Hindi v/s English

I think even English is fast spreading, a maid who doesn't know how to tell her cell phone number knows when to say sorry, bye, and thank you.- these things make you think may be their children have taught it to them or may be unawares they have picked it up from us which is good thing. Where as most people understand Hindi though they may not be fluent in speaking Hindi.

Actually English has walked into Hindi. What we speak is a mix of Hindi, English and Urdu. Everyone including the maid actually speak in Hinglish. .

True, in fact when using two or three languages at the same time this has a term called code-mixing(when two languages are mixed) and code-switching (when we switch one language and speak the other with ease), I had written a post on it in my personal blog. We do it sometimes on purpose and at times unintentionally. It is bound to happen in a multi-lingual country like ours.

Code mixing is prevalent and its welcome. Even in advertising code mixing is widely used.
Yeh Dil manage more.
Jab we met are some examples. And they have become very popular.

Code-mixing is welcome but better be limited to ad world to make it catchy and popular but not okay if over-used in day to day usage.

In conversational English also it's used . Like " Where had you been Yaar" ? Is an oft heard conversation everywhere.

I know..we are all so used to it that we hardly see anything wrong in this kind of usage..isn't it? In an informal setting it is still okay...but problem arises when we overuse it.

Yes. As you said overuse is not good. But human nature is,after hearing a wrong consistently for some period, without our knowledge it sounds Right. Isn't it?

Yes..and I have a solid example of an incorrect usage which overtime has been accepted as correct. The word is 'anyways' which is not correctly used. It is anyway..but people all over use it anyways all the time.

There are many such words popularised by the netizens which ultimately join the mainstream

Didn't know a portmanteau of internet and citizen netizens is in use. Thanks for using it here.

Another portmanteau word from Net is Blog.
Web + Log = Blog.

Both languages are important. We should also give important to regional languages. In japan people are giving most important to their language. First people should love his regional language then only languages will grow. If you know more languages opportunities are more. Interest in learning language is important.

If you love and have mastery over your mother tongue, learning other languages would be easier.

over use of anything is wrong. today we can speak in pure English but we find hardly a person around us who can speak purely in Hindi.

over use of anything is wrong. today we can speak in pure English but we find hardly a person around us who can speak purely in Hindi.

WE means who ? If you mean all Indians can speak English fluently, I'm sure you are mistaken. Majority of Indians can speak Hindi fluently including people from South India.

over use of anything is wrong. today we can speak in pure English but we find hardly a person around us who can speak purely in Hindi.

Yes, too much of anything is good for nothing. But will you or general public understand if we talk in pure Hindi. And Hindi can never be strictly Hindi, since what we keep using a lot if Urdu in it without even realizing it. In India a handful of people use pure English, in fact we use anything but pure and it is applicable to language. Indian English is what we use...example.. 'Do this na'? 'I am like that only'---which is incorrect but we still use it..don't we?

over use of anything is wrong. today we can speak in pure English but we find hardly a person around us who can speak purely in Hindi.

Yes, too much of anything is good for nothing. But will you or general public understand if we talk in pure Hindi. And Hindi can never be strictly Hindi, since what we keep using a lot if Urdu in it without even realizing it. In India a handful of people use pure English, in fact we use anything but pure and it is applicable to language. Indian English is what we use...example.. 'Do this na'? 'I am like that only'---which is incorrect but we still use it..don't we?

I agree with you. "Purity" is a relative term. Not absolute. You lived in Hyderabad. You must have observed that the language spoken there is neither Telugu nor Urdu. "Darwaza band chei" it's an admixture of Telugu and Urdu.

even in villages people don't speak in pure Hindi. They mix English, Urdu and their regional language words to communicate. Today using English words has become a status symbol. If you use more English words, you look to be modern while if someone tries to speak in Hindi people thinks him as backward. A simple example " Today I reached office at right time", usually people speak in Hindi as 'आज में ऑफीस टाइम पर पहुंच गया था". but hardly someone says "आज मॅ कार्यालय सही समय पर पहुंच गया था.".

over use of anything is wrong. today we can speak in pure English but we find hardly a person around us who can speak purely in Hindi.

Yes, too much of anything is good for nothing. But will you or general public understand if we talk in pure Hindi. And Hindi can never be strictly Hindi, since what we keep using a lot if Urdu in it without even realizing it. In India a handful of people use pure English, in fact we use anything but pure and it is applicable to language. Indian English is what we use...example.. 'Do this na'? 'I am like that only'---which is incorrect but we still use it..don't we?

I agree with you. "Purity" is a relative term. Not absolute. You lived in Hyderabad. You must have observed that the language spoken there is neither Telugu nor Urdu. "Darwaza band chei" it's an admixture of Telugu and Urdu.

