Doabi dialect

Doabi
ਦੁਆਬੀ دوآبی
Native to	India, Pakistan
Region	Punjab Bist Doab Faisalabad District Toba Tek Singh District
Language family	Indo-European Indo-Iranian Indo-Aryan Northwestern Punjabi Eastern Punjabi Doabi
Language codes
ISO 639-3	–
Glottolog	doab1238
Doabi in lime

Doabi (Standard: pa; Doabi: pa), also known as Bist Doabi or Jalandhari, is an eastern dialect of the Punjabi language. The dialect is named after the region in which it originated, Doaba or Bist Doab, between the Beas and Sutlej. Its occurrence in parts of Pakistani Punjab owes to post-1947 migration of Punjabi Muslim populace from East Punjab. The region it is now spoken includes: the Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala, Una and Nawanshahr districts of Indian Punjab, including the areas known as the Dona and Manjki; and the Toba Tek Singh and Faisalabad districts of Pakistani Punjab; and some areas of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.

The sub dialects of Doabi include Dona and Manjki.

Phonology

Consonants

Consonantal Inventory of Punjabi

		Labial	Dental/Alveolar	Postalveolar	Retroflex	Velar	Glottal
Plosive/Affricate	Tenuis	p	t̪	t͡ʃ	ʈ	k
	Aspirated	pʰ*	t̪ʰ	t͡ʃʰ*	ʈʰ	kʰ
	Voiced	b	d	d͡ʒ*	ɖ	g
Fricative		f	s*, z*	ʃ		x*
Approximant		ʋ		j*		ɣ*	ɦ
Nasal		m	n		ɳ*
Lateral			l		ɭ*
Tap/Flap			ɾ		ɽ

Spirantisation of /pʰ/ and /t͡ʃʰ/ is quite common in Punjabi, but this is less apparent in Doaba. Similarly, other Persian-borrowed phonemes are also pronounced in a more indigenous manner. /z, x, ɣ,/ are pronounced /d͡ʒ ,kʰ, g/ respectively. Another surprising aspect is that /j/ is almost always pronounced as /d͡ʒ/.

Debuccalisation of /s/, to /ɦ/ in between vowels also occurs.

Among youngesters, /ɳ/ and /ɭ/ are often replaced with /n/ and /l/. Though, some will replace all instances of alveolar /n/ and /l/ with retroflex /ɳ/ and /ɭ/ as a form of overcompensation.

Consonants /ɳ/ and /ɭ/ are often realised as nasal and lateral flaps respectively.

Doabi's fortition /ʋ/ at the start of a stressed syllable to [b] as in /'ʋə̀ɖ:a:/ (big) to ['bə̀ɖ:a:] .

They also use [o] elsewhere in a word instead of /ʋ/ as in /'kʰʋa:b/ (dream) to ['kʰoa:b]. A distinctive feature of Doabi is the use of w. Where /ʋ/ appears in the middle of a word in Standard Punjabi, Doabis use [w] so that /ɦəʋa:/ (wind) becomes [ɦəwa:].

Also, the vowel /ʊ/ is pronounced [o]. Accordingly, /'kʰʊʃ/ (happy) becomes ['kʰoʃ] or /'kʊʈ/ (to beat - noun form) becomes ['koʈ]. In Doabi, any word beginning with stressed /ɪ/ is pronounced [e]. For example, the word /'kʰɪt͡ʃ/ (to pull - noun form) is pronounced as ['kʰet͡ʃ] or the word /'ʋɪt͡ʃ/ (in [something]) is pronounced as ['bet͡ʃ].

