344143](https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/1062344143).

- Bhatia, Motia (2016). "Lahanda". In Devy, Ganesh; Koul, Omkar N.; Bhat, Roop Krishen (eds.). *The Languages of Punjab*. People's Linguistic Survey of India. Vol. 24. Hyderabad: Orient Blackswan. pp. 134–57. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-8125062400](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-8125062400).

- Dani, A.H. (1981). "Sindhu – Sauvira : A glimpse into the early history of Sind". In Khuhro, Hamida (ed.). *Sind through the centuries : proceedings of an international seminar held in Karachi in Spring 1975*. Karachi: Oxford University Press. pp. 35–42. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-19-577250-0](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-19-577250-0).

- Gardezi, Hassan N. (1996). ["Saraiki Language and its poetics: An Introduction"](https://web.archive.org/web/20090421115140/http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/sangat/sang1296.htm#NO2). Archived from [the original](http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/sangat/sang1296.htm#NO2) on 21 April 2009.

- Goswami, Krishan Kumar (1994). *Code switching in Lahanda speech community : a sociolinguistic survey*. Delhi: Kalinga Publications. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [818516357X](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/818516357X).

- [Grierson, George A.](/source/George_Abraham_Grierson) (1919). [*Linguistic Survey of India*](http://dsal.uchicago.edu/books/lsi/lsi.php?volume=8-1&pages=600). Vol. VIII, Part 1, *Indo-Aryan family. North-western group. Specimens of Sindhī and Lahndā*. Calcutta: Office of the Superintendent of Government Printing, India.

- Javaid, Umbreen (2004). ["Saraiki political movement: its impact in south Punjab"](http://pu.edu.pk/images/journal/english/Online_contents/Vol.%20XL%20No.2%20JRH%20July%202004.pdf) (PDF). *Journal of Research (Humanities)*. **40** (2). Lahore: Department of English Language & Literature, University of the Punjab: 45–55. (This PDF contains multiple articles from the same issue.)

- Latif, Amna (2003). ["Phonemic Inventory of Siraiki Language and Acoustic Analysis of Voiced Implosives"](http://www.cle.org.pk/Publication/Crulp_report/CR03_16E.pdf) (PDF). *CRULP Annual Student Report, 2002-2003*. Center for Research in Urdu Language Processing.

- Lewis, M. Paul; Simons, Gary F.; Fennig, Charles D., eds. (2016). ["Saraiki"](https://web.archive.org/web/20190425102808/http://www.ethnologue.com/19/language/skr/). *[Ethnologue](/source/Ethnologue)* (19 ed.). Archived from [the original](https://www.ethnologue.com/19/language/skr) on 25 April 2019.

- [Masica, Colin P.](/source/Colin_Masica) (1991). *The Indo-Aryan languages*. Cambridge language surveys. Cambridge University Press. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-521-23420-7](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-521-23420-7).

- [Rahman, Tariq](/source/Tariq_Rahman) (1995). "The Siraiki Movement in Pakistan". *Language Problems & Language Planning*. **19** (1): 1–25. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1075/lplp.19.1.01rah](https://doi.org/10.1075%2Flplp.19.1.01rah).

- —— (1996). *Language and politics in Pakistan*. Oxford University Press. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-19-577692-8](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-19-577692-8).

- —— (1997). "Language and Ethnicity in Pakistan". *Asian Survey*. **37** (9): 833–839. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.2307/2645700](https://doi.org/10.2307%2F2645700). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0004-4687](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0004-4687). [JSTOR](/source/JSTOR_(identifier)) [2645700](https://www.jstor.org/stable/2645700).

- [Shackle, Christopher](/source/Christopher_Shackle) (1976). *The Siraiki language of central Pakistan : a reference grammar*. London: School of Oriental and African Studies.

- —— (1977). "Siraiki: A Language Movement in Pakistan". *Modern Asian Studies*. **11** (3): 379–403. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1017/s0026749x00014190](https://doi.org/10.1017%2Fs0026749x00014190). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0026-749X](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0026-749X). [JSTOR](/source/JSTOR_(identifier)) [311504](https://www.jstor.org/stable/311504). [S2CID](/source/S2CID_(identifier)) [144829301](https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:144829301).

- —— (2003). "Panjabi". In Cardona, George; Jain, Dhanesh (eds.). *The Indo-Aryan languages*. Routledge language family series. Y. London: Routledge. pp. 581–621. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-7007-1130-7](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-7007-1130-7).