Yeah, very true.. I am an ardent fan of Hyderabadi Hindi. Simply love it. :)

even in villages people don't speak in pure Hindi. They mix English, Urdu and their regional language words to communicate. Today using English words has become a status symbol. If you use more English words, you look to be modern while if someone tries to speak in Hindi people thinks him as backward. A simple example " Today I reached office at right time", usually people speak in Hindi as 'आज में ऑफीस टाइम पर पहुंच गया था". but hardly someone says "आज मॅ कार्यालय सही समय पर पहुंच गया था.".

:laugh: Personally, I would love to hold a conversation is pure Hindi as the example you have cited. But I also know if we say something like this on a regular basis..more than half of the people would ask what does a 'karyalay' mean? This will mar the idea of using pure Hindi. And you are correct in saying that if we start a conversation in Hindi, people quickly jump to conclusion that we are not 'modern'.

even in villages people don't speak in pure Hindi. They mix English, Urdu and their regional language words to communicate. Today using English words has become a status symbol. If you use more English words, you look to be modern while if someone tries to speak in Hindi people thinks him as backward. A simple example " Today I reached office at right time", usually people speak in Hindi as 'आज में ऑफीस टाइम पर पहुंच गया था". but hardly someone says "आज मॅ कार्यालय सही समय पर पहुंच गया था.".

:laugh: Personally, I would love to hold a conversation is pure Hindi as the example you have cited. But I also know if we say something like this on a regular basis..more than half of the people would ask what does a 'karyalay' mean? This will mar the idea of using pure Hindi. And you are correct in saying that if we start a conversation in Hindi, people quickly jump to conclusion that we are not 'modern'.

Recently, a friend hired a Rikshaw to go to university. He asked the Rikshaw puller- "Mujhe vishwa vidyalaya jaana hai." Rikshaw walla did not understand. So he said- Mujhe university jaana hai'. Now Rikshaw puller understood and said- Okay. just say in Hindi like this. Thus for ordinary man, 'university' is Hindi word, whereas 'vishwavidalaya' is some foreign word not understood.

Language is for communication and we must not hesitate to use English or ay other words that are understood easily.

it should be shame for India that their own language is treated as foreign language in their own country, and a foreign language is given priority and easily understood. we should proud of our own language and culture instead of ignoring it.

We all know English is worldwide known language and is growing its roots. In India some people think that there is a competition between their own language Hindi and English, and due to increasing value of English the value of Hindi is going down day by day. The Hindi lovers want that their language should be used everywhere in India, but we cannot ignore the importance of English. I think both Hindi and English are necessary languages in India.

Why are you overlooking languages like Tamil , Telugu , Malayalam and Kannada spoken by more than 40% of population ? I am sure Bengalis, Marathis ,Oriya and others would feel the same ...so, let us give importance to all Indian languages and stick to English for official communication since it is much more practical to do so.

In the long run it is quite possible that there will be two main languages Hindi and English in India, Regional languages will lose out as they will have considerably less commercial potential. Already many dialects have disappeared from the country and many are under threat.

it should be shame for India that their own language is treated as foreign language in their own country, and a foreign language is given priority and easily understood. we should proud of our own language and culture instead of ignoring it.

You need be pragmatic and not be beligerant about so called own lnguage and culture. In fact, English has enriched itself by adopting words from different languages. The words like Pucca, safari. Purdah have been borrowed from other languages. Then what is wrong if Hindi adopts foreign words that are popular. The terms like Gas, cylinder, University etc are well understood and these must be incorporated in Hindi.

Incidentally, I feel that English technical terms should be accepted in all Indian languages for the sake of simplicity and uniformity. Why do you wish to use 'sakshya' for evidence. Why in chemistry you want to translate 'latent heat' as Gupta Ushma.

it should be shame for India that their own language is treated as foreign language in their own country, and a foreign language is given priority and easily understood. we should proud of our own language and culture instead of ignoring it.

You need be pragmatic and not be beligerant about so called own lnguage and culture. In fact, English has enriched itself by adopting words from different languages. The words like Pucca, safari. Purdah have been borrowed from other languages. Then what is wrong if Hindi adopts foreign words that are popular. The terms like Gas, cylinder, University etc are well understood and these must be incorporated in Hindi.

Incidentally, I feel that English technical terms should be accepted in all Indian languages for the sake of simplicity and uniformity. Why do you wish to use 'sakshya' for evidence. Why in chemistry you want to translate 'latent heat' as Gupta Ushma.

Or 'Lohpatgamini' for -----

even in villages people don't speak in pure Hindi. They mix English, Urdu and their regional language words to communicate. Today using English words has become a status symbol. If you use more English words, you look to be modern while if someone tries to speak in Hindi people thinks him as backward. A simple example " Today I reached office at right time", usually people speak in Hindi as 'आज में ऑफीस टाइम पर पहुंच गया था". but hardly someone says "आज मॅ कार्यालय सही समय पर पहुंच गया था.".

