MovieChat Forums > Lion (2017) Discussion > Language

Language

posted 8 years ago by fbgarcia06
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Unfortunately I saw this film in a dubbed version so I don't know how the language issue is dealt with in the original version. What does the child speak? Are there any Indian languages anyway heard? I guess not, but that would be a key point to locate the child's origins. Actually this has been one of the traditional non verossimilar points of classic cinema since the beginnings of sound, but nowadays with Mel Gibson innovations and international, more demanding audiences. I think it should be confronted in a realistic way.

[–] Mimbulus_mimbletonia 8 years ago

Saroo and his family speak Hindi, the official language of Madhya Pradesh, the 2nd largest province by area, located in the heart of India. Khandwa is located in the south-western part of the state. Hindi (or Hindustani) is an Indo-Aryan language spoken throughout central and northern India and is the most populous language spoken in the country. To track down his family based on language alone would not have helped. Hindi is an official language in 9 Indian states!

When Saroo makes it to Kolkata (Calcutta) in the state of West Bengal, he might not have understood very much because the official language of West Bengal is Bengali. Bengali is also an Indo-Aryan language, however it's an eastern variety, and I am not so sure how mutually intelligible it is with Hindi.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indo-Aryan_languages#Language_comparison_chart

In the film when Saroo meets the young woman named Noor by the railway tracks, she starts speaking Bengali to him and then realises he doesn't understand, and so starts speaking in Hindi. Wikipedia says: "Bengali, the official state language, is the dominant language in Kolkata. English is also used, particularly by the white-collar workforce. Hindi and Urdu are spoken by a sizeable minority."

I hope this helps?

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"I'm worth twelve of you, Malfoy" - Neville Longbottom

[–] fbgarcia06 8 years ago

Thanks. Although a language, like Hindi, is spoken in a wide area, there must be accents and usages to tell the diference between speakers in different locations. But I guess that didn't help so much ( in the real story) because of the short age of the child.

[–] Mimbulus_mimbletonia 8 years ago

Yes, you are right - there ARE regional 'dialects' and 'varieties' as compared to Standard Hindi. I am not sure how distinct the Hindi spoken in Khandwa would have been as compared to other cities or places. But people in Kolkata would not have any idea - most people speak Bengali, and a minority speak Hindi. It would be unlikely the Hindi would have been recognisable.

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"I'm worth twelve of you, Malfoy" - Neville Longbottom