Many years back a knowledgeable person had told me that amazing similarities could be found in words spoken in different languages in different parts of the world. He had given me the example of the Italian word “Vedova” for the English word “widow”. More surprising is its corresponding words in Hindi and Bengali. In Hindi a widow is called “vidhva” and in Bengali she is called “Bidhoba”. The difference is only of pronunciation.
The German word “wagen” and the words “vahan” in Hindi and Baahon in Bengali refer to the same thing – a carrier or a vehicle. In English it is wagon.
For the word “mother” the Sanskrit is “Matah”. In pure Hindi and Bengali it’s Mata. For the word “father” the Sanskrit is “Pitah”. In pure Hindi and Bengali it’s Pita. Where is the connection? In Hindi and Bengali the alphabets M and F belong to the same group of consonants – the “Pa Varg” which goes like this –
Pa , Pha, Ba, Bha, Ma.
In English the corresponding alphabets are –
P, F, B and M.
So, the interesting similarity in the words mother and father is that their Hindi and Bengali corresponding words also start with the same consonants or one of the consonants of the same group.
The English language has generously borrowed from Sanskrit, Hindi, Urdu, Arabic, Persian, Bengali and many other languages as the English voyaged worldwide. This is evident in words like Juggernaut, Bazaar, Guru, Yoga etc. My mother tongue Bangaal , a dialect of East Bengal now Bangladesh, leans heavily on Urdu and Hindi vocab. In the Bengal Bihar border the Bengali spoken has a distinct Hindi accent.
It’s also funny that some of the words of English language have come to be incorporated in the colloquial dialect of Hindi with an entirely different meaning from the original one. For example, in English the word “item” means an article or object. In Hindi if the same word is used with reference to the feminine gender it assumes a definitive salacious undertone – a slang “objectifying” woman. In cinematic lingo an “item song” means a raunchy , foot tapping number to break the grim mood of a narrative.
I am not a linguist. But I have a love for words and languages, their etymology, their cultural adaptation and travel through history and how similar sounding words in different languages have the same or sometimes completely different meanings.
I am sure while reading this post you may be reminded of many such words in your own language. Please mention them in your comments for enriching the discussion further.
An insightful reflection on the fascinating journey of words across cultures and civilizations! Language is not merely a means of communication; it is a living archive of our shared history, migrations, and cultural exchanges. Sometimes, a single word opens a window into centuries of human connection. Truly enriching!
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Thank you so much Vijayji. It started with the Tower Of Babel – the biblical migration based on language and then language traveled far and wide with trade, commerce, conquests, explorers etc.
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A fascinating reflection, Geetashree. The way you trace echoes across languages shows how words carry history within them — migrations, cultural exchanges, and even playful distortions that happen over time. Your examples of vedova–vidhva–bidhoba and wagen–vahan–baahon beautifully illustrate how languages that seem distant often share deep roots. And the way modern slang reshapes borrowed words like “item” reminds us that language is never static; it keeps reinventing itself with every generation. This was a delightful read.
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Thank you Indrajit. The gentleman who told me about Vedova and Bidhoba said the lingual connect reinforced the concept of the Continental Drift. It’s really intriguing to note how history leaves behind traces for us to pick up and reinvent ourselves.
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It really is. A single word like vedova or bidhoba can feel like a tiny fossil — a reminder that language carries the memory of old migrations and shared histories. Those echoes make the idea of continental drift feel almost human, showing how the past keeps leaving clues for us to rediscover and reinterpret.
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I’ve always found etymology to be fascinating. In a way, I think it shows that despite all our cultural and societal differences, we have far more in common than we realize.
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Yes, it’s true. I think travelers , voyagers, traders, invaders have much to contribute to etymology.
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A fascinating study
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Thank you so much Derrick
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I think Filipinos adapt largely to English language. My niblings have low grades in their filipino subject since they didn’t understand it very well. They speak more english than tagalog that’s because of the videos they watch these days.
Tagalog language adapt some language of Cebuano like “ayuda” (help) and “tulong” (the tagalog translation.
I think India and the Philippine are similar coz most of the citizens can speak and understand English. I’ve heard it before.🤭 It’s easier for foreigners to have a casual conversation when they visit our countries.
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Yes, you are right. Since India is multilingual and multicultural the English language acts as a common medium of communication. But again our English is our own – Indian English. 😂
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Yeah…same. we have Filipino English with our own accent.😁
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दुनिया की कोई भी जुबान हो जब तक वह मिलनसार और फराखदिल न हो,वो फले फूले गी नहीं,जुबान दूसरी ज़ुबानू से मिल कर उसे कुछ दे और उसे कुछ ले ,तभी जिंदा रहे गी,शायद तभी अंग्रेजी जुबान ने भी खुद में इतनी लचक लाई कि juggernaut,bazaar,
guru aur yoga जैसे अल्फ़ाज़ को खुद में समेट लिया.
मेरी माद्री जुबान कश्मीरी के रूट्स indo-aryan जुबान संस्कृत से हे और फिर वक्त के साथ इस में persian और arabic लफ्ज़ मिलते गये.
जैसे river को कश्मीरी में vyeth कहते हे जो असल में संस्कृत लफ्ज़ Vitasta से आया हे,फिर persian और arabic जुबान से मुतासर हो कर दरिया कहलाया.
श्रीनगर असल में संस्कृत लफ्ज़ srinagaraa हे.
इसी तरह हफ्ते के सात दिनू का जो कश्मीरी नाम हे उसका root भी संस्कृत जुबान हे.
हिंदी जुबान का चावल या बंगला जुबान का chaul,कश्मीरी जुबान में tamul हे क्योंकि यह संस्कृत जुबान में चावल को tandulam कहते हे.
और भी बहुत ज़ुबानू का असर कश्मीरी जुबान पर रहा हे,जैसे samovar russian लफ्ज़ हे और कैंची(scissors) तुर्की लफ्ज़ हे
आप ने यह पोस्ट लिख कर हमें मुख्तलिफ ज़ुबानू के इस खूबसूरत सफर में शामिल किया.
में तो समझती हूं कि सब से बेहतरीन जुबान वह हे जो किसी के कलम या जुबान से निकले और दूसरे के दिल में उतर जाए.
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बहुत खूब नुसरत। भारतीय सभी भाषाओं की माता संस्कृत ही है। बंगाल की एक डायलेक्ट बांगाल है जिसका जिक्र मैने पोस्ट में किया है। इस ज़ुबाँ में उर्दू के अल्फ़ाज़ जैसे पानी, परेशानी, इस्तमाल, फायदा , कायदा , कुर्बानी इत्यादि का व्यवहार शामिल है। सिर्फ pronunciation अलग है – परेशानी को पैराशानी और कुर्बानी को कोरबानी कहा जाता है। पर आपने बहुत दुरुस्त फरमाया कि असली ज़बान दिल की होती है जो कौम, नस्ल, दुनिया को जोड़े रखें।
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Language is truly fascinating. Thank you for introducing these words and similarities.
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Thank you Liz. Given your interest in language I had a feeling you’d like it.
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I did 😊
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I too notice how the words from urdu and English match. But I can’t recall any right now. 😅
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Yes, they do. Eagle in Bengali becomes Eegol. Strangely, we don’t know which came first Eagle or Eegol.
I think bazaar is an Urdu word. The word assassin has come from the Arabic word Hassassun or Hashashin.
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