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Speaking "Indian"
"Do you speak Indian?" is an inevitable question for many people of South Asian descent. Even though 'Indian' isn't really a language, it's understandable why people prefer that term. With 22 national languages in India, and many more non-national ones, not even those who ask "Do you speak Hindi, Malayalam, or Telugu?" cover all the bases. However, it's important not to forget that the use of English is also very widespread; in fact, most legal and official affairs are conducted in it. Generally, the Indian education system is also English-based, often with only language courses in Hindi. As a result, there are frequently situations where people develop better fluency in English rather than in their native language. It's also interesting to note the emergence of Hinglish, a hybrid of Hindi and English. It's Hinglish that's responsible for words such as timepass, a term that denotes wasting time, and pre-pone, the logical opposite of postpone. According to linguists, Hinglish has gained a following of about 350 million people. So perhaps the next time you're being introduced to someone of South Asian descent and you're curious about their linguistic ability, the right question to ask would be: "What languages do you speak? Hindi, English, a mix, or more?" To learn more, go to Ethnologue for a long list of the languages of India with accompanying geographical and other information. Tags: Hindi, Hinglish, India, language, newsletter
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