Panjabi

Introduction

Panjabi, the language of the land of five rivers, is the official language of the state of Panjab in northwestern India and is spoken in various parts of Pakistan. In addition, it is the language of the holy scriptures of the Sikhs. Created about 400 years ago by the second Sikh guru, Guru Angad Dev Ji, the script is called Gurmukhi and has a total of thirty-five letters.

Panjabi has been taught at Penn for the last eleven years. We offer courses at two different levels, beginning and intermediate. These courses are designed not only to create a strong foundation for the beginning Panjabi student and sharpen the skills of the intermediate Panjabi student, but also to provide a basic cultural comprehension of the various Panjabi societies in India, Pakistan, and here in the U.S. Therefore, by learning Panjabi (especially at Penn) you will learn much more than a language. You will learn about the rich culture of the Panjabis and their religious beliefs. In fact, those who learn Panjabi often find themselves enamored by the poetic, universal works in Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book of the Sikhs.

Course Descriptions 

Beginning Panjabi:PUNJ-404 

Instructor: Amrit K. Gahunia

Email: agahunia@sas.upenn.edu

Description: This course 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 the natives in a variety of simple situations involving everyday conversational topics. Further, students should be able to read and understand the main idea 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:PUNJ-422

Instructor: Amrit K. Gahunia

Email: agahunia@sas.upenn.edu

Description: This course is designed as a continuation of Beginning Panjabi, but also can be taken by anyone who can demonstrate a similar level of proficiency of 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.

FALL: Advanced Panjabi:PUNJ-434
SPRING: Advanced Panjabi: PUNJ444

Instructor: Amrit K. Gahunia

Email: agahunia@sas.upenn.edu