I bet we all have been in a situation when we have had to give directions to someone in a city that is new to us, where, the landmarks, roads, distances are unfamiliar. I was caught in one where all of the above was applicable with a slightly different twist...the names are pronounced slightly differently!
Well, here I was in Gurgaon trying to explain my location to a real estate agent (to meet)...who spoke broken English and that too with a 'unique' accent.
Let me further explain the 'unique' bit. In this side of the world, every English word is pronounced pretty much how it is spelt, so 'Bouquet' is 'Bou-ket'; 'Buffet' is 'Buf-fet'; 'Pepper' is 'Pee-per'; 'Pint' is 'Pin-t'...I hope you are getting the flow!
My office is in a building called Orchid Center...so I first give the postal address, then the directions based on my limited knowledge of the city. After about 5 minutes of explanations and giving all possible landmarks close to the building, he recognized one...the 'Audi' or 'Ou-di' showroom that is on the ground floor! Soon after getting his bearings and figuring out where to come, he exclaims to me [I]"Sir aap ko 'Or-chid' center bolna chahiye tha. Main toh pehli baar 'Orc-id' sun raha hoon!"[/I] which loosely translated means, "You should have said that it is the 'Or-chid' Center. This is the first time that I have heard anyone call it 'Orc-id' Center!" This statement made me look like I was in the wrong the whole time by using the incorrect (at least in his eyes) pronunciation.
I do not want to get in to a debate or lecture here on Language Vs Communication. But, this incident made me realize that today, where everything is a click of a mouse away, and the world is progressively becoming smaller, language is at the end of the day only a means to an end. That end is usually simply to communicate or get a message across. The correct or incorrect use of grammar, spelling, or in this case pronunciation is only useful when you are a student of that language. When it comes to the real world, your skill in any language is only gauged by how much it helps you to give directions!
Well, here I was in Gurgaon trying to explain my location to a real estate agent (to meet)...who spoke broken English and that too with a 'unique' accent.
Let me further explain the 'unique' bit. In this side of the world, every English word is pronounced pretty much how it is spelt, so 'Bouquet' is 'Bou-ket'; 'Buffet' is 'Buf-fet'; 'Pepper' is 'Pee-per'; 'Pint' is 'Pin-t'...I hope you are getting the flow!
My office is in a building called Orchid Center...so I first give the postal address, then the directions based on my limited knowledge of the city. After about 5 minutes of explanations and giving all possible landmarks close to the building, he recognized one...the 'Audi' or 'Ou-di' showroom that is on the ground floor! Soon after getting his bearings and figuring out where to come, he exclaims to me [I]"Sir aap ko 'Or-chid' center bolna chahiye tha. Main toh pehli baar 'Orc-id' sun raha hoon!"[/I] which loosely translated means, "You should have said that it is the 'Or-chid' Center. This is the first time that I have heard anyone call it 'Orc-id' Center!" This statement made me look like I was in the wrong the whole time by using the incorrect (at least in his eyes) pronunciation.
I do not want to get in to a debate or lecture here on Language Vs Communication. But, this incident made me realize that today, where everything is a click of a mouse away, and the world is progressively becoming smaller, language is at the end of the day only a means to an end. That end is usually simply to communicate or get a message across. The correct or incorrect use of grammar, spelling, or in this case pronunciation is only useful when you are a student of that language. When it comes to the real world, your skill in any language is only gauged by how much it helps you to give directions!
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