Punjabi/Conversation/MeetingPeople

ਮਿਲਣੀਆਂ - Meeting people
When people meet they shake hands and exchange greetings. Ladies may embrace each other instead of shaking hands. When relatives with generational gap meet, the younger males touch elder's feet or knees as a mark of respect for them. An elder may touch the head of a younger one, including a female, with open palm facing down, as a mark of benedictions. An elder may also show affection by taking someone into an embrace. People of opposite genders generally avoid physical contact except when an elder showers affection or benedictions on a younger male or female. A progressive or westernised woman may extend her hand for a handshake but males generally wait for such gesture before extending theirs. Some greetings like 'namaste' involve folding of hands and bowing of head while the greeting is being delivered.

Formal meeting
When people of unequal status like an officer and a subordinate or an uncle and a nephew meet the meeting and conversation are formal. However when people of equal status like friends or cousins meet the meeting and conversation may be informal. In this page you will learn how people interact formally and informally. Various types of greetings will be introduced. Sample this formal meeting between ਦੀਪਾ-Deepa, the pupil and ਗਿਆਨ ਸਿੰਘ-Gian Singh her teacher.

Informal meeting
Now suppose ਸੁਨੀਲ-Sunil and ਸੰਜੀਵ-Sanjeev are friends and meet in a shopping mall. The conversation that takes place between the two will be informal and may look like this.

Formal greetings
Greetings have many religio-cultural variants. ਸਤਿ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਅਕਾਲ - Sat Sri Akal is used by sikhs. Other variants of greetings are

In the above formal conversation Gian Singh responded to the greeting ਸਤਿ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਅਕਾਲ - Sat Sri Akal with the same greeting. ਵਾਹਿ ਗੁਰ ਜੀ ਕਾ ਖਾਲਸਾ, ਵਾਹਿ ਗੁਰ ਜੀ ਕੀ ਫਤਿਹ-Wahe gur ji ka khalsa, wahe gur ji ki fateh is also responded similarly. ਨਮਸਤੇ or ਨਮਸਕਾਰ - Namaste or Namaskar also evoke either of these two greetings. However ਅਸਲਾਮਾ ਅਲਾਇਕਮ - as-salama alaykum evokes a ਵਾ ਅਲਾਇਕਮ ਅਸਲਾਮ wa alaykum as-salam though ਸਲਾਮ - salam evokes a ਸਲਾਮ - salam

Exercises
1. Ram Kumar, born and bred in a Hindu family and Prem Singh, borne and bred in a Sikh family, both being neighbours, meet in a shopping mall. Write a dialog of four to five lines depicting the way they greet each other.