:laugh: Personally, I would love to hold a conversation is pure Hindi as the example you have cited. But I also know if we say something like this on a regular basis..more than half of the people would ask what does a 'karyalay' mean? This will mar the idea of using pure Hindi. And you are correct in saying that if we start a conversation in Hindi, people quickly jump to conclusion that we are not 'modern'.

Recently, a friend hired a Rikshaw to go to university. He asked the Rikshaw puller- "Mujhe vishwa vidyalaya jaana hai." Rikshaw walla did not understand. So he said- Mujhe university jaana hai'. Now Rikshaw puller understood and said- Okay. just say in Hindi like this. Thus for ordinary man, 'university' is Hindi word, whereas 'vishwavidalaya' is some foreign word not understood.

Language is for communication and we must not hesitate to use English or ay other words that are understood easily.

The example that you have given here has summarized the point that I was trying to drive home. It is not the ignorance of the rickshaw puller..it is showing the lack of vocabulary and knowledge of the common people, of student who perpetually use the word university instead of the word vishwa vidyalaya.

it should be shame for India that their own language is treated as foreign language in their own country, and a foreign language is given priority and easily understood. we should proud of our own language and culture instead of ignoring it.

You need be pragmatic and not be beligerant about so called own lnguage and culture. In fact, English has enriched itself by adopting words from different languages. The words like Pucca, safari. Purdah have been borrowed from other languages. Then what is wrong if Hindi adopts foreign words that are popular. The terms like Gas, cylinder, University etc are well understood and these must be incorporated in Hindi.

Incidentally, I feel that English technical terms should be accepted in all Indian languages for the sake of simplicity and uniformity. Why do you wish to use 'sakshya' for evidence. Why in chemistry you want to translate 'latent heat' as Gupta Ushma.

Or 'Lohpatgamini' for -----

I think both Hindi and English usage of terms used here will enhance our Hindi knowledge and also will not add to any confusion if an alternative in English is provided. If possible schools and colleges and universities should take it up.

it should be shame for India that their own language is treated as foreign language in their own country, and a foreign language is given priority and easily understood. we should proud of our own language and culture instead of ignoring it.

You need be pragmatic and not be beligerant about so called own lnguage and culture. In fact, English has enriched itself by adopting words from different languages. The words like Pucca, safari. Purdah have been borrowed from other languages. Then what is wrong if Hindi adopts foreign words that are popular. The terms like Gas, cylinder, University etc are well understood and these must be incorporated in Hindi.

Incidentally, I feel that English technical terms should be accepted in all Indian languages for the sake of simplicity and uniformity. Why do you wish to use 'sakshya' for evidence. Why in chemistry you want to translate 'latent heat' as Gupta Ushma.

Or 'Lohpatgamini' for -----

I think both Hindi and English usage of terms used here will enhance our Hindi knowledge and also will not add to any confusion if an alternative in English is provided. If possible schools and colleges and universities should take it up.

All words that are popularly used by Hindi speaking people should be treated as Hindi words. Thus University, school, park, musuem, cinema, station are Hindi words. The technical terms as used in English should be adoptd in all Indian languages. This will ensure uniformity and same technical term will be be used and understood throughout India.

it should be shame for India that their own language is treated as foreign language in their own country, and a foreign language is given priority and easily understood. we should proud of our own language and culture instead of ignoring it.

You need be pragmatic and not be beligerant about so called own lnguage and culture. In fact, English has enriched itself by adopting words from different languages. The words like Pucca, safari. Purdah have been borrowed from other languages. Then what is wrong if Hindi adopts foreign words that are popular. The terms like Gas, cylinder, University etc are well understood and these must be incorporated in Hindi.

Incidentally, I feel that English technical terms should be accepted in all Indian languages for the sake of simplicity and uniformity. Why do you wish to use 'sakshya' for evidence. Why in chemistry you want to translate 'latent heat' as Gupta Ushma.

Or 'Lohpatgamini' for -----

I think both Hindi and English usage of terms used here will enhance our Hindi knowledge and also will not add to any confusion if an alternative in English is provided. If possible schools and colleges and universities should take it up.

All words that are popularly used by Hindi speaking people should be treated as Hindi words. Thus University, school, park, musuem, cinema, station are Hindi words. The technical terms as used in English should be adoptd in all Indian languages. This will ensure uniformity and same technical term will be be used and understood throughout India.

But in reality all these words are in fact English..since people have forgotten the Hindi words...hence nobody uses them..and almost all these words you have mentioned here have a Hindi word. You can say Hindi words should be limited to formal setting such as schools and colleges.