Having a horrible time learning Gujarati!

Holly4593

Here's my sob story. I'm trying to learn Gujarati in order to communicate with my in-laws and Indian family. They are all located in Bharuch, and we are in the US but they talk to my husband every other day by phone and are always asking about me. We really with to communicate with each other but they don't know English, and I don't know Gujarati.

When I went to visit them, my husband suggested I learn Hindi. Unfortunately work was insane at the time but I did manage to learn quite a bit of Hindi. Enough to struggle through. Everyone assured me that I would pick it right up once I heard all that Hindi they would be speaking in front of me.

WRONG! Bless their hearts, they tried. They are all fluent in Hindi, but Gujarati is their native tongue and what they are most comfortable with. They kept slipping from Hindi back into Gujarati and by day three, it was all Gujarati, all the time. A great disappointment to me, but hey, when in Rome...

Anyway, I found Hindi fairly okay to pick up due to plenty of training materials and Bollywood movies. However I'm having a horrible time with Gujarati. I have one CD Rom program (Gujarati Guru) but it tends to shut down about 10 times each use. (Might be my computer.) My husband is fluent in Gujarati, but lacks the time (and patience) to teach me.

He keeps trying to say it's easier than learning Hindi but oh how I beg to differ. Does anyone know of any good websites, CD's, tools, tips and/or learning methods that might help? The worst part is, I'm not a great audio learner. In fact, it's my weakest point. The only audio program that ever worked was Pimsleur's Hindi program cause I could play it in the car, but they don't have a Pimsleur Gujarati program that I know of. Also, the audio CD's on Amazon for Gujarati all have horrible reviews which is not very encouraging.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!

Thanks to all!

flyinfishjoe

Hi,
There used to be a helpful textbook out by a Prof. Rachel Dwyer called Teach Yourself Gujarati. I'm not sure if it is still in print, as Amazon doesn't seem to list any new copies of it. However, the textbook is still available in PDF format (legally) at the website of the School of Oriental Studies (SoAS) in London:

http://www.soas.ac.uk/courseunits/155900496.html

Click on the link near the bottom that says "required reading".

Hope this helps,
Joe

ananda2193

Look here,

http://www.centurylink.net/search/in...ing%20gujarati

wonderwomanusa

If you're near a university, you could ask around and see if someone will give you some private lessons.

__________________
The map is not the territory. --Alfred Korzybski

Holly4593

Thanks so much to everyone for the links and the book source. My only concern with a book would be mis-pronunciation, but I think my husband could help me there. He just doesn't want to start from scratch.

The class suggestion is a good one however I've looked into that and there are no Gujarati classes at all. But you've given me an idea! Fortunately, due to a large corporation in town that outsources around ten thousand employees from India, this area does have a lot of Gujaratis. I'm considering putting an ad in the local Indian classifieds (yes, they have their own) to see if anyone is available to hire as a private tutor.

To all of you who have mastered more than one language, you have my utmost respect and admiration. I am fluent in sign language, but that's easier because it's the same words, I'm just adding signs to them. Learning an entirely different language is so much more difficult! It simply amazes me how many Indian are fluently tri-lingual, and also have the ability to read three different languages as well. It's absolutely amazing!

Alohaguy

Holly, it is best to learn any language through ears like a child does. Tapes are a great help. Don't worry too much about grammer and being correct when you speak. If you mis-speak, people will have a laugh. So, what? Be around people who speak Gujrati. That way, you will learn the Rythm of the language. Total immersion is the best way. It is very hard to learn from a spouse. I know from experience.

Good luck!!

Pintz

Holly, I agree wiith Alohaguy....the best bet would be to find people in your area who are Gujaratis and then ask them to speak to you Gujarati - that way you'll not only learn faster but they'll gladly help you if you falter.
By the way, Saal Mubarak to you and your husband!

jimtaylor

Holly,

I speak fluent French, decent Spanish and greatly admire the Pimsleur system. I learned to speak Dutch with Pimsleur. (Too bad no one in The Netherlands will speak Dutch to you.) Unfortunately Hindi is as close as Pimsleur gets. It's good, but as you saw, useless in a family setting. It's only for understanding why the rest of the family is laughing while watching movies.

I live in an extended Gujarati family setting with my wife and lots of native speakers. I have tried and tried and am finally, but slowly making progress using my own mixed method of a few books and the few movies I can get a hold of.

As you probably noticed, if you ask the family how to say something in Gujarati you will get about 5 different answers and an extended conversation about which is the correct way to say it and who should be deemed the best qualified to answer... then that person will ask you to repeat the question. It's a mess.

Even three weeks in Ahmadabad and Baroda didn't help a whole lot, and I'm a person who picks up languages.

All I can suggest is to learn to write the alphabet and pronounce it and make flash cards of every set of four words you learn and their translations. Keep them with you at all times until you know them by heart. And be patient... You are not alone and it is not easy.