The Doabi dialect in its eastern part blends with the Malwai dialect of Ludhiana District, and in its Northern side, it shares the linguistic features of Pahari. Some of the linguistic features of the Doabi dialect that separate it from other Punjabi dialects are as below:

Consonant	Doabi word	English translation
p ⟨ਪ/پ⟩	/pəl/	‘moment’ (ਪਲ/پل)
pʰ ⟨ਫ/پھ⟩	/pʰəl/	‘fruit’ (ਫਲ/پھل)
b ⟨ਬ/ب⟩	/baːləɳ /	‘firewood’(ਬਾਲਣ/بالݨ)
t̪ ⟨ਤ/ت⟩	/taːɾ/	‘wire’ (ਤਾਰ/تار)
t̪ʰ ⟨ਥ/تھ⟩	/tʰaːl/	‘round tray’(ਥਾਲ/تھال)
d̪ ⟨ਦ/د⟩	/daːl/	‘pulse’ (ਦਾਲ/دال)
ʈ ⟨ਟ/ٹ⟩	/ʈaːl/	‘pile’ (ਟਾਲ/ٹال)
ʈʰ ⟨ਠ/ٹھ⟩	/ʈʰiːk/	‘correct’ (ਠੀਕ/ٹھیک)
ɖ ⟨ਡ/ڈ⟩	/ɖaːk/	‘mail’ (ਡਾਕ/ڈاک)
t͡ʃʰ ⟨ਛ/چھ⟩	/t͡ʃʰa:p/	‘imprint’ (ਛਾਪ/چھپ)
d͡ʒ ⟨ਜ/ج⟩	/d͡ʒoːk/	leech (ਜੋਕ/جوک)
k ⟨ਕ/ک⟩	/kaːɡ/	‘crow’ (ਕਾਗ/کاگ)
kʰ ⟨ਖ/کھ⟩	/kʰoːl/	‘open’ (ਖੋਲ/کھول)
ɡ ⟨ਗ/گ⟩	/ɡaːɭ/	‘abuse’ (ਗਾਲ਼/گالؕ)
m ⟨ਮ/م⟩	/moːɾ/	‘peacock’ (ਮੋਰ/مور)
n ⟨ਬ/ن⟩	/nəɾ/	‘male’ (ਬੰਦਾ/نر)
ɳ* ⟨ਣ/ݨ⟩	/ɦoɳ /	‘now’ (ਹੁਣ/ہݨ)
l ⟨ਲ/ل⟩	/laːl/	‘red’ (ਰੱਤਾ/رتہ)
ɭ* ⟨ਲ਼/لؕ⟩	/koːɭ /	‘near’ (ਕੋਲ਼/کولؕ)
(s ⟨ਸ/س⟩)	/soɳ /	‘hear’ (ਸੁਣ/سݨ)
(ʃ ⟨ਸ਼/ش⟩)	/ʃeːɾ/	‘lion’ (ਸ਼ੇਰ/شیر)
(z ⟨ਜ਼/ز⟩)	/zoːɾ/	‘strength’ (ਜ਼ੋਰ/زور)
(f ⟨ਫ਼/ف⟩)	/fa:sla:/	‘distance’ (ਫ਼ਾਸਲਾ/فاصلہ)
ɦ ⟨ਹ/ح/ہ⟩	/ɦoːɾ/	‘more’ (ਹੋਰ/ہور)
ɾ ⟨ਰ/ر⟩	/ɾoːɡ/	‘disease’ (ਰੋਗ/روگ)
ɽ* ⟨ੜ/ڑ⟩	/piːɽ/	‘pain’ (ਪੀੜ/پِیڑ)

* does not occur word initially

Vowels

	Front		Center	Back
	Long	Short		Long	Short
Close	iː	ɪ		uː	ʊ
Mid-close	eː			oː
Mid-open	ɛː		ə	ɔː
Open			aː

Doabi has ten vowels. These are /ə, ɪ, ʊ, aː, ɛː, eː, iː, ɔː, oː, uː/

For example:

