You know that episode in The Big Bang Theory in which Bernadette and Raj do a parody of an Indian dance number? The lyrics do sound ridiculous . . . in English. That's the thing. I don't know why, but Indian song lyrics that sound absolutely bizarre when translated to English, sound perfectly normal, nay beautiful, in the original Indian versions of the songs. I guess Indian languages just carry the hyperboles and metaphors with a certain elegance.
P. S. When I say Indian languages, I don't necessarily mean that they are spoken only by Indians or by people of Indian origin.
basically since i grew up in the uk, my english (non-native second language, etc etc) is better than my (native, first language) kannada which is super disappointing to me as someone who loves india and indian culture, and as someone who sometimes wishes that my parents just stayed in india and i wouldn't have such a conflicting identity
but anyway, some basic (hubbali/dharwad?) phrases for you (fyi i cant spell in kannada):
neevu heggidiri - how are you? (formal)
heggidiya kanno - equivalent of hey bro, whats up
naayi - dog, so essentially a common insult
kothi - monkey, another insult, etc etc
uru ____ - add an animal insult to the end (usually naayi) to get a quick, simple insult!
...and here you go! the average kannadiga's starter pack to navigating kannada. from here, combine insults to seamlessly transition from beginner to foul-mouthed, savage vellhigh-boss!
This documentary is about Njattyela Sreedharan, a school dropout who compiled a dictionary connecting four major Dravidian languages. Travelling across four states and doing extensive research, he spent twenty five years making the multilingual dictionary. The dictionary offers a comparative study of Malayalam, Kannada, Tamil and Telugu. 'Dreaming of Words' traces Sreedharan's life, work, love for languages and the struggles to get the dictionary published. The film also explores the linguistic and cultural diversity in India.
youtube
trailer: Dreaming of Words (with English subtitles) | Official Trailer - YouTube
full movie: Dreaming of Words (with English subtitles) | Full Documentary - YouTube