Start after the noun
A postposition follows the word or phrase with which it expresses a relationship. Wilson’s Shahpur grammar explicitly locates these words after the noun and connects them with its oblique form. His list includes relationships translated as in, with, near, towards and from. The point is structural as well as lexical: learning an English equivalent does not show the order of the Punjabi construction or the noun form that accompanies it.[2]
Follow the noun and its marker
The Lodiana grammar uses the older heading preposition, even while describing markers that come after a noun. Its boy table prints ਮੁੰਡੇ ਨੂੰ for the singular dative, translated to a boy, and ਮੁੰਡਿਆਂ ਨੂੰ for the plural. The marker remains recognisable while the noun changes. This is a concrete reason to study an attested noun phrase rather than placing a newly learned marker after a dictionary headword without checking the rest of the construction.[1]
The same grammar distinguishes meaning from a one-to-one English label. It uses ਨੂੰ for both dative and accusative rows, while discussing other ways of distinguishing cases through context and inflection. The two rows do not make every English to or every object require an identical Punjabi construction. They show how one printed marker can participate in different grammatical uses within the description. The sentence and its intended relationship are part of the evidence.[1]
Some relationships use combinations
Wilson also describes postpositions that connect with a preceding noun through the genitive marker, and gives alternatives with or without that link. His discussion notes that genitive forms themselves change to agree with the governing noun. He separately records Salt Range alternatives for genitive, dative and from relationships. These details make a single universal substitution list misleading. Compare the whole documented phrase, retain its local scope, and distinguish a historical alternative from an error simply because it differs from another teaching table.[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.
- 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 pp 7–8 / PDF 20–21, sections 22–26 and boy paradigm; p 71 / PDF 84, sections 106–107; original title PDF 6, preface PDF 8–9 and errata PDF 13. Accessed 2026-11-02.The specified pages of the actual 1851 Bodleian/Google scan were read. Displayed script examples were checked against rendered pages. The original title names the press and superintendent; the archive catalogue attributes J. Newton. The preface addresses readers familiar with Urdu and acknowledges regional variation. Its terminology and examples are historical descriptions, with no recording or complete account of present-day usage. Purist judgements and social hierarchies are not adopted. Later revised editions and editorial additions were not used.Return to Script form 1 ↑Return to Script form 2 ↑Return to Script form 3 ↑Return to Follow the noun and its marker, paragraph 1 ↑Return to Follow the noun and its marker, paragraph 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 12 / PDF 30, Post-positions; p 30 / PDF 48, full Postpositions discussion and regional alternatives; p 10 / PDF 28, genitive forms; original title PDF 7 and preface PDF 11. Accessed 2026-11-02.The specified pages of the actual BSB original-edition scan were read. The title date 1898 and printing imprint 1899 are distinguished. Wilson credits Munshi Mahbub Alam and limits collection to historical Shahpur. Salt Range alternatives retain their local scope. Colonial purity rankings, caste characterisations and unseen earlier works are not adopted. Roman forms were not converted into newly asserted script spellings or certified pronunciation.Return to Start after the noun, paragraph 1 ↑Return to Some relationships use combinations, paragraph 1 ↑
Record PH-LAN-0075 · English edition · human review not performed