Book excerpt: First Published in 1993. Punjabi is the language of the Punjab-the land of five rivers--of northern India and Pakistan. Primarily written in three distinct scripts, a unique feature of the language is that, along with Lahanda and the Western Pahari dialects, it is the only modern Indo-European language spoken in South Asia which is tonal in nature. It is recognized as one of the several national languages of India and Pakistan, and approximately forty-five million people speak Punjabi as either a first or second language. This Descriptive Grammar accounts for the linguistic and sociolinguistic properties of Punjabi and Lahanda/Multani. It explores the standard language, giving a comprehensive account of syntax, morphology and phonology. With a descriptive, typological and cognitive examination of the language, this is the most up-to-date, comprehensive and authoritative description of modern Punjabi to date. This volume will be invaluable to students and researchers of linguistic theory and practice.