Living in a country where the second (or third or fourth) language spoken is English can be a real hindrance (I guess the pun is intended) when trying to learn Hindi. It's mildly embarrassing to be struggling to learn Hindi when you're surrounded by people who are conversant with four languages -- Gujarati, Marathi, Hindi, and English -- and can read in three alphabets. It's almost disturbing to see so many signs in English. It makes it really easy to ignore the Hindi or Gujarati words and skip straight to the English script. I know I'd be learning a lot more Hindi if I had to use it more to get around.
For example, the local word for "orange" (the fruit) is "santraa" or "narangee" in more formal Hindi (a la Rosetta Stone). So what is the color? Usually just "orange", but it can be "santraa" or "narangee". What day of the week is "Sunday"? You could call it "itvar" or "ravivar", but mostly it's "Sunday".
Like all variants of English, Indian English has some usages all its own. (I think the Times of India reads more like the sports pages than the news and political pages.) And then there are times when you not only have to figure out what the "English" is, but also translate from British usage to American usage. The plumbers (see today's other post) were asking if I had a certain item. Once I figured out they wanted a "torch", I had to remember to think "flashlight".
But when it comes to food, you really do need to know the Indian names. Let's get our priorities straight! You won't find "turmeric", you have to look for "haldi" (written that way in "English"). Coriander is "dhaniya"; cilantro is "hara dhaniya" (green dhaniya). Cumin is "jeera". Chick peas (which, of course already have an alternative English name, garbanzo beans) are "besun". And most of these come as seeds or powders or flours. I could go on, but I'm still learning! Food continues to be an adventure.
For example, the local word for "orange" (the fruit) is "santraa" or "narangee" in more formal Hindi (a la Rosetta Stone). So what is the color? Usually just "orange", but it can be "santraa" or "narangee". What day of the week is "Sunday"? You could call it "itvar" or "ravivar", but mostly it's "Sunday".
Like all variants of English, Indian English has some usages all its own. (I think the Times of India reads more like the sports pages than the news and political pages.) And then there are times when you not only have to figure out what the "English" is, but also translate from British usage to American usage. The plumbers (see today's other post) were asking if I had a certain item. Once I figured out they wanted a "torch", I had to remember to think "flashlight".
But when it comes to food, you really do need to know the Indian names. Let's get our priorities straight! You won't find "turmeric", you have to look for "haldi" (written that way in "English"). Coriander is "dhaniya"; cilantro is "hara dhaniya" (green dhaniya). Cumin is "jeera". Chick peas (which, of course already have an alternative English name, garbanzo beans) are "besun". And most of these come as seeds or powders or flours. I could go on, but I'm still learning! Food continues to be an adventure.
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