Punjabi

Punjabi, the language of the land of five rivers, is the official language of the state of Punjab 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.

Punjabi 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 Punjabi student and sharpen the skills of the intermediate Punjabi student, but also to provide a basic cultural comprehension of the various Punjabi societies in India, Pakistan, and here in the U.S. In addition learning Punjabi opens the doors to the poetic, universal works of Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book of the Sikhs.
Course Description
Beginning Punjabi: (SARS 280/580-680)
Williams Hall 25 MW 4:30-6:45

This course emphasizes speaking and reading skills in Punjabi. 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 in 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.
Text: An Intensive Course in Punjabi by Motia Bhatia

Intermediate Punjabi: (SARS 282/582-680)
Williams Hall 216 TR 4:30-6:35

This course is designed as a continuation of Beginning Punjabi, but can also 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.

For more information please contact Amrit K. Gahunia, Punjabi Lecturer at: (215)898-7475 (office) or (610)-892-9131 (home). Email: agahunia@sas.upenn.edu