Language[edit]

Main article: Punjabi language

Punjabi is the most spoken language in Pakistan and eleventh most spoken language in India.
According to the Ethnologue 2005 estimate,[118] there are 130 million native speakers of the Punjabi
language, which makes it the ninth most widely spoken language in the world. According to a 2008
estimate,[119][original research?] there are approximately 76,335,300 native speakers of Punjabi in
Pakistan,[citation needed] and according to the Census of India, there are over 29,102,477 Punjabi speakers
in India.[120] Punjabi is also spoken as a minority language in several other countries where Punjabis
have emigrated in large numbers, such as the United Kingdom (where it is the second most
commonly used language[121]) and Canada, in which Punjabi has now become the fourth most
spoken language after English, French and Chinese, due to the rapid growth of immigrants from
Pakistan and India.[122] There are also sizeable communities in the Philippines, United
States, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Persian Gulf countries, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore,
Australia and New Zealand.
Punjabis are an ethno-linguistic group with Indo-Aryan roots,[123] and are culturally related to the other
Indo-Aryan peoples of the Indian subcontinent. There are an estimated 102 million Punjabi speakers
around the world.[124] If regarded as an ethnic group, they are among the world's largest. In South
Asia, they are the second largest ethnic group after the Bengali people.
The main language of the Punjabi people is Punjabi and its associated dialects, which differ
depending on the region of Punjab the speaker is from; there are notable differences in the Lahnda
languages, spoken in the Pakistani Punjab. In the Pakistani Punjab, the vast majority still speak
Punjabi, even though the language has no governmental support. In the Indian Punjab, most people
speak Punjabi. English is sometimes used, and older people who lived in the undivided Punjab may
be able to speak and write in Urdu. The Punjabi languages have always absorbed numerous
loanwords from surrounding areas and provinces (and from English).

Cuisine[edit]
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Main article: Punjabi cuisine

Sarson da saag, popular vegetable dish of the Punjabi people

Punjabi cuisine has a wide range of dishes and enjoys world wide popularity. Many entrepreneurs
have built large personal fortunes by investing in the sector promoting Punjabi cuisine which uses a
uniquely appealing spice palette.[125][126] Punjabi cuisine has become popular in the world due, not
only to its intrinsic quality, but also due to the Punjabi diaspora promoting popularity and visibility in
the western world including the UK, Canada and the U.S. Some of the most popular dishes
include Butter Chicken, Tandoori chicken, Dal makhni, chicken tikka lababdar, Saron da saag and
stuffed or un stuffed naans (a type of unleavened bread).

Music[edit]
Main articles: Music of Punjab and Folk music of Punjab
Bhangra describes dance-oriented popular music with Punjabi rhythms, developed since the 1980s.
The name refers to one of the traditional and folkloric Punjabi dances. Bhangra dance is commonly
practiced in Punjab, India. Bhangra music is appreciated all over the globe. Sufi
music and Qawali ,commonly practiced in Punjab, Pakistan; are other important genres in the
Punjab region.[127][128]