旁遮普语

Lesson 6: pwT 6: icVIAwGr nMU vyKxw
(Chirheeaaghar noon vekhnhaa)


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Many Animal names are familiar, such as Hathi for Elephant, and Sher for Tiger ( For example in the Jungle Books), but most of the world’s creatures live outside of India, and therefore outside the Punjabi experience. For most cases the English words have been adopted, such as Penguin. In other cases research is still ongoing, and new words are daily absorbed into the language. As this course is aimed at the international audience all the Diaspora experiences all over the world are combined to make the creatures we meet interesting. This also gives us a chance to learn “What Is..”, and an introduction to a few verbs. My specialist area is the development of new words. It is advisable that at this point the learner should invest in a good Punjabi Dictionary such as Punjabi-English Complied by Dr K.K Goswami.

Lesson 5: The Cinema - isnmw  
Below we gather all we have learnt so far in a trip to the Cinema. Using information from the lesson above and the vocabulary section below,  translate the conversation below. The scenario is a visit to the cinema. In this passage four friends meet at the cinema. Translate it by using all the information that has gone before. Khushveer, Jeevan and Renu are going to watch Star Wars (qwrkw Xu`D) at the cinema, where they meet up with Arjun. He likes the character Darth Vader (fwrQ vydr) because he wears a mask (nkwb) and wields a light saber (qyjs KVg).

Lesson 4: The Basic Greetings  
Punjabi does not have a European system of greeting. That is, no one says ' Good morning, 'afternoon' or evening'. Indian culture is seeped in religion and the formal greetings reflect one's faith. In the Sikh community it is Sat Sri Akaal. In the Muslim one, it is Aslam alaikam and in the Hindu, Namaste. The informal greetings is Kiddha ( the respectable one being Pranaam), which roughly translates as hello, or what's up? The response to the above varies within Sikhs, from saying Sat Sri Akaal or Kiddha, to Valaikam Asslaam within the  Muslim community. To say goodbye the Sikhs say Rab Rakka and the Muslims Khudaa haafiz. It is polite for each culture to address each other with that community's chosen phrase. So below:  

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musq&w, A~slwm Alykm[ Hello Mustafa.
Mustapha asslaam alaikam.

gurdIp, siq sRI Akwl[ Hello Gurdeep.
Gurdeep sat(i) sree akaal.

Ainl nmsqy jI[ Hello Anil.
Anil namaaste jee.

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Note that in the phrase Sat(i) Sri Akaal, Sat(i) is a religious spelling, and thus includes a silent 'i' or Sihaaree. This is a religious convention, and drastically alters meanings. Also the sound 'r' is supporting in sRI , as has been seen in the Vowel section. The rule with accents on the letter's foot is; they are pronounced before the one's to either side or on the letter's head. So lets expand our Greetings.

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^uSvIr isMG: siq sRI Akwl [ Hello
Khushveer Singh: Sat Sri Akaal.
jIvn isMG: siq sRI Akwl [ Hello
Jeevan Singh: Sat Sri Akaal.

^uSvIr isMG: quhwfw hwl TIk hY? How is your health? ( How are you?)
Khushveer Singh: Tuhaada haal theek ha?

jIvn isMG: hW jI, myrw hwl TIk ey[ Yes sir, I am fine.
jeevan Singh: Han ji, meraa haal theek e.

^uSvIr isMG: ieh myrw doSq hY[ This is my friend.
Khushveer Singh: ih meraa doshat hai.

jIvn isMG: A~Cw! quhwfw kI nwm hY? Okay! What is your name?
Jeevan Singh: Achaa! Tuhaada naam ke ha?

fyivf: jI myrw nwm fyivf hY [ Sir, my name is David.
David: Ji, meeraa naam david ha.

^uSvIr isMG: SwbwS! qusIN bhuq suhxI pMjwbI boldy ho!  Well Done! You speak really good Punjabi!
Khushveer Singh: Shaabaash! Tuseen bahut suhnhee punjabee bolte han!

fyivf: SukrIAw, mY AMgryz hW Aqy mY pMjwbI bolI is`KI hY[ Thank you, I am English and I have learnt to speak the Punjabi language.
David: Shukreeaa, main Angrerz han, ate mai punjabee bolee sikhi hai.

jIvn isMG: kI quhwfw pirvwr TIk hY? Is your family fine?
Jeevan Singh: kee tuhaadaa parvaar theek ha?

