Gurmukhī is one of the two standard writing systems used for Punjabi, the other being Shahmukhi used in Pakistan.[8][9][10] It is written from left to right, while Shahmukhi is written from right to left.[11]
The primary scripture of Sikhism, the Guru Granth Sahib, is written in Gurmukhī, in various dialects and languages often subsumed under the generic title Sant Bhasha[12] or "saint language", in addition to other languages like Persian and various phases of Indo-Aryan languages.
Modern Gurmukhī has thirty-five original letters, hence its common alternative term paintī or "the thirty-five",[6] plus six additional consonants,[6][13][14] nine voweldiacritics, two diacritics for nasal sounds, one diacritic that geminates consonants and three subscript characters.
^Mandair, Arvind-Pal S.; Shackle, Christopher; Singh, Gurharpal (December 16, 2013). Sikh Religion, Culture and Ethnicity. Routledge. p. 13, Quote: "creation of a pothi in distinct Sikh script (Gurmukhi) seem to relate to the immediate religio–political context ...". ISBN9781136846342. Archived from the original on 20 March 2017. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
^Mann, Gurinder Singh; Numrich, Paul; Williams, Raymond (2007). Buddhists, Hindus, and Sikhs in America. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 100, Quote: "He modified the existing writing systems of his time to create Gurmukhi, the script of the Sikhs; then ...". ISBN9780198044246. Archived from the original on 20 March 2017. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
^Shani, Giorgio (March 2002). "The Territorialization of Identity: Sikh Nationalism in the Diaspora". Studies in Ethnicity and Nationalism. 2: 11. doi:10.1111/j.1754-9469.2002.tb00014.x. ...the Guru Granth Sahib, written in a script particular to the Sikhs (Gurmukhi)...
^ abcdHarjeet Singh Gill (1996). "The Gurmukhi Script". In Peter T. Daniels; William Bright (eds.). The World's Writing Systems. Oxford University Press. pp. 395–399. ISBN978-0-19-507993-7.
^Harnik Deol, Religion and Nationalism in India. Routledge, 2000. ISBN0-415-20108-X, 9780415201087. Page 22. "(...) the compositions in the Sikh holy book, Adi Granth, are a melange of various dialects, often coalesced under the generic title of Sant Bhasha." The making of Sikh scripture by Gurinder Singh Mann. Published by Oxford University Press US, 2001. ISBN0-19-513024-3, ISBN978-0-19-513024-9 Page 5. "The language of the hymns recorded in the Adi Granth has been called Sant Bhasha, a kind of lingua franca used by the medieval saint-poets of northern India. But the broad range of contributors to the text produced a complex mix of regional dialects." Surindar Singh Kohli, History of Punjabi Literature. Page 48. National Book, 1993. ISBN81-7116-141-3, ISBN978-81-7116-141-6. "When we go through the hymns and compositions of the Guru written in Sant Bhasha (saint-language), it appears that some Indian saint of 16th century..." Nirmal Dass, Songs of the Saints from the Adi Granth. SUNY Press, 2000. ISBN0-7914-4683-2, ISBN978-0-7914-4683-6. Page 13. "Any attempt at translating songs from the Adi Granth certainly involves working not with one language, but several, along with dialectical differences. The languages used by the saints range from Sanskrit; regional Prakrits; western, eastern and southern Apabhramsa; and Sahiskriti. More particularly, we find sant bhasha, Marathi, Old Hindi, central and Lehndi Panjabi, Sgettland Persian. There are also many dialects deployed, such as Purbi Marwari, Bangru, Dakhni, Malwai, and Awadhi."