When we had done lazing about all morning at the hill fort, we decided to go for a walk. This direction (below) looked the most inviting.
It was a warm afternoon. We started walking and soon we were joined by Manjeet on his bicycle. Manjeet was a local schoolboy who wanted to be a chemical engineer and enjoyed ambling alongside us and then back the whole way. I persuaded him to teach me a few words of Hindi and very soon I was reciting numbers up to ten and saying 'Apa naam?' and 'Mea naam Jonathan' and 'Aapki umma kya hai?' (How old are you?) at least ..I think I remember it right?? For me there's something so special about learning the first few words of a new language - I feel a kind of pleasurable tension filling my head and jaw as I try to get my mouth around them, a sense of a whole new universe available to me. For every language, the feeling goes (mainly) after about 200 words, when I suddenly realise it's a slog, and that 'what time does the next train leave?' is pretty much the same dull universe. It only reappears once I get way out past all that stuff into advanced level. Anyway, the words felt magical, the little etymological explosions of 'do' for two, 'saat' for seven and 'aat' for eight and 'meya' for I and 'tum' for you.
It was a warm afternoon. We started walking and soon we were joined by Manjeet on his bicycle. Manjeet was a local schoolboy who wanted to be a chemical engineer and enjoyed ambling alongside us and then back the whole way. I persuaded him to teach me a few words of Hindi and very soon I was reciting numbers up to ten and saying 'Apa naam?' and 'Mea naam Jonathan' and 'Aapki umma kya hai?' (How old are you?) at least ..I think I remember it right?? For me there's something so special about learning the first few words of a new language - I feel a kind of pleasurable tension filling my head and jaw as I try to get my mouth around them, a sense of a whole new universe available to me. For every language, the feeling goes (mainly) after about 200 words, when I suddenly realise it's a slog, and that 'what time does the next train leave?' is pretty much the same dull universe. It only reappears once I get way out past all that stuff into advanced level. Anyway, the words felt magical, the little etymological explosions of 'do' for two, 'saat' for seven and 'aat' for eight and 'meya' for I and 'tum' for you.
It was a beautiful walk, across fields, past naughty boys (see K's blog) and brightly coloured women in saris in the fields. When we returned, Manjeet asked to have his photo taken and wanted it taken with Katrina...
1 comment:
Jonathan can speak Hindi / Urdu - now there's nowhere safe! I'm impressed at how quickly you have picked it up. Me? I can whistle in ten different languages. And it doesn't matter where you go Katrina the potatoe goes with you. Speaking of which if you see Jade Goody chuck a few samosas at her! Safe journey. Durant.
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