Is it what we speak or is it what other people comprehend? Different people....different languages.....different pronunciations.....and therefore comprehension of an altogether different meaning.People from south,whom I generally refer to as Madrasis(irrespective of their states,they appear and sound almost alike to me)when I was a little kid,would ask me,"kana kaya?"(had your food).My mother tongue being Hindi,Kana meant a man with one blind eye.Unable to grasp the meaning I would reply"Ille Poda" and run away only to be pulled up by my parents who,many a times found themselves at their wits end trying to teach me to be polite to the elders(well,I did say 'Ille poda' politely.What was wrong with that?)Now that I am mature,I know what they mean when an Iyengar wishes me 'gud meyerning"and when a Punjabi says"godda marring jee."I politely respond..."a very good morning to you too".Grew up...got married...shifted to a not so remote place in Bengal,I faced the same lingo problem again.The way the locals spoke Hindi and English was quite different which increased my problem of communicating with them.One fine morning,my bong neighbour(a woman)complained,"Gitanjali,I haven't been pheeling(feeling)bhell(well)lately.So I went to see a doctor and the doctor asked me to show him my 'Taang'(leg).I was infuriated."What an indecent man!Why does he need to see the leg of the poor woman!"I thought.Her ten year old corrected her"Ma....not taang....tongue."Something similar happened with my cousins who shifted to Orissa.Their colleague invited them over for 'Bhojan'(dinner).My dear cousins did go to their colleagues place only to find "Bhajans and Keertans'(hymns)going on.So much so for the Indian languages.What happens when we Indians talk in Hinglish and gramatically wrong English?Not to forget the fantabulous pronunciations.A few examples are:
1)I enjoy rape(rap) dancing.
2)I am having fever(huh?).
3)You must be knowing my uncle.He is a big officer there.
4)I want one glass of water.
5)Please open the windows and let the weather come in!
6)I like this one more better.
7)When people travelling in the train ask me to switch the lights off so that 'we can go to bed.'
8)At a small get together where people ask u to pass the bowel(bowl).
9)Madam!You taken all the trouble to pay us a visit!Thanking you so much sincerely madam!
10)The bheather(weather)is so bhery(very)phleesant(pleasnt)today.
11)'Arre madam aap toh naraaz ho gaye.Hum to apki intelligence'Taste'(test)kar rahe the.' Dude!!!!
