Punjabi/Writing lessons plan

Conversation module
This module will be the most important part of this wikibook as teaching conversation is the ultimate aim of this wikibook. I plan to have ten lessons in this module each devoted to some specific situation and setting in which the conversation takes place. The following is the material in intend to cover.

1. Meeting people 2. Introducing yourself 3. Introducing others 4. Parting

5. Seeking attention 6. Seeking permission 7. Seeking information 8. Thanking people

9. Making telephone call 10. Ending a call 11. Dealing with wrong number 12. Leaving message

13. Seeking advice 14. Seeking suggestion 15. Seeking opinion on something 16. Seeking help

17. Talking about people 18. Talking about places 19. Talking about food 20. Talking about weather

21. Discussing films 22. Discussing proposals 23. Discussing public issues 24. Getting nostalgic

25. Expressing emotions 26. Expressing satisfaction 27. Expressing hope/surprise 28. Expressing remorse

29. Asking for directions 30. Asking for something in store 31. Asking for price 32. Bargaining in the shop

33. Sending message 34. Delivering message 35. Congratulating someone 36. Conveying condolences

37. Talking about success 38. Talking about failure 39. Talking about fear 40. Talking about hopes & aspirations

Suggestions will be gratefully received.

Teaching the Gurmukhi script
Let's try to create some great lessons, which will make it really easy to learn to read/write the Gurmukhi script. The idea is to introduce one letter at a time and to provide plenty of exercises after each letter. The best kind of exercise allows students to read a new word and immediately understand the meaning. This makes them feel very successful and it motivates them.

This teaching method has been successfully used for Greek (see the Modern Greek wikibook) and Korean. Let's use it for Punjabi now!

This page is for preparation. Step 1: Collect a lot of Punjabi words, names or place names that are immediately understandable to the average English speaker Step 2: Use this list to devise a good order of introduction for the letters Step 3: Create the actual lessons

Right now we are at step 1, so let's collect suitable words and names!

Recognizable Punjabi words and names
(please add more here!)
 * I have added a few more words above - Jaspal Singh 02:38, 22 July 2008 (UTC)

Names and words that are probably recognizable
ਓਸਲੋ = Oslo ਅਮਾਨ = Amman ਆਬਾ = ABBA (the band) ਅੰਨਾ = Anna (name) ਇਰਾਨ = Iran ਇਰਾਕ = Iraq ਸਾਨਾ = Sana'a ਸਿਉਲ = Seoul ਹਵਾਨਾ = Havana ਕੋਕੋ = cocoa ਕੈਨਾਡਾ = Canada ਕਿਊਬਾ = Cuba ਕਰੈੱਮ = creme ਕਿਲੋ = kilo ਗਾਜ਼ਾ = Gaza ਗਿਨੀ = Guinea ਘਾਨਾ = Ghana ਚੀਨ = China ਚੈਡ = Chad ਜੈਜ਼ = jazz (music) ਟੋਗੋ = Togo ਡਿਸਕ = disk not recognizable ਢਾਕਾ = Dhaka ਪਰਮਾਣੂ = atom not recognizable ਪਨਾਮਾ = Panama ਪੌਲ = Paul (name) ਬਾਰਬਰਾ = Barbara (name) ਬੌਨ = Bonn ਬੀਅਰ = beer ਬੈਂਕ = bank ਬਾਰ = bar ਮਨਾਮਾ = Manama ਮਾਲੀ = Mali ਮੋਰੱਕੋ = Morocco ਮੀਲ = mile ਯੈੱਨ = Yen (currency) ਰੋਮ = Rome ਰੌਕ = rock (music) ਲੀਮਾ = Lima ਵੌਨ = Won (currency) ਵੀਆਨਾ = Vienna ਵੀਡੀਉ (ਚਲ-ਚਿਤਰ) = video ... what are these in Punjabi / Gurmukhi script? ... I have added the Punjabi words above for the English ones given by you and have indexed then alphabetically. Regards.
 * Thanks. We'll need more words though. Can you think of any words that sound similar in English and Punjabi? Here are some more that should work:

mom papa Lille (French city) Benin Libya Riga Guyana Oman Tokyo Yemen Peru Japan Toronto London Maria Ivan Caracas Saddam Coca Cola Manila Milan (city in Italy) Nepal Sudan Korea Madrid Madras Bahamas Dubai Kabul music sugar lemon

Order of introduction
Here's a first idea for introducing the letters. This is just a start, we need a lot more Punjabi words and names.

