This project investigates acquisition of a new language by example. Syntax induction has been studied widely and the more complex syntax associated with Natural Language is difficult to induce without restrictions. Chomsky conjectured that natural languages are restricted by a Universal Grammar. English could be used as a Universal Grammar and Punjabi derived from it in a similar way as the acquisition of a first language. However, if English has already been acquired then Punjabi would be induced from English as a second language.

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The research that is currently available on abortion practices among Punjabi women focuses on the phenomenon of sex-selective abortion. To date, there has been no research published on the abortion experiences of Punjabi women in Canada. The objective of this qualitative study is to fill a gap in the literature and shed light on the abortion experiences of Punjabi women across Ontario and British Columbia. Through in-depth interviews with Punjabi women and key informant interviews with health professionals involved in abortion provision, this study documents Punjabi women’s abortion experiences in Canada and providers’ experiences serving this population. Four Punjabi women and three key informants were interviewed across Ontario and British Columbia. The overall findings suggest that the abortion experiences of Punjabi women are very similar to those of Canadian women, in general. Although none of the participants had undergone sex-selective abortion themselves, women described their perceptions of this practice in the Punjabi community. In addition, Punjabi women suggested improvements in pregnancy options counseling, availability of medication abortion and employment accommodation. Key informants’ experiences serving this population differed based on the location of the abortion facility and the demographics of that area. All of the key informants suggested improvements to overcome challenges such as language barriers and newcomer status. Due to the small sample of participants, this study can be considered as a starting point for further research in this area. We hope that the findings of this study can inform improvements in abortion services for this population, as well as shed light on some of the debates underway regarding sex-selective abortion practices. La recherche qui est disponible sur les pratiques d'avortement chez les femmes punjabi met l'accent sur le phénomène de l'avortement sélectif dans les populations asiatiques. À ce jour, il n'y a pas de recherches publiées sur les expériences d'avortement du femmes Punjabi vivant au Canada. L'objectif de cette étude qualitative est de combler cette lacune dans la littérature et faire la lumière sur les expériences d'avortement de femmes punjabi en Ontario et en Colombie-Brittanique. Par le biais d'entrevues en profondeur avec les femmes punjabi et d'entrevues avec les informateurs clés impliqués dans l'avortement disposition, cette étude documente les expériences d’avortement des femmes punjabi au Canada et les expériences des informateurs clés qui desservent cette population. Quatre femmes punjabi et trois informateurs clés ont été interviewés en Ontario et en Colombie-Britannique. Les résultats suggèrent que les expériences d'avortement des femmes punjabi sont très similaires à ceux des femmes canadiennes en general. Bien qu'aucun des participants n’avaient eux-mêmes l’avortement sélectif, les femmes ont décrit leurs perceptions de cette pratique dans la communauté punjabi. En outre, les femmes Punjabi ont suggéré des améliorations dans les options de grossesse counseling, la disponibilité de l'avortement médicamenteux et l'adaptation des emplois. Les experiences des informateurs clés qui desservent cette population diffèrent en fonction de l'emplacement de l'avortement et la démographie de cette région. Touts les informateurs clés ont suggéré des améliorations à surmonter des défis tels que les barrières linguistiques et statut de nouveau venu. En raison du petit échantillon de participants, cette étude peut être considérée comme un point de départ pour d'autres recherches dans ce domaine. Nous espérons que les conclusions de cette étude peuvent orienter des améliorations dans les services d'avortement pour cette population, ainsi que de faire la lumière sur certains des débats en cours au sujet des pratiques de l'avortement sélectif.

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This interpretive description qualitative study explores the perceptions of alcohol use among South Asian (SA) Punjabi affected family members (AFMs) and their experiences with problem drinking from a Canadian community context. It is important to recognize the SA Punjabi community’s perceptions of alcohol use in order to develop a foundational understanding of this phenomenon from a socio-cultural perspective, an area of research that remains poorly understood. This preliminary investigation provides relevant contextual information to deepen our understanding of the experiences of SA Punjabi AFMs. Fourteen SA Punjabi AFMs were interviewed in both English and Punjabi. Analysis of participant narratives reveals five major themes: normalization of the SA Punjabi drinking culture; socio-cultural gender norms of alcohol consumption; socio-cultural gender related tolerance towards problem drinking; my relative’s drinking is the elephant in the room and I feel helpless and stuck. One of the themes, my relative’s drinking is the elephant in the room, had three sub-themes: fear of social judgement; fear of causing additional problems and fear of the relative. Interpretation of the participant experiences was facilitated through the use of the Stress-Strain-Coping-Support model (SSCS) (Orford, Velleman, Natera., et al., 2013). Participant stories highlight the unique socio-cultural experiences of SA Punjabi AFMs impacted by problem drinking. Findings from this study suggest a need for culturally and linguistically appropriate mental health and addictions supports for this community as they navigate the challenges of problem drinking within their families. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

Punjabi, a language primarily spoken throughout Pakistan and in the northern Indian state of Punjab, is one of a few closely related Indo-Aryan languages, including Lahnda and Western Pahari, or Dogri-Kangri, which are counted among the world's tone languages, despite having no genetic link to other recognized tone languages. Few grammars have been published for Punjabi, and of those available, the grammars either fail to discuss the existence of lexical tone or note tone only in passing, and these disagree among themselves on even the number of tones. Unfortunately, those grammars which do make note of the presence of lexical tone often fail to discuss the tone patterns or tonemics of Punjabi in a linguistically meaningful way or provide substantial evidentiary support for their own claims regarding tone pattern. This may be due to the fact that, unlike Chinese, which has a contrastive pitch on each syllable, Punjabi "does not lean heavily on pitch phonemes" (Malik, 1995). Still, they are widely evident in the spoken language and are in need of descriptive research supported by significant empirical data. It is the conclusion of this research that the high and low tones found in the Panjabi language can be directly correlated to the classic Gurmukhi orthography. The script features historically aspirated and unaspirated variations of most consonants, which, in certain phonemic environments, are explicit indicators of the tonal qualities found in the spoken language.

An interpretive description qualitative approach was utilized in this study. The main aim to was to understand the South Asian (SA) Punjabi community’s experience of having accessed mental health services for depression within Ontario, Canada. A sub-aim was to capture the participants’ conceptualizations and experiences of having depression, which provided context about this ethnic community and deepened insights into their accessibility experience. Six Punjabi persons living with depression (PLDs) and six family members were interviewed in Punjabi and/or English. Data analysis was guided by Thorne’s strategy for interpretive description. Twelve major themes detailed the challenges of PLDs and their family members regarding i) identification and understanding of depression and ii) accessing mental health support. Major themes revealing the community’s conceptualizations of depression are: i) most of us didn’t know what depression is, ii) we realized it was depression after getting help, iii) we keep depression a secret, iv) my family didn’t understand my depression, v) my family helped, vi) my family didn’t help- some made me sick, and vii) my family also became “sick”. These themes supported a better understanding of the major themes discussing the community’s access to mental health service for depression, which are: viii) we didn’t know where to get help, ix) my health providers’ lack of familiarity with my culture caused stress, x) I waited to get help, xi) treating my depression cost me, and xii) knowing my culture will help you treat me better. Findings of this qualitative study provide details of how these participants had their own unique cultural conceptualizations of depression and continue to experience difficulty with accessibility of mental health services while receiving care. Results suggest culturally tailored improvements of mental health service accessibility are required to support this population as they navigate the mental health system for their depression. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)