3flowers Posted January 20, 2008 Share Posted January 20, 2008 Has anybody hear learned Hindi or planning on it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in KY Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 My kids (nearly 7 and 8) have been playing around with it and enjoying it. Of course, they are *supposed* to be working on Portuguese, but they prefer the more exotic languages instead. How I'll get them to do their Portuguese lesson after our free library access to Rosetta Stone ends, I have no clue. Having 27 other languages to play with is a major motivator for them, and I often hear them on English (UK) or Polish or Hindi or (pick a language) after they finish their lessons. Hope that helps a little, Susan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 I can not think of any other program that would have Hindi. Unless there is an Indian community nearby - they may have native speakers willing to tutor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mamagistra Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 I hope to learn it someday with Rosetta Stone. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3flowers Posted January 21, 2008 Author Share Posted January 21, 2008 Yeah, the only thing I've seen so far is Rosetta Stone. So I'll probably end up with that. Maybe after I learn the basics from Rosetta Stone (or something else?) then I can find some one to tutor us as well. Hmm. Is it easy to learn languages with Rosetta Stone? I worry, because the books that come with it are all written in Hindi as well. =) So I would have to buy the English counterparts as well so that I could translate it. At least that's what I've been told. My husband was actually born in India but was adopted and brought to the US at 13 months. So he knows nothing really of his culture. I think it's sad. And since we have 2 children together I want us all to try and learn Hindi. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 I haven't used any of them but they have several versions. You also make look at Powells books .com and see if they have any programs for sale. They have a fairly extensive foreign language section in the store. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3flowers Posted January 21, 2008 Author Share Posted January 21, 2008 Wow! Thanks Tap, tap, tap. I'm looking at Powells right now. I'm not sure if my library will have anything (farm town) but I'll definitely check. so...is that tap dancing? just wondering. =) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maria/ME Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 I started learning Hindi after a trip to India but then my dd came along. Alas diapers and burping took over learning a language. I always wanted to get back to it at some point and have a few online resources. I don't know if these will work for you at all, but might be a jumping off point before spending the Rosetta Stone dough. Free Hindi Tutorial Free Online Language Courses Namaste,:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3flowers Posted January 21, 2008 Author Share Posted January 21, 2008 Thank you Maria! I will definitely check out those sites (and bookmark them). Someday we'll hopefully make it to India! Maybe when the kids are older. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mabelen Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 My dh is from Sri Lanka, his mother tongue is Tamil, and for a while I wanted to learn some. Rosetta Stone does not carry Tamil, but I managed to find a CD Rom by Eurotalk which my oldest dd has used on and off since she was 6. It is a basic level, but they do have other languages and levels. I don't know if they also carry Hindi, it might be worth a try. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3flowers Posted January 21, 2008 Author Share Posted January 21, 2008 I have another question now. Should we learn Hindi which is more well known. or... Learn Malayalam which is the main language of Kerala and southern India. Where my husband was born but not as many speak it? 30 million compared to like 180 million for Hindi. Decisions, decisions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mabelen Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 It depends on what your goals are. Do you want to get to know your dh's native state and people mainly or the whole of India? India is such a vast and diverse country! Kerala is a very progressive state, its literacy rate is one of the highest in India. I have a friend from Kerala, she learned both Malayalam and English at school, although she also speaks Hindi, and Tamil, which is a closely related language. I wouldn't say however Malayalam is the main language of Southern India. Tamil, the language of the neighboring Tamil Nadu state, has around 60 million speakers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3flowers Posted January 21, 2008 Author Share Posted January 21, 2008 I wouldn't say however Malayalam is the main language of Southern India. Tamil, the language of the neighboring Tamil Nadu state, has around 60 million speakers. Oops! I just went and re-read were I found that info. I read it wrong the first time. It was saying that Malayalam is the state language of Kerala in southern India. (just saying where Kerala is located) That's a tough decision to make. Ideally, it would be nice to learn both. But maybe not realistically. My husband will just tell me "Whatever you decide". Which I do like hearing :D but not always. I personally think it would be nice to learn the language that dh would have spoken had he stayed there. But since we don't know anyone there are we limiting ourselves to whom we can speak to? I know, I'll have my dh do a poll. :) He works at a mall and often enough he gets Indian customers. Maybe he should start asking what languages they speak. It would help us to know if we'd be able to talk to any Indians around here. Maybe. Thank you for taking the time to post to me! I really appreciate it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mabelen Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 Tough decision. The thing with Malayalam and Hindi is that they are from two different linguistic families. Malayalam is a dravidian language, like Tamil, whereas Hindi is an indoeuropean language, like English. Don't forget that English is also a commonly spoken language throughout India. It is true that is more prevalent among the middle and upper classes than among the poor. They also have a distinct accent, words and expressions back from the old British colonial days, but it is there. What I am trying to say is that even if you go for Malayalam, you will be able to get by in English in other parts of the country. The poll sounds like an interesting idea. If your dh carries it out, don't forget to share. It would give you a picture of the availability of native speakers in your area, which takes us to the availability of learning resources for either language... not great in Hindi, but how about Malayalam? I guess I am not being much help here, I am probably confusing you even further, so I'll stop. Mabelen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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