- —— (2007). "Pakistan". In Simpson, Andrew (ed.). *Language and national identity in Asia*. Oxford linguistics Y. Oxford University Press. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-19-922648-1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-19-922648-1).

- —— (2014a). ["Lahnda language"](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Lahnda-language). *Encyclopædia Britannica*. Retrieved 24 October 2016.

- —— (2014b). ["Siraiki language"](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Siraiki-language). *Encyclopædia Britannica*. Retrieved 18 October 2016.

- Wagha, Muhammad Ahsan (1997). [*The development of Siraiki language in Pakistan*](https://web.archive.org/web/20170214205829/http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.267685) (Ph.D.). School of Oriental and African Studies. Archived from [the original](http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.267685) on 14 February 2017. Retrieved 5 November 2016.

## External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Saraiki language](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Saraiki_language).

***[Saraiki edition](https://skr.wikipedia.org/wiki/)*** of [Wikipedia](/source/Wikipedia), the free encyclopedia

- [A review of the linguistic literature on Saraiki](http://www.dcc.ufla.br/infocomp/index.php/INFOCOMP/article/view/576/505)[*[permanent dead link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Link_rot)*]

- [Saraiki Alphabet](http://www.user.uni-hannover.de/nhtcapri/western-panjabi-alphabet.html) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20171130213535/http://www.user.uni-hannover.de/nhtcapri/western-panjabi-alphabet.html) 30 November 2017 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine) with Gurmukhi equivalents

- [Download Saraiki font and keyboard for Windows and Android](http://saraiki.jimdo.com/%D8%B3%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%A6%DB%8C%DA%A9%DB%8C-%DA%A9%DB%8C-%D8%A8%D9%88%D8%B1%DA%88-%D8%AA%DB%92-%D9%81%D9%88%D9%86%D9%B9/) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20150403194710/http://saraiki.jimdo.com/%D8%B3%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%A6%DB%8C%DA%A9%DB%8C-%DA%A9%DB%8C-%D8%A8%D9%88%D8%B1%DA%88-%D8%AA%DB%92-%D9%81%D9%88%D9%86%D9%B9/) 3 April 2015 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine)

- [Saraiki online transliteration](http://www.sanlp.org/saraikiMT/saraikiMT.aspx) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20141022012757/http://www.sanlp.org/saraikiMT/saraikiMT.aspx) 22 October 2014 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine)

- [Works by Aslam Rasoolpuri](https://archive.org/search.php?query=Aslam%20Rasoolpuri) at the Internet Archive

v t e Languages of Pakistan Official languages Urdu (national) English Other languages (by administrative unit) Azad Kashmir Dogri Gujari Kashmiri Kundal Shahi Pahari-Pothwari Balochistan Balochi Brahui Dehwari Hazaragi Jadgali Khetrani Lasi Pashto Saraiki Wanetsi Gilgit-Baltistan Balti Burushaski Dawoodi Khowar Purgi Gujari Sarikoli Shina Wakhi Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Badeshi Bateri Chilisso Dameli Gujari Gawar-Bati Gawri Gowro Hindko Indus Kohistani Kalami Kalasha Kalkoti Kamviri Khowar Kohistani Shina Mankiyali Munji Ormuri Palula Pashto Saraiki Sarikoli Sawi Shekhani Torwali Ushoji Wakhi Waziri Yidgha Punjab Bagri Balochi Dogri Haryanvi Marwari Mewari Pahari-Pothwari Punjabi Rajasthani Rangri Saraiki Urdu Sindh Aer Bagri Bengali Bhaya Dhatki Goaria Gujarati Jandavra Jogi Koli Kachi Parkari Wadiyara Kutchi Loarki Marwari Memoni Mewari Od Punjabi Rajasthani Rangri Saraiki Sindhi Urdu Vaghri Related topics Indo-Aryan languages Dardic languages Iranic languages Pakistani Sign Language Arabic Persian Pakistani Hindi (Hindi) Chagatai

v t e Punjabi varieties Central Majhi Standard Punjabi Eastern Doabi Lubanki † Malwai Puadhi Lahnda (Western) Jatki (transitional with Central Punjabi) Dhani Jhangvi Shahpuri Hindko Awankari Chhachi Ghebi Hazarvi Kohati Peshori Pahari-Pothwari (transitional with Central Punjabi) Mirpuri Pahari Pothwari Saraiki Derawali Multani Riasti Inku † Thali See also: Baahar di boli, Sant Bhasha, Khalsa bole

