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From desi Hinglish to fluent English

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Those of us raised in India speak a very different English than the one spoken in Europe or North America or Australia. And it is natural, we are creations of our surroundings, we are always influenced by our mother tongue. As a result, the influence of Hindi language is naturally present in our English speech, hence the term Hinglish.

On this site – The Indians Abroad, there are quite a few articles that address the usage of Hinglish and how to minimize it. Speaking Hinglish is not a mistake or something to be overly concerned about, it is just a habit – the way we speak in our own neighborhood. Think about it, even Australian spoken English is far different than the American English. The local factors and the local slang are bound to influence the way we speak.

Hinglish usage is quite common in India, it is natural. No one cares, and no one should, as long as two parties can understand each-other. However, when we speak the same Hinglish abroad, not everybody is able to understand or comprehend the complete meaning, especially for those who are not familiar with desi terms and desi idioms.

This article is a compilation of previously written articles on topics related to language barriers abroad and the Hinglish usage. Rather than re-writing the whole summary, following links are a good start on how to minimize the use of Hinglish and what are the best approaches to adapt to the local speech while living abroad.

  • Crossing the Language Barrie abroad: ‘Language barrier’ refers to the difficulties people face if they don’t speak the same language, or with very different accent or style….the spoken English in America or other Western countries is not the same as in India, for example. The key issues surrounding the language barrier and the best ways to approach or alleviate them are highlighter in this article.
  • Self-help tips on minimizing Hinglish usage abroad: There are many simple things that we can do to speed up this adaptation to local English slang and language instead of Hinglish from India. This article lists some of the most effective tips.
  • 12 Self-help tips on improving desi English language: These are some of the commonsense tips on how to improve your English while living abroad. Try them, some of them you may already be exposed to.
  • 10 Tips on English pronunciation and accent improvement!: Accent plays a big role in our speech pattern and how we come across to the listeners. Adapting to the local accent is the first step towards improving your language skills.
  • ’30 tips on the art of small talk’: Small talk or any chit-chat helps you practice your speech and conversation skills. As a result, you end up improving your spoken language.

    • Continue reading →

    Self-help tips on minimizing Hinglish usage abroad

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    10 easy Tips on how to minimize the usage of Hinglish (Indian English) overseas

    Many of us, especially those who grew up in India, speak ‘Indian English’. This version of desi English – the Hinglishis, is heavily influenced by Hindi, other languages from India and desi terms. It is a common habit; and like many other habits, some times we don’t even realize that our English speech is often affected by our mother tongue.

    Just like any other habit, the use of Hinglish is not so easy to get rid of. Habits die hard. In many cases, it may take a lot longer to get used to avoiding Hinglish completely. A conscious effort is always required to navigate away from any set routines, especially the ones related to our communication or speaking habits.

    While living overseas and away from India, we may not realize this but we are always adapting to the local ways of life. This process continues even when we are not trying. This is a human nature; we are always adapting to our surroundings. Our language, our communication style and even our thinking – every aspect of our day-to-day life is slowly but surely impacted by the local culture and the society we live in. However, this adaptation and change is often very slow. The same applies to our habit of speaking Hinglish, the change is very slow unless we try consciously.

    Listed below are some of the most effective tips on how to minimize the use of Hinglish while living in an overseas society. There are many simple things that we can do to speed up this adaptation to local English slang and language instead of continued habit of speaking Hinglish.

    1. Be aware of your Hinglish usage: The first step always is to accept and acknowledge the habit. The second generation of Indians who grew up abroad (among English speaking culture) generally don’t have this habit – the habit of mixing Indian idioms and grammar with English usage. If you were born and raised in India, chances are your speech is influenced by your mother tongue.

    2. Think of a few fun things to reduce Hinglish usage: Now that you admit to the Hinglish usage :) , next step is working on how to minimize this habit. The tips below are quite effective, but you can always come up with your own plan. For example, you can ask your American/English friends to assist and coach you in this arena. You know yourself better than anybody else on this planet, so think of your own ideas and fun things that would work best for you.

    3. Immerse yourself in the local language overseas: Expose yourself to the local way of speech while living abroad. Make a conscious effort to speak local English by surrounding yourself with those who use local English style and slang, not Hinglish. Continue reading →

    Crossing the language barrier abroad!

