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Sixth-formers learn Hinglish to do business in India

R3verse Swing

R3verse Swing

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A sixth-form college in Hampshire has become the first school to teach Hinglish, a blend of Hindi and English increasingly used in Indian business, to give them a head start in the post-Brexit job market.

Portsmouth College says the language is one of the fastest growing in south Asia and the lessons will prepare their pupils to work for Indian companies, or ones that trade with India.

Hinglish has been spoken on the Asian sub-continent since the 17th century, but the burgeoning economy and need for common languages among the many spoken there has led to its popularity spreading. Experts say that Hinglish is now the business language of choice in India, and rapidly gaining ground in the political world. British diplomats are required to familiarise themselves with it before they go on a trip or a posting there. Bollywood has also had an impact, with feature films and TV shows using the language.
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Article behind paywall : https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/...rn-hinglish-to-do-business-in-india-ht2mwm30n

So who speaks Hinglish here?
 
Outside of Delhi and Gurgaon, there's no need for anyone to speak in any Hinglish.

English will more than suffice.
 
gani999 said:
Outside of Delhi and Gurgaon, there's no need for anyone to speak in any Hinglish.

English will more than suffice.
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Goodluck communicating English in streets of Mumbai.

You need to know either Hindi (Tapori Hindi) or Marathi to survive in Mumbai. Similarly, in Gujarat you need to know Gujarati to survive there or else goodluck getting through single day let alone live and survive.
 
R3verse Swing said:
Correct me if I am wrong, but Hindi is not spoken nationally in India either?
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Except Tamil Nadu it's understood everywhere,I have been to and even in Chennai,Ooty people speak English.

Hindi is enough to do business in India,Hinglish is a WhatsApp thing at best.
 
CanadianG00se said:
Goodluck communicating English in streets of Mumbai.

You need to know either Hindi (Tapori Hindi) or Marathi to survive in Mumbai. Similarly, in Gujarat you need to know Gujarati to survive there or else goodluck getting through single day let alone live and survive .
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That's just a big fat lie. Hindi is widely spoken in Gujarat at least in the urban areas. Unless your business demands dealing with rural folks on a regular basis , you should be fine.
 
R3verse Swing said:
Correct me if I am wrong, but Hindi is not spoken nationally in India either?
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Hindi is mostly spoken by people in North and West. In India almost every state have their regional langauge, however in metros like Mumbai and Delhi hindi is widely spoken. In Mumbai, you can get by speaking Hindi alone even if you have minimum or no knowledge of Marathi (regional language of Maharashtra). But in other states like Gujarat, or most of the southern states their regional language is predominantly spoken in the region, so you’d need to know the local language in order to blend in.

English alone is suffice in corporate world but will have difficult in getting around city/town and socialising with neighbours etc.

Hinlish is predominatly spoken by urban kids and NRIS (like myself). Its a combination of English+Hindi.
 
TM Riddle said:
That's just a big fat lie. Hindi is widely spoken in Gujarat at least in the urban areas. Unless your business demands dealing with rural folks on a regular basis , you should be fine.
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Gujarat is mostly rural, and when i said about Gujarat i dont mean streets of Surat or Ahemdabad, i was mostly referring to rural Gujarat. My family is from Gujarat and have visited many ocassions. Almost 90% of people communicate in Gujarati, and elders have no knowledge of any other languge. It maybe changing now as more and more people in state is getting educated and also learning more than one language in school. But then im sharing my experience from early 2000s.
 
JaDed said:
Except Tamil Nadu it's understood everywhere,I have been to and even in Chennai,Ooty people speak English.

Hindi is enough to do business in India, Hinglish is a WhatsApp thing at best.
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You’re spot on.

Hinlish kinda like Spanlish is a texting language which is mostly used by teens and NRIs.
 
CanadianG00se said:
Gujarat is mostly rural, and when i said about Gujarat i dont mean streets of Surat or Ahemdabad, i was mostly referring to rural Gujarat. My family is from Gujarat and have visited many ocassions. Almost 90% of people communicate in Gujarati, and elders have no knowledge of any other languge. It maybe changing now as more and more people in state is getting educated and also learning more than one language in school. But then im sharing my experience from early 2000s.
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From my visits to the state I did not face any problems in terms of communication. Hindi culture has slowly taken over the state.
 
TM Riddle said:
From my visits to the state I did not face any problems in terms of communication. Hindi culture has slowly taken over the state.
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Like I said things may have been changing in last 7-8 years. However, in rural areas of Gujarat its complete different than Urban areas. Anyhow, what part of Gujarat did you visited?
 
