# What Language is This? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 10, 2004, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-is-this/249672 "2004-06-10T18:03:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2004, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-is-this/249672/21 "2004-06-14T14:57:20Z")
Just to add some information, there are more people in India who consider Hindi their “mother tongue” than there are of any other single language in India. However, this number does not constitute a majority of Indians. There are about 20 official languages in India, and the ethnic groups who do not consider Hindi their own mother tongue hotly dispute its status (along with English) as the “national” language. Also, I believe that among Britons and British nationals of Indian origin, the largest ethnic group is Panjabi. Thus, elements of Indian culture appearing in British pop culture (such as Apache Indian) are more likely to use the Panjabi language than Hindi. There are similarities between Hindi and Panjabi, as there are among all the Indo-Aryan languages. However, these are different languages and are as distinct from each other as Italian, French, and Spanish, or German, Dutch, and English. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2004, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-is-this/249672/22 "2004-06-14T17:37:17Z")
When I leave my favorite Indian restaurant I want to thank them in their language\*. **Shukriya** seems like a good way to go. Unless they speak Punjabi. So how does one tell if they speak Punjabi? Does speaking Punjabi mean you’re a Sikh (and vice-versa)? I know they’re not Hindu (they serve beef), and I know they’re not Muslim (they serve liquor). Does that make them Sikh (or possibly Christian) by default? \*No, their native language is not English. I’ve heard them speaking to each other, and it ain’t in English. As for the song in my OP: it’s by B21, and apparently they’re from London (this I learned on their website). Its name is _Darshan_. They appear in the wedding sequence in BiLB. ---
**Author:** ![Rodd\_Hill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/3ab097/32.png) [@Rodd\_Hill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodd_Hill)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2004, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-is-this/249672/23 "2004-06-14T22:34:27Z")
It’s threads like this that make **TSD** the modern equivalent of a gentleman’s letter to “The Times” back in the early 20th century…you learn so much from such intelligent and helpful people! And while we’re on the subject, **Xash** or **Jomo Mojo** , I have an excellent book about the (old) North-West Frontier, and in particular the raising of Scouts to police the area for the British (the area in question being what is now the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, sort of Swat area down to Waziristan). Now, what I want to know is this: the author gives a typical Pathan greeting as “Staré mashé” (“may you not be tired”), with the response “Khwar mashé” (“may you not be poor”). He neglects to say what language (I’m assuming Pushtu), and also doesn’t offer a pronounciation. Does either of you know how this might be pronounced? And would it be intelligible to the average person from, say, Bengal? Any assistance would be most appreciated. In fact, the barfi’s on me if you ever visit this area! ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2004, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-is-this/249672/24 "2004-06-14T23:43:48Z")
**HeyHomie** , there are lots of Hindu restaurateurs who serve beef, and lots of Muslims who serve booze. Remember not to confuse the idealized version of things described in books with the actual realities on the ground. They might be Sikhs, since the Indian restaurant I go to all the time is Sikh-run. Most Sikh guys still wear the beard and turban, although you can find some lapsed Sikhs who don’t wear the turban any more. The best way to tell an Indian restaurateur’s religion is to look at the area behind the cash register. If there’s a picture of Lakshmi or some bare-chested guru with lines painted on his forehead, they’re probably Hindu. If there’s a picture of the Ka‘bah or the Prophet’s green dome, or some Arabic calligraphy, they’re probably Muslim. Sikhs are likely to have a picture of Guru Nanak: a guy in a white tunic, white turban, and big white beard, with his hand held up, palm facing outward. Anyway, if you say _shukriyâ_ they’ll understand you if they come from anywhere in north India. **Rodd** , that language you asked about is Pashto. It will most certainly not be understood if you use it anywhere outside the Pashto-speaking areas (eastern and southern Afghanistan, the Northwest Frontier of Pakistan). It’s classified as one of the Iranian family of languages, but even though I know Persian I cannot understand Pashto at all. At all. It’s wayyy different. It’s also very hard to learn. The Pashto verbs will drive you crazy. In Iran, at the end of a long day trip when we were dropped back at our hotel around midnight, the hosts told us in Persian: _khasteh na-bâshid_ (don’t be tired). As for your Pashto phrases, I guess you should just pronounce them as they’re spelled. Pronounce é as in café and khw- as in Juan. Yumm, barfi! ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2004, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-is-this/249672/25 "2004-06-15T14:23:29Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > When I leave my favorite Indian restaurant I want to thank them in their language\*. **Shukriya** seems like a good way to go. **Dhanyavad** is just as good (if not better), given the post-1947 religious and cultural climate. > [@](#): > > Unless they speak Punjabi. No matter what language they speak, _shukriya_ and _dhanyavad_ are just as good (the pronunciation might vary slightly). It might seem strange to westerners, but in Indian society it’s uncommon to thank someone by actually saying “thank you.” It’s usually a tipoff that whoever is saying it is a foreigner (well, there would be a lot more signs, but still). Even if there is a specific Panjabi word for “thank you,” it might not be a commonly used word. > [@](#): > > So how does one tell if they speak Punjabi? You could ask. > [@](#): > > Does speaking Punjabi mean you’re a Sikh No, the majority of Indian Panjabis are Hindu and the majority of Pakistani Panjabis are Muslim. > [@](#): > > (and vice-versa)? Pretty much. Almost all Sikhs are Panjabi. > [@](#): > > I know they’re not Hindu (they serve beef), and I know they’re not Muslim (they serve liquor). What they serve in their restaurants is not a good way to tell. Restauranteurs tend to serve what their customers want. > [@](#): > > Does that make them Sikh (or possibly Christian) by default? If it’s a South Asian person and you know he is not a Hindu or a Muslim (which you don’t), then he is most probably a Christian, Sikh, Parsee, or Jain. If you know he’s a Panjabi who is not Hindu or Muslim, then he is most probably a Sikh. It is usually pretty easy to tell a Sikh – a Panjabi with uncut hair (usually wrapped in a turban) and beard. Although, since Indira Gandhi’s assassination a lot of Panjabi men have started cutting their hair in order to blend in. The other clue is: All Sikh men are supposed to have the word “Singh” (“lion”) in their names and all Sikh women are supposed to have the word “Kaur” (“lioness”) in their names. Of course, there are some Hindus with the name Singh or Sinha. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2011, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-is-this/249672/26 "2011-09-30T13:02:39Z")
> [@Rodd\_Hill](#): > > Now, what I want to know is this: the author gives a typical Pathan greeting as “Staré mashé” (“may you not be tired”), with the response “Khwar mashé” (“may you not be poor”). He neglects to say what language (I’m assuming Pushtu), and also doesn’t offer a pronounciation. Does either of you know how this might be pronounced? And would it be intelligible to the average person from, say, Bengal? > > Any assistance would be most appreciated. In fact, the barfi’s on me if you ever visit this area! Many years late, but it would be pronounced as “sta Ra Maa Shaa” and “khwa Maa shaa” if you were in Pakistan and “sta ray ma shay” in Afghanistan or indeed the South Western part of Pakistan. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-is-this/249672.md?page=1)