NWR: Language Skills

raangoli

On the way home I decided to stop at the desi grocery store since I was seriously jonesing for some chevado. (Haha, I know right?!)

For the most part, everything is in English so I've never had a problem, but this time I noticed that one brand also had the name of the snack in Gujarati. Then when I came home and poured my snack into bowl, I noticed that someone's name (or so I assume) is etched into the side of the bowl. (I know the ones my parents have at home have either my dad's name or my mom's, their parents, etc. depending on where they got it from.)

Anyway, the point of my long-winded story is that I really wished I knew how to read Gujarati. Or even Hindi. I can speak Gujarati fluently and can pass with Hindi, but I can't read or write either.

Do you ladies know how to read/write in whatever language you were brought up speaking at home (other than English, of course)?

trueleo818

I know how to read,write,and speak French fluently but I can only speak and understand Thai. I can't read or write the language but I sure wish I did. 

temurlang

Growing up, my parents spoke French and German at home, but for some reason only encouraged us to speak French.  I wouldn't say I'm fluent anymore, but I'm okay at speaking and reading.  I can also understand a tiny amount of Russian and I can read enough that it helps out in the Russian grocery.  Living in California my Spanish is also like that, I don't really speak it but I know enough to manage with non-English speakers.

But the best language I know is Arabic!  I'm not at all fluent but because I know the alphabet I can sound out signs, headlines, or labels in Arabic, Farsi, or Urdu.  It's actually really useful, especially since I've picked up a little Hindi (same vocab as Urdu) I can make out quite a lot in India.  I have to say the Devnagari script is really intimidating.

Priya490

I wish I knew how to read, write, and even speak our language (Marathi).  Growing up, my parents did speak Marathi at home so I understand every word.  But for some reason I could never speak it.  I didn't grow up with a lot of Indians around me so I would always speak English in school and with friends so I guess it was always difficult to pick up.  I really want to get a Rosetta stone in my language, or maybe Hindi or Gujarati, so that I can learn and then pass along ot my kids.  My fiance is Gujarati and he can speak a little bit but he can't read or write either.  Most of his relatives speak Gujarati and when they speak to me, I have no idea wht they are saying so it would be nice if I could speak his family's language.

AquarianDragon

FI is highly fluent in speaking Sindhi.... apparently he does shockingly well. I think it's because he is an only child and his parents wanted to be sure he spoke it. They tried to teach him to read and write, but they could never get him on that. His parents also tried to teach him Hindi, and he was a butt-head about it.

FI can also follow Hindi more or less... he has Sindhi-Hindi conversations with one of his nieces when he's in India. He always says he doesn't know why she keeps speaking to him in Hindi even when he responds in Sindhi, lol! He doesn't mind since she's a little girl. FI says he can sorta follow Gujarati.... his parents and some of his aunts and uncles also speak Gujarati.

Last year FI discovered he can manage Spanish. Meanwhile, I had ordered a "McPolo" instead of a McPollo. I know better, I always spew it out wrong. Sad considering I was raised in the Southwestern US... San Diego and Tucson.

My language ability is AW-FUL. Terrible at French and Spanish. I'm progressing in my Sindhi learning.... we refer to foods and a few everyday sorts of items in Sindhi. I have a hard time with sounds not found in English.

raangoli

I think it's pretty cool that most of us have had exposure to multiple languages. My husband never really did, he learned Spanish in high school like the rest of most kids in NJ (most schools you could choose from Spanish, German or French) but he has no idea how to actually use it.

I guess it also got me thinking about how I want to pass language onto whatever child(ren) we may have in the future.

Maybe we should start a weekly thread to share a word or phrase in whatever language(s) we're fluent in. Or am I the only nerd who thinks that would be interesting?

temurlang

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/cultural-wedding-boards_south-asian-weddings_nwr-language-skills?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Cultural%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:430Discussion:12787a86-486b-4000-8c83-bf891ebe124aPost:81e7b106-315a-456d-adee-b903c96f40fc">Re: NWR: Language Skills</a>:
[QUOTE]I think it's pretty cool that most of us have had exposure to multiple languages. My husband never really did, he learned Spanish in high school like the rest of most kids in NJ (most schools you could choose from Spanish, German or French) but he has no idea how to actually use it.<font color="#0000ff"> I guess it also got me thinking about how I want to pass language onto whatever child(ren) we may have in the future. </font>Maybe we should start a weekly thread to share a word or phrase in whatever language(s) we're fluent in. Or am I the only nerd who thinks that would be interesting?
Posted by raangoli[/QUOTE]

<font color="#000000">I've also thought about that.  I've heard it works best if each parent speaks in </font>one of the languages to the kid, and for you and me that's what would happen anyway.  DH obviously is fluent in Bengali and HIndi and can read and write both (although not as well as English).  There are no Bengalis here, and his friends speak Hindi, which is why I've picked up some HIndi (that and Bollywood lol) but no Bengali.  I see that as a potential difficulty with kids.

I just love languages and would love to expand my vocab, especially in HIndi.  Are there any Bengalis on this board?  Total nerd over here!

AquarianDragon

I think putting up words would be good. I'd like that, but then on the other hand, I don't know well I'd keep it straight when I'm trying to learn Sindhi.

FI's uncle is Bengali, so that family's language is Bengali. I'm not sure if I'd recruit any of them to the board though...

HisBelovedOne

R's parents tried to teach him Sindhi and Hindi. They "gave up" when he got into school and stopped showing an interest. He still understands and can speak some of both, but isn't even close to fluent and can't read or write either one.

He develops an awfully thick Indian accent when talking to his family, but I'm sure that's normal. I develop a Southern drawl when I spend too much time with the Alabama branch of my mom's family and I go Minnesotan when I visit my dad's folks (who live an hour out of Chicago, but didn't move there till Dad was married with kids).

raangoli

Maybe we can add a "Foreign Language Friday" weekly post to the board and share our words and phrases? I'll post it this Friday and we can see how it goes.

@Beloved - my friends have told me that I talk in an Indian accent to my parents. I don't notice, but I guess it makes sense esp. if I am going between English and Gujarati in the same sentence.

kpwedkk

I can read and write and recite Sanskrit (aka all those mantras), but my vocabulary is limited, and can't speak to save my life.... which means I can read script or devanagari (hindi with american alphabet) but, again, with this American accent, I stick out like a sore thumb :-( Boooo

Can you take a picture of the Gujrati script, maybe we can find out what it says for you??