tujhse baat nahi hoti nga re.. tu online hai jab mai nahi hu

I read this sentence in my friend's subnick (tujhse baat nahi hoti nga re.. tu online hai jab mai nahi hu.. mai hu tab tu nahi hai...)and he is from India but he lives in arabia. I know he is Sad, so I'd like you help me to understand what it means please.

He is saying that "I don't get to talk to you... When you are online, I happen not to be online; and when I am online, you are not online...

In general it appears that the person wants to talk to / chat with you and has been missing you... He wishes that you both come online on the same time. May I suggest to give him a time at which you would be online, so that he can also be and you people can talk....

dialoguebaazi

I'm reading an article published in the Indian Express that deals with foreign students going to Mumbai's acting schools to become film producers. They use the term "dialoguebaazi" but the meaning of that word does not appear clearly to me.

It is not a proper word in the sense that it has come up with creativity in spoken language. You can add "baazi" at the end of a lot of things, to mean to say "of or related to XYZ"

E.g. Patangbaazi => art of flying kites (in the sky)

Welcome Home

Can you help me with the (phonetic) way of saying "Welcome home" or "Welcome back" from a vacation? In Hindi?

In spoken Hindi, it could be:

"Swagatam!!!" (means welcome!!! with an exclamation)

or "Swagat hai!" (You are welcome!)

The Sanskrit term Swagat is used as it is in Hindi... It means welcome...

You can also say, "Suswagatam!", emphasizing the well wishes, but it will be a formal welcome not very personal.

I would prefer "Swagatam!!!" which is a very warm welcome to anyone, said with an exclamation and a smile on face...

It will be pronounced as "Swaagatam". "aa" with a longer stretch than normal "a".

स्वागतम
स्वागत है!

chuuhaa

Does chuuhaa mean mouse or rat? I have always thought of it as mouse, but maybe it can mean both? I also know it can mean a snitch or tattletale (mukhbir), like "rat" in English. Are there separate common words for mouse and rat...? I have also heard muushak.

In Hindi, Chooha चूहा is meant for both mouse and rat.

Mushak मूषक is the Sanskrit word for rat/mouse. It is used in Hindi too.

Very small size rats or mouse are often called "chuhiyaa" चुहिया in Hindi, to differentiate it from bigger size rats. "Chuhiyaa" चुहिया I think is actually a feminine word for "chuhaa" चूहा , but one can use it to mean a small size mouse. But in general the word is same "chuhaa" चूहा for both rat/mouse. Mushak / मूषक is Sanskrit word which is also used as it is in Hindi.

मूषक
चूहा
चुहिया

rawaiyaa

This question is strictly referring to common Hindi, not in Urdu where this word's meaning may be closer to its original Persian meaning. Would rawaiyaa be better translated as a custom or a stance/attitude?

In Hindi, रवैय्या is taken as an attitude or a behavior. It is almost never used to mean "custom" in Hindi, for which there are other words like paramparaa परंपरा .

When spoken for a collective set of people to indicate their custom there are other words like paramparaa परंपरा. But when spoken for an individual or a even a set of people to indicate their behavior or attitude, "ravaiyaa" रवैय्या is used, along with some words like "vyavhaar" व्यवहार which means the same and both words are used for the same in Hindi.

रवैय्या / व्यवहार - bahaviour / attitude
परंपरा - custom

It is our custom to offer food to the visitors. यह हमारी परंपरा है कि हम अतिथियों को भोजन पर आमंत्रित करते हैं.

If they don't change their attitude, we would have to do something about them. अगर उन्होंने अपना रवैया / व्यवहार नहीं बदला तो हमें कुछ करना होगा.

ki, kii, kai

Can anyone give me an idea of how people in various regions of India pronounce the conjunction कि (ki)? Do many people still pronounce this as कै in UP and Delhi?

When speaking Hindi, most of Indians speak "ki" only. But "kai" कै may be used in Haryanavi language, so one may hear such word (in their accent), being spoken around Delhi (as Delhi is neighboring the state of Haryana and many Haryanvis are settled in Delhi also).

I've noticed that in Mumbai a lot of people pronounce the word identically to kii when meaning "that" but more like ke when meaning "or" for example "tujhe garmii hai ke sardii?" (Are you feeling hot or cold?)

My Marathi colleague says that even in Marathi language, the words for "or" are "ki" कि and "kiwan" किवां. So people should be saying "..X.. aahe ki ..Y.."? "X आहे कि Y?" (aahe is Marathi for "is"/ hai").

There are so many regional dialects in India, that we can't say from where a particular pattern comes...

Merger of and

I learnt the pronunciations chaawar (uncooked rice) and hardii (turmeric) instead of chaaval and haldii. How common is this merger of <l> and <r> in India? I have heard that Bhojpuri-speakers do this as well. Is it done in Awadhi? My family originally came from a village in the district of Allahabad, but this may have been something that was picked up from others after coming to Jamaica... 

 

You are right that chaawar and hardi are spoken by many in India. You are right about Bhojpuri for sure. I am not sure about Awadhi though.

