10-05-2007, 01:49 AM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Is there some kind of cheat sheet that would help me look at a word and say it is Hindi or Urdu word? I understand it is complicated, as Urdu has lots of words from Hindi, apart from Persian and Arabic. So what I mean is look at a word and say it came from Persian and Arabic rather than from native languages or Sanskrit? <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
In general, words that have "z" or "q" or "f" are foreign, examples include:
zameen = dharti, bhoomi, prithvi
zindagi = jeevan
takleef = samasya
qilaaf = viruddh/biruddh
Apart from this if you notice a word is prevalent in many Indian languages but does not sound native, then you can be pretty sure its foreign, example:
thaiyyaar in Hindi - thayaru in Telugu - thayar in Tamil (all for ready).
thaiyyaar = sannaddh, siddha
But more than all these tips, I can go by intuition & 90% of the time I can tell if a word is foreign no matter how established the word has become in a language, to me Persian/Arabic words have a certain quality to them that just sets them apart, examples include:
sawal = prashna, prasan (depending upon if its Hindi or Punjabi)
jawab = uttar
gussa = krodh
insaan = manus/manukh in Punjabi
janwar = janthu, pasu, mriga
In general, words that have "z" or "q" or "f" are foreign, examples include:
zameen = dharti, bhoomi, prithvi
zindagi = jeevan
takleef = samasya
qilaaf = viruddh/biruddh
Apart from this if you notice a word is prevalent in many Indian languages but does not sound native, then you can be pretty sure its foreign, example:
thaiyyaar in Hindi - thayaru in Telugu - thayar in Tamil (all for ready).
thaiyyaar = sannaddh, siddha
But more than all these tips, I can go by intuition & 90% of the time I can tell if a word is foreign no matter how established the word has become in a language, to me Persian/Arabic words have a certain quality to them that just sets them apart, examples include:
sawal = prashna, prasan (depending upon if its Hindi or Punjabi)
jawab = uttar
gussa = krodh
insaan = manus/manukh in Punjabi
janwar = janthu, pasu, mriga