Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Lost In Ingraji
I didn’t realize it until recently but I’m able to understand gritty English a lot better than I originally expected. For the past few months, I’ve become totally accustomed to the English that has been used around here. Obviously, grammar is not of concern (nor is it for me when I speak in Marathi). And sometimes words are said incorrectly or the right word cannot be found, but in all of it I’ve been able to completely understand anyone who speaks to me.
As of this week, the Vigyan Ashram became a temporary home to a woman from England. She is a staff member at the University of Sussex and seems to be deeply involved with the organization ‘Engineers Without Borders.’ It has been her lifelong dream to visit India and she thought that combining her dream with her passions would be an ideal supplement to her overall experience. And thus she has come to stay here at the Ashram for three weeks, working on a project of her choice. With a mechanical engineering background, she has a lot she can contribute to the Ashram. Anyway, I’m veering off-topic.
I was giving her a tour of the Ashram and she seemed to immediately fall in love with the place. But while I was talking, I noticed how I had grown accustomed to not only speaking slower but "dumbing down" my English, sometimes taking a few more seconds to think of an easier word. After a while, I realized I was doing it and stopped. Being one of the few people she could converse with, she ended up talking to me a lot for the next couple hours.
I went back to my room afterwards and talked to some of the students and staff who know English. My brain had to adjust considerably to understand what was being communicated. I’m still surprised with how my comprehension level has shifted so much within a few hours. It felt as if they were speaking a completely different language. Can I claim that I’ve learnt another language? Hmmm...
Maybe I can’t considering that I’ve heard some of my fellow fellows speaking in English to their NGO colleagues and, let me tell you, they pour on that heavy Indian accent along with the broken English in an attempt to imitate the what they hear which (seemingly) eases the line of communication. I’d probably try the same if I could hold in the laughter that would commence afterwards.
As of this week, the Vigyan Ashram became a temporary home to a woman from England. She is a staff member at the University of Sussex and seems to be deeply involved with the organization ‘Engineers Without Borders.’ It has been her lifelong dream to visit India and she thought that combining her dream with her passions would be an ideal supplement to her overall experience. And thus she has come to stay here at the Ashram for three weeks, working on a project of her choice. With a mechanical engineering background, she has a lot she can contribute to the Ashram. Anyway, I’m veering off-topic.
I was giving her a tour of the Ashram and she seemed to immediately fall in love with the place. But while I was talking, I noticed how I had grown accustomed to not only speaking slower but "dumbing down" my English, sometimes taking a few more seconds to think of an easier word. After a while, I realized I was doing it and stopped. Being one of the few people she could converse with, she ended up talking to me a lot for the next couple hours.
I went back to my room afterwards and talked to some of the students and staff who know English. My brain had to adjust considerably to understand what was being communicated. I’m still surprised with how my comprehension level has shifted so much within a few hours. It felt as if they were speaking a completely different language. Can I claim that I’ve learnt another language? Hmmm...
Maybe I can’t considering that I’ve heard some of my fellow fellows speaking in English to their NGO colleagues and, let me tell you, they pour on that heavy Indian accent along with the broken English in an attempt to imitate the what they hear which (seemingly) eases the line of communication. I’d probably try the same if I could hold in the laughter that would commence afterwards.
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chets, i totally feel you! i struggled a fair bit when i first got to india, even with the english speakers. my speech really has 2 settings: so-correct-it-sounds-like-formal-writing english; and extremely-colloquial-slang-that's-common-to-north-america. both were making ppl stare at me blankly, and i really really struggled with that. but i agree, it starts to sound like its own dialect of english. the best part for me was that with my family at least, my konkani got a lot of practice... just to avoid the english confusion :)
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