The old british spelling โpunjabiโ remains in more common general usage than the academically precise โpanjabi.โ in the early 21st century there were about 30 million speakers of punjabi in india. Punjabi descended from the shauraseni language of medieval northern india and became a distinct language during the 11th century There are two main varieties of punjabi Eastern punjabi and western punjabi, each of which has a number of dialects. Punjabi is the tenth most commonly spoken language in the world and one of the most respected languages in south asia More than 130 million around the world speak this language.
It is one of the most widely spoken native lang. It is the mother tongue of the punjabi people and has official status in the indian states of punjab, haryana, and the union territory of delhi. The majority of punjabi muslims are adherents of sunni islam, while a minority adhere to shia islam and other sects, including the ahmadiyya community which originated in punjab during the british raj. Punjabi muslims are the majority in west punjab (pakistan), while punjabi sikhs are the majority in east punjab (india). Punjabi is a language spoken primarily in the punjab region, which is divided between india and pakistan It is also spoken by punjabi diaspora communities around the world.