Vowel	Word	Translation
/ə/ ਅ	ਅੱਖ /əkʰ.kʰ/	'eye'
/ʊ/ ਉ	ਉਠ /oʈʰ/	‘awake’
/ɪ/ ਇ	ਇੱਟ /eʈ:/	‘brick’
/aː/ ਆ	ਆਸ /aːs/	‘hope’
/ɛː/ ਐ	ਐਨਕ /ɛːnək/	spectacles’
/uː/ ਊ	ਊਠ /uːʈʰ/	‘camel’
/eː/ ਏ	ਸ਼ੇਰ /ʃeːɾ/	‘lion’
/oː/ ਓ	ਮੋਰ /moːɾ/	‘peacock’
/ɔː/ ਔ	/ɦɔːl/	‘fear’
/iː/ ਈ	ਤੀਰ /tiːɾ/	‘arrow’

One of the most distinctive features of Doabi is how its short close vowels are pronounced. Phonemically, they are:

• /ʊ/
• /ɪ/

But are phonetically:

• [o]
• [e]

Nasalisation

Nasalisation in Punjabi is phonemic.

Suprasegmental Features

Tone

Three tones are used in Doabi: low, mid and high. For example;

Tone	Doabi word	English translation
Falling	ਭਾ pà	‘rate’
Neutral	ਪਾ pa	‘put’
Rising	ਪਾਹ pá	‘harsh’

This tonogenesis occurred from the loss of breathy voiced consonants. Word-initially, they became voiceless plosives, but remained voiced word-medially and finally. This loss of phonemes led to tone to distinguish between similar morphemes.

When the consonant (that was breathy-voiced) is word initial, the vowel that follows has a falling tone. When the consonant is medial or word-final, it has a rising tone.

Loss of word-final /ɦ/ also led to a rising tone in the preceding vowel.

Stress, however can change what tone on what syllable is present.

Stress

Stress in Doabi is realized in two ways, syntagmatically and paradigmatically.

Syntagmatically, stress-shift results in change of meaning. This kind of stress is often orthographically unmarked, and may shift any tone present in a word to the stressed syllable.

For example:

Doabi word	English translation
ਘੜਾ /'kə̀ɽa:/	‘pitcher’
ਘੜਾ /kə'ɽà:/	‘to shape, sculpt, mold’

Paradigmatically, Doabi has stressed and unstressed syllables;

Unstressed	Doabi word	English translation
s	satt	‘essence’
	sirnawa	‘address’

Stressed	Doabi word	English translation
s	sat	‘seven’
tt	patta	‘leaf’

Some basic vocabulary items

Doabi word	English translation
ਪੇਅ /peːə/	‘father’
ਭੈਣ /pɛːɳ/	‘sister’
ਭਰਾ /pəɾɑː/	‘brother’
ਸੇਂਅ /sẽə/	‘apple’
ਝੋੱਨਾ /t͡ʃoːn.nɑː/	‘paddy’
ਬੱਡਾ /bəɖ.ɖɑː/	‘elder’

Fortition of /ʋ/ word-initially

Doabi's drop the letter "v" at the start of a word and use the letter "b" as in "vàdda" (big) to "bàdda". They also use the letter "o" elsewhere in a word instead of a "v" as in "Khvab" (dream) to "Khoaab". A distinctive feature of Doabi is the use of the "w" sound. Where "v" appears in the middle of a word in standard Punjabi, Doabis use "w" so that "hava" (wind) becomes "hawa". Also, the vowel "u" is pronounced with an "o". Accordingly, "khush" (happy) becomes "khosh" or "kuht" (to beat) becomes "koht". In Doabi, any word beginning with "i" is pronounced with "e". For example, the word "khich" (to pull) is pronounced as "khech" or the word "vich" (inside) is pronounced as "bech".

Doabis do not use "z" and therefore substitute "j". This is common in the Punjabi language as "z" is not indigenous to the area.

Grammar

Sentence structure

Doabi's end sentences with "aa" (present tense) and "sigey" (past —tense), instead of "han" (present tense) and "san" or "si" (past tense). "Aiddan", "Jiddan", "Kiddan" are all commonly used adverbs in Doabi as opposed to the "Aistaran/Enj," "Jistaran/Jivven," and "Kistaran/Kivven," used in Punjabi's prestige dialect, Majhi.