Most kids in cities speak Hinglish anyway.

Actually, they speak Regional language mixed with lots of English words.

With English medium education given to most kids, Hinglish will only increase.
 
CanadianG00se said:
Like I said things may have been changing in last 7-8 years. However, in rural areas of Gujarat its complete different than Urban areas. Anyhow, what part of Gujarat did you visited?
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Anand , Ahmedabad , Junagarh and Surat.
 
CanadianG00se said:
Hindi is mostly spoken by people in North and West. In India almost every state have their regional langauge, however in metros like Mumbai and Delhi hindi is widely spoken. In Mumbai, you can get by speaking Hindi alone even if you have minimum or no knowledge of Marathi (regional language of Maharashtra). But in other states like Gujarat, or most of the southern states their regional language is predominantly spoken in the region, so you’d need to know the local language in order to blend in.

English alone is suffice in corporate world but will have difficult in getting around city/town and socialising with neighbours etc.

Hinlish is predominatly spoken by urban kids and NRIS (like myself). Its a combination of English+Hindi.
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Almost all Northie NRI's speak Hinglish. Even I use Hinglish when communicating with Northies. Its way easier for me to speak Hinglish than use Hindi only as it is not my Mother tongue.

Nobody uses Krupaya anymore or Maaf kar do or Kshama Kardo. Its Please or Excuse me or Pardon me.
 
CanadianG00se said:
Goodluck communicating English in streets of Mumbai.

You need to know either Hindi (Tapori Hindi) or Marathi to survive in Mumbai. Similarly, in Gujarat you need to know Gujarati to survive there or else goodluck getting through single day let alone live and survive.
Click to expand...

I visit Mumbai every year, and can assure you that most people, even the small traders, can understand English. Some of them speak it very well too. You'd be shocked.

You can get by with just English in Mumbai. It is of course, better from a social viewpoint if you can speak Hindi.

The one language you don't need in Mumbai is Marathi.


Outside of the cow belt, one does not need Hindi in India.
 
DeadBall said:
Neither is Urdu spoken nationally in Pakistan.
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it is
Its not everyones first language obviously but its spoken by vast majority of people.

in cities its spoken fluently whereas in villages its understood fully and spoken fairly well apart from the 60+ generation in my observation
 
CanadianG00se said:
Goodluck communicating English in streets of Mumbai.

You need to know either Hindi (Tapori Hindi) or Marathi to survive in Mumbai. Similarly, in Gujarat you need to know Gujarati to survive there or else goodluck getting through single day let alone live and survive.
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Why is hindi so prevalent in Mumbai considering there is no historical reason for prevalence of the language there I believe
 
for me people who mix Urdu and English or in India's case Hinglish are a disgrace
 
Slog said:
Why is hindi so prevalent in Mumbai considering there is no historical reason for prevalence of the language there I believe
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Being the economic capital It's probably the most multicultural city in India with residents coming from every part of country. They all needed a common language to interact and Hindi was much easier to adopt and learn.And of course the bollywood influence.
 
TM Riddle said:
Being the economic capital It's probably the most multicultural city in India with residents coming from every part of country. They all needed a common language to interact and Hindi was much easier to adopt and learn.And of course the bollywood influence.
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so before independence hindi wasnt spoken that much there?
 
Slog said:
so before independence hindi wasnt spoken that much there?
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They used to speak marathi there before the entry of these migrant workers and the bollywood industry.

Similarly, now you need to know only english or hindi in Bengaluru. More migrants are there in bengaluru than the actual natives, the kannadigas.
 
Slog said:
so before independence hindi wasnt spoken that much there?
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It was. Mumbai (or Bombay) has been attracting migrants ever since the British set up the Presidency there and developed its port. Most of the initial migrants were from Gujarat, Sindh, Punjab and the North of India.

Hindi and English have always been the main languages in Mumbai.
 
gani999 said:
It was. Mumbai (or Bombay) has been attracting migrants ever since the British set up the Presidency there and developed its port. Most of the initial migrants were from Gujarat, Sindh, Punjab and the North of India.

