PUNJABI

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

LANGUAGE FACTS

Major Speaking Countries (MSCs): India, Pakistan

Native Speakers: 105 million people

State in MSCs: 

India 

• Official language

• First official language in East Punjab

Pakistan

• The second most widely-spoken language

• No official status

Written Forms:

India: Gurmukhi alphabet (ਗੁਰਮੁਖੀ)

Pakistan: Urdu alphabet Shahmukhi (شاہ مکھی)

Standard: Majhi (ਮਾਝੀ/ ماجھ)

Punjabi in Hong Kong:

 

 

USAGE

"I speak Punjabi at home and with my Punjabi friends."

• The speakers of his language are limited to his people.

• To him, there are quite a lot of chances to speak Punjabi in Hong kong, as he thinks there are about 20,000 speakers in Hong Kong.

 

"I don't know how to read and write Punjabi since I have no chance to learn."

• He has orally learnt Punjabi by having conversations with his dad since he was little.

• Punjabi popular culture is generally quite accessible to him. He can go online and watch Punjabi films and listen to Punjabi music. He loves them.

• When his father is not at home, he and his mother watch Chinese news and TV programmes. They both speak Cantonese. But when his father comes back, they will watch Punjabi TV through the cable.

 

"In Hong Kong, I speak more Cantonese and English than Punjabi."

• Cantonese and English are his second and third languages. He can read, write, listen and speak both languages.

• Since many of his schoolmates are local Hongkongers, he speaks Cantonese all the time.

• He can speak fluent Chinese as he studied in a local Chinese school which taught only Chinese and English.

 

ATTITUDE

"I like Punjabi, I think it's very unique. To me, language is my origin, my identity, that's my life."

• He added that sometimes people will look at him when he speak Punjabi with his friends in public area.

 

"Sometimes I feel hesitant and uneasy when I speak Punjabi, especially in MTR."

 

"OUR LANGUAGE IS LOUD. I don't know why."

 

 

 

​