I would like to start a dictionary of the Telugu I know. It's the language spoken here--many of the locals don't even speak Hindi (the "official" language of India). India has 22 "scheduled" languages spoken--crazy, right? I gotta give these kids props, though, they learn Telugu, Hindi, and English (that's three languages!) concurrently starting in kindergarten. I think most classes for older kids are in English, though.
Hindi Alphabet
Telugu alphabet --it's really different!
Anyway, so my dictionary is, thus far (spelled phonetically, of course):
Ni par en ti? What is your name?
Na per u Zoe. My name is Zoe
Ba gu na va? How are you?
Ba gu na nu. I'm fine.
Man chi ga undu! Be Good! (I try to use this actually make the kids be good. Mostly they just think it's hilarious that I'm trying to speak Telugu.)
Ku cho! Sit down!
Aca Sister
Boma Doll (some of the older girls call me this...at first I thought they were trying to call me "mama.")
I'm on my way to becoming fluent in an absolutely useless language. I think I speak more Telugu than I do German at this point.
guddalo tanta lanja kodaka telugu gurinchi waste geestu anta
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ReplyDeletewhat makes you say its useless? if its helping you interact with the native people its obviously useful in some way. Learning to be cultural sensitive might be useful for you to get the most out of your experiences.
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