I work with numerous Indian H1B's and am attempting to learn some Hindi

[IDemo]

Don't get me wrong - I have no illusions. My Hindi will never come close to their English, which is a second language throughout much of India. And I will not likely be traveling there anytime soon. I simply enjoy the concept of learning another language. I taught myself Spanish 30 years ago and became the point of contact for calls in a large support center. Probably about a third of the workers in this division are here on H1B's and I work closely with many of them on a daily basis.

I was told by the boss that Mandarin would be a better choice for anyone in the tech world, but I don't anticipate traveling to China anytime, either.

This is a difficult looking language for a Westerner, but there looks to be a number of resources available. I know how I feel about the use of "in-shored" people rather than US citizens who desperately need the work, but that decision isn't mine to make. I figure I may as well make the best of the circumstances and take advantage of some "captive" help in conversational practice.

Namaste.

[Odin2005]

1. I'm trying to learn Hindi and it's a MFer to learn

Here's a site: http://www.learning-hindi.com

[SheilaT]

2. Whatever language you want to learn,

for whatever reason you want to learn it, is the right language to learn.

I have no patience with people who claim everyone MUST learn Spanish or Japanese or Chinese or whatever.

I took French many years ago in high school and I still find it useful far more often than those who know no French would realize. I also have studied Spanish and German and a little Italian. And I use them on occasion. If I'd ever gotten around to learning other languages, I know I'd find use for whatever I'd chosen to study.

Good for you for wanting to lean some Hindi.

[Dawson Leery]

4. I too cannot deal with people that say

the only foreign languages worthy of learning are Spanish or Chinese.
People learn languages for many different reasons.

[Aviation Pro]

3. Which dialect.?

....there are 22 official ones.

(Been there 8 times in the last two years, stick to English, it is the official language).

[IDemo]

5. Not sure

I'll have to ask my closest confidante tomorrow. I haven't seen mention of different dialects on most of the sites I've explored regarding learning Hindi, though I know there are many.

[Vehl]

6. 22 official languages, not Dialects

Hindi is one of the 22 Official languages. I believe you were talking about the official languages and not dialects of Hindi when you mentioned 22.

Indian states are divided based on linguistic lines. This means each state would speak its own language. There are three major language families in India (Indo-European (Hindi falls under this), Dravidian, and Munda). These three language families are as different from each other as English is from Japanese is from Swahili. By a general rule of thumb, Hindi or some other Indo-European language family-based languages are spoken in northern India and Dravidian language family based languages are spoken in Southern India. Bangalore, being southern India is in the Dravidian languages region (It's in the state of Karnataka..which speaks the language Kannada)

I second your suggestion about sticking to English...its better that way...and much more convenient.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

7. Please do not refer to Asian and African and Native American LANGUAGES

as "dialects."

A dialect is a variety of a language. For example, there are many dialects of English in England and Scotland, but they are all English.

However, the 22 varieties of speech spoken in India are distinct LANGUAGES, many with their own scripts and literary traditions.

At the time of Columbus, there were 150 distinct LANGUAGES spoken by North American Native tribes.

I'm sure you didn't mean anything by it, but the use of "dialect" for non-Western languages is a relic of the colonial period, a way by which Europeans and white Americans disrespected the languages of the people they conquered.

A non-Western language may have dialects. For example, the largest tribe on the American plains is variously known as Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota, depending on the dialect of the tribal language that a given band spoke. But what they spoke was a dialect of a LANGUAGE.

[Vehl]

8. Rosetta Stone is pretty good

I dunno about their Hindi lessons (they do have them), But I'm learning Japanese and I Find Rosetta stone to be an awesome learning tool. If possible, check see if your local library has it...that way you can check out its effectiveness yourself, maybe they might also have free demos available.

As for learning Hindi, I would say that it would not be of much use when it comes to communicating with people in the tech field...as they would all know English. Furthermore the chances are that you might inadvertently ruffle someones feathers if you talk to them in Hindi...especially so if they are the type which make a point of not talking in Hindi, but sticking to their own regional/official language and English. Think of Frenchmen refusing to speak English in France and you would have an idea of the issues involved. The problem of Language does not really arise if you have to mostly deal with the tech/tech-related crowd as they would all speak English.

I hasten to add that I am not trying to discourage you from learning Hindi, but am merely pointing out that it might not have as much of a positive effect as the one you had when you learned Spanish. However, learning an extra language never helps. I'm learning Japanese out of sheer interest and Its fun to learn. So I'm certain there would be a lot of benefits to learning any language. Imho , when dealing with people from India, a better way of developing a good relationship, over the phone, or in person would be to learn more about the particular state(region) of India they are from and let them know, while conversing some tidbits of info about their place. It would really make a big difference and might even help cut through a lot of the red tape sometimes found in Indian bureaucracy.

I am from that region myself, and Even though I speak 3 Indian languages..I do not know Hindi(I know a couple of words and that's it) but have no problem communicating with them in English. This is made easier by the fact that most of India's Silicon Valley-ish areas are in the south...regions where Hindi is not spoken.

[Vehl]

9. typo

I meant learning an extra language never hurts...not never helps, as it got typed in my previous post. :D

[IDemo]

13. Thank you for your reply

What got me going on Hindi was one individual who has offered encouragement to me on learning it. I didn't really stop to think that many of the other employees may not be conversant in Hindi. Many of the "teach yourself" sites emphasize that 250 million or more speak Hindi and that it could be considered the "official language" of India. There are a few here who I must struggle to understand in English, but I'm sure the reverse would be true as well.

I will likely pursue it in any event, mainly because I simply enjoy the learning experience and have always felt a fascination with India. I do wish Rosetta Stone weren't so expensive because it really sounds like a great tool.

[Vehl]

14. You are welcome :)

It's a big help indeed if some native speaker is offering his/her help in teaching you the language. Nothing can best the learning experience of speaking to a native language speaker.I would say go for it, cos you can talk with your friend and improve your skill that way. For most English speakers from the subcontinent, the American accent was/is a bigger hurdle than the language itself, as they all speak/pronounce/try to pronounce the British way. For non native American English speakers, American accent is somewhat hard to get used to..but after a few months it should not be much of an issue. With many American TV shows finding more and more fans around the world, I believe this problem should sort itself out in the coming decade or so.

As for the teach yourself sites, yes..they are correct...there are about 250 million people in India who speak Hindi..but maybe 100 million of them have Hindi as their native mother tongue..the rest learn it as a second/third language. This still leaves about 800 million people who speak other languages though. But as you pointed out, learning a language goes beyond merely learning it for some purpose, we learn out of sheer interest as well. This is the main reason I'm learning Japanese..cos I'm interested in the culture. As for the Rosetta stone...yes It's expensive, I was lucky enough that one o my friend's loaned me hers. Do check out your public libraries though..they might have copies of Rosetta stone which you can check out. Mine does.

have fun!

[JI7]

10. many indian people don't know Hindi either

i bet more than half of them know english but not hindi. they probably speak another indian language.

[JI7]

11. English is preferable to Hindi if you want to travel, work etc in India

there are many who speak another indian language besides hindi. but many of them especially if they are educated are likely to knw english.

i think learning Mandarin might be more beneficial .

[bemildred]

12. You need to learn Forwardi instead.

It's the wave of the future.

[Xithras]

15. Your boss is right.

The Indian government is even bringing in 10,000 Mandarin teachers to bring their people up to speed(http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x1145852). China is rapidly becoming a hub for both the technology and manufacturing worlds, while India appears to be cornering backoffice and support services. If your focus is tech, learning Hindi may only be useful in the short term.