Semantic Shifts From Indian Languages To Fijian Hindi
Many words of Hindi/Urdu/Hindustani origin have shifted meaning in Fijian Hindi. These are due to either innovations in Fiji or continued use of the old meaning in Fijian Hindi when the word is either not used in Indian Hindi any more or has evolved to a different meaning altogether. Some examples are:
| Fijian Hindi word | Fijian Hindi meaning | Original Hindi/Urdu/Hindustani meaning |
|---|---|---|
| bigha | acre | 1 bigha = 1600 square yards or 0.1338 hectare or 0.3306-acre (1,338 m2) |
| Bombaiyaa | Gujaratis (Indians) | from city of Mumbai |
| fokatiyaa | useless | bankrupt |
| baade | flood | flooding |
| bakera | crab | Fiji crab (kekra) |
| jhaap | shed | temporarly built shed |
| jaati | native Fijian | caste |
| juluum | beautiful | tyranny, difficulty, amazing (Zalim (Arabic,Farsi, Hindi/Urdu) meaning "cruel" is metaphorically used for beautiful object of affection) |
| kal | yesterday | yesterday or tomorrow |
| kamaanii | small spear (for prawns) | wire, spring |
| Mandaraaji | South Indian | original word, Madraasi, meant "from Madras (or Tamil Nadu)" |
| palla | door | shutter |
| Punjabi | Sikh | native of Punjab, either Hindu, Muslim or Sikh |
| kaunchi | what | from kaun cheez literally meaning what thing or what stuff |
| taharo | stroll | wait |
| bhagao | elope | abduct |
| maalik | god | employer/owner or god |
| bekaar | bad, not good, useless | unemployed, nothing to do, or useless |
| gap | lie | gossip, idle talk, chit chat |
| jor | fast, quick | force, strength, exertion |
| khassi | male goat | castrated animal |
| SET | phrase | everything is ok |
Read more about this topic: Fiji Hindi
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