Colloquial Panjabi: The Complete Course for Beginners (Colloquial Series) [Paperback]

Mangat Rai Bhardwaj (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 10, 1995 | ISBN-10: 0415101913 | ISBN-13: 978-0415101912 | Edition: 1

Colloquial Panjabi is easy to use and completely clear. Specially written by experienced teachers for self-study or class use, the course offers you a step-by-step approach to written and spoken Panjabi. No prior knowledge of the language is required.

What makes Colloquial Panjabi your best choice in personal language learning?
* interactive - lots of dialogues and exercises for regular practice
* clear - concise grammar notes
* practical - useful vocabulary and pronunciation guide
* complete - including answer key and special reference section

By the end of this rewarding course you will be able to communicate confidently and effectively in a broad range of situations.

Accompanying audio material is available to purchase separately on CD/MP3 format. Recorded by native speakers, this audio material will help you develop your pronunciation, listening and speaking skills.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'readers are guided through simple exercises in pronounciation, gradually proceeding to a fairly difficult set of lessons...cover[s] some aspects of Panjabi cultre.' - Darshan S. Tatla, International Journal of Punjab Studies

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 1 edition (March 10, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415101913
• ISBN-13: 978-0415101912
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #952,955 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Colloquial Panjabi: some thoughts, August 1, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Colloquial Panjabi: A complete language course (Colloquial Series) (Audio Cassette)

I like this book very much. The author is someone who enjoys using grammatical terminology and so a first-time language learner might find the book heavy going. My advice is very strongly not to buy the book without buying the cassettes as well- that holds true for most languages but is particulary true for this one- since Panjabi is tonal and because there are many sounds that are do not have equivalents in English. Two small things: First, the lessons on Panjabi script are in a separate section at the back of the book. I have studied other Indian languages and feel like it is certainly possible to learn the script as one learns to speak- it's not an unphonetic language by any means. Also, there isn't much about what to do next, once one has completed this course. It is certainly a fascinating language and culture, but now I'm all dressed up with no place to go.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Ok book, May 28, 2006

By 

Sean Chauhan (Orlando Fl USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Colloquial Panjabi: A complete language course (Colloquial Series) (Audio Cassette)

Unfortunately, Punjabi is lacking in instructional resources and what it does have is not the best. I come from a Punjabi speaking family, and this book does an OK job as an introduction, however I did not like the English script transliterations provided because it was harder to follow (following Gurmukhi is easier). I wish the author had included more vocabulary for more advanced students and also said more on the Shahmukhi script (used in Pakistan). The Teach Yourself Panjabi is a good source because it provides Punjabi in Gurumukhi as well as in the English Script and also has a good dictionary. If you are a serious learner of Punjabi, it is good to get idea to explore some of the more colloquial speech (not as a beginner though...way to confusing), so try Cummings "Panjabi Guide." It is hard to find though...try Interlibrary loan.