Hindi and English have always been the main languages in Mumbai.
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Correct me if i am wrong, what about Marathi? When did it start declining in Mumbai?
 
kaayal said:
Correct me if i am wrong, what about Marathi? When did it start declining in Mumbai?
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Marathi has always existed in Mumbai. It still does. English came to be used there after the British developed its port and Mumbai (Bombay) became a commercial and business hub. The influx of migrants resulted in the import and the widespread use of Hindi. There is a lot of Gujarati in Mumbai too, possibly more than Marathi. After Independence, there was a huge influx of Tamilians as well.

There is still a lot of Marathi in Mumbai, only that it is not heard much amidst the din of Hindi, English and other languages.
 
Slog said:
so before independence hindi wasnt spoken that much there?
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Well You have to keep in mind the historical context in which the city was founded. At the time of rise of Maratha Kingdom under Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj , Mumbai as we know it today consisted of group of small fishing villages of relatively lower importance and Pune(or Puna as it was known back then) was the real centre of Maratha Power. It began to develop as a chief centre of commerce only after when it was gifted in dowry by Portuguese to the British (Charles 2 married a Portuguese queen) in the 1650s .
Thereafter when British consolidated their position in India a century later , They named it as Bombay Presidency which included almost Whole Maharashtra , Gujarat and Sindh parts of British India.
Thus It was only under the British that the city began to acquire it's significance as the commercial hub and outpouring of migrants helped it develop a special identity for itself where both Hindi and Marathi co existed together.
Calcutta has a similar background story as well .
 
Before the rise of Mumbai , Surat used to be the most important port in Western India and was so strategically placed that several battles were fought for it's possession. Most of Western India's trade was conducted through it and in the literature it's popularly referred to as 'Gateway to Mecca'.
 
TM Riddle said:
Well You have to keep in mind the historical context in which the city was founded. At the time of rise of Maratha Kingdom under Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj , Mumbai as we know it today consisted of group of small fishing villages of relatively lower importance and Pune(or Puna as it was known back then) was the real centre of Maratha Power. It began to develop as a chief centre of commerce only after when it was gifted in dowry by Portuguese to the British (Charles 2 married a Portuguese queen) in the 1650s .
Thereafter when British consolidated their position in India a century later , They named it as Bombay Presidency which included almost Whole Maharashtra , Gujarat and Sindh parts of British India.
Thus It was only under the British that the city began to acquire it's significance as the commercial hub and outpouring of migrants helped it develop a special identity for itself where both Hindi and Marathi co existed together.
Calcutta has a similar background story as well .
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very interesting! never knew.. thanks!

i guess due to being smack in middle of Maratha heartland it was natural that there would be overriding marhata influence but all said and done its a national, multicultural city

actually makes shiv sena's antics there in 90s and 2000s (maybe earlier) even more ridiculous
 
Slog said:
very interesting! never knew.. thanks!

i guess due to being smack in middle of Maratha heartland it was natural that there would be overriding marhata influence but all said and done its a national, multicultural city

actually makes shiv sena's antics there in 90s and 2000s (maybe earlier) even more ridiculous
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You can picture it as a bigger version of Karachi. Interestingly both emerged and flourished under the British only and were pretty non significant before the modern era.
 
Cpt. Rishwat said:
Pardon my ignorance, but what is Hinglish?
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He said that the language was easier to learn than Hindi, not least because it used Roman letters rather than the traditional Devanagari script. The vocabulary includes words such as “airdash”, going somewhere in a hurry, usually on a plane, and “pre-pone”, bringing an event forward and the opposite of postpone. “Glassi” means thirsty, “filmi” is glamorous and a “chaivinist” is someone who loves drinking Indian tea.

Although transactions are done in English, a command of Hinglish is useful in getting to know Indian colleagues and preparing the ground for doing business. There are numerous words with Indian roots that are commonly used, such as bungalow, bangle, pyjamas and shampoo.

Hinglish is not the only “fusion” language growing in popularity. West African Pidgin, a blend of English and various African languages, was first used to discuss trade between Europeans and Africans in the 17th century and is now taking hold again. The BBC launched a Pidgin news service last August.
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Essentially, a kichari of Hindi and English.
 
TM Riddle said:
Before the rise of Mumbai , Surat used to be the most important port in Western India and was so strategically placed that several battles were fought for it's possession. Most of Western India's trade was conducted through it and in the literature it's popularly referred to as 'Gateway to Mecca'.
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Are you using PP as an excuse to revise your notes?
 
R3verse Swing said:
Essentially, a kichari of Hindi and English.
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Actually that's an age old tradition. Ian Botham was renamed Iron Bottom following his Indian spin tonking exploits in his tours of India. I don't know what he was called in Pakistan but it was probably something that wouldn't be allowed here.
 
