"ma tha ta'ffaell?"

what are u doing?

"Noor" wrote:

kaifa halik? how are you
behair allahamdulliah - fine thanks
wa antey - and u?

Are you an Arab, Noor? My Arabic is quite limited to "Marhaba" (hello) "Shoukran (Laq)" (Thanks/thank you. I didn't waste any opportunity to say this when I was in the Emirates last year). Is goodbye "Layellah?"

"You" wrote:

Yopu only need to learn one thing.

"Yalla, Yalla" with a dismissive/derisory wave of the hand.

Lol. Something I heard a LOT during my time in Saudi.

It means a lot of things depending on the situation. It can mean..

-Get lost.
-Move it.
-Hurry up.

And usually a blank stare and confused questions in a foreign language usually allows you to continue do what you're doing.

I remember I was told so many times in the Haram to "Yallah Nisa" (move it woman) when I was standing looking at the Kabah. And a confused "I beg your pardon?" "I'm sorry I dont understand what your saying" usually allowed me to get on with it.

This is something I picked up from the Arabs. Dad was demanding his rights at the Saudi Aiport. The Arab at the international desk seemed not to understand what dad was saying...it was only when dad began to swear, the Arab man asked in perfect English "Why are you swearing at me?"

Oh and the best way to pick up the language is from the locals when visiting a foreign country. Annoyingly enough, its the insults you pick up first.

"You" wrote:

Lesson number 1 - Not urdu, but "hoar phir". For anyone from around Mirpur this is a hwole conversation in itself. It means "what else?".

I have the habit of saying that to anyone and everyone. Only those that know me know I say it in jest.

Lol. I hate that. Forget 'hoar phir' round here it's just 'hoar'... 'hoar'... 'hoar'...
I've realised a lot of people from Pakistan use that as a whole conversation, it is extremely hard work for the person they are speaking to. I know. But now, after the 15th 'hoar' I just look at them and then say 'bas'. Lol. You should see their face. If I like the person it's 'bas, thusa sunao' ...and then it's my turn... 'hoar'... 'hoar'... 'hoar'... Lol. Seriously, it is very annoying.

I have never head the word jhaang before. We say 'lath' for leg. :?

I absolutely love the urdu language, but unfortunately don’t speak it very well at all. I would so love too though and if I had more time would like to learn to. I went to Urdu classes after leaving mosque and learnt up to the 10th book so I know I read and write urdu very well. Daily we had to write everything we read to her, answer questions on what we’d read and also everyday she’d dictate a paragraph or 3 which we had to write with no mistakes. Once a week she used to give me 10 random words which I had to write into sentences, which was quite hard as they weren’t simple words and on Friday she’d give me a made-up situation which I had to put in a letter over the weekend. And although we were only allowed to talk to her in urdu, we didn’t really pick up much coz there was very little we actually needed to say to each other.

My best friend speaks urdu, and she sounds so beautiful. Even when she's annoyed or upset. Whenever I go round I'm very conscious of talking to her mum. I tend to start off urdu but when the conversation gets past the normal how are you, how's your mum, how's work, I tend to slip into punjabi. But I feel like I'm being really disrespectful to her. I would aboslutely love to be able to speak urdu fluently, it just sounds so beautiful.

How you planning to do that?

From my experience you really need to speak it to learn it properly.

If you're parents speak it you should be alright. Unfortunately no-one in my family speaks urdu at all.

Yeah you definitely should then.

Out of everyone I know only my best friend speaks urdu. I think I even speak it better than my parents, definitely my mum. Don't ever remember hearing my dad speak it although he can read and write it, but mum can't.

"Imaani" wrote:

If you're parents speak it you should be alright. Unfortunately no-one in my family speaks urdu at all.

me neither

poor you.

On the bright side, you are still multi lingual. You should be able to speak Scottish!

"You" wrote:

poor you.

On the bright side, you are still multi lingual. You should be able to speak Scottish!

och aye.

fit whining, loon!

Quote:

[b]Being bilingual 'protects brain'[/b]

Being fluent in two languages may help to keep the brain sharper for longer, a study suggests.

Researchers from York University in Canada carried out tests on 104 people between the ages of 30 and 88.

They found that those who were fluent in two languages rather than just one were sharper mentally.

Writing in the journal of Psychology and Ageing, they said being bilingual may protect against mental decline in old age.

Previous studies have shown that keeping the brain active can protect against senile dementia.

[url]http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3794479.stm[/url]

urdu is easy!

i probably speak more urdu than english on a daily basis :? .....lately, ive started saying things in urdu i would normally say in english....which is weird

i learnt a lot from home and mosque when i was a youngster

but it advanced from watching urdu dramas ....they used to be some good ones back then

jus listen to it.....i.e. a lecture, and ask ur parents or sum1 sumat u dont understand.........sometimes you understand a word when you listen in context of whats being said

and now im doing money transfer, i have to speak the language a lot

speaking comes with practice.......altho be prepared for people laffing at ur mistakes....that happens!!

:oops: im not the only guy who used to watch pakistani dramas....there are plenty....in pakistan! lol

okay...i dont do that...jus watched some dramas!

read some urdu books....listen lectures....and practice speaking, you learn from mistakes....and a trip to pakistan usually helps

but i know you dont like the place!

I personally do not feel the need to learn urdu coz no one i know speaks it and even if i knew it i still wouldnt speak it coz ppl would take the peev round my end. I think ppl who tend to be quite fluent in mirpuri/punjabi/urdu/bengali/japanese etc their english tends to be a bit dodgy. The accent and pronunciation of words is a bit off. There are some ppl who are born and bread in this country but when they speak english they sound like they are from back home.

Well, well and here we go again, it is really a phenomenon, if I may just comment upon the whole course of discussion here. Why such interest in the Pahari language or as you may call " Mirpuri" language. It surely shows the interest here is not in language but rather devaluing language. If I may just care to say I speak several languages and amongst them my beloved mother tongue Pahari or as you may refer to as " Mirpuri". It is perfectly polite and in order to speak it well you have to be well versed as is the case in all languages. I have learnt my Pahari from my grandparents and therefore can tell you that a lot of what you comment about it being a mix of som many languages is all a weak and fragile case. This is purely a version that you understand, not one that the well versed speak.

Rather, may I make the point that it seems that a vast number of people seem to target this language, which is highly saddistic in all manner and circumstance. Just let us be. Rather obviously, it would not hold the formality of urdu, due to urdu being a language of the courts.

I truly hope you shall either have something positive to say or just let my language be.

Naz wrote:

I personally do not feel the need to learn urdu coz no one i know speaks it and even if i knew it i still wouldnt speak it coz ppl would take the peev round my end. I think ppl who tend to be quite fluent in mirpuri/punjabi/urdu/bengali/japanese etc their english tends to be a bit dodgy. The accent and pronunciation of words is a bit off. There are some ppl who are born and bread in this country but when they speak english they sound like they are from back home.

My first language (not my mother tongue) is English, because I think, dream and swear in English. But I still have an accent, well a regional one.

It seems that everyone on this website (apart from me) is either indian, pakistani or bengali.

Sumaiya wrote:

It seems that everyone on this website (apart from me) is either indian, pakistani or bengali.

Not really.