It appears that even in Sindhi language it is spoken as chawar. See these pages on Sindhi cuisine mention the word "chawar" for "chaawal":

Sabu dal chawar ( yellow daal with rice) [Link] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sindhi_cuisine

Sabu dal chawar & Bugha Chawar http://www.indianetzone.com/53/sindhi_cuisine.htm

Also, there is a hotel Kailash Parbat in Singapore which has on its menu:

SEYAL CHAWAR (Rice flavoured with caramelized onion, tomatoes & fresh coriander) [Ref]

 

I checked Platts', and he lists hardii as a variant of haldii, as well as giving this etymology for haldii: [Prk. हलद्दी, or हलद्दा; S. हरिद्रा]. The original Sanskrit word had an <r>, which shifted to an <l> in Prakrit. Perhaps some Prakrit dialects retained the <r>, and that may explain the hardii (though it doesn't explain chaawar). IIRC, Gujarati, Sindhi, and Bhojpuri are descended from different Prakrits dialects than Khariboli is. I believe Bhojpuri is descended from the same Prakrit as Bengali.

I looked up the words in Bengali to see if they are similar.

হরিদ্রা (p. 1047) [ haridrā ] n turmeric. ̃বর্ণ n. & a. yellow. ˜ভ a. yellowish.
হলদি (p. 1047) [ haladi ] n (dial.) turmeric.

Bengali has both an <r>-version and an <l>-version, though the <r>-version seems to be the more standard one.

 

You are right that the root word for haldi or hardi is Haridra हरिद्रा from Sanskrit. All these languages are sister-languages coming out ultimately from Sanskrit and hence while their words carry a certain distinctions, those can be traced back to the original word.

हरिद्रा

हरिद्रा , की परिभाषा हरिद्रा , का अर्थ हरिद्रा - हरिद्रासंज्ञा स्त्री० [सं०] १. हलदी । २. एक नदी का नाम । ३. वन । जंगल ।—अनेकार्थ (शब्द०)। ४. मंगल ।—अनेकार्थ (शब्द०)। ५. सीसा धातु ।—अनेकार्थ (शब्द०)। ६. निशा । उ०—कहत हरिद्रा बनथली, निशा हरिद्रा होइ । बहुरि हरिद्रा मंगली, हरद हरिद्रा सोइ ।—अनेकार्थ०, पृ० १६१ । [Ref]

There are some related words coming out of the word Haridra:

हरिद्राभ ^१वि० [सं०] पीतवर्ण का । पीला ।

It is so since Haldi/Hardi/Haridra is yellow in color.

हरिद्रागणपतिसंज्ञा पुं० [सं०] गणपति या गणेश जी की एक मूर्ति जिनपर मंत्र पढ़कर हलदी चढ़ाई जाती है ।

There is another interesting fact: While हरिद्रा or Haldi/Hardi is yellow, हरि, which is Lord Vishnu's name, has also got the color associated with Him as yellow. Lord Vishnu is represented wearing yellow clothes. As this page says, "The color yellow is associated with earthly existence and the yellow clothes of the Lord signify that He incarnates Himself on this earth to uphold righteousness and destroy evil and unrighteousness." [Ref] And Hari is a name of Vishnu himself! Hari, as in Haridra! Or Hardi which came from it! It is so interesting to see how things are related to each other...

Another interesting quote. This one is from the immensely respected Guru Granth Sahib taken from here [Link]

ਕਬੀਰ ਹਰਦੀ ਪੀਰਤਨੁ ਹਰੈ ਚੂਨ ਚਿਹਨੁ ਨ ਰਹਾਇ ॥
कबीर हरदी पीरतनु हरै चून चिहनु न रहाइ ॥
Kabīr harḏī pīrṯan harai cẖūn cẖihan na rahā▫e.
Kabeer, turmeric has lost its yellow color, and no trace of lime's whiteness remains.

Here also, turmeric is called "hardi"...

Buttermilk, teekha, patakha, atishbazi and 3rd time

What is the Hindi word for buttermilk? Is it chaas, chaaNs, chaach, chaaNch, or something similar?

Maththa मठ्ठा is also a word for the same. As well, there is "chhaachh" छाछ which is also spoken as "chaas"  चास by many. So while none are wrong, most used is "chhachh" छाछ, in my opinion. 

From which language does 'theeka' as spicy come from? I couldn't find it in Shabdkosh, Platts, or an online Marathi dictionary.

If it is about hot and spicy - it is better written/spoken as "teekha" तीखा.  It is a Hindi word. 

Are the words paTak(h)a and aatish baazi synonymous? 

"Patakha" पटाखा  (t as spoken in tomato) is a noun which is same as "aatishbazi" आतिशबाजी . "Pataka" पताका (t as spoken in 'totaa") means a flag or dhwaj. 

How does one translate the phrase: 3 times previously? As in: He has done this 3 times previously? Is it 3 baar pahale?