^uSvIr isMG: jI swfw pirvwr TIk hY[ Yes, my family is well.
Khushveer Singh: Ji, saadaa parveer theek ha.

jIvn isMG: A`Cw! AsIN dono iPr jWdy hW[ Okay! Us two are both going then.
Jeevan Singh: Achchaa. Aaseen dono phir  jande han.

^uSvIr isMG: cMgw jI, siq sRI Akwl[ goodbye.
Khushveer Singh: Sat sri akaal.

jIvn isMG: siq sRI Akwl[ goodbye.
Jeevan Singh: Sat sri akaal.

fyivf: siq sRI Akwl[ goodbye.
David: Sat sri akaal.


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As can be seen,  this conversation is very formal. There is an informal way to speak as well. Below we shall briefly look at tense, word order and expand our greetings. This area will be returned to in detail in later sections. Note also from the above how each letter is written and how each accent makes it carry a sound as a consequence. The next stage is to understand how Punjabi adjectives and verbs work. These too will be dealt with in detail later. Punjabi greetings can be informal and formal depending upon whom you speak to. Like Spanish there is a yours respectable, and a familiar. So,  

nInw: quhwfw pirvwr TIk hY? Is your family well?
Nina: Tuhada parvaar theek ha?
pRwB: jI, swfw pirvwr TIk hY[ Yes, our family is fine.
Prab: Jee, saadaa parvaar theek ha.

Compare this with:

nInw: qyrw pirvwr TIk hY? Is your family well?
Nina: tera parvaar theek ha?

pRwB: jI, myrw pirvwr TIk hY[ Yes, our family is fine.
Prab: Jee, mere parvaar theek ha.

It is the tuhada and tera that makes the sentence less formal. Formality is usually for respecting elders and strangers.


Punjabi sentence word order.

Unlike English, the Punjabi sentence is very loose in structure and extremely flexible. For example, David could say " How are you?" equally semantically correct as " You are how?".

tYSw: ie`Qo bu`k cu`k[ Pick the book from here.
Tasha: iththo book chukk
Or

tYSw: bu`k ie`Qo cu`k[ Pick the book from here.
Tasha: book iththo chukk


In the second example, the English transliteration would be " the book pick from here". Note the word in italic blue. This is because this is a Diaspora Punjabi word, adopted in the Western World Punjabi. All such words will be in italics from now. More on sentences later.

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Diaspora Punjabi and Traditional Punjabi.

Essentially many traditional words in Punjabi have been forgotten or fallen out of use in the West. In their place, words from English, Spanish and other languages have been adopted. Mainly from the English language, because most immigrants were the less well educated in India, and did not know the Indian equivalent of the many Western words they have adopted. In terms of classifying animals and things not familiar in India, English words have thus prevailed in Punjabi spellings and spoken language. More obscure words, such as names of Animals that do not exist in the Punjab, are now being classified with European words or English ones. An example of this American English to British English like phenomenon, is Mez (table ) being now called table in Punjabi households here. So myz is now tybl.

Lesson 3: it~pI Tippee ('M'), ibMdI Bindee ('N'), and A~Dk Adhak ('~')
it~pI  ('M')  
AMb  aanb  mango
AMgUr  aangoor  grapes
pqMg  patung  kite
KMf  khund  sugar
muMfw  mundaa  boy
bMdUk  bundook  rifle
rMbw  runbaa  trowel
suMdr  sundar  pretty
mMjw  munjaa  bed
qMdUr  tundoor  clay oven
fMfw  dundaa  pole / staff
sMqrw  santraa  orange


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ibMdI   ('N')

kW  kaan   crow
gW  gaan   cow
bWh  baanh   arm
kuVIAW  kurheeaan   girls
CW  chaan   shade
roNdw  roandaa   crying
icVIAW  chirheeaan   starlings
nINd  neend   sleepy
QW  thaan   place
muMdIAN  mundian   rings
cUVIAW  choorheeaan   bangles


Note that a vowel accent can not be followed by another vowel accent, so one of the three vowel letters are placed in between as can be seen in the plural words icVIAW and muMifAW[

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A~Dk  ('~')  
A`K akhkh eye
mC`r machchcar mosquito
iq`qr tittar partridge
p`Qr   paththar rock
im`qr mittar mate / pal
n`k naak nose
l`kV lakkar wood ( not forest)
h`Q hathth hand
ik`l kill nail
p`t patt thigh
F`kx dhakkanh lid
k`pVy kapparhe clothes
f`fU daddoo frog
ic`TI chiththee correspondence / letter
n`t natt run
au`lU oulloo owl
A`g aagg fire
iC`l chill peel
inrMkwr nirankaar formless / god


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AiBAws  
aupr ilKy SbdW nMU pVH ky, hyTw ilKy SbdW nMU it`pI, ibMdI Aqy A`Dk nwl TIk kro.
Read the words written above then attach a Tippee, Bindee and Adhak to the words below.


