WACE Punjabi Second Language ATAR cheat sheet

Punjabi Second Language (WACE ATAR)

• Gurmukhi script is written left to right; the alphabet has 35 primary letters (akhar) plus auxiliary signs, and every consonant carries an inherent 'a' vowel unless a vowel sign (lag matra) or halant changes it.

• The ten vowel signs attach to consonants: ਕ + ਿ = ਕਿ (i), ਕ + ੀ = ਕੀ (ī), ਕ + ੁ = ਕੁ (u), ਕ + ੂ = ਕੂ (ū), ਕ + ੇ = ਕੇ (e), ਕ + ੈ = ਕੈ (ai), ਕ + ੋ = ਕੋ (o), ਕ + ੌ = ਕੌ (au); ਅ, ਆ, ਇ, ਈ, ਉ, ਊ, ਏ, ਐ, ਓ, ਔ are independent vowel letters.

• Nasalisation is marked by ਂ (bindi) after short vowels and ੰ (tippi) after long vowels; ਹਿੰਦੀ uses tippi (i + tippi), whereas ਹੰਸ uses bindi after the inherent vowel-misplacing them changes pronunciation and spelling.

• Punjabi is a Subject-Object-Verb language: the verb agrees with the subject in person, number and gender in simple tenses, but with the object in perfective transitive constructions (e.g., ਮੈਂ ਰੋਟੀ ਖਾਧੀ-'I ate bread', feminine object agreement).

• Postpositions follow the noun and govern the oblique case: ਨੇ marks the ergative/agent, ਨੂੰ marks dative/accusative, ਦਾ/ਦੀ/ਦੇ marks genitive and agrees in gender/number with the possessed noun, ਵਿੱਚ = in, ਤੇ/ਉੱਤੇ = on, ਤੋਂ = from.

• The habitual aspect uses the auxiliary ਹੋਣਾ with the imperfective participle: present habitual = verb stem + ਦਾ/ਦੀ/ਦੇ + ਹਾਂ/ਹੈ/ਹਨ (ਮੈਂ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹਾਂ), past habitual = same participle + ਸੀ/ਸਨ (ਮੈਂ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਸੀ).

• The continuous aspect uses ਰਿਹਾ/ਰਹੀ/ਰਹੇ plus ਹੋਣਾ: present continuous = ਰਿਹਾ ਹਾਂ (I am going), past continuous = ਰਿਹਾ ਸੀ (I was going); the participle agrees with the subject's gender and number.

• The future tense is formed with the future suffixes -ਗਾ/-ਗੀ/-ਗੇ/-ਗੀਆਂ attached to the verb stem or participle: ਮੈਂ ਜਾਵਾਂਗਾ (I will go), ਉਹ ਜਾਵੇਗੀ (she will go); the suffix agrees with the subject.

• The subjunctive/optative is formed with stem + ਏ/ਵੇਂ/ਵੇ/ਈਏ/ਓ/ਣ: ਕਰੇ (may he do), ਕਰੀਏ (let us do); it appears after ਕਿ, ਜੇ, and in purpose clauses, and is distinct from the future.