Hindko and Gujari. c - SIL International

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Calinda E. Hallberg and Clare F. O’Leary
a Rajasthani variety, similar problems exist in marking it as if it
were clearly differentiated from Western Panjabi and Lahnda
varieties. J. C. Sharma (1982:7-8) notes that Gojri/Gujari
…shares certain common retentions with Panjabi
within [the] Central group of [the] Inner-sub-branch and
Lahnda and Sindhi of [the] North-Western group.
Besides it has some shared innovation exclusively with
Panjabi and its dialects.
He goes on to outline some of the shared features, especially
noting that it “shares most of the phonological features with
various geographically contiguous languages” although the
morphology is more similar to Rajasthani (1982:8). Sharma
(1982:9) concludes by suggesting, “If we take the total features
in view, then we may place it [Gujari/Gojri] between Panjabi and
Rajasthani.”
Thus, Panjabi, Hindko, and Gujari pose classification
problems; however, they are known to share some phonological
and morphological features and vocabulary common among
Indo-Aryan languages from the Central and Northwest Indic
Zones (Grierson LSI VIII & IX, J. C. Sharma 1982, Masica
1991). 4
1.3 Historical Background of Gujars
There is much controversy over the origin of the Gujars.
Many scholars support the theory of a Central Asian origin. (See
Ibbetson et al., 1911; Grierson LSI IX; Caroe 1958.) Caroe
(1958:83) describes the ancestors of the Gujars, the Gurjaras, as
“a sort of vassal or helot group of tribes” which accompanied the
Chatterji’s model of classification (1926), Panjabi varieties are subclassified
along with Lahnda in the Northwestern group. Although he seems to implicitly
accept that there is validity in separately classifying Panjabi and Lahnda, Bahri
(1962:xvi) says, “Every dialect of Lahndi is connected with its neighbors, and
each shades into the surrounding dialects.” The most cogent discussion of the
issues involved in distinguishing Panjabi from those varieties labelled as
“Lahnda” is presented in Shackle (1979), Problems of classification in Pakistan
Panjab.
4 In an appendix following his comprehensive work, Masica (1991) does
a masterful job of outlining these problems and comparing the various systems
of classification posed by Indo-Aryan scholars.