Ab pqg kw bwh iqqr
lkV rbw qdr Qw hQ  
nId rodw nt kpVy Fkx
Cw icUVIAw sqrw sudr


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pYrI rwrw Aqy pYrI hwhw: Pairee ' r' and Pairee ' h'.  
pYrI rwrw
pRym prem love
kRoD krodh wrath
gRMQ granth scripture
pRxwm pranaam hello ( respect)
pRkwS prakaash light
pRSn prashan anxious  

pYrI hwhw
pVH parhh read / educated
pVHnw parhhnaa to read
KolH kholh open ( present tense)
mlHm malham spatula


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AiBAws
aupr ilKy SbdW nMU iDAwn nwl vyKo Aqy hyTW vwly SbdW dy pYr hwhw jW rwrw joV ky shI kro[
Read the words written above then attach a haahaa and raaraa to the words below.

pym
gMQ
mlm
koD
pnwm
pV
Kol
pSn



As can be seen in the above exercise (AiBAws), some of the accents in Punjabi have a specific effect. The adhak (  ~  ) doubles a sound, somewhat like the English word little. Here the first syllable ends with a t , and the second begins with a t . Another way to look at it is that you first enter the syllable with a t , and then exit with it, thus repeating the sound. The Punjabi word for dance is a good example. n~c (nachch) , is pronounced a bit like the first syllable in nachos, but subtly repeating the ch sound again. Another example is Delhi, pronounced dillee and spelt (id~lI). Thus it works like coped and copper.
The bindee ( N ) and tippee ( M ) also have unique effects. They nasalise specific words. There is a variation from totally nasalised to a rounded n. The tippee is almost like a 'un' as in under. It is employed with the Muktaa, Sihaaree, Aunkarh and Dalainkarhe, as seen in the above exercise. The bindee works with Laanv, Dulannvan, Bihaaree, Kannaa, Horahaa and Kanaarhaa. Examine the section related to these in the exercise above again.


In the next lesson we'll learn about the some of the Basic Greetings and the Punjabi Sentence Word Order.

Lesson 2: AiBAws ie~k: Exercise One
Practise understanding the Accents. Below are some words using the various accents, followed by sentences where the correct Accent needs to be placed. For example Car is kwr, it uses the Kannaa , w  (kMnW). So kwr clw is Car Challa ( Start your car). Here the Kannaa needs to be added to Car.
Another example is  ieh kVI   hY , this is an example of the Aaunkarh ,AONkV. kVI should be kuVI  

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mukqw Short A

Pl phal  (fruit),  jl jal (water),  Kq khat (letter), qr tar (cucumber), rs ras (juice),  klm kalam (pen), kxk kanhak (wheat), hrn haran (deer), btn batan (button), kml kamal (lotus), bq^ batakh (duck),  mtr matar (pea),  PrS farash (floor),  blb balab (bulb),  GVw gharhaa (pot) and bwlk baalak kid (child).

ieMnW SbdW nUM hyT shI KwinAW ivc ilKo (Write these words below in the right columns).
P, K, b, k Aqy m A~KrW nwl ilKy gey l&z ilKo (Write the words beginning with the given letters.)

P
K
b
k
m

  







        


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kMnW Long A

kwr caar (car), gwjr gaajar (carrot), kVw karhaa (bracelet), vwjw vaajaa (bugle / trumpet), qwrw taaraa (star), mwlw maalaa (rosary), Anwr aanaar (pomegranate), nwkwm naakaam (Unsucessful), QoQw thothaa (Vacuous), ptwkw pataakaa (firework) and Dwgw dhagaa (string).

Place the w in  the correct words. Use the above words to check spelling.
krn vjw vjwauNdw hY[ Karan is playing the trumpet.
Karan vaajaa vajaaonda hai

qrw bhuq cmkdw hY[ The star really sparkles.
taaraa Bahut  chamakdaa ha

^uSvIr Anr iC~l[ Khushveer peel the pomegranate.
Khushveer aanaar shill

swfy leI gjr kt, jIvn[ Cut the carrots for us, Jeevan.
Saade lee gaajar cat, Jeevan

Dgw bMnH, mrI[ Tie the string, Mary.
dhaagaa bunnh, Maree

kr clw jspRIq[ Drive the car Jaspreet.
Caar challaa Jaspreet

qMU QoQ hY eylks[ You are vacuous Alex.
Toon thothaa ha elakas.


