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Saraiki — Indo-Aryan language, Shahmukhi writing tradition, and head-final SOV structure
Indo-Aryan • Indo-European • Shahmukhi (RTL) • SOV • Stress-Based
Number Of Speakers (Pakistan)
28,849,579 reported as a mother tongue in Pakistan’s 2023 census tables.
Saraiki is also spoken by smaller communities beyond Pakistan.
Saraiki is also spoken by smaller communities beyond Pakistan.
South AsiaLiving LanguageLarge Speaker Base
Family / Classification
Indo-European → Indo-Iranian → Indo-Aryan → Northwestern → Lahnda (cluster) → Saraiki.
Major catalogs list Saraiki as its own language entry and code.
Major catalogs list Saraiki as its own language entry and code.
Indo-AryanNorthwesternRegional Continuum
Writing System
Most commonly written in a Shahmukhi-based Perso-Arabic script (right-to-left).
In some contexts, Saraiki may also appear in Gurmukhi or Devanagari.
Older materials may reference the historical Multani script.
In some contexts, Saraiki may also appear in Gurmukhi or Devanagari.
Older materials may reference the historical Multani script.
RTL ScriptShahmukhiMulti-Script
Word Order
SOV (Subject–Object–Verb) is the basic clause pattern and Saraiki is typically described as head-final.
Word order can shift to mark topic and focus.
Word order can shift to mark topic and focus.
Head-FinalRelatively FlexibleClause Structure
Codes And Identifiers
ISO 639-3: skr • Glottocode: sera1259 • Common native name: سرائیکی
ISO CodeGlottologLanguage Databases
Where Saraiki Is Spoken
Strongly associated with southern Punjab, and also present in parts of northern Sindh and southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Many descriptions highlight Multan and surrounding districts as key centers for Saraiki varieties.
Many descriptions highlight Multan and surrounding districts as key centers for Saraiki varieties.
PunjabSindhKhyber Pakhtunkhwa
What Makes Saraiki Distinct
Saraiki is known in linguistic descriptions for a rich sound system,
including four implosive consonants.
Its prosody is typically described with stress rather than lexical tone.
In grammar, Saraiki shows clear head-final structure, and a split in alignment patterns linked to aspect.
including four implosive consonants.
Its prosody is typically described with stress rather than lexical tone.
In grammar, Saraiki shows clear head-final structure, and a split in alignment patterns linked to aspect.
Sound System Highlights
- Implosives: /ɓ/, /ɗ/, /ʄ/, /ɠ/ are commonly described for Saraiki.
- Large inventory: detailed descriptions report dozens of consonants and a sizeable vowel set.
- Multiple stop contrasts: place contrasts (including dental vs retroflex) and laryngeal contrasts are important in pronunciation.
- Stress-based prosody: stress patterns are discussed in phonological work, unlike tone-based systems.
| Feature | What To Listen For | Example (IPA) |
|---|---|---|
| Implosive Stops | A “pulled-in” airstream quality, distinct from plain voiced stops | /ɓ ɗ ʄ ɠ/ |
| Dental vs Retroflex | Tongue at teeth vs curled/back contact for retroflex consonants | /t̪/ vs /ʈ/ (illustrative places) |
| Aspiration Contrasts | Breathy burst after a stop, contrasted with unaspirated forms | /p/ vs /pʰ/ (illustrative) |
Grammar Snapshot
- Head-final structure: verbs typically come at the end of clauses; many modifiers come before what they modify.
- Case and agreement: descriptions include direct, oblique, vocative, and ablative cases, with agreement patterns sensitive to aspect.
- Split alignment by aspect: in perfective transitive clauses, the agent is often oblique and verb agreement may align differently than in imperfective clauses.
- Pro-drop: subject pronouns can be omitted when the verb and context make the subject clear.
- Articles: descriptions note no dedicated definite/indefinite articles; indefiniteness can be expressed by other means, including numerals.
- Relative clauses: a relativizer often transcribed as jera is described, with agreement behavior noted in grammatical work.
Writing Systems In Practice
Saraiki is widely encountered in Shahmukhi, with right-to-left text direction and Nastaʿlīq-style typography common in print.
In comparative and educational settings, Indic scripts may also be used.
In comparative and educational settings, Indic scripts may also be used.
| Script | Direction | Where You Often See It |
|---|---|---|
| Shahmukhi (Perso-Arabic) | Right-to-left | Everyday writing, local publishing, media, signage |
| Gurmukhi / Devanagari | Left-to-right | Educational materials, comparative study, some community use |
| Multani (historical) | Traditionally left-to-right | Historical references and older written traditions |
Varieties And Alternate Names
You may see different spellings in English-language sources.
These usually point to the same language entry.
These usually point to the same language entry.
- English spellings: Saraiki, Seraiki, Siraiki
- Labels used for regional varieties: Multani, Riasti/Riasiti, Thali, Derawali (names can overlap by area)
- In language catalogs: Saraiki is listed under stable identifiers such as ISO 639-3 skr and Glottocode sera1259
Saraiki In Language Technology
Recent academic work has produced structured datasets for Saraiki, including annotated corpora and dependency treebanks.
This supports better search, spellchecking, and text processing for Saraiki, especially in Shahmukhi.
This supports better search, spellchecking, and text processing for Saraiki, especially in Shahmukhi.
Corpus WorkNLPTreebanks
Saraiki Order Builder (SOV • Postpositions)
This small tool visualizes the head-final patterns commonly described for Saraiki: a neutral SOV clause and noun + postposition phrasing.
It uses your own words so it stays accurate for any topic.
SOV is a clause template; noun + postposition reflects adpositions that follow nouns in many Saraiki descriptions.