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    “The language barrier is probably the most difficult and takes the longest to overcome.” ~ Stephen Lee

    Most of the times, the phrase ‘Language barrier’ refers to the difficulties people face during communicating if they don’t speak the same language; or if the speech or accent is too different to communicate effectively.
    Almost everyone who ventures out to the worlds far-far away, the language barrier is one of the many hurdles encountered in the new land. For people migrating from India, even though they speak and understand English in most of the cases, the communication problems still exist. The fact is that spoken English in America or other Western countries is not the same as in India. The style, the slang, the acceptable norms….everything is different. One is bound to feel out of place in the beginning of this overseas journey.

    The key issues surrounding the language barrier and the best ways to approach or alleviate them are:

    The language knowledge: Knowledge of the English language is the most important step toward adjusting and adapting to the English speaking culture and society. The understanding of grammar and sound knowledge of vocabulary are necessary to build a reliable foundation for any language. For people from India, this is not a major issue because most of us learn English in school and have a good command of the language itself.

    The ‘thick’ accent: The accent is natural; this is how we talk and speak in our native country growing up. The Indian accent of English –commonly called ‘thick’ accent- is very different from the way they speak English overseas. While there are ways to soften the accent or dramatically reduce it by practice and with conscious effort, it takes time to lose the accent. For details on this topic, refer to the previous post titled ‘A self-help guide to lose your accent!’. Continue reading →

    10 Tips on English pronunciation and accent improvement!

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    Key tips on English pronunciation and accent improvement for people from India:

    This post focuses on the specific difficulties that people from India encounter when speaking English, or during pronunciations of certain parts of English speech. For overall accent reduction and how to lose your accent, refer to the posts at the bottom of this article.
    Based on common observations by everybody and feedback, here are some of the main problem areas, along with the tips to improve them:

    1. The pronunciation of ‘Rs’, ‘Ts’, ‘Ds’ is not clear or hard to understand/distinguish:
    ‘T’ sound almost like ‘D’:    T in some parts of American speech is supposed to be less crisp. It should sounds more like a ‘d’ in many cases, especially between vowels. Katie is pronounced almost like KaDie, water like waDer.
    ‘R’ pronunciation: There are varying observations on the sound of ‘R’:
    -Let the sound of R flow; don’t put too much stress on this sound especially in the middle or in the end of a word.
    -Don’t totally chewing up the sound of ‘R’ in other cases. Practice the stress on this sound, and listen to how your American/English friends use it. In ‘Robert’, the stress is on first R; let the second ‘r’ flow, without any pronounced stress.

    2. ‘Vs’ and ‘Ws’ sound: This is a common problem for many Asians and Europeans, so don’t take it personally. There is a clear difference between ‘w’ and ‘v’ sounds. Even though most of Indians understand the difference, the distinction is often not carried out in spoken English. Let us try this:
    -For the sound of ‘v’, place lower lip gently on the upper teeth and say the word. Don’t press it hard, you should be able to exhale through, while making the sound. Most of us find this hardest to get used to.
    -For ‘w’ sound, it’s a different than ‘v’, the lips are supposed to be rounded and puckered like when we say ‘u’, and with no contact between the teeth and tongue. Move your lips in the forward direction as you vocalize the sound.
    -The key distinction between the w/v sound and the ‘B’ sound is the fact that the lips are closed when we start to vocalize ‘B’. Continue reading →

    30 Tips on the art of small talk!

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    Communications Tips (NRI and ESL Tips): Small Talk – how to carry-on a conversation effectively.

    “Conversation should touch everything, but should concentrate itself on nothing.” ~ Oscar Wilde

    I have written before on the importance of small talk . Small talk is a conversation, chit-chat or an informal discussion without any specific topic or subject. Small talk generally is not a problem if we are among our family and friends; there is always something to talk about. However, once we step into a wider social circle, it may become challenging at times to keep the conversation going or even start a conversation. Here are some of the tips on how to avoid uncomfortable situations, and carry on a small talk in all types of social settings:

    1. Be a good listener: Pay attention and listen to what others are talking about. Good listening provides additional understanding about the people we are communicating with.

    2. Introduce yourself if needed: Introduce yourself first, especially if you are in a new to the gathering, party or event.