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ishwrI The ' I'

isr sir (head), idl dil (heart), ip~ql pittal (brass), inrdoS nirdosh (inculpable), Sigrd shagirad (Pupil), ieSiqhwr ishitihaar (advertisement/poster), icr chir (awhile), idmwg dimaag (brain), ikqwb kitaab (book), ihswb hisaab (account/calculation), ikswn kisaan (farmer), igAwn giaan (learn), ipAwr piaar (love), isqwr sitar (sitar), iSkwr shikaar (hunt), Swier shaair (poet) and izd zid (obstinate).
ishwrI hyTw vwly f`ibAW ivc Brnw hY[ ienHW ivcoN ijhVy TIk lgdy hn; "shI" vwly f`by 'c ilKo Aqy ijhVy glq lgdy hn, auh "glq" vwly f`by 'c[ Fill in the Sihaaree in the boxes below. Place in the box for "correct", the ones you think are right, and in the box for "incorrect", those you think are wrong.

isqwr, idmwg, ip`ql, Sigrd, inlI, sIqwr, ikswn, eImlI, iGV, gAwnI, zid nrIdoS


shI  (Correct)
glq (Incorrect)

  





  


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ibhwrI The 'ee' sound.

hQkVI hathkaree (Handcuffs), zwqI zaatee (specific), rxnIqI ranhaneetee (strategy), byXkInI beyakeenee (disbelief), qIr teer (arrow), KIr kheer (rice pudding), GVI gharhee (watch), bIbI beebee ('mother'), sItI seetee (whistle), dIvw deevaa (Oil lamp), nwlI naalee (pipe), hwQI haathee (elephant),  swQI saathee (friend), iqqlI titalee (butterfly), and ispwhI sipaahi (soldier).
Place the  I  in  the correct words. Use the above words to check spelling.

qr mwr inSwn qy, jIvn[ Aim the arrow at the mark, Jeevan
teer mar nishaan te, jeevan.

bIbI bhuq sohxI Kr bxwauNdI hY[ 'Mother' makes very nice rice pudding.
Beebee bahut sohnhee kheer banhaaounh dee ha.

kI ieh GV hY? Is this a watch?
Ehe gharhee ha ?

st mwr, ^uSvIr[ Whistle, Khushveer.
Seetee mar, khushveer.

qqlI dy KMB bhuq rMgIn hn[ The butterfly's wings are very colourful.
Titalee de khunbh bahut rungeen han.

Note that Punjabi has adopted the English ? mark (question mark). It uses a line for a full stop, or a double line at the end of a passage or paragraph. It has also adopted the English , (comma). The word 'the' has no equivalent in Punjabi.


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AOkNV The 'u' sound, dulYNkV The 'oo' sound, lW The 'e' sound, dulwvW The 'ai' sound, hoVw The 'o' sound and the knOVw The 'au' sound.

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AONkV

au~n oun (wool)
kuVI kurhee (girl)
kursI kurasee (chair)
murgI murghee (chicken)
dvwq duaat ink (bottle)
gulwb gulaab (rose)
rumwl rumaal (kerchief)
burS burash (brush)
kuVqw kurhtaa ( shirt)
kulPI kulphee (ice-cream)
kumwr kumar (prince)


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dulYNkV

aUT ooth (camel)
sUt soot (suit)
lUx loonh (salt)
gaU gaoo (cow)
cUhw choohaa (mouse)
BwlU baaloo (bear)
mUlI moolee (' white Carrot')
mUrq moorat (drawing)
sUrj sooraj (the sun)
mzdUr mazdoor (labourer)
qrbUz tarbooz (melon)


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lW

syb seb (apple)
syk sek (heat)
Syr sher (lion)
Pyr fer (later)
Byf bhed (sheep)
qyl tel (oil)
kylw kelaa (games)
mylw melaa (funfair)
qwry tare (stars)
vylxw velanhaa (rolling pin)
plyt palet (plate)
cklyt chaklet (chocolate)
ryfIE redeeo (radio)
blyf baled (blade)
krylw karelaa (bitter gould).  


