Hinglish
Encyclopedia
Hinglish, a blending of the words "Hindi" and "English", means to combine both languages in one sentence. This is more commonly seen in urban and semi-urban centers of the Hindi
-speaking states of India
, but is slowly spreading into rural and remote areas of these states via television, mobile phones and word of mouth, slowly achieving vernacular
status. Many speakers do not realise that they are incorporating English words into Hindi sentences or Hindi words into English sentences. David Crystal
, a British linguist at the University of Wales
, projected in 2004 that at about 350 million, the world's Hinglish speakers may soon outnumber native English speakers
.
Columnist Devyani Chaubal
was the first author to use Hinglish in her work. Author Shobhaa De then began to use Hinglish elements in her books and columns in the Indian magazine Stardust
. Other authors that have used Hinglish extensively in their novels are Salman Rushdie and Upamanyu Chatterjee
.
Over the years, Hinglish has been effectively used in Indian advertising in advertising slogans, like Pepsi
's Yeh Dil Maange More!
(1998), Yehi hai right choice, Baby (This is the Right Choice, Baby), Yeh Hai Youngistaan.
In 2003, a trend of Hinglish pop songs was popularized by DJ Aqeel
whose Tu Hai Wohi became a success. Other Hinglish songs soon followed like Chadhti Jawaani by Harry Anand which samples the "The Ketchup Song
" and Kaanta Laga by DJ Doll.
In 2005, Baljinder Kaur Mahal (pen name BK Mahal) wrote a book called, The Queen's Hinglish: How to Speak Pukka published by Collins
.
Hinglish is also affecting the English spoken in England, with the adaptation of words and expressions used by Indian immigrants and their offspring into colloquial English in England.
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
-speaking states of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, but is slowly spreading into rural and remote areas of these states via television, mobile phones and word of mouth, slowly achieving vernacular
Vernacular
A vernacular is the native language or native dialect of a specific population, as opposed to a language of wider communication that is not native to the population, such as a national language or lingua franca.- Etymology :The term is not a recent one...
status. Many speakers do not realise that they are incorporating English words into Hindi sentences or Hindi words into English sentences. David Crystal
David Crystal
David Crystal OBE FLSW FBA is a linguist, academic and author.-Background and career:Crystal was born in Lisburn, Northern Ireland. He grew up in Holyhead, North Wales, and Liverpool, England where he attended St Mary's College from 1951....
, a British linguist at the University of Wales
University of Wales
The University of Wales was a confederal university founded in 1893. It had accredited institutions throughout Wales, and formerly accredited courses in Britain and abroad, with over 100,000 students, but in October 2011, after a number of scandals, it withdrew all accreditation, and it was...
, projected in 2004 that at about 350 million, the world's Hinglish speakers may soon outnumber native English speakers
First language
A first language is the language a person has learned from birth or within the critical period, or that a person speaks the best and so is often the basis for sociolinguistic identity...
.
Columnist Devyani Chaubal
Devyani Chaubal
Devyani Chaubal was an Indian journalist and columnist. She was born into a rich family; her father was a prosperous barrister. Chaubal was a film gossip journalist, and among the first in Indian film journalism to have a poison pen and insinuate a lot in her columns. Until her arrival, Indian...
was the first author to use Hinglish in her work. Author Shobhaa De then began to use Hinglish elements in her books and columns in the Indian magazine Stardust
Stardust (magazine)
Stardust is an Indian monthly Bollywood news and gossip magazine published in English and Hindi. It also sponsors the Stardust Awards.-History:...
. Other authors that have used Hinglish extensively in their novels are Salman Rushdie and Upamanyu Chatterjee
Upamanyu Chatterjee
Upamanyu Chatterjee is an Indian Bengali author and administrator, notable for his work set in the milieu of the Indian Administrative Service, especially his novel English, August. He was born in Patna, Bihar and was educated at St. Xavier's School and St. Stephen's College, in Delhi...
.
Over the years, Hinglish has been effectively used in Indian advertising in advertising slogans, like Pepsi
Pepsi
Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink that is produced and manufactured by PepsiCo...
's Yeh Dil Maange More!
Yeh Dil Maange More!
Yeh Dil Maange More! is an advertising slogan coined for Pepsi at JWT by Anuja Chauhan in 1998. It combines Hindi-Urdu and English, and literally meaning This Heart Wants More, which later became a popular slogan. The slogan and its derivatives have been used in multiple contexts in India...
(1998), Yehi hai right choice, Baby (This is the Right Choice, Baby), Yeh Hai Youngistaan.
In 2003, a trend of Hinglish pop songs was popularized by DJ Aqeel
DJ Aqeel
DJ Aqeel is a DJ, singer and composer from India. He became known after his "Shake it daddy Mix" song became very popular in early 2000. His popularity grew when his song "Tu hai wahi" song which was a remix of the "Yeh Wada Raha" song from the 1982 movie of the same name became popular in the...
whose Tu Hai Wohi became a success. Other Hinglish songs soon followed like Chadhti Jawaani by Harry Anand which samples the "The Ketchup Song
The Ketchup Song
"The Ketchup Song" is the English title of the song "Aserejé", performed by the Andalusian-Spanish pop group Las Ketchup, which was an international hit in 2002. The song exists in three versions, Spanish, a version in a mixture of English and Spanish, described as "Spanglish", and a version in...
" and Kaanta Laga by DJ Doll.
In 2005, Baljinder Kaur Mahal (pen name BK Mahal) wrote a book called, The Queen's Hinglish: How to Speak Pukka published by Collins
HarperCollins
HarperCollins is a publishing company owned by News Corporation. It is the combination of the publishers William Collins, Sons and Co Ltd, a British company, and Harper & Row, an American company, itself the result of an earlier merger of Harper & Brothers and Row, Peterson & Company. The worldwide...
.
Hinglish is also affecting the English spoken in England, with the adaptation of words and expressions used by Indian immigrants and their offspring into colloquial English in England.
See also
- Indian EnglishIndian EnglishIndian English is an umbrella term used to describe dialects of the English language spoken primarily in the Republic of India.As a result of British colonial rule until Indian independence in 1947 English is an official language of India and is widely used in both spoken and literary contexts...
- Madras Tamil
- Creole languages
- RomanagariRomanagariRomanagari, a portmanteau of the words "Roman" and "Devanagari", is a slang word coined by bloggers. It refers to Hindi text written or typed in Roman script, as opposed to the standard Devanagari script. A possible reason for this is that Hindi-speaking computer users may lack tools necessary for...