Scribd
Upload
24K views106 pages

Learn Hindi Through English

Learn Hindi Through English

Uploaded by

Sree Arvind Harish Somasundaram
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF or read online on Scribd
24K views106 pages

Learn Hindi Through English

Learn Hindi Through English

Uploaded by

Sree Arvind Harish Somasundaram
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 106
~ m > RN NDI OUGH GLISH H mz I Za Dr. N. Sreedharan PREFACE sre agen afk - odie A language is like a flowing stream - Kabirdas “Write a better book,” my mind commanded me after I had gone through several self instructor books, tempting people to learn Hindi. Most of these books, certainly good in parts, assure the reader that one can learn Hindi in thirty days. I beg to differ from that point of view. Also I do not understand why on earth one should be able to learn a language in thirty days? What is the hurry? Based on my quarter century of teaching career, I should honestly say that one cannot fully learn Hindi or, for that matter, any language within a month. I have been learning Hindi for well over fifty years and there are still miles to go. Hence I thought that there should be a better book, a two-in-one book, which, without making any tall claim, would enable the reader to acquire step by step a solid knowledge of Hindi through model sentences and also get acquainted with Hindi grammar in full, without much stress and strain. There are no short cuts to knowledge. At the same time, some kind of promise by the author is essential so that the reader will confidently go through the lessons with optimism. As the author of this book, I assure that if one is willing to spend twenty more days in addition to the thirty days’ claim made by other instructor books, ‘one will reap full benefit from my book. In other words, through Sura's Lear Hindi Through English, one can gain a considerable knowledge of Hindi in 50 days, neither more nor less, because this book consists of exactly 50 lessons. Of course, it is assumed that the reader will devote one full hour daily (repeat daily) to learn each lesson. It will not serve any purpose if one practises these lessons by fits and starts, off and on. There should be consistency and regularity during the initial stages of learning a language. This book is a boon to readers who are serious about their aim and consistent in their approach. Needless to say that before taking up the first lesson, one will have to spend a week in advance to learn the Hindi alphabet. That takes the total number of days to go through this book to 57 days! w) ‘This one week labour of learning the alphabet is well rewarded. The Hindi language is written in the Devanagari script. It is in the same script that Sanskrit, Marathi, Nepali and many North Indian dialects are written. Hence it will be easier to learn these languages straightaway without having to learn a new’script for each. Further, the Hindi alphabet has the same letters which almost all Indian languages have, including Kannada, Telugu and Malayalam Therefore, learning a new script may be necessary for some languages, but there will be no problem regarding pronunciation. Learning a new language involves a lot of writing practice. Knowledge has to be transferred from the eyes to the fingers to make it permanent. Hence said Francis Bacon : “Reading maketh a full man; conference a ready man; and writing an exact man.” The learner should also practise writing the lessons given in this book, One can become meticulous in the use of written language only through a good knowledge of grammar. Viewed from this angle, this book will also effectively serve as a standard book of Hindi grammar. As the grammar of a language rarely changes, this book has a permanent value and it deserves to occupy a proud place next to Wren and Martin’s English grammar in the bookcase. It may be preserved as a family heirloom for the benefit of the younger and future generations also. Then there is an exhaustive appendix at the end of the book covering a wide range of vocabulary and serving as a ready reference to help the reader in the day-to-day use of Hindi language in various spheres of life As a practice book to learn alphabet, as a reliable guide to Hindi grammar and as a treasure trove of examples and model sentences, besides being useful from the examination point of view, Sura's Learn Hindi Through English is a must for the learner as well as the-leamed. As Hilaire Belloc said in another context: “Do not throw this book about... Preserve it as your chiefest treasure.” N. Sreedharan ™ HINDI ALPHABET Vowels a aa e ee g am z £ w voo i 3 s = ey ai ° au v g at at an aha a aw Consonants ka kha ga ghaonga > @ 7 FF gs cha cheha ja jha. gna 5 5 @ F & tata «da ddan z= 3 8 2 @ tha ththa dha dhdha na 7 9 @ ae pa ppasba—Ssfbhass mo 5 8 af 4 WF yom bh wa a 2 a a sha sha sasha ao v @ & ksha tha gna shra eo 7 mH qa kha ga moat ht ew ot et oe Ue is pronounced as'ng’ in as in sing, England. 3¥as'n' in pinch. is similar to American 'r asin very. Zis aspirated. Itis pronounced with an'h' sound or witha breath. ‘mis like strong'‘'n' with the tip of the tongue curled backwards and touching the tip of the palate. ais very much like the English'sh' in shut. It is pronounced with the tip of the tongue touching the palate. ‘occurs only in borrowed Sanskrit words. Itis identical in pronunciation with «, ‘The sign” chandrabindu placed abovea letter indicates that it is nasalized, or spoken also through the nose. Where use of English words with half open stsound is desired, half-moon symbol should be placed above. e.g.: Fh, siete, sie, are Note: In the vocabulary box in each lesson, the asterisk symbol (*) shows that the noun concerned is always used in feminine form and it takes verb in feminine form. (wii)

You might also like