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dulwvW  

pYr pair foot
pYsw paisaa money
AYnk  aainak glasses
vYswKI vaisaakee harvest festival
bYTk baithak sitting room
AYqvwr  aaitvaar Sunday
hY  hai is
kYmrw caimaraa camera
zYbrw zaibaraa zebra
bunYx bunainh vest  
svYtr  savaitar jumper / sweater.
  


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hoVw

bol  bol speak
Fol dhol drum
fol  dol spill
mor mor peacock
cor chor thief
kot kot coat
motw  motaa  fat ( person / thing )
Koqw khotaa donkey
GoVw ghoraa horse
qoqw totaa parrot
goBI gobhee cauliflower
topI topee hat  
ilKo likho write( present tense)
  


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knOVw

cOl  chaul  rice
kOVw  kaurhaa  sour
pOVI  paurhee  stairs / ladder
AOrq  aurat  woman
dOlq  daulat  wealth
rOxk  raunhak  lively atmosphere
hQOVw  hauthrhaa  hammer
sO  sau  one hundred
pkOVw  pakaurhaa  bhaji


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*** phylI ***


auproqk SbdW nUM lY ky, hyTW SbdW dI qlwS krnI hY[
Below, word search has a selection of words from those above. Find them. (Tip! Try across, down and diagonally).

r mo kY l T aU sy b
au t cO m rO x k lw
n sU zY b rw lY Sy gu
pY r ku VI l bu r lU
do j V QO h f By Bw
l bo q r bU z x lU


In the next lesson we'll learn more about;  it~pI Tippee ('M'), ibMdI Bindee ('N'), and A~Dk Adhak ('~')

The Punjabi Sound System
The Punjabi sound system is more complicated and different from the English one. As has been seen, there are thirty-five letters in the Punjabi Language. There are ten vowels in total
with some supporting consonants or accents. Below is an indication how these work and how to pronounce letters.

s is pronounced like the s in snake.
h
is pronounced like h as in hot.
k is said like k as in kite.
K does not have an English equivalent, but is pronounced like kh as in khaki.
g is pronounced as g as  in goat.
G is the same as gh in ghost.
| is pronounced like the middle of Penguin or the end in wing.
c is pronounced as ch as  in the word cheat.
C is pronounced like sh as in shower, robustly aspirated.
j is pronounced like j as in Jungle, the tongue being positioned next to the lower teeth.
J is pronounced as jh robustly aspirated.
\ is a sound not found in the western languages, and is uttered with a palatal sound.
t is pronounced like t as in the middle of the word constrain, with less discharge of breath and the tongue placed further back.
T sounds like the end of wheat, with the last letter robustly aspirated.
f is pronounced as d as in dumb, the d rounded heavily, however less expiration of breath and the tongue much further back
F is pronounced as dh is in drummer robustly aspirated.
x is a retroflex nasal sound as in ' nah' if the 'a' was deleted.
q is softly unaspirated, being similar to a softly said 'Tim'.
Q is pronounced as th as in the word third, but robustly aspirated.
d is pronounced as d as in then, with less expiration of breath.
D is pronounced dh as is like 'then', powerfully aspirated.
n is pronounced as n as  in night, with the tongue firmly placed next to the teeth.
p is pronounced as p as in aspirin with less expiration of air.
P is pronounced as f as in fight, being the aspirated version of p .
b is pronounced as b as in bin and bat.
B is pronounced as bh as in bard, if the word was pronounced as a halfway between a p and bh.
m is pronounced as m as in marriage or mother.
X is pronounced as y as in yard.
r is pronounced as r as in matador or in razor , without dropping the r.
l is pronounced as l as in like or lion .
v pronounced as v and is a cross between a V in vexed and W in wart, without rounding the lips and without the upper teeth being grazed by the lower lip.
V the closest example to this is the English name ' Barrat', but said as if a h is placed in between the two R's.
S is as in Shimmer.
^ As in the Scottish Loch.
Z as in gosh pronounced as if a h follows g.
z as in Zebra
& As in Frankenstein.


The last five row of letters have a dot or Paireen Bindee ( pYrIN ibMdI ), literally dot at letter's foot. Many of these sounds originate from Urdu (or Persian). There are also subjoined consonants, which are just (pYrIN) Paireen, or ' of the foot'. There are three.

