Punjabi word salad
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This man is a Punjabi Hindu, speaking some Punjabi, some Hindi, with a lot of English mixed in, so you might be able glean a bit of what he is trying to say (he's being interviewed about a flood).
"Punjab flood: Man got interviewed, but no one could understand him"
It seems that nobody on site, including the interviewer, understands what he's saying, and the people standing around seem quite puzzled by his speech..
Perhaps he has a mental condition.
By clicking on a link at the bottom of the video screen, I was able to listen to the full interview, and that becomes even more problematic (and mixed [language]).
Selected readings
- "Unknown Language #7" (2/27/13) — 173 comments
- "A new mixed language in the news" (6/18/13)
- "'Mixed' languages" (11/26/16)
- "An orgy of code-switching" (11/6/15)
[h.t. Sunny Jhutti]
Rodger C said,
November 1, 2025 @ 9:19 am
Perhaps he's simply in shock and agitated.
Mark Liberman said,
November 3, 2025 @ 9:08 am
Mixed languages are common and normal in South Asia (and elsewhere in the world) — see Chutnefying English: The Phenomenon of Hinglish. Ascribing Hinglish to "a mental condition" is just ignorant.
Yerushalmi said,
November 3, 2025 @ 9:16 am
The pointed and repeated "do you understand?" makes me wonder if he's deliberately perpetrating a prank. Probably not, but I can't rule it out.
Victor Mair said,
November 3, 2025 @ 3:28 pm
Bear in mind that apparently no one present or to whom I showed this could understand him.
Neil said,
November 3, 2025 @ 6:02 pm
I speak Hindi and passable Punjabi, and this is gibberish.
Chris Button said,
November 3, 2025 @ 8:28 pm
I'm as confuaed by the comments here as by what the man is saying.
He is being interviewed in English and is responding almost entirely English.
What's strange is that it is largely nonsensical English–as if he is just stringing together words that he knows.
Victor Mair said,
November 5, 2025 @ 8:36 am
Extended interview:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4X0U2deNB0g
Please read the comments.
DJL said,
November 5, 2025 @ 12:52 pm
That must be a first: check YouTube comments from these random people emptily speculating about this man’s speech for support that he might indeed have a mental condition.
More seriously, it’s not a little unbecoming to be speculating that this person may have a mental condition, especially based on such flimsy evidence. .. (more likely he’s both in shock and his English is poor, as has been mentioned above).