First time: pahli baar पहली बार 

Second time: dusri baar दूसरी बार 

Third time: teesri baar तीसरी बार

Jawahar Lal Nehru

In the word or name "Jahawarlal" or "Jawahar lal" as in "Jawaharlal Nehru", does the word "Lal" mean "son" or it means "ruby" which is red in color? Laal literally also means the color red.

The meaning may be getting confused because of similar words "laal", but in India "laal" is a common word for "son" and there are lots of literature full of such use, without any reference to "ruby" etc. 

In the name "Jawaharlal Nehru", the last name is believed to have come from the word "nahar" नहर which is Hindi word for canal, but another similar word "naahar" नाहर means "lion" / शेर. 

These websites which expertise in telling meaning of Hindi names, explain:

1) Name: Jawaharlal; Meaning: Triumph http://babynamesworld.parentsconnect.com/meaning_of_Jawaharlal.html

2) Jawaharlal's language of origin is Sanskrit and it is predominantly used in Indian. The name Jawaharlal means 'victory'. http://www.babynamespedia.com/meaning/Jawaharlal

Now coming to the word "laal" or "लाल": 

1) laal लाल Indian (northern states): Hindu name found in several communities, meaning ‘darling’, from Sanskrit lala ‘cajoling’ (related to Sanskrit lalana ‘caressing’). In several modern Indian languages lal is a term of endearment for a child; it is also an epithet of the god Krishna. http://www.ancestry.com/facts/lal-name-meaning.ashx

This explanation seems very credible because it tells how the word originated. Babies make a "la la" sound without even knowing a language, so the word "lal" would have come from that for small kids. Also note that the Sanskrit word lalana लालन or लालना meaning caressing (for babies) indicates towards the meaning too. 

This is why "lal" is used in compound names like Brajlal ब्रज लाल for Krishna where ब्रज / Braj is the place where Krishna lived during childhood and hence he was called as ब्रजलाल (Braj's son / Braj's kid). 

Brajlal is also a common name in India and one can google search to read many news with persons with this name. For example here is one:अफसरों की पीठ ठोंक गए ब्रजलाल 

Krishna was also called "lalla" मेरे लल्ला by his mother, as it appears in this poem:

पाँच साल का लल्ला मेरा
जा रहा है मधुवन में
गैया नही, बछड़े है साथ
बछड़े ही चरायेगा न बचपन में
...
ऐसे ही अटखेलियाँ करते
लल्ला लौट रहा है घर को
वही श्यामल-सी रंगत,मोहिनी सूरत
और सजी है वंशी उसके अधर को.

I also agree with a person who says: 

The often-found suffix "-laal" in north Indian names has nothing to do with rubies and red, I believe; it is added after the first name of a person just like some others add, for example, "-kumar--kumari", "-pati", "-ba/-bai", and "-singh" (note I'm not talking about the last name "Singh").
I believe that the suffix "-laal" to north Indian names comes from the word "lala", associated with a respectable merchant:
refer to http://dsal.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/philologic/getobject.pl?c.7:1:2616.platts

Hindi: Book, Pustak or Kitab and literary Connotations

Some one told me that "Pustak" has literary connotations while the word "Kitab" doesn't have it. Is it true? I am from Urdu background where also the word "Kitab" is used and I find it discomforting that the word "Kitab" would only be associated with children, etc and is not used exactly like "Pustak"?

I would agree with this statement. Hindi word "Pustak" has literary connotations while "Kitab" doesn't have it like "Pustak". 

We can't wish connotations with words to change or go away, to please us or no matter how uncomfortable it seems personally to us - that is the beauty of living languages. It is true that in Hindi "pushtak" has literary connotations while the word "Kitaab" has an "informal" (at times casual to the extent of childish) connotations. We can understand this through the following example:

We have terms like "पुस्तक समीक्षा" while there is almost no "किताब समीक्षा". If we believed in some people's method of judging popularity of words through Google searches, I have also searched Google just now and found this:

"पुस्तक समीक्षा" gives 111,000 results, while "किताब समीक्षा" gives ONLY 149 results!!!. 

It tells the whole story in a way perhaps some of us would understand best. 

Searching simply "pustak" Vs "kitaab" won't help to judge how it is used in Hindi because of the simple reason that "kitaab" is an "Arabic" word whose usage would cut across many nations of this world. I think since we are evaluating the literary connotations in Hindi, we should rely on the search of "पुस्तक समीक्षा" Vs "किताब समीक्षा". 

The famous Hindi poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan writes in his poem मधुशाला:

"कभी न कण-भर खाली होगा लाख पिएँ, दो लाख पिएँ!

पाठकगण हैं पीनेवाले, पुस्तक मेरी मधुशाला।"

In his another poem पथ की पहचान, he starts his poem with:

"पूर्व चलने के बटोही बाट की पहचान कर ले।

पुस्तकों में है नहीं

छापी गई इसकी कहानी

हाल इसका ज्ञात होता

है न औरों की जबानी"

If we are speaking about "literary connotations" in Hindi, in my opinion "pushtak" has it and "kitaab" doesn't have it.