( H )  h
(  R  )   r



There are also five nasally pronounced consonants.
| these possess two accents.
\ a . ibMdI bindee &  M  it~pI Tippee
x Nh}

n N}
m M}


The Vowels

Punjabi has twice as many vowels as English, namely ten, which are all pronounced exactly as they are written. There are two types of vowels. Independent ones and dependent ones. The latter require a consonant for support. In dependent vowels can begin words and syllables. They are also used when a consonant cannot support two vowels or a diphthong. The latter that is the use of two vowels within a syllable is very common in Punjabi. In the case of independent vowels three principle letters are used which require accents for support. These are:

a (O),     A  (A),      e   (E)


Dependent vowels are a little more complex, so the table below compares both types to provide the reader with a feel for their use.

Dependent Vowels

Accent Example Vowel English
- a s sa
mukqw Muktaa
w aa vw vaa
kMnw Kannaa
i i iz zi
ishwrI Sihaaree
I ee eI ee
ibhwrI  Bihaaree
  u u au oh
AONkV Aunkarh
aUuU oo aU oo
dulYNkV  Dulainkar
y  e ly le
lWv Laanv
  Yai sY sai
dulWv Dulaanvaan
  o o ro ro
hoVw Horhaa
  O au gO gau
knOVw  Kanaurhaa


Independent Vowels

Accent Example Transliteration English
A a AsIN    assi     us
Aw aa  AwlU alloo potatoe
ie i ie~k eik one
eI ee eIst eesat East
au oh auh  ohho They
aU oo aUT ooth Camel
ey e     ey eis is
AY ai AYqvwr aitavaar Sunday
o O AwE ahaaoh come
aO au AOto auto auto


This brings us onto two subjects regarding accents. Primarily Punjabi is an intoned language like that of the Chinese, but with a low pitch, high pitch and levelled out one. Secondly,  the behaviour of the letter or symbol is dependant upon the carried accent (mainly vowels). The most alien one to the English speaker is the Mukhta or invisible a. Whereas in English the silent n is written but not heard, in Punjabi the soft a is heard but not written. So mar is spelt mr, that is mr.

In the next lesson we'll learn about the rules governing the use of these vowels.

oorrha airhaa eerhee sassa hahaa
ooh a e s h






kakkaa khakha gaggaa ghagha nganngaa
k
kk
g
gh
ng







chachchaa chachchaa jajjaa jhajjaa  njannjaa
ch sh j jh nj






tainkaa thaththaa daddaa  dhaddhaa nhaanhaa
t th d dh nh






tattaa  thaththaa daddaa  dhaddaa nannaa
t th d dh n






pappaa phaphphaa babbaa bhabbaa mammaa
p ph b bh m






yayyaa  raaraa lallaa  vavvaa rhaarhaa
y r l v/w rh






shashshaa  khakhkhaa ghaghghaa zazzaa faffaa
sh kh gh z f

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pwT 1 pwT 2 pwT 3 pwT 4  
Lesson 1 Lesson 2 Lesson 3 Lesson 4  
    
pwT 5 pwT 6    
Lesson 5 Lesson 6
Introduction

It has been a long standing demand of the 5abi.com readers that we should, using the techniques of information technology and the multi-media capabilities of the Internet, provide a series of Punjabi learning modules. Although, due to our limited resources, we have not been able to develop interactive, computer based learning packages, here we present a series of simple and useful lessons which, we hope, our readers (particularly the second generation overseas Punjabis) will find them helpful in their quest to learn the Punjabi language. What is more important, the lessons are devised by someone who for his years of commitment and dedication has taught himslef the Gurmukhi script and has agreed to develop these lessons for the 5abi.com readers.


Rupinderpal Singh Dhillon

Rupinderpal Singh Dhillon, has lived in the UK most of his life and has the first hand experience of the difficulties of learning one's mother language in an alien  environment. All over the world, especially in the Western countries, there are many Punjabi learning schools set up by the respective Governments and non-Government organisations (mainly Gurudwaras). Sadly, they all lack modern teaching aids and learning material (books etc.)  readily available for all the other modern languages. This is attributable mainly due to fact that such material is neither developed nor available in the mother country, i.e. the Punjab. To address this issue the overseas Punjabi community (especially the Punjabi businesses and entrepreneurs) can do a lot, in terms of sponsoring such developments. We look forward to their suggestions and views.


Lesson 1: In this lesson you will learn :

The Gurmukhi Alphabet
The Punjabi Sound System
The Vowels
The Basic Greetings
Punjabi sentence word order
Traditional and Diaspora Punjabi

The Gurmukhi Alphabet  
In Punjabi, the Alphabet is called Varnhmaalaa ( vrxmwlw). The script that we will be using is Gurmukhi Lipee (gurmuKI il`pI ).  Below is a table showing each letter how to pronounce it and the English (Roman script) equivalent sound.