Shahbash!!! Ok, so the pronunciation is still a bit 'bald-white-Bollywood-villain-circa-1981'... but at least my 3-year-old is finally starting to speak/sing in full Hindi sentences! It's a major step forward from a year ago, when I began this quest. I wanted to share some tips as well as songs and books that have helped along the way. Hope you find them useful. And of course these some of these ideas would work for any language, not just Hindi!
HINDI HAMESHAN
I've realized profoundly that the one sure way to teach your child a language - no matter what the household language (ours is English) - is to speak it all the time! Consistency works. If they understand Hindi, but answer back in English... stick to your guns and carry on speaking in Hindi. I find that repeating whatever my son has just said back to him in Hindi has an extremely positive effect. Not only does it show him that I'm listening, but it also reinforces Hindi words in a way that is very organic.
Bribes work too. So if your child asks for something, explain that he'll only get it if s/he asks in Hindi. Use the opportunity to teach them a new word, phrase or sentence. 'Please Mama, seb dedo.'
Not to mention that re-phrasing things constantly in Hindi also goes a long way to improving my own skills and confidence.
And if you can sneak in a Hindi word for an object first, they'll be guaranteed to use it! My son still uses 'paani' for water, 'baarish' for rain, 'ni-ni' for sleep, 'Chanda mama' for moon, and 'shu-shu' for pee-pee because he learned the Hindi words before the English.
Praise works too!! So an encouraging 'Shahbaash!' 'Bahut achcha!' or 'Arre wah!' goes a long way.
LAAAAAAMBI, KAAAAALI POONCH
Silliness works! If they don't already know the Hindi for 'tail' ... use it! Ask your kids where their 'poonch' is and watch their eyes light up! Once you've identified some silly words they love (poonch, topi, ulta-pulta, jaadu) or favorite objects (chhatri, aata, bandar, haathi) use them to maximum effect, adding colors, adjectives and verbs.
HINDI MEIN PARO
Read English storybooks aloud in Hindi even if you don't follow the narrative exactly as it's laid down.
The trick is not to reach for your child's usual English favorites -- the ones with wonderful rhyming clever stories, because firstly, trying to translate rhyme will definitely fuse your brain after a long day! And in any case, most children will reject alterations to an all-time favorite.
So find a few new books -- either very simple animal stories, or just picture books with lots of objects. Storybooks in the present tense without rhyming text will make life easier for you. Use the illustrations to teach words, having your child point out objects and colors in Hindi.
Eric Carle's Have You Seen My Cat? is a great one! This book has worked wonders this week. My son is now going around asking everyone, "Aapne dekhi meri billi?" In fact, any Eric Carle book (non-rhyming especially) is a great resource because of the simple objects and colorful illustrations. Babar the Elephant books are also good for this purpose, as are Curious George. It also helps when a simple phrase is repeated through the book, as it gives the child a chance to show off his new language skills!
HINDI MEIN GAAYO
Even better than reading is singing in Hindi - in a group if you can organize it! Kids love music. Singing is oral, so reinforces language beautifully. And if you add in actions, they'll get even more of a kick out of it!
Our favorites are:
Eeency Weency Spider (Chhoti Moti Makri)
Chhoti moti makri deevar pe char gayi
Dekho aayi baarish, vo phisal gayi
Dekho nikla suraj, paani sukh gaya
Aur vo chhoti moti makri deevar pe char gayi!
Haathi Raja
Haathi Raja bahut barre
Soongh hilla kar kahan challe?
Mere ghar bhi aayo na
Halwa poori khao na
Aao baitho kursi par
Kursi boli chhatar pattar
Haathi Raja bahut barre
Kaan hilla kar kahan challe?
Mere ghar bhi aayo na
Halwa poori khao na
Aao baitho kursi par
Kursi boli chhatar pattar
Haathi Raja bahut barre
Poonch hilla kar kahan challe?
Mere ghar bhi aayo na
Halwa poori khao na
Aao baitho kursi par
Kursi boli chhatar pattar
Dhobi Aaya (to the tune of 'Are you sleeping, Brother John?')
Dhobi aaya, dhobi aaya
Kapde gin! Kapde gin!
Kitne kapde laaya, kitne kapde laaya?
Ek, do, teen...
Char, panch, che...
Saat, aath, nau...
Das... aur bus!
Are you sleeping, Brother John?
So rahe ho, so rahe ho, Bhaiya John?
Ghanti baj rahi hai, ghanti baj rahi hai,
ding ding dong!
Machchli jal ki raani hai
Machchli jal ki raani hai
Jeevan uska paani hai
Haath lagao dar jaye gi
Bahar nikalo so jaye gi!
Paani mein daalo jaag jaye gi!
Saara paani pee jaye gi!
Watch this space for videos, more songs and a guide for tricky Hindi words! Meanwhile, my Hindi toddler e-books are still in the works. Hope to have an update soon.
You can also find some more lovely Hindi rhymes here.
Ok, this must be the solution for me.... Next time I go to India I will buy children's books in order to learn some Hindi!! Or, any other solution for a grown-up......?
Posted by: Anne-Trine Benjaminsen | 02 June 2012 at 08:44 PM
Hi Anne, that's great you're trying to learn Hindi! Yes, a couple of suggestions for adults, as my husband has also been trying to learn for some time. The best method he's found is Rosetta Stone, which uses visual images and repeated audio to teach Hindi. You can do it on your computer anytime and it's very accurate, conversational Hindi. The other great method (and more affordable) is the Pimsleur method: http://www.pimsleurhindi.com/
You can also buy a set from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Hindi-Understand-Pimsleur-Language-Programs/dp/0671044729
I think these days you can also practice speaking a variety of languages by hooking up with like-minded learners through Skype! I haven't tried it, but that could be really useful. Hope this help and keep me posted on how you're getting on!
Posted by: Anu Anand Hall | 03 June 2012 at 08:27 AM