Archive for December, 2017
New Year’s Wishes and Resolutions Posted by Nitya on Dec 31, 2017
It’s that time of the year … to bid goodbye to the old year and welcome the new year. साल का वह वक़्त आ गया है — पुराने साल को बिदा करने का और नये साल का स्वागत करने का। (Saal ka vah waqt aa gaya hai — puraane saal ko bida karne ka aur naye saal…
Parveen Shakir: A Poetess for the Modern Age Posted by Rachael on Dec 31, 2017
Born in 1952 in Karachi, Pakistan, Parveen Shakir (परवीन शाकिर) was a renowned poet in her lifetime and beyond. In addition to her career as a poet, she also served as a teacher and a civil servant of the Pakistani government. Remarkably, she began to display a talent for writing early in life, so it…
Levels of Language: Register in Hindi, Part 3 Posted by Rachael on Dec 29, 2017
In today’s post, I’ll be discussing the newest transformation that Hindi has undertaken: Hinglish. This term refers to a combination of Hindi and English vocabulary, syntax and, sometimes, grammar and idiom. It can refer to speech that includes a vast majority of English and a minority of Hindi or vice versa. But, for the purposes…
Hindi words in the Oxford English Dictionary Posted by Nitya on Dec 24, 2017
At the latest count 70 words from Indian languages were included in the Oxford English dictionary (OED). These add to the already whopping number of 900 words of Indian origin, that have earned a permanent place in the OED, the first word being क़िला qila which was adopted in 1761. Note that क़िला is borrowed from Urdu. The history of…
Levels of Language: Register in Hindi, Part 2 Posted by Rachael on Dec 23, 2017
In my last blog on the concept of “register” in Hindi, I discussed the more formal register of this language, which is heavily influenced by its “parent language” of sorts, Sanskrit. In this blog, I will delve into a more informal and colloquial register of Hindi: what is sometimes called “Hindustani.” “Hindustani” is a quintessential…
Levels of Language: Register in Hindi, Part 1 Posted by Rachael on Dec 17, 2017
“Register” simply refers to the various levels of speech that exist in any language––such as formal, informal/colloquial, slang, etc. Just as we have different registers in English, like the formal language you would use in a research paper or the slang terms you use when talking to a close friend, there are different registers in…
Idiomatic Phrases Posted by Nitya on Dec 12, 2017
मुहावरे Every language has idiomatic expressions that are derived from cultural traditions, the geographical region, as well as fables and stories. English has no dearth of idioms that, when read literally, make absolutely no sense. However, as the metaphors or the origins are unraveled, the usage (prayog) and meaning (arth) become clear, thus adding to…