    3. Take queue from other’s conversation: This helps with the continuity of the discussion.

    4. Ask questions…small ones: Questions or clarifications are important to understand the others involved in the conversation. The questions could be about the discussion going on, or general questions to ‘get-to-know’ the company. Continue reading →

    The imprortance of small talk

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    NRIs and ESL Tips: Importance of small talk in a conversation

    Don’t tell your friends about your indigestions: “How are you!” is a greeting, not a question.
    ~Arthur Guiterman, A Poet’s Proverbs
     

    Many of us, especially those with English as a second language (ESL),  often struggle with social communications and the language barrier. However, this article is written for anyone who may need some extra help with improving their communication skills.
    Small talk is a conversation just for the sake of conversation. It does not have to have any specific topic or agenda. The small talk is considered a very important part of our overall communication or daily interactions with others.

    Small talk is a big deal:  The small talk is important for so many reasons:

    - it is essential for a smooth and effective communication with anybody we talk to.

    - it creates a good first impression.

    - it leads to a  lively and friendly conversation.

    - if you are a good ‘small talker’ you will come across as an open and more friendly person

    - it is an essential tool for effective interaction in any social settings.

    - it leaves a lasting impression on the other party.

    - it gives you more confidence as a speaker.

    Parts of conversation:

    In terms of overall conversation, small talk is very important throughout any communications. Following are the key functions of a small talk in any speech or discussion: Continue reading →

    How to lose your accent!

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    Communication Tips: Accent softening & accent reduction methods
    Accent improvement for effective communications is a key part of personal growth and personal development. As I said before, changing the way we speak is equivalent of breaking a habit.

    How to lose your accent!

    How to lose your accent!

    To break one habit, we need to develop a new one -to ultimately affect the way be speak. This is not going to happen overnight, but you will see an improvement right away, that is if you are serious about losing your accent.
    Here are some of the routines to help reduce, and ultimately lose your accent:

    Plan ahead: If you are still in India, in the planning stage of immigration, one of the best thing to do is to expose yourself to the spoken English language, Western style and slang, as much as possible. Some of the simple suggestions include: Continue reading →

    Accent softening and accent reduction Tips!

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    NRI Tips: Language barrier -the  issue of ‘thick’ accent!

    Many surprises await a new immigrant. The challenges of adapting to a foreign country can be very discouraging.
    One of the main hurdles that the NRIs face in the Western world is the language barrier and the Indian accent of spoken English. Even if you have a graduate degree in English from India, you are bound to have this problem. The issue is not the knowledge of language, but the way we speak English – the Indian accent; the inability to communicate effectively while talking to a native English speaking person.
    The Indian way of speaking English is often branded as a ‘thick’ accent. That basically means that it sounds very foreign, like an ‘outsider’
    Yes, the spoken language barrier or thick accent is an issue, but it is not your fault. It is a part of the journey; a part of new culture and new rules of living abroad. It is a part of adaptation into the local culture abroad.

    The spoken English in India is heavily influenced by our Indian or mother tongue. In India, the English teachings mainly focus on grammar and spelling with very little focus on actual pronunciation. Continue reading →

    NRI Tips: Key hurdles to overseas adaptation and adjustment!

    NRI Tips:  The habits that hinder our adaptation abroad

    “Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.” ~ Maria Robinson

    Immigration from India is often considered a grueling process, probably one of the hardest thing ever for a new NRI; right?
    Not really, it is just the start :) . Once we get to our new destination abroad, -USA or Canada or England..- the things are not as we imagined. As mentioned before in NRIs and India diaspora – the key challenges abroad!’, the most difficult part is adjusting to the new society, the new culture; and then building a career that matches our professional background and education.
    Why is it that so many of indians find it so hard to adjust abroad? Even after years, we feel strangers in the land that is dubbed a ‘melting pot’ of multi-culture society.

    One of the key reasons for our failure to adjust even after years – is the isolation from the American society and western culture; our inability to adapt to the local language and norms. Many of us find it hard to carry on a real conversation with locals; the conversation that involves local slang and local style.
    Here are some of the main reasons that hinder a desi immigrant from being a ‘Roman while in Rome’; the key habits that won’t let us adapt to overseas’  life: Continue reading →

    NRIs and India diaspora – the key challenges abroad!

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    NRI Tips: The overseas issues and hurdles for a desi or NRI !

    Leaving India and going abroad -USA, Canada, England….-is a very big step, a life changing experience in the true sense of the words. To search for a better future, we often leave behind everything- the friends, the family members, the social circle and the personal identity in most cases.sxc_404_error
    It is a very common perception, – and true to an extent – that going abroad will improve our life and the lives of those who depend on us. It is always made to sound all too easy to settle and prosper in Western countries as an NRI.

    Continue reading →