My parents always insisted we speak as pure Hindi/ English as possible. Which meant not speaking like this: "I तो went there और उसने खाना भी cook नहीं किया था so I had to वघारो-fy the दाल myself, you know!" We got raised eyebrows and mini-lectures for such language. We were taught to say it entirely in Hindi or in English. Such Hindlish business was not allowed in my parents' home.
So that IS my pet peeve for today. Agreed, Hindi has borrowed a lot of words from English and it is almost impossible to speak a sentence completely in Hindi without having to use a word from English. But still, use of words like "वघारो-fy" grates on my nerves. It isn't too difficult to speak this sentence either in Hindi or English - one just needs to make up one's mind.
There are a lot of other incorrect usages of Hindi words that I feel like correcting but not with the same vehemence. Mainly because most times the speaker simply doesn't know that he/ she is speaking incorrectly. Interchanging the words "कृपा करके" or "कृपया" with "कृपया कर के", for instance.
The first two expressions essentially mean the same thing - "Kindly (followed by a request)" but the third expression is absolutely incorrect.
कृपया = कृपा कर के
कृपया कर के = कृपा कर के कर के (redundancy)
Another mistake people make while speaking Hindi is in pronouncing the "ऋ" sound.
It is pronounced as "ri" (with a short "ee" sound) and not as "ru" (with a short "roo" sound). So कृपया should be pronounced as "kri-pa-yaa" and not as "kru-pa-yaa".
I recently read this article that advocates simplifying spellings. My initial reaction was of strong disapproval but a couple of friends gave arguments that convinced me that simplifying spelling might actually be a good thing because it will make communication easier. I agree with that point but the purist in me still feels sad that things have come to this. Simplifying spelling is a good concept - trouble is, where will we stop? Will we stop at "becoz" or will we go further and simplify "friend" as "frend" and "friends" as "frendz"? Where will simplification of English end and standardization of SMSese (a "language" I abhor) begin?
Good post. Regarding the "Purist in me.." actually i discovered that the so called purism is a false notion. If you research enough you will find out that your purist form is actually impure by 19th century standards :) what say thouuuuuuu?
ReplyDeleteLIfe: LOL!! Well, what can I say? One man's trash is another man's treasure. Goes for language too, I guess :)
ReplyDeleteI cannot and will not stand sms ese - all that dis dat plzzz grates absolutely on my nerves . Dyou know there's a playschool in my neighbourhood called Purple Kubzzz . I ask you - the kids will grow up thinking cubs is spelt kubzzz .
ReplyDeleteThe problem with the "ri" is that it is pronounced with an "ee" sound in Hindi but with an "oo" sound in Marathi. I am not aware of its pronounciation in other languages. That is where the confusion lies, I think.
ReplyDeleteEve's Lungs: I agree- SMS-ese is the lowest form of degradation of the English language. Really!
ReplyDeleteSandhya: I think you are right. I think it is pronounced the same way in Gujarati. Confusing, but shouldn't those teaching Hindi clear that confusion?
ReplyDeleteGood point on the Hinglish, Cee. I do speak a lot of mixed up tongues sometimes but that tends to be because the word I'm looking for at that moment just happens to be in another language. I don't particularly advocate it.
ReplyDeleteYou know what I am growing to dislike quite a bit? Hindi/Bengali written in English in ads. It's so silly. Here in Calcutta most people can read Bengali so they may as well write in Bengali and make that look cool.
Evie -- I know the people who've started Purple Kubzzz. :D
Oh and also, I think ri is actually pronounced somewhere between an "ee" and an "oo". If you say "rishi" out loud you'll maybe see what I mean. Not a dipthong, just a sound with more nuance than it appears to have.
ReplyDeleteAwesome! good one.
ReplyDeleteI liked this post. Never really vocalized it, but the "ru" instead of the "ri" in Kripaya irritates me too.
ReplyDeleteOh, and on simplification of spelling, my brother simplified the word "neighbour" in kindergarten. "Nayber" it became. STILL can't get over it :D
I'm not very comfortable or confident speaking in my mother tongue. It used to be worse before, but now I can at least manage without much of a stuttering(searching for the right word).
ReplyDeleteExposed to anything but your mother tongue it is quite natural, and not intentional as many would think it to be. At least S is making an effort, aye?!
Sue: I always find Hindi written in English extra hard to read, somehow. I dislike it too.
ReplyDeleteSue: You are right - it is more than just a "ri" sound.
ReplyDeleteUghsome: :) Thanks.
Soul of Alec Smart: Thanks for dropping by. LOL @ the simplification your brother did. That is what I worry about - once we start simplifying spellings, what will we stop at?
ReplyDeleteRGB: True. Even we don't speak purely in Hindi with the girls. And S and M haven't been exposed to their "father" tongue - Gujarati - at all. I mean not by their father, so they don't understand or speak it at all.
ReplyDeleteI really AM proud of S that she at least tries to speak in Hindi.