tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87149482008-07-25T13:06:38.056-07:00r devrajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00305971293130740780noreply@blogger.comBlogger89125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8714948.post-38334594870309754342008-06-02T22:28:00.000-07:002008-06-02T22:33:40.281-07:00

Jug Suraiya discusses the anatomical impossibility of this Indian English phrase: A couple of columns ago I used the typically Indian phrase 'with folded hands', a gesture implying, among many other things, entreaty or surrender. A reader has pointed out that while the phrase is, indeed, in common use, it represents an anatomical impossibility much more so than that suggested by the other choice

r devrajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00305971293130740780noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8714948.post-14726367919626457622008-05-05T22:20:00.000-07:002008-05-05T22:32:28.766-07:00

Google Translate now offers translation from English to Hindi and vice versa. Type in some text and check out the results. Chances are you'll get some garbled nonsense, but with computer-generated translation, that's par for the course. What's surprising is that if you translate from English to Hindi and convert the results back to English, some of the original text is restored. Here's a portion

r devrajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00305971293130740780noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8714948.post-44907938276470818322008-04-21T22:45:00.000-07:002008-04-21T23:00:00.077-07:00

This is off-topic somewhat, but I can't resist linking to this great New Yorker piece on China's 'Elvis of English'. Li Yang, founder and chief teacher at Li Yang Crazy English, trains Chinese tongue muscles with an ESL technique that has been described as 'English as a Shouted Language'. Rapidex, Chinese style: Li stood before the students, his right arm raised in the manner of a tent

r devrajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00305971293130740780noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8714948.post-26458124032960827282008-04-17T06:09:00.000-07:002008-04-17T06:10:48.071-07:00

Think I'll take Sidhu's word for it (in this case, he may actually know what he's talking about): The intricate meaning of the word is Chak De Phatte, Nap De Killi. Killi is a small lever that you pull. And when you pull it, the water starts gushing into the fields through a motor. Now that Killi is always invariably hidden under a well. And that well is covered by wooden planks. So you lift the

r devrajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00305971293130740780noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8714948.post-38785844124739685352008-04-17T05:25:00.000-07:002008-04-17T05:57:41.677-07:00

Turn on the car radio, and chances are a bhangra number will come on soon enough, urging you to 'chak de phatte'. All very good and rousing, but uhm, what is one supposed to do beyond the usual one-legged hop with fingers pointing heavenwards (whiskey glass balanced on head, optional)? I know what the phrase means literally, something like 'lift up the planks' in Punjabi, but how exactly does one

r devrajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00305971293130740780noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8714948.post-38874079536496885622007-11-19T02:15:00.000-08:002007-11-19T02:24:44.134-08:00

Via Yahoo News: Extolling what he called the 'splendidly unstoppable' South Asian contributions in Britain, Prince Charles, the heir apparent to the British crown, told a dinner thrown for 200 Asian guests at Windsor Castle that the word 'chuddie' - Punjabi word for underwear - is here to stay in the English language. 'I must say I am constantly struck by the fact the Britons of every origin in

r devrajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00305971293130740780noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8714948.post-23650651769773496842007-11-05T02:53:00.000-08:002007-11-05T02:53:26.585-08:00

A comprehensive site dedicated to the author of All About H. Hatterr. The links under 'Talking Points' will lead you to some interesting articles, including a brief note on a theatrical adaptation of Desani's comic masterpiece titled 'Damme, This is the Oriental Scene for You!'

r devrajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00305971293130740780noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8714948.post-74909268619250738002007-11-05T00:56:00.000-08:002007-11-05T01:05:22.160-08:00

Ketan Tanna reports on the current trend of 'accent neutralization' ( Freedom from mother tongue, The Times of India, 30 September 2007): Most Indians speak English with the peculiar sounds of their mother tongues. 'When' often sounds like 'ven' and 'vine' becomes 'wine'. We also tend to speak fast without stretching the vowel sounds. In Orissa and other parts of eastern India, b is freely used

r devrajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00305971293130740780noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8714948.post-4685024011859762022007-11-05T00:14:00.000-08:002007-11-05T21:39:19.293-08:00

