Punjabi

Punjabi, the language of the land of five rivers, is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by over 105 million people - mainly Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims in both India and Pakistan.  Punjabi is one of the most widely used languages of South Asian communities in the UK, USA, Canada and many other Asian and African countries.  The Punjabi language has many different dialects, spoken in different sub-regions.  In India, Punjabi is written with the Gurmukhl script, while in Pakistan it is written with the Persian script known as Shahmukhl.  Punjabi is a major language of the Sikhs, in which much religious literature is written. It is the usual language of Bhangra music, which has recently gained wide popularity both in South Asia and abroad.

Punjabi courses at PLC are designed to introduce students to Punjab's rich cultural heritage, social and economic achievements as they develop their language skills.

Courses

• PUNJ 0100/5100 Elementary Punjabi I
• PUNJ 0200/5200 Elementary Punjabi II
• PUNJ 0300/5300 Intermediate Punjabi I
• PUNJ 0400/5400 Intmediate Punjbai II
• PUNJ 1500/5500 Advanced Punjabi

Elementary Punjabi emphasizes speaking and reading skills in Panjabi. Upon completion of this course, students should be able to interact meaningfully and in a socially acceptable manner with natives in a variety of simple situations involving everyday conversational topics. Furthermore, students should be able to read and understand the main ideas and most details of simple connected texts. This course will utilize authentic printed, audio, and video materials as input and will provide opportunities to students for natural communication both within and outside the classroom.

Intermediate Panjabi is designed as a continuation of Beginning Panjabi, but also can be taken by anyone who demonstrates a similar level of proficiency in the language. The course objectives are to expand the mastery of sentence patterns and augment vocabulary and its usage through intensive grammar review and comprehension exercises. A special emphasis will also be placed on greater cultural awareness. Upon completion of this course students should be able to interact socially with added confidence and greater expressiveness. Students should also experience a great improvement in their comprehension of the spoken and written language.

Advanced Panjabi is designed to meet the very specific needs of the students.  Advanced Punjabi will focus on readings in modern Punjabi fiction, dramas, and critical essays.  Advanced Punjabi aims at systematically introducing students to the higher level linguistic functions through the use of contemporary texts.