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More widespread & "useful" Arabic/Hindi?

  Tags: Hindi | Usefulness | Arabic
 Language Learning Forum : Specific Languages Post Reply
14 messages over 2 pages: 1
ChiaBrain
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United States
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Speaks: English*, Spanish*
Studies: Portuguese, Italian, French
Studies: German

 
 Message 9 of 14
12 April 2011 at 12:02am | IP Logged 
I think if you have to ask this question then neither is of any immediate use so you are free to pursue either out of interest, love or both.

I'd start by scouring the Internet for media. Learn about the cultures. Try some beginner courses.
Study both and see which one you feel like sticking to. Maybe you'll want to learn both.

I tend to think of languages as being cultural expressions to be savored and enjoyed like food, music or art.
I'm fortunate that I don't have any pressing need for any language save my native ones so I'd rather wander the lingua-verse and satisfy my curiosity.

This question may ultimately be decided by what your next girlfriend or boyfriend speaks
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LatinoBoy84
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 Message 10 of 14
12 April 2011 at 12:22am | IP Logged 
Well said, but I believe that part of enjoying the culture depends on just how open the
culture is foreigners. As a Westerner where does one stand? Even if one has sincere
interest the general reception of other cultures can make one's journey easier or harder.
As I mentioned though, the questions posed were purely intellectual. :-)

I find it fascinating that Hindi should in theory be easier, but there are so many more
Arabic resources at one's disposal (MSA/Egyptian/Laventine). One could really go either
way. You can't really go wrong with either...the only advantage seems to be that in the
West one would likely meet a little more openness with Arabic speakers (the language of
instruction in India seems to be English in large part).

Edited by LatinoBoy84 on 12 April 2011 at 4:50am

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ChiaBrain
Bilingual Diglot
Senior Member
United States
Joined 5567 days ago

402 posts - 512 votes 
Speaks: English*, Spanish*
Studies: Portuguese, Italian, French
Studies: German

 
 Message 11 of 14
12 April 2011 at 6:15am | IP Logged 
Hindi has enough resources out there. There are several threads on here in regards to
this. And there are more Hindi language films available on Netflix than any other
language.

I'm not sure what you mean by "open to foreigners" exactly. All the Indian people I've
met and worked with have been open and friendly. I've never tried to practice Hindi
with them because I didn't really start studying it till recently. I've known far less
Arabic people so I can't say. I would say it really depends on the individual.

My own personal preference of the two is Hindi. I'm fascinated with India. I love Indic
music and love the sound of Hindi in it. Even a bad Bollywood movie usually has pretty
girls and some good songs. I'm also curious about Hindi's ancient connection to
European languages. The second person familiar pronoun is "Tum" similar to Spanish "Tu"
and in fact has a "Tu" used . You can probably guess what the following transliterated
Hindi means: "Mera naam ChiaBrain hai"










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LatinoBoy84
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 Message 12 of 14
17 April 2011 at 4:54am | IP Logged 
When I refer to "openness" I use it in the context of whether the "general public" feels
comfortable engaging westerners in their native language (especially in the learning
stages). I don't mean that a specific people aren't known for there hospitality, but
rather how they might react to an honest attempt by someone who takes interest in their
culture. Arabic and Hindi both pose challenges for different reasons, the first language
is fragmented into various registers while the latter is not always deemed as prestigious
as English.
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ChiaBrain
Bilingual Diglot
Senior Member
United States
Joined 5567 days ago

402 posts - 512 votes 
Speaks: English*, Spanish*
Studies: Portuguese, Italian, French
Studies: German

 
 Message 13 of 14
17 April 2011 at 6:42am | IP Logged 
Yes, I've heard that Hindi speakers aren't always so open with speaking Hindi.

Katherine Rich, the author of the book "Dreaming in Hindi" comments about speaking in Hindi to Hindi speakers in American in the video
on this page:


http://www.amazon.com/Dreaming-Hindi-Katherine-Russell-Rich/ dp/0618155457



It's unfortunate but I think if you get to know people enough they are glad to enlighten you about their culture.
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