Hindi or Marathi?

Nisha Jaan

Swapnil

Knowing only Hindi will work perfectly in Mumbai(& most of cities in Maharashtra)...& if someone can't understand you can always find someone who knows hindi around easily...

edwardseco

Look below for more threads on this. A particularly long one is under another terminology. I prefer Marathi to Hindi for work in that area. But, if you will travel around as I assume you will, Hindi will be much more helpful. I learned both at one time. I use the Hindi in Hyderabad as nobody understands my efforts at Telegu. Unless you have a lengthy research interest I would suggest Hindi with a smattering of Marathi terms for the pleasantries..

Nisha Jaan

capt_mahajan

Some are. Many are not. Marathi and Hindi have a fair amount of difference, though a few similarities too. But it is closer to Hindi, than, say, Tamil.

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edwardseco

Its that lying down L in Marathi that always gets my tongue tied up in knots..

triliana

it's just a retroflex L, edwardseco. say it like you would the d in ladka but it's an l sound not a d sound. Tongue should flip back against the palate.

I practiced saying puran poli a lot to get it ...

machadinha

Hi Nisha, I just noticed from another thread this is your first trip there? Just a word of encouragement that while it's commendable to know some of the local language, and it will allow you to speak to people to whom you otherwise couldn't, I hope you realize that in India English will generally see you a fair way. Not everyone speaks it, and if so not equally well, and even Indian English may not always be what you're used to... but together with Hindi it is still the (or a) lingua franca, you'll get by fine on it.

It's nice to try and learn though, of course.

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edwardseco

And people will really appreciate this! Found this especially in France of all places..

machadinha

Of course! Anywhere really. And why not in France? They don't naturally speak a lot of other languages after all. Even us Dutch who are renowned to speak several (hint: We don't all do) don't mind if you kindly enquire "Do you speak English" (or German or whatever) before firing away mind, I've seen some ugly examples downtown again of late. No wonder not all of us take kindly to tourists.

It's slowly been starting to dawn on me btw that I think Nisha has an Indian background, though has never been there? You might have specified this, as with some typical questions regarding dress and language and so on, I and I think many will have assumed you were just another young Westerner headed out there.

Even if the country will be very new to you (in fact some of the most culture-shocked visitors I met were invariably Indian foreigners -- I write it down to the confrontation with their expectations, not to mention complicated family entanglements and obligations and so on), it matters if you already have some cultural understanding I guess. Anyway I'm starting to see now how you might know Hindi already and know how to don a sari and all, is that correct?

Nisha Jaan

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