The form of a command

In the Lodiana grammar’s sending paradigm, the root ਘੱਲ appears in the singular imperative, while the plural row contains ਘੱਲੋ. The printed instructions place a second-person pronoun beside each form. This makes the contrast visible within one verb rather than requiring a comparison between unrelated words. The table calls this its Instant Future or Present imperative. It then supplies another singular and plural pair under Remote Future, explaining the instruction as something to be carried out hereafter. Number and the author’s distinction about timing are separate parts of the paradigm. The table is a record of those forms, not an observation of a present-day conversation.[1]

Wilson’s ordinary imperative

Wilson describes the ordinary second-person singular imperative as the verbal root, with endings added for the plural. His examples include the roots for coming, doing, taking, giving and starting. He also lists exceptions for verbs translated as going, descending and lying. A learner reading this account therefore needs both the general pattern and the particular verb’s entry. The plural is not safely generated by copying one example onto every root. The table records alternative endings as well as exceptions, and its placement in a Shahpur district grammar supplies the regional setting in which the description was made.[2]

A polite category needs its own context

A separate subsection gives what Wilson calls polite imperatives. It describes different singular and plural endings, a change when the root ends in a vowel, and a Salt Range polite plural variant. His English explanations present these forms as courteous requests to look, get up or come. That grammatical category is useful evidence about his description, but it is not a complete rule for how every speaker should address every other person. The ordinary and polite tables should be read together with their exceptions. Neither these printed forms nor their English glosses establish tone of voice, a speaker’s intention or the social expectations of a current encounter.[2]

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. Lodiana American Presbyterian Mission Press; J. Newton attribution in the archive catalogue; Rev. J. Porter, press superintendent. A Grammar of the Panjabi Language; with Appendices ↗Historical descriptive and teaching grammar · Source date: 1851 · Locator: Printed p.44/PDF57, sending paradigm, imperative Instant Future or Present and Remote Future; exact root ਘੱਲ and plural ਘੱਲੋ visually checked. Accessed 2026-11-02.The actual selected 1851 original pages and English explanation were read. Selected script forms were checked visually before inclusion; unreliable OCR was not used as a transcription. The original title is anonymous; the catalogue attribution is qualified. Historical rules remain attributed and region/date bounded.Return to Script form 1 ↑Return to Script form 2 ↑Return to The form of a command, paragraph 1 ↑
  2. J. Wilson; acknowledged assistance of Munshi Mahbub Alam; Punjab Government Press. Grammar and Dictionary of Western Panjabi, as Spoken in the Shahpur District, with Proverbs, Sayings and Verses ↗Historical district grammar and dictionary · Source date: 1899 imprint; preface September 1898 · Locator: Printed p.44/PDF62, ordinary and polite imperatives, exceptions and Salt Range note. Accessed 2026-11-02.The actual selected original 1899 pages were read, including stated regional variants and table context. English descriptions are the historical author’s analysis. No current usage survey, audio or performance was consulted; any written illustrative line has only the narrow locator scope stated above.Return to Wilson’s ordinary imperative, paragraph 1 ↑Return to A polite category needs its own context, paragraph 1 ↑
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Record PH-LAN-0084 · English edition · human review not performed