Canada says balle balle to Punjabi

VANCOUVER, Feb. 12, 2008
IANS

Canada is sure taking to Punjabi in a big way. The latest census shows a 35% rise in the number of speakers of Punjabi since 2001, putting it on track to be the fourth most spoken language in the country in the near future.

Today, it's the sixth most spoken language after English, French, Chinese, Italian and German, though it is already in fourth position in the province of British Columbia. As India overtakes China as the largest source of immigration for Canada this year, Punjabi is expected to surpass Italian and German by 2011 to take fourth place.

According to Balwant Sanghera, president, Punjabi Language Education Association, "Punjabi is growing by leaps and bounds here. Within three to four years it will become Canada's fourth largest spoken language."

Latest census figures show 367,505 people consider Punjabi their mother tongue, he said, a sharp rise of 35% since 2001.

"This places Punjabi as the sixth most spoken language. The difference between the number of Punjabi speakers and those of German and Italian is very small. By the next census of 2011, Punjabi will overtake both to occupy fourth place," he added.

In British Columbia, Punjabi is taught in many universities, colleges and schools. Hospitals, airports and markets have Punjabi signs and it's common to see signs of " Aseen Punjabi Bolde Haan " (We speak Punjabi) at banks. Guidelines on provincial issues come out in Punjabi, as do government bills and notices.