Hindi

Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi is a standardised register of Hindustani identified with Hindus. It is one of the 22 official languages of India and is used as the primary official language of the Republic of India along with English. Standard Hindi is a sanskritised register derived from the khariboli dialect.
The number of speakers of Standard Hindi is ambiguous. According to the 2001 Indian census, 258 million people in India regarded their native language to be "Hindi". However, this includes large numbers of speakers of Hindi dialects besides Standard Hindi.
The dialect upon which Standard Hindi is based is khariboli, the common language of the Delhi region. This dialect acquired linguistic prestige in the Mughal Empire and became known as Urdu, "the language of the court." After independence, the Government of India set about standardizing Hindi as a separate language from Urdu.

Come back tomorrow for English as a foreign language

You must be joking?

It’s interesting really, when you think about it. I think the importance of communication is often underplayed. Take a joke for example. A joke has the power to make people fall down in tears of laughter. It has the power to bring amazing happiness to those people that hear it, and we have such a fascination with jokes and laughter that we spend hours and hours of our lives watching comedy films and going to see stand up comedians- a good sense of humour is even something most people look for in a partner.
Yet, on the other side of the coin- jokes can often be misunderstood. People can be hurt, offended and even feel bullied by not understanding a joke. Interestingly, humour is something that a lot of people find very difficult to translate into a different language. This is because the things we find funny are not just the words themselves, but the common associations we have with them.
I suppose, in theory, it is possible to learn a language from a text book. I suppose that all a language really is, is a series of words in specific patterns and structures that could quite easily be portrayed in a book or on a website. How hard would it be to learn what to say? Then again, I think the skill lies in how to say it. Nothing compares to learning a language from a real breathing human being. Human beings possess all the appropriate word associations and feelings, not just to say the right things, but to make sense.
For example, if you found someone attractive, you could say “Your face is aesthetically adequate” and you never know, it may be well received- but I personally feel that a phrase like “your very pretty” would go down with more success.
Do not settle for merely being heard. Aim to be understood.

Up to the challenge?

Learning a new language can be challenging, whether it is learning new grammar or trying to perfect accent - but it is such a rewarding experience when you hit those milestones- Like a full conversation with a native, or even just being able to understand a sign-post in a different country.

What are the biggest problems you have come across when learning new languages? What are your most positive experiences?

Its all in the accent

When attempting to perfect a new language, the pinnacle achievement is that of acquiring a genuine accent to go with it. Some accents, like the Australian for example, stand out quite significantly where as other accents, like a softly flowing Irish accent- are more subtle and harder to detect by those who do not know how. In truth, there are a vast amount of different accents, in every language. I can think of at least 9 different types of French accent, just of the top of my head.
Let us take a quick look at the British and American accents. Both are English (although there are those that disagree) but they sound drastically different. The reason for this is that they are spoken using different areas of the mouth. Americans don’t distinguish so much between different sounds and speak with the back of the mouth and the nose, where as the Brits speak with the front part of the mouth and the tongue, carefully articulating each sound.
It is really very normal to have an accent, as an accent is merely the way in which we use our mouths to pronounce words. The best way to pick up an accent is to “reverse engineer” it. Listen to a native speaker speaking your language and listen to the accent they have. For example- When English is your native language and you wish to learn how to speak German- listen to how a German person speaks English. You will notice that they speak very much with their breath- paying particular attention to letters “s” and “z”- When next speaking German, do the same and you shall find your accent improved.
The best way to pick up a genuine accent is to learn from a native speaker. Get in touch with Just Languages and give it a try.

Land of Pharaohs

As many of you will be aware, Egypt, land of the Pharaohs, is currently going through great political and social upheaval. Hosni Mubarak, President of the 30 years has been accused of tyranny and corruption and there has been a call from the Egyptian people and the international community for him to step down.
Egypt, or more accurately the Arab Republic of Egypt has a rich history and a vibrant culture. Almost every school child in the world is taught about the pyramids, the sphinx and the Nile. The country's history is ingrained in pop culture with films like “The Mummy” and conspiracies like “Was the curse of Tutankhamun responsible for the sinking of the Titanic?”. Furthermore, considering it is a Muslim county, it is remarkable that part of Christian teaching involves learning a little of Egypt's history and culture.
So what is the fate of this magnificent country now? Well that is a question that seems to be in heavy contention. Even now in Tahrir square, thousands of anti-Mubarak supporters face off against thousands of pro-Mubarak supporters. Despite the promise the he will not stand for another term, Mubarak is beset on all sides by people calling for his immediate resignation.
Whatever happens, the next year in Egypt will be interesting ones- It will be amazing place to visit with a beautiful culture to immerse yourself in. And of course, one of the best ways to understand a different culture, is through its language.

Now, I know it rather difficult to find good Arabic tutors in the UK, I have found Just Languages to rather reliable.