English, they say, is the language of the world at large; a medium that enables inter-geographical communication. It is this very language that capacitates businesses to run, across economies and nationalities.
Though English is the lingua franca per se, each region adds its own local flavor to the language. India, for one, is a clear winner here.
The version of English we see in India is, by all means, functional, and is understood with ease, locally.
“The team lead is trying to taalofy (elude) this crucial meeting.”
This fusing of English with Hindi words in conversations is fashionably called Hinglish.
Why Hinglish
The Language English in India, for a shrewd classist reason, is considered an elitist language.
Those who get to study at high-end English medium private schools, flaunt speaking in English.
Those who do not have access to English language learning, but desire to speak the language, start mixing some familiar English words with their Hindi, thus creating an altogether new hybrid language called Hinglish.
This Indianized version, has picked up trend and is now widely used across societal strata in India. The youth today, irrespective of their social standing, feel that speaking Hinglish is cool as it portrays that they are hip and stylish yet locally grounded. It is their badge of modernity.
Have a look at some of the interesting ones:
1. She was samjhaoing (explaining) the graph jab uska (when her) phone rang.
2. I have hazaar (a thousand) things to sort before agli (the next) meeting.
3. Chalo (a loose expression for ‘alright’), will see you in the next zoom meet.
4. Boss in kya? (Is the boss in the office?)
5. Time kya hua hai? (What time is it right now?)
6. Aaj (Today), he came late fir se (again).
7. Their coding is bad aur (and) Presentation skills bhi (too). Sequencing of words is influenced by Hindi grammar.
8. Kya aaj Manager available hai for the Appraisal discussion? (Is the Manager available for the Appraisal discussion today?)
9. He said ki (that), he will be on leave tomorrow.
10. Let us meet over a cup of chai(Tea).
11. I toh (however) knew, ki (that) the client will be impressed with our presentation.
Going Global
With coming-of-age of Indian diaspora in various industries across the globe, Hinglish has made a name for itself in casual conversations.
- Guru, Yoga, Curry, Pajamas, Bangles, Jodhpurs, Khaki, Bungalow, shampoo, Thug are only some of the desi (Indianized) words that made it into the world vocab.
- Whether it is the News channels or slogans for advertisements, India finds Hinglish totally dominating its broadcasting and media industry. International businesses looking to establish their presence here, happily encash upon the trend and choose to go the Hinglish way.
To give you an idea of the popularity of Hinglish, here are some of the examples of ad slogans by international brands:
o McDonald’s- ‘What your bahana’ (excuse) is?
o Coke- ‘Life ho toh aisi’ (This is how Life should be)
o Domino’s pizza- ‘Hungry kya’ (Are you hungry)
o Pepsi- ‘Ye dil maange more’ (This heart asks for more)
Feel free to add to this list. 😊
- There is another important sector, that has helped introduce Hinglish to all those big international corporate houses!
You guessed it - Call centers. You will almost always be welcomed by an Indian Customer service representative with a style of his own, anytime you dial any customer-care number.
- Google’s Hindi Input app for mobile keyboard, provides Hinglish predictive text in Roman script too.
- And that’s not all - now even Amazon’s Alexa understands and responds in Hinglish.
Clearly the language has arrived!
Neha Srivastava is a Corporate trainer, Performance coach, and independent web Content writer and editor with 20 + years of content designing, development, and delivery experience, across IT, ITES, and BPO sectors. Specialized in Business communication, Customer services, and Team Dynamics, she takes delight in helping industry aspirants and working professionals hone their soft skills.
To read more from her, visit OfficeGritties.com » Office Gritties
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