The New York Review of Books will bring G V Desani's All About H Hatterr back into print this month. Please go out and get yourself a copy of this classic immediately. If you need a reason, read the reviews compiled here or this excerpt from Anthony Burgess' introduction: ..it is the language that makes the book, a sort of creative chaos that grumbles at the restraining banks. It is what may be

r devrajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00305971293130740780noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8714948.post-40209841480726283142007-09-24T06:45:00.000-07:002007-09-24T06:49:21.902-07:00

Found on Chez Sinjab, this interesting blog post (Ma'alum, my friend?: The Grammarian's Guide to Khaleeji Pidgin) on the 'Indo-Anglo-Urdu-Arabic mix' spoken in the Gulf. Of course, there are certain rules to Khaleeji pidgin. First, certain words must be spoken in certain languages. Greetings, such as sala'am aleykum and sabah al kheir, are always in Arabic. How are you? is usually delievered in

r devrajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00305971293130740780noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8714948.post-79041017302486060442007-09-13T02:23:00.000-07:002007-09-13T02:41:36.812-07:00

शब्‍दों का सफ़र is Ajit Wadnerkar's excellent blog on Hindi word origins. Here's Ajit on the hybrid word lumberdar, formed from the English word ‘number’ with the Persian termination -dar. (For more on the word, see Hobson-Jobson ). उत्तरभारत में इसे नंबरदार और लंबरदार दोनों तरीके से बोला जाता है। दरअसल इस नाम के पीछे अगर देखें तो प्राचीन भारत की संयुक्त परिवार प्रथा नज़र आती है। निकट संबंधियों

r devrajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00305971293130740780noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8714948.post-85491090097300289802007-09-11T00:28:00.000-07:002007-09-11T00:29:43.367-07:00

Entry from Backside Only: Hazaar Fundas of Indian-English is the title of a new book on Indian English by Binoo K. John. Backsides have a frontal position in Indian-English. In cluttered, crowded alleys there can be seen the notice “Entry from backside”, a usage not exactly meant as a come-hither line to gays.

r devrajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00305971293130740780noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8714948.post-42249093548273786012007-09-09T21:16:00.001-07:002007-09-09T21:40:06.600-07:00

The Indian Express reports on the pidgin Hindi that unites tribes living in the North Cachar Hills of Assam. ('In this Assam district, Hindi unites 11 tribes', Indian Express, 10 September, 2007). “We call it Haflong Hindi,” said former Chairman of Haflong Town Committee Gopinath Gorlosa. “A century ago, most of the 11 tribes living in the North Cachar Hills could hardly communicate with each

r devrajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00305971293130740780noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8714948.post-82629743391663254992007-09-09T21:16:00.000-07:002007-09-09T21:30:19.767-07:00

Ketan Tanna updates the underworld lexicon in the Times of India ('Bhais speak differently now', 9 Sep, 2007): A crore, which the underworld famously called "khoka", is now "bada rupiya" while "peti" (one lakh) has become "chota rupiya". Encounter cop Sachin Vaze says that "supari" (contract killing), once the most feared word in the film and real estate circles, is today called "nariyal dena"

r devrajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00305971293130740780noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8714948.post-1165472136980690542006-12-06T22:15:00.000-08:002006-12-06T22:15:37.036-08:00

Slang term used on the Mumbai modelling circuit to describe someone with bad body odour. "Mumbai lingo is a bit different. There’s a lot of Hindi slang and it’s mostly abusive, but used a lot in the modeling circuit. [A fairly common term here] is ‘bombay docks’, used when a girl has bad body odour." (Mumbai model Sahil Shroff quoted in The slang bang! by Reshma Arya, DNA, December 4, 2006)

r devrajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00305971293130740780noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8714948.post-1164373498606308392006-11-24T04:51:00.000-08:002006-11-24T05:16:21.160-08:00

An exhibition by Meena Kadri of the National Institute of Design, in collaboration with sign painter Yasin Chhipa. Catch it on Flickr. (For the ignorant, here's a basic definition of Roadside Romeo).

r devrajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00305971293130740780noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8714948.post-1164369174900779802006-11-24T03:52:00.000-08:002006-11-24T04:19:09.003-08:00

From BBC News:Hinglish - a hybrid of English and south Asian languages, used both in Asia and the UK - now has its own dictionary. A dictionary of the hybrid language has been gathered by Baljinder Mahal, a Derby-based teacher and published this week as The Queen's Hinglish. Much of it comes from banter - the exchanges between the British white population and the Asians," she says. "It's also

r devrajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00305971293130740780noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8714948.post-1149169752845729292006-06-09T04:08:00.000-07:002006-06-09T04:12:28.993-07:00

A glossary of street cricket terms from Wikipedia. This one's done the rounds as one of those annoying forwarded emails, but it's worth a read nevertheless. How else would you learn the meaning of this mysterious battle-cry? Upeeeet (Up-it) Etymology partly English - When the batsman, usually the sothai hits the ball in the air, it is a common practice for all the fielders to scream Upeeet

r devrajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00305971293130740780noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8714948.post-1149425719397268142006-06-04T05:55:00.000-07:002006-06-04T06:48:47.830-07:00

The only superhero in the world to sport a Koli fisherman's costume.

r devrajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00305971293130740780noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8714948.post-1149238465857060542006-06-02T01:54:00.000-07:002006-06-03T07:30:09.496-07:00

Mumbaiyya, the patois of Mumbai's streets is taking over the airwaves in Pakistan, reports Hasan Mansoor in Mid-Day ('Tapori India on Pak radio', Mid-Day, April 16, 2006). Pakistani linguists have joined their Indian counterparts in lamenting the way Bambaiyya has defiled spoken language. Panga lena (to invite trouble), phadda dalna (quarrel), jugar (doing something by any means), lash pash (

r devrajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00305971293130740780noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8714948.post-1149237759998018612006-06-02T01:42:00.000-07:002006-06-03T07:45:53.070-07:00

BollyWHAT? examines the fractured English of Indian DVD blurbs in a dissertation titled 'Bitten by the Blurb: The DVD Synopsis as Comedy Routine'. Very funny indeed, and I'm waiting for them to turn their attention to DVD subtitles. Meanwhile, here's the ingenious plot of a B-grade movie called Ek Aur Vishpot: Hero of this film is honest muncipal commissioner, who is very strict about his rules

r devrajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00305971293130740780noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8714948.post-1149235517440356162006-06-02T01:05:00.000-07:002006-06-03T08:11:55.236-07:00

I've heard of metre coffee, but what exactly is 'complexion coffee'? I came across this term in an Outlook review: Coffee, a naturalised white man's drink, was introduced by the Portuguese, who also introduced the original version of the rasogolla. The natives, as the imperial mind put it, took to it with alacrity, abandoning their rice gruel for this bittersweet affair. Coffee was called

r devrajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00305971293130740780noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8714948.post-1149024490542104722006-05-30T14:28:00.000-07:002006-06-03T06:52:59.483-07:00

'The use of below in Indian English is well worth a study', writes K S Yadurajan in the Deccan Herald. Several railway officers have assured me that a standard opening in railway official correspondence is: ‘Dear Sir, with reference to your above see my below’. Below can be used as a adverb: go below the deck; we saw the blue waters spread below us. But in IE we see the use of below as an

r devrajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00305971293130740780noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8714948.post-1149015847018131432006-05-30T12:04:00.000-07:002006-05-30T12:31:03.153-07:00

Mid-Day ('Takla Hatela ya Lamba Khamba?', Mid-day, May 20, 2006) reports that the Mumbai underworld has coined new slang names for Bollywood actors and actresses. This list was extracted from a conversation between video pirates in Karachi and Mumbai, recorded by an anti-piracy cell. The men - Chyawanprash: Amitabh Bachchan (after the brand he endorses) - Takla Hatela: Salman Khan (recently

r devrajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00305971293130740780noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8714948.post-1130273944613516682005-10-25T13:59:00.000-07:002005-10-25T13:59:04.696-07:00

Got the T-shirt.

r devrajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00305971293130740780noreply@blogger.com