How to Tackle the Language Issues (Hinglish) In India?

Understanding Hinglish like “he is drinking cigar” or “You want glassy?” may leave you confused and intimidated. The language issues of Hinglish are often the number one adjustment problem for many English speaking Westerners

who fail to follow the localized Indian English. On the contrary, the growing numbers of expats settling in India have learned to tackle this language issue without which understanding their next door neighbor or even their immediate boss can be a tough call. Here is what you need to keep in mind while trying to comprehend “Hinglish” while living in India.

Second Language:
Understand that Hindi is the mother tongue of majority of the Indians. Even so, they have learned and taught their children to speak English in order to adjust abroad and follow a universal language. For a native English speaker small words of Hinglish may seem odd or even out of context. So, in order to understand Its, the trick is to first start by understanding where Its speaking is coming from?

Pronunciation Gaps:
In India, the majority of the population is taught by Indian speaking English teachers. As a result, they tend to develop an accent of their own and pronounce “zebra” as “jebra” or “the” as “da”. So when “the zebra has four legs” is spoken as “da jebra has four legs” a native English speaker is dumbfounded what to make out of it. A trick is to follow the context of discussion for example if you are talking about animals than it is easier to tell what is being discussed – with practice.

Localised Messages:
Many Hinglish speaking Indians mix English and Hindi to communicate at a mass level. Relating and following Hinglish becomes all the more vital for a native English speaking expat that is expected to develop market launches, understand an average Indian consumer or communicate with the masses through a localized advertising campaign.

How to Learn Hinglish?
By living in India and intermingling with its locals. Remember that learning to understand Hinglish will help you adjust better in India and socialize with confidence.