Indian words used in English! Sherbat, Pankah, Chutney

[Tom]

Hi

I would like to know if the following words are common in the USA and US! They are all from my native language, Urdu, and are very commonly used in Pakistan and India. You will easily find them in a dictionary.

1- Sherbat
2- Paratha
3- Pankha
4- Chutney.

Would you like to add something to the list?

Tom

[Mister Micawber]

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Sherbet (if you mean the flavoured ice), and chutney (the condiment) are both common taste treats for me.

The two P-words I do not know, and they are not in my Merriam-Webster's Collegiate.

Purdah is also English, as are pajamas, kebab, khaki, attar, camphor, safari, monsoon, and verandah, which seem to have Urdu sources, if my sources are correct.
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Canadian-American native speaker
who teaches English for a living at Mister Micawber's
ESL cafe: Interview with Mr. Micawber

[Tom]

[Tom]

Here is my favourite paratha, Mister Micawber.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paratha

Tom

[Mister Micawber]

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[Jamie (K)]

I love to eat paratha. The word is known in the US, but only by people who eat Indian cuisine. One time, years ago, I used the word paratha when explaining to a cousin how a certain special type of pizza is made in our city. I explained that for the crust they must first make paratha and then put the cheese and other toppings on it. Of course, the people who made the pizza probably wouldn't have known what paratha meant, but their pizza crust is very similar to that Indian bread, but harder.

Many English words are a bit changed from their origins in Hindi, Gujarati, Bengali, or whatever. For example, we have the word pundit, which comes from the Sanskrit word pandita.

Here is a whole list of very common English words that originated in various Indian languages:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_English_words_of_Indian_origin

By the way, my favorite Indian dish is spinach sarg. I decided to try it after I saw it described on a menu in London as "the favorite of all famous Punjabi muscle men". However, Popeye was not from Punjab, as far as I know.

[prezbucky]

How about Massala?

...or is that a title?
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