Slog said:
Why is hindi so prevalent in Mumbai considering there is no historical reason for prevalence of the language there I believe
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Immigrants.

Most of the population of Mumbai is made up of immigrants from other states, mainly Gujarat, UP, Bihar etc. So, instead of learning each other’s regional language, people just simply communicate in Hindi albeit slang version.
 
gani999 said:
I visit Mumbai every year, and can assure you that most people, even the small traders, can understand English. Some of them speak it very well too. You'd be shocked.

You can get by with just English in Mumbai. It is of course, better from a social viewpoint if you can speak Hindi.

The one language you don't need in Mumbai is Marathi.


Outside of the cow belt, one does not need Hindi in India.
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Dude you just visit there, I was born there and grew up in Mumbai. You may be visiting posh areas of Mumbai, but i grew up in suburbs of Mumbai (Dahisar). If you think an average Mumbaikar in suburbs understand English then you can’t be more wrong. From chai wala to sabji wala to your maid to your dhobi to your local security guard most of them do not speak English and this wont be changing anytime soon.

You could get around in the city for visit purpose which is in ur case, but if you think you could stay in Mumbai and not know hindi, then goodluck communicating with all those above mentioned folks.
 
gani999 said:
Marathi has always existed in Mumbai. It still does. English came to be used there after the British developed its port and Mumbai (Bombay) became a commercial and business hub. The influx of migrants resulted in the import and the widespread use of Hindi. There is a lot of Gujarati in Mumbai too, possibly more than Marathi. After Independence, there was a huge influx of Tamilians as well.

There is still a lot of Marathi in Mumbai, only that it is not heard much amidst the din of Hindi, English and other languages.
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Marathi is still widely spoken specially among natives of Maharashtra. Maybe in Mumbai it maybe second or third widely used language but if you go to other parts of Maharashtra then you’ll notice marathi as predominant language.
 
TM Riddle said:
Anand , Ahmedabad , Junagarh and Surat.
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Those places are getting urbanised. But if you go to places like Patan, Palanpur, Sidhpur, Unja, Bhuj, Kach etc, you’ll find mostly gujarati in those areas. In places like Bhuj and Kach, they use dedh (slang) Gujarati which is completely different than the one you may find in Surat and Ahemdabad. Similarly, in Sidhpur there is whole lot of different version.
 
Highest recommended comment in the paywall article above :

This is not Hinglish (a Hindi + English hybrid language), but just the Indian variety of English. Speakers need not know any Hindi. People in the USA use American English, while Aussies prefer Strine or Australian English. They are not hybrids or pidgins, but national varieties of International Standard English. Similarly, Indian use Indian English, in which “revert” means to reply, “prepone” means to bring forward, “swag” means panache, and so on. These variant forms are not inspired by Hindi.
Click to expand...
 
CanadianG00se said:
Dude you just visit there, I was born there and grew up in Mumbai. You may be visiting posh areas of Mumbai, but i grew up in suburbs of Mumbai (Dahisar). If you think an average Mumbaikar in suburbs understand English then you can’t be more wrong. From chai wala to sabji wala to your maid to your dhobi to your local security guard most of them do not speak English and this wont be changing anytime soon.

You could get around in the city for visit purpose which is in ur case, but if you think you could stay in Mumbai and not know hindi, then goodluck communicating with all those above mentioned folks.
Click to expand...

I said that most of them 'understand' English, and a few speak it. Some do it very well. That has been my experience.

I don't know about Dahisar. I was talking about the Chembur-Ghatkopar area, which I frequent.

I also mentioned that it was better if one spoke Hindi.

Also, I still maintain that one needs to know exactly zero marathi to survive in Mumba, unless one is dealing with the Mantralaya. I know several people who have been living there for decades and know no Marathi.
 
gani999 said:
I said that most of them 'understand' English, and a few speak it. Some do it very well. That has been my experience.

I don't know about Dahisar. I was talking about the Chembur-Ghatkopar area, which I frequent.

I also mentioned that it was better if one spoke Hindi.

Also, I still maintain that one needs to know exactly zero marathi to survive in Mumba, unless one is dealing with the Mantralaya. I know several people who have been living there for decades and know no Marathi.
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I lived there and I hardly ever spoke Marathi despite learning it in school. Agree on marathi part, but hindi is quite essential. Just like marathi isnt needed, similarly you dont need English to survive in Mumbai. Hindi alone will suffice...
 
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