Present Tense: Usage of aa (sing.) and aa (plu.)

Examples:

Phrase	Doabi	Standard Punjabi
He is doing	Oh kardā ā ਉਹ ਕਰਦਾ ਆ اوہ کردا آ	Oh kardā ɛ̀/e* ਉਹ ਕਰਦਾ ਹੈ/ਏ* اوہ کردا ہے/اے
They are doing	Oh karde (y)ā ਉਹ ਕਰਦੇ ਆ اوہ کردے آ	Oh karde han ਉਹ ਕਰਦੇ ਹਨ اوہ کردے ہِن
	*spoken forms

Past Tense: Uninflected sī, or number- and gender-inflected sīgā/sīgī/sīge/sīgīā, in Doabi

Examples:

Phrase	Doabi	Standard Punjabi
He was doing	oh kardā sī/sīgā ਉਹ ਕਰਦਾ ਸੀ/ਸੀਗਾ اوہ کردا سی/سیگا	oh kardā sī ਉਹ ਕਰਦਾ ਸੀ اوہ کردا سی
They were doing	oh karde sī/sīge ਉਹ ਕਰਦੇ ਸੀ /ਸੀਗੇ اوہ کردے سی/سیگے	oh karde san ਉਹ ਕਰਦੇ ਸਨ (also ਸਣ in spoken Majhi) اوہ کردے سن
You (sing. m.) were doing	tũ kardā sī/sīgā ਤੂੰ ਕਰਦਾ ਸੀ/ਸੀਗਾ توں کردا سی/سیگا	tũ kardā sɛ̃ ਤੂੰ ਕਰਦਾ ਸੈਂ توں کردا سیں
You (pl.) were doing	tusī̃ karde sī/sīge ਤੁਸੀਂ ਕਰਦੇ ਸੀ/ਸੀਗੇ تسی کردے سی/سیگے	tusī̃ karde so ਤੁਸੀਂ ਕਰਦੇ ਸੋ تسی کردے سو
I (m.) was doing	mɛ̃ kardā sī/sīgā ਮੈਂ ਕਰਦਾ ਸੀ/ਸੀਗਾ میں کردا سی/سیگا	mɛ̃ kardā sã ਮੈਂ ਕਰਦਾ ਸਾਂ میں کردا ساں
We were doing	āppā karde sī/sīge ਆਪਾਂ ਕਰਦੇ ਸੀ/ਸੀਗੇ آپاں کردے سی/سیگے	asī̃ karde sã ਅਸੀਂ ਕਰਦੇ ਸਾਂ اسیں کردےساں

Vocabulary

Doabi	English	Standard Punjabi
ਹੋਊਗਾ "hōūgā"	Will Happen	"hōvēgā"
"bāɽa"	Cow shed	"havelī"
ਧੌਣ "dhauṇ"	Neck	"gardan"
"pāḷā "	Cold	"thand"
"kunjī"	Key	"chābbī"
"gaṭhe"	Onions	"ganḍē"
"niāṇe"	Children	"bacche"
"Dekhṇa"	To See	"Vekhṇā"
"kardā sī	To Be Doing	"kar ría ɛ̀"
"gábbe"	Middle	"vichkār"
"līre/talle"	Clothes	"kappaṛe"
"lītā"	Bought	"Leyayea"

Orthography

Doabi uses the Gurmukhi script.

Tone that occurs from the loss of breathy voiced consonants is shown through the following characters in orthography:

• ਘ
• ਝ
• ਢ
• ਧ
• ਭ
• ੜ੍ਹ

See also

• Languages of Pakistan
• Languages of India
• List of Indian languages by total speakers
• Malwi dialect
• Puadhi dialect
• Omission of word-final shwa in Indo-Aryan languages