(An Introspect)
India is a curious conglomeration of so many interesting languages. The country is a nest of 29 states and 7 union territories. Each has a unique dialect. So many options that an official language had to be voted for! So much variety that if aliens tried to contact earth, I’m sure Indians won’t have trouble communicating!
Thinking on a broader layout, the language boundary of the country runs thus -
In general, it's a perception that -
- North Indians speak Hindi.
- South Indians speak a Southern language(kind clarification)
- Maharashtrians speak Marathi
- Gujrat folks speak Gujrati
- Rajasthan people only know Rajasthani
- Bengalis speak in Bangla
- Entire North east has one language
However, in reality -
Amazing, isn't it!
In Union territories like Puducherry (Pondicherry) and Goa, French and Portuguese are still spoken.
Almost a large section of the population can enunciate in 3 types of languages. Basically, their mother tongue, the regional tongue and to fill in the blanks, there is always English.
For example, my father and mother could speak in Hindi, Bhojpuri and a little bit of English. My mother tongue is Hindi and 2nd language is English. However, I could only understand Bhojpuri, never really spoke or wrote in the language.
The mother tongue of my in-laws and my husband is Marathi. They are also well versed in Hindi and can make do with a little bit of English.
As we come down the family tree, my daughter's inherited mother tongue is Marathi. I speak to her in Hindi and she talks with her friends in English. The regional language is Telugu. Hence, she has learnt 4 languages!
The number of languages one knows, varies with the languages used by the elders at home and the regional influence.
The British not only gifted us with their ingenious railways system but also their language. Thanks to them, the Indians who weren’t able to interconnect prior to the British advent, adopted this language and used it to their advantage.
In fact, we moulded it to suit our oratory requirements. For example, phrases like mother tongue, head bath, do one thing, give exam, like that only, tell me no, etc. are purely Indian format of English. Basically, it is a transliteration of their mother tongue.
Due to this trend, the millennials too jumped on the bandwagon and named their own supplementary languages like, Hinglish, Benglish, Malyalish, Tenglish and so on. That’s nothing but a blend of mother/regional tongue and English. The new generation had invented words as well! Some of the words from Hindi and various Indian languages have been officially included in the English dictionary.
In fact, we moulded it to suit our oratory requirements. For example, phrases like mother tongue, head bath, do one thing, give exam, like that only, tell me no, etc. are purely Indian format of English. Basically, it is a transliteration of their mother tongue.
Due to this trend, the millennials too jumped on the bandwagon and named their own supplementary languages like, Hinglish, Benglish, Malyalish, Tenglish and so on. That’s nothing but a blend of mother/regional tongue and English. The new generation had invented words as well! Some of the words from Hindi and various Indian languages have been officially included in the English dictionary.
In between these languages, we still have managed to preserve ancient languages like Sanskrit. There is a village in India where Sanskrit is the primary language.
To sum up, India is unique in many ways. People may dress up differently, speak diverse dialects, follow varied cultures, but one common element which binds them together is - the language of love!
