Punjabi is an Indo-Aryan Language developed from Old Indo-Aryan Languages, which were closely related to Vedic Sanskrit and Classical Sanskrit. By 600 BC Old Aryan Languages developed into many local dialects known as Middle Indo-Aryan dialects. Literary from these dialects was known as Prakrit. Shauraseni used in Eastern Punjab and Kaikeyi used in Western Punjab were among the famous Prakrits of ancient Indian Subcontinent. By 500 AD these Middle Indo-Aryan dialects had been developed many local features and lost many inflectional morphemes. Literary form of these dialects is known as Apabhramsha (ਅਪਭ੍ਰੰਸ਼,اپبھرنش). Principle Apabhramshas are Takka Apabhramsha in Central Punjab and Vrachada Apabhramsha in Southern Punjab. By 1200 AD these Apabhramshas or 'corrupt dialects' had few inflectional morphemes left. During Middle Ages Takka Apabhramsha developed into Lahori dialect and Vrachada Apabhramsha developed into Multani dialect.
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Middle Indo-Aryan dialects in Punjab
Middle Indo-Aryan Languages are still synthetic like Old Indo-Aryan Languages but diphthongs and harsh combination of consonants were dropped, so much so that in the literary development these Prakrits became absolutely fluid. One poet said that the difference between Snskrit poems and Prakrit poems is as great as between man and woman. Sankrit poems are harsh but Prakrit poems are very smooth
- The vocalic liquid 'ṛ' becomes 'ri'
- the diphthongs 'ai' and 'au' are monophthongized to 'e' and 'o';
- the three sibilants of OIA are reduced to one 's'
Influence of Urdu
In 1837, British East India Company replaced Persian with Urdu in Punjab.
Influence of Hindi
Under the influence of Arya Samaj, a Hindu reform organization, the Hindus adopted Hindi as communal symbol of Hindu nationalism.