Look above the consonant

Kandola’s orthography discussion identifies lavan with ਏ and dulavan with ਐ, placing both signs above their letters. Compare their shapes in the checked examples below. Their shared position does not make them the same sign, so look closely enough to identify which one has actually been written before assigning a meaning.[1]

The school dictionary independently displays dulavan in its ਦੁਲਾਵਾਂ entry and associates it with ਐ. Use that displayed reference when checking the second example. The task concerns the written distinction; an English ai spelling would not by itself establish the Punjabi vowel’s precise sound.[2]

Read the meeting or union example

The inspected lexical entry gives ਮੇਲ with a meeting or union gloss. Identify ਮ, the upper vowel sign, and the following ਲ. Copy the complete word before covering its meaning. In this pair, the consonants remain the same, which helps direct attention to the vowel sign rather than a change at the beginning or end of the word.[3]

Contrast the dirt example

The separate vocabulary entry records ਮੈਲ for dirt or dust on the body or clothing. Compare its upper sign with the meeting example’s sign while keeping ਮ and ਲ in view. Write the two checked words beside their selected meanings, then cover the meanings and distinguish their signs again. The exercise asks for the dirt word from these complete spellings, so the vowel sign is essential to the answer.[4]

Your learning objective

Distinguish the upper vowel signs in ਮੇਲ and ਮੈਲ while retaining the same surrounding consonants.

Prerequisites: Complete Gurmukhi lesson 13 before this lesson. Level 14 · Gurmukhi.

Check your understanding

Which checked word is the dirt example with dulavan?

Answer: ਮੈਲ. ਮੈਲ is the dirt example. ਮੇਲ has a different upper vowel sign and the selected meeting/union gloss.

Interactive feedback and progress appear when the tools load. Answer evidence: PH-LAN-0044-S3 PH-LAN-0044-S4

Sources & notes

Source records include access dates and, where known, limits on what was examined. Checks used AI assistance; independent human or specialist review has not been completed.

  1. Baldev Singh Kandola; Punjabi Vikas Manch UK. Development of Punjabi technical terminology — conference paper ↗authored conference paper · Source date: 2023 (conference paper; web posting date not established) · Locator: Printed page 4, section 1.2.1: ਲਾਂ and ਦੁਲਾਵਾਂ paragraphs, above-letter placement and ਏ/ਐ associations. Accessed 2026-11-01.Actual 20-page PDF retrieved and specified orthography paragraphs inspected. Conference header dates 29–30 July 2023; URL upload folder is not treated as publication proof. Political framing, universal origin claims, disputed final-vowel rules and unrelated examples are not adopted.Return to Look above the consonant, paragraph 1 ↑
  2. Joga Singh, editor; Punjabi University Punjabi Kosh (school level). Punjabi reference entry: ਦੁਲਾਵਾਂ ↗institutional dictionary or authored reference entry · Source date: 2014-02-25 (online block; print-edition date not established) · Locator: Exact named school-level Punjabi Kosh block under ਦੁਲਾਵਾਂ, before its author/source/date footer; web posting 2014-02-25 (print publication date not established). Accessed 2026-11-01.Actual complete named school-dictionary block inspected. Selected headword/gloss supplies lexical facts; copying, recognition and quiz directions are original teaching material. Other works on the aggregate page are separately identified.Return to Script form 1 ↑Return to Look above the consonant, paragraph 2 ↑
  3. Giani Hazara Singh; Sri Guru Granth Kosh, edited by Harbhajan Singh, Kulwinder Singh and Muhabbat Singh, Punjabi University. Punjabi reference entry: ਮੇਲ ↗institutional dictionary or authored reference entry · Source date: 2015-03-14 · Locator: Sri Guru Granth Kosh headword opening lexical gloss ਮਿਲਾਪ; web posting 14 March 2015. Accessed 2026-11-01.Actual named entry inspected in the university-hosted page. Other entries and reader comments on the aggregated topic page are not automatically adopted. Only checked spelling and meeting/union gloss used. The separate grammar agreement article and religious quotation are not taught as additional lexical senses.Return to Practice exercise ↑Return to Script form 2 ↑Return to Read the meeting or union example, paragraph 1 ↑
  4. Kirpal Kazak, Punjabi Sabhiachar Shabdavali Kosh; Punjabi University. Punjabi reference entry: ਮੈਲ ↗institutional dictionary or authored reference entry · Source date: 2014-01-24 · Locator: Actual web lines17–24 first block, not Hazara Singh’s later scriptural lexicon block. Accessed 2026-11-01.Actual complete named Kazak dictionary block inspected. Only the selected headword/gloss or spelling is used. Original copying, comparison and quiz instructions are not attributed as dictionary prose.Return to Practice exercise ↑Return to Script form 3 ↑Return to Contrast the dirt example, paragraph 1 ↑
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Record PH-LAN-0044 · English edition · human review not performed