Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji contains many words from Persian, Arabic, Hindi, Sanskrit, Marathi, and other languages. Some of these words have completely merged into Punjabi, while others have retained their original form and pronunciation even after being included in the Punjabi language. Additionally, there are words that appear in both their original and modified forms.
For example:
A. Words that have retained their original pronunciation: ਪੇਸ, ਨਮਾਜ, ਆਸਕ, ਆਸਕੀ, ਸੇਖ, ਮਸਕਤ etc. Their correct pronunciation would be ਪੇਸ਼, ਨਮਾਜ਼, ਆਸ਼ਕ, ਆਸ਼ਕੀ, ਸ਼ੇਖ, ਮਸ਼ੱਕਤ etc.
B. Words that appear in both forms: ਵਕਤ → ਵਖਤ, ਭੈ → ਭਉ etc.
If we look at the words listed under the letter ‘A’, we notice that letters like ‘ਸ’ and ‘ਜ’ in some words have dots (bindis) underneath. However, these dots are absent in the written form of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. Historically, Gurmukhi script used letters such as ਜ, ਸ, ਕ, ਖ, and ਫ to approximate the Persian sounds of jeem (ج), seen (س), kaaf (ک), khaa (خ), and fa (ف). However, it did not originally include dedicated letters for representing the Persian phonemes of zay (ز), zoe (ژ), zuad (ض), sheen (ش), ghain (غ), and fe (ڤ).
To address this, five letters in the Gurmukhi script were modified by adding dots underneath to represent missing sounds from Persian: ਸ਼, ਖ਼, ਗ਼, ਜ਼, ਫ਼
As a result, Persian words in Punjabi are pronounced just as they are in Persian, ensuring accurate pronunciation.
In verse (1), ‘ਜਨ’ is a Persian word, and its correct pronunciation is ‘ਜ਼ਨ’, meaning woman. However, in verse (2), ‘ਜਨ’ means servant, and its pronunciation remains ‘ਜਨ’.
In verse (3), ‘ਸਾਹ’ means breath, and its pronunciation remains ‘ਸਾਹ’. However, in verse (4), ‘ਸਾਹ’ is a Persian word, meaning king (ruler), and its pronunciation should be ‘ਸ਼ਾਹ’.
In verse (5), ‘ਸਹੁ’ means to endure and is pronounced ‘ਸਹੁ’. However, in verse (6), ‘ਸਹੁ’ is a Persian word meaning husband, master, and its pronunciation is ‘ਸ਼ਹੁ’.
In verse (7), ‘ਸਾਇਰ’ is a Sanskrit word meaning ocean, sea, and its pronunciation is ‘ਸਾਇਰ’. However, in verse (8), ‘ਸਾਇਰ’ is an Arabic word meaning poet, and its pronunciation is ‘ਸ਼ਾਇਰ’.
In verse (9), ‘ਸੇਰ’ refers to a unit of weight measurement, and its correct pronunciation is ‘ਸੇਰ’. In verse (10), ‘ਸੇਰ’ is a Persian word meaning lion, and its pronunciation is ‘ਸ਼ੇਰ’.
Here are some Persian words and their proper pronunciation in Gurbani:
| Example | Pronunciation |
|---|---|
| ਪੈਦਾਇਸਿ | ਪੈਦਾਇਸ਼ |
| ਜਰ | ਜ਼ਰ |
| ਗਜ | ਗਜ਼ |
| ਸੋਰ | ਸ਼ੋਰ |
| ਮਸਹੂਰ | ਮਸ਼ਹੂਰ |
| ਤਸਵੀਸ | ਤਸ਼ਵੀਸ਼ |
| ਸਾਖਾ | ਸ਼ਾਖਾਂ |
| ਮੁਸਕਲ | ਮੁਸ਼ਕਲ |
| ਸੁਮਾਰ | ਸ਼ੁਮਾਰ |
| ਮਸਕਤਿ | ਮਸ਼ੱਕਤਿ |
| ਸੇਖ | ਸ਼ੇਖ |
| ਪਰੇਸਾਨੀ | ਪਰੇਸ਼ਾਨੀ |
| ਪਾਤਿਸਾਹ | ਪਾਤਿਸ਼ਾਹ |
| ਤਮਾਸਾ | ਤਮਾਸ਼ਾ |
| ਪੇਸ | ਪੇਸ਼ |
| ਗੋਸ | ਗੋਸ਼ |
| ਸਰੀਕ | ਸ਼ਰੀਕ |
| ਰਜਾਈ | ਰਜ਼ਾਈ |
| ਬਖਸੇ | ਬਖ਼ਸ਼ੇ |
| ਸਕ | ਸ਼ੱਕ |
| ਸਰਮਿੰਦਾ | ਸ਼ਰਮਿੰਦਾ |
| ਖੁਸੀ | ਖੁਸ਼ੀ |
| ਸਰਮੁ | ਸ਼ਰਮੁ |
The above discussion does not imply that words like ‘ਜਨ’, ‘ਸਾਹ’, ‘ਸਹੁ’, ‘ਸਾਇਰੁ’, ‘ਸੇਰ’, ‘ਸਰਮ’, etc., are incorrectly written in the sacred Bir of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji.
The real point is that when the letters ‘ਸ਼’, ‘ਖ਼’, ‘ਗ਼’, ‘ਜ਼’, ‘ਫ਼’ and the use of Adhak (ੱ) were not yet introduced in writing, such words had to be written in their existing form. These words were not incorrectly inscribed as ‘ਯਨ’, ‘ਛਹੁ’, ‘ਛਾਇਰ’, ‘ਛੇਰ’, ‘ਛਰਮ’, but rather were recorded in the purest form according to the writing tools of that era.
Therefore, not pronouncing such words correctly – especially those from other languages – is not only disrespectful to Gurbani and a grave disregard for the Guru Sahib’s teachings but also unjust to the listeners.
Whether done out of innocence or ignorance, such mispronunciation diminishes the dignity of Gurbani in front of scholars and audiences from different linguistic backgrounds.