SpiralArchitect

Probably when I was 4 or 5. English is after all compulsory as a part of our education here in India in most urban schools. I don't think I gained any sort of control over the language until I was at least 12 or 13 but yeah I started studying at slowly and steadily from kindergarten onwards.

Poor dogs. The Indian film industry sure seems to give them a rough time.

Welcome Rachid. Among the languages you mentioned, I only know English. So, maybe you can help me out a bit. There aren't a lot of Arabic speakers here after all.

As a Manchester United supporter I kind of dislike the scouse accent. I mean I am forced to hear it after every second match when Rooney is interviewed. Even worse is when Jamie Carragher speaks, I mean the man is simply indecipherable. Oh and the Boston accent's fun. It was probably the guy who was annoying.

I think the snake usage comes from the fact that just like a snake remains hidden in the grass and you don't notice when unless they attack, similarly a cunning man's schemes remain hidden from view unless they hurt you.

Considering I am not as huge a fan of the books as a lot of people who grew with them are, I'd hate to consider Harry Potter as a character who had a huge hand on how my English turned out. But there's no two ways about it. I think I've learnt more about the English language from the 7 Harry Potter books than any other work and more from the character than any other source.

Yeah. One rarely hears these words anymore but I've seen kritagya at least used in newspaper articles. Kritghan has just about completely passed out of use but people still know these words because they are taught in school.

Always tears me up. One of the best and most uplifting quotes ever and I almost always imagine someone like Mr. Rogers speaking it. Its reasons like this that Dr. Seuss should be compulsory reading for quotes.

In case you're interested, the story was made into a really good movie by Satyajit Ray. Its worth checking out in my opinion. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076696/

There is of course the universal usage of calling a stupid guy donkey. I think in some countries owls are considered wise creatures, while here in India calling someone an owl would be insulting their intelligence. Or am I incorrect and calling someone an owl considered an insult in most other countries as well.

That would just be veering into Haryanvi. When speaking Hindi also people from Haryana use a noticeably harsher tone and while the words themselves remain the same, some letters like न end up turning into ण.

Namaste wasn't in common usage in Rajasthan at any point of time as far the rural areas go. Its modifications like namaskar or similar salutations are still very much the norm. In urban areas, its still as common as it would be in a region like Delhi. Heck, it is probably even more commonly used here and the whole going 'out of fashion' thing is endemic only to the major metro cities. As far as its usage with your peers is concerned, I've rarely seen it used that way. So, perhaps its going out of usage in those conversations.

Every time I see these, I wonder what their origins are but keep on forgetting to google them. I always it had something to do with Cuba or something (Cuban cigars or something), the actual origin is even more surprising. Cigars as prizes at carnivals? Think of the children!!

Sounds like a great idea but how does one incorporate something like that in a forum. I think the thread with this game will become a bit cluttered. If someone has a way of making this one work, it can be a great idea.

Seeing that there are no threads in this sub forum, I thought it would only be appropriate if the first thread concerned possibly the greatest Hindi writer of all time, Munshi Premchand. In my personal opinion, Premchand had a flair for writing short stories that was second to only the masters like Chekov. Stories like Shatranj Ke Khiladi, Bade Bhai Sahab, Thakur ka Kuan etc are all classics of the short story writing. Any other fans of the master here in the forum?

There different words that I use a lot when typing and speaking. For example, I end up using the word 'really' a lot when I am talking to someone online. On the other hand, when I am talking the word 'seriously' gets used a lot. Oh and I remember using 'um' a lot when I was in school. I don't think I do it so often anymore.

Hate to be an ass going around correcting people but it should be kritagya for someone who is grateful/thankful.

बॉलीवुड फिल्मों का वैसे तो मैं कोई ज्यादा शौक़ीन नहीं पर कुछ फिल्में मुझे काफी अच्छी लगती हैं. अंदाज़ अपना अपना मेरी फेवरेट फिल्मों मैं से एक है. साथ ही मैं पुराणी अमिताभ बच्चन फिमों का भी फेन हूँ. आप लोगों को कौनसी बॉलीवुड फिल्में अच्छी लगती हैं?

Isn't it Har kutte ka din ata hai or is my memory of old Hindi movies really sketchy?

Well in all fairness, it IS a children's book and a perfect one to get kids into reading. The best way to read those books was the way most people in my generation did- growing up with the books. So by the time the later editions came, they were ready for the darker material.

While a lot of Persian words have indeed been integrated in the Indian language and are in common usage, out and out Urdu words like you mentioned are only found in songs. So, you will surely find everyone using words like kitaab, no one will be talking about manzil-e-ishq.

Well I suppose it is to be expected that one would prefer the style they are accustomed to. Incidentally, my native place is actually in Haryana and not Rajasthan. Its just that I've lived in Rajasthan most of my life.

True. I don't think I have ever used the word namaste when greeting my friends or people slightly older than me. On the other hand, the greeting is still in common usage when meeting elders, perhaps in consideration to the older language who are used to it. Its sad but the word's popular usage may just vanish with our generation (and by this I refer to those who were born is the late 80s and the early 90s)

Well it sounds like something that can be used in religious epics like Mahabharat and Ramayan. While I think I've seen the word used somewhere, I've never seen it being used in real life and I've come in contact with a lot of people who use pure Hindi (my grandfather's older brother is actually a retired Hindi professor).

My dad is an officer in the Rajasthan government and I've noticed that while quite a few documents he gets are in English, Hindi is still the predominantly used language. I am not so sure of the situation in banks but considering the fact that a lot of people who use this service don't know Hindi, we should not just force the language on them. As you said, using bilingual circulars would be a good compromise.