ਬਾਰਬਰਾ barbra (Barbara)
 * 1) Introduce letters ਆ (A), ਬ (B) and ਰ (R). This leads to the following practise words: ਆਬਾ  ABBA, ਬਾਰ  bar (bar),
 * 1) Explain about the other vowels (would be better to split this, too). This leads to the practise words: ਬੇਰ  ber  (berry), ਬੀਅਰ beer (beer)
 * 2) Introduce the letter ਨ (N). Practise with ਅੰਨਾ  ana (Anna), ਬੌਨ   bon (Bonn), ਇਰਾਨ iran (Iran)
 * 3) Introduce the letter ਕ (K). Practise with ਇਰਾਕ  irak (Iraq), ਕੋਕੋ  (cocoa), ਬੈਂਕ  (bank), ਰੌਕ  (rock)
 * 4) Introduce the letter ਮ (M). Practise words: ਅਮਾਨ  (Amman), ਕਰੈੱਮ (creme), ਮਨਾਮਾ  (Manama), ਮੋਰੱਕੋ   (Morocco), ਰੋਮ (Rome)
 * 5) Introduce the letter ਲ (L). Practise words: ਲੀਮਾ (Lima), ਮਾਲੀ (Mali), ਕਿਲੋ (kilo)

The idea is that all practise words will only contain letters that the students have already learned, and that we can give him a word like ਬੀਅਰ without saying what it means and he'll be able to recognize it for "beer".


 * Thanks. That will be wonderful way of introducing alphabets though I need to convince myself on one point. As I have said somewhere in the main book also, Indic scripts are beautifully arranged. If we leave aside the first row and the last two rows of Gurmukhi, the rest of them are arranged according to phonetic sound characteristics. Even the columns follow certain patterns. The letters of the fourth column are all strongly aspirated and the fifth are nasalized. To top it all the succesive rows represent sounds that are articulated with sound organs starting from the velum and moving out until they reach the lips. Therefore can we have an order of introduction of alphabets to the reader that does not loose sight of this. I know this may sound silly to you. Tomorrow I shall collect some more words which may be familiar to an English speaking person and there after start the actual lesson. In the meantime let me have your comment on this. I am extremely grateful for the help rendered.

Some Punjabi words
Some Punjabi words are given below:

ਬੱਕਰੀ = goat; ਬੇਰ = berry; ਬਾਅਦ = after; ਬਾਹਰ = outside; ਬਹਾਰ = season; ਰੱਬ = god; ਪੰਜਾਬ = Punjab; ਖਰਾਬ = bad

ਟੱਪ = jump; ਆਪ = you or self; ਮਾਪ = measure; ਪਰ = but; ਪੱਟ = thigh; ਪੈਰ = foot; ਪੱਗ = turban; ਪਾਤਰ = character;

ਪੁੱਤ = son; ਪੱਤਾ = leaf; ਪਿਤਾ = father; ਕੱਤ = spin; ਲੱਤ = leg; ਸੱਤ = seven; ਰਾਤ = night; ਰੇਤ = sand; ਚੜ੍ਹਤ = ascendency

ਤਾਜ = Taj; ਤੇਜ = sharp; ਤਰਲ = liquid; ਤੇਲ = oil; ਤਾਲਾ = lock; ਕਤਲ = murder

Here are some more words as required

ਖ਼ਰਗੋਸ਼ = rabbit; ਅਖ਼ਰੋਟ =walnut; ਖੁਰਮਾਨੀ = apricot; ਦਾਖਲ = admission; ਖੁਦਾ = god

ਦਾਦਾ = grand father; ਦਾਣਾ = grain; ਦਵਾਤ = ink pot; ਸਦਾ = always; ਸੱਦਾ = invite; ਵਾਦੀ = valley; ਵਦਾਨ = big hammer

ਦਰਖ਼ਤ = tree; ਦਰਖ਼ਾਸਤ = application; ਨਦਾਨ = innocent; ਵਿਦਰੋਹ = mutiny; ਸਵਾਦ = taste; ਲੱਦ = load; ਵਿਵਾਦ = controversy;

ਸਖ਼ਤ = strict; ਸ਼ਾਖ਼ = branch; ਰਾਖ਼ = ash; ਰਖ = keep; ਕੱਖ = straw; ਚੱਖ = to taste; ਮੱਖਣ = butter