Tum vs Aap

[waleedhbk]

Re: Tum vs Aap

@Jolie

One thing I really admire about Urdu is that it’s the language of manners and courtesy, and our whole cultural and lingual emphasis on using the word app as the principal way of addressing people. This essentially reinforces Urdu’s reputation as the language of adab.

I know French have their own tum and app in terms of tu (informal you) and *vous *(formal you), and this is pretty much one of the very first basics of French language you are taught. Same is the case with Punjabi - we have tu/tenu (informal you) and *tussi/tuada/tuanu *(formal you).

I really appreciate how Pakistanis are such dedicated and stylish users of the word ‘app’, and in my view the word alone makes the whole conversation sound so sophisticated and pleasant on the ears, plus the speaker comes across so effortlessly cultured.

When it comes to Urdu, I am personally incapable of speaking in terms of tu/tum/tera. Mainly because I am a naturally reluctant, if not visibly shy speaker of the language, hence I find it difficult to get so instantly and permanently frank with people. Secondly, another part of the reason would be thatI wasn’t taught that kind of Urdu, since all my life I have spoken Urdu mainly to communicate with people who are lot older than me. So in a nutshell, all that blazing flamboyance of a spirited age goes out the window when I converse in Urdu. Not that I’m complaining.

Are you folks concious and selective users of the word *‘app’? Have you ever managed to raise eyebrows or raised eyebrows yourself over ‘tum vs aap’ mix up? I can personally tell a lot about a man by just looking at the way he refers to a woman. My advice would be to stick to the word ‘aap’ *unless you fancy seeing the ‘excuse me?’ look in a woman’s eyes. I have given this look, I should know about this.

AP ki yeh wali thread bhut achi hai