v t e Indo-Aryan languages Dardic? Kashmiric Kashmiri Kishtwari Pogali Shinaic Brokskat Kalkoti Kohistani Shina Kundal Shahi Sawi Shina Palula Ushoji Kunar Dameli? Gawar-Bati Nangalami Shumashti Kohistani Bateri Chilisso Gawri Gowro Indus Kohistani Tirahi Torwali Mankiyali Wotapuri–Katarqalai Others Chitrali? Chitrali Kalasha Urtsuniwar Khowar Gandhari Pashayi Northern Eastern Doteli Jumli Nepali Central Garhwali Kumaoni Western Dogri Kangri Bhadarwahi Churahi Bhateali Bilaspuri Chambeali Gaddi Pangwali Mandeali Mahasu Pahari Jaunsari Kullui Pahari Kinnauri Hinduri Sirmauri Sarazi Northwestern Punjabi Eastern Punjabi dialects Sansi Lahnda Hindko Inku Khetrani Pahari-Pothwari Saraiki Sindhi Jadgali Kholosi Kutchi Luwati Memoni Sindhi Western Gujarati Aer Gujarati Lisan ud-Dawat Jandavra Koli Kachi Parkari Wadiyara Saurashtra Vaghri Rajasthani Bagri Dhatki Dhundari Goaria Gujari Harauti Lambadi Loarki Malvi Marwari Mewari Mewati Ahirwati Nimadi Od Shekhawati Bhil Bhili Bhilali Chodri Dhodia–Kukna Dhanki Dubli Bauria Bhilori Mawchi Magari Palya Bareli Pauri Bareli Rathwi Bareli Pardhi Gamit Kalto Vasavi Wagdi Vaagri Booli Romani Northern British Romani Angloromani Scottish Cant Welsh Romani Northwestern Romani Finnish Romani Laiuse Romani Scandoromani Sinte Romani Others Balkan Romani Rumelian Romani Zargari Romani Baltic Romani Caló Carpathian Romani Bohemian Romani Greek Romani Serbian Romani Vlax Romani Kalderash Romani Erromintxela Others Khandeshi Dawoodi Domari Kurbet Lomavren Central Western Braj Bhasha Bundeli Haryanvi Hindustani Kauravi Hindi Hinglish/Urdish Urdu Deccani Judeo-Urdu Hyderabadi Urdu Rekhta Kannauji Sansi Sadhukkadi Eastern Awadhi Bagheli Chhattisgarhi Fiji Hindi Others Parya Eastern Bihari Bhojpuric Bhojpuri Caribbean Hindustani Magahi Magahi Maithili Maithili Angika Bajjika Sadanic Sadri Kurmali Khortha Tharuic Tharu Kochila Buksa Majhi Musasa Others Kumhali Kuswaric Bote-Darai Danwar Gauda– Kamarupa Bengali Bengali dialects Bishnupriya Manipuri Hajong Kharia Thar Kurmukar Mal Paharia Noakhali Sylheti Tanchangya Chittagonian Chakma Rohingya Kamarupic Assamese Kamrupi Dehan Goalpariya Kayort Rajbanshi (Nepal) Rangpuri Surjapuri Odia Odia Sambalpuri Desia Bhatri Bodo Parja Reli Kupia Halbic Halbi Kamar Bhunjia Nahari Southern Marathi– Konkani Marathic Marathi Varhadi Andh Berar Deccan Varli Phudagi Katkari Kadodi Konkanic Konkani Maharashtrian Konkani Nawayathi Insular Dhivehi Sinhala Vedda Old Sanskrit Vedic Classical Mitanni superstrate Middle Early Ashokan Prakrit Pāli Early Ardhamagadhi Middle (Prakrit) Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Dramatic Prakrits Ardhamagadhi Magadhi Maharashtri Shauraseni Epigraphical Hybrid Sanskrit Gāndhārī Gaudi Monumental Prakrit Paishachi Late (Apabhraṃśa) Abahattha Apabhraṃśa Elu Kamarupi Khasa Prakrit Proto- languages Proto-Indo-Iranian Proto-Indo-Aryan Early Romani Unclassified Badeshi (unknown further classification) Bazigar Chinali–Lahul Chinali Lahul Lohar Sheikhgal Pidgins and creoles Andaman Creole Hindi Bombay Hindi Haflong Hindi Kurbet Nagamese Nefamese Vedda See also Indo-Iranian languages Nuristani languages Iranian languages

Authority control databases International GND FAST National United States Israel Other Yale LUX

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Saraiki language](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saraiki_language) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saraiki_language?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.