From the few short visits I paid to London, it makes me believe Silheti (A dialect spoken in the province of Silhet in Bangladesh) is the second most spoken language in that city. My first contact was in Heathrow Airport where I landed the first day. As my husband was keeping true to his reputation for arriving late, I was treated to what I believe they call cultural dichotomy.
Here was this spit-polish pink-white British guy talking on his phone -proper British accent. He hangs up and shocker! He immediately starts talking in raw Silheti to his family who were more traditionally dressed.
And I hadn't even stopped eye-balling him when the man sitting beside me - dressed in the traditional Muslim garb, complete with long beard and a Burkha clad wife - switched from speaking in Silheti to English (complete with the British accent).
I immediately realised while in UK, it would be prudent not to let slip any compromising comment about anyone in either language. God knows who understood which one. Though knowing Silheti does come in handy when you are buying fish from a Bangladeshi vendor....in UK.
2 comments:
Good to know that you can keep using Sylheti in UK too! Although I don't understand most of it but can stillpick up a few bits and peices as my other half speaks the dialect pretty well, it's ton of fun to liten to the stacatto sounds though and kind of keep wishing to bump into his fellow sylheti friends livng around Delhi so that I can sample some of the fun too! But from your blog I am sure Delhi has less Sylhetis than UK or London specifically my friend!
I have been very fortunate to have friends from Chittagong and Sylhet both. Chattgainya though is something totally foreign and can't make head or tail of that dialect it is all GREEK to me honestly! Both are very charming in their own ways the former being ultra sauve and sophisticated and the other being extremely emotional and flamboyant,but both have an acute sense of humour! I wish some of me Bangladeshi friends would drop in soon to break the monotony of the rustic Hindi which you get to hear constantly in the southern parts of Delhi, and I can have the fun of listening to their wacky tongues again!
"Daeher moiddhe dui khan daesh,
Tames nodir loge Billoit
Ar Surma nodir loge Shilloit"
Sanjiban
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