Did the British learn the local language or respect local culture when they occupied India and much of Africa

Answer 1

Yes. The brits learned Hindi in India so they could hear when their servants were cracking jokes at their expense.

Answer 2

Did The Arabs when they were Buying slaves in Africa To sell to the Whites From the Africans .Most of the troops That occupied India Did not Live And settle there And the Higher ranks Mixed with the well to do Indians That spoke Better English that some Asians To day There Was more Class Distinction In India then that Did not allow that to happen.The British And Indians never Mixed was not allowed to.surely this is common knowledge.What a uneducated Question

Answer 3

Most Brits in the British "Raj" spoke fluent Hindi and were very aware of local Hindu culture.

Rudyard Kipling grew up in India at the time of the Raj and was brought up by Indian Ayahs (nurses). Like most children of the Raj he spoke fluent Hindi and had to be reminded by his Ayahs to speak English when he was around his parents. they would have eaten Indian food and been very aware of Hindu Culture. Ever read Kipling's work? He loved India.

I'm white British and have never "occupied India" (It was independent half a century before I was even born) but I trained in classical Indian dance and music from a child. I have been to India three times to study and dance, I speak basic Hindi, enjoy traditional Indian food (not curry house crap) and know a lot more about Indian Hindu culture than you do or most likely ever will.

Does that answer your question or was this just another sad pathetic attempt to run down the UK?

Answer 4

No they didn't. In fact admitting to having picked up any of the local language was frowned upon by the British. It was always the case that the English language was made the official language in all colonies - English is still the official language in India (and USA, now we come to mention it). Also, it is directly because of this and the fact that Britain ruled so much of the earth that English is now the dominant language in the world. Contrary to what a lot of Americans think, the fact that English is so dominant is because of the British Empire rather than this is the language spoken in the USA.

Answer 5

Officially, the British were doing God's work in bringing civilization to the world - something like the USA today. Some parts of British agencies learned the local languages to make it possible to convert or control the local populace.

The British, however, tended to use the local authority structures rather that replace them with British ones, so tribal chiefs were not eliminated. The French, needless to say, were considerably worse, ruthlessly eliminating local authority and replacing it with a French civil service structure.

Answer 6

We cannot be blamed for what our forefathers did,and I would not attempt to. The people did learn the language so as to teach the local people an education, which they would not have received in ordinary circumstances. although I was born in Africa, I come from British parents and grandparents who emigrated there, and yes I do speak the local language as a second language. We respect each others culture here, although the immigrants into the U.K. do not respect our U.K.culture.

Answer 7

The situation is different for many reasons. One is that we live in a different historical period, where colonising is not allowed anymore. Second, you don't have the power to colonise the UK. Third, if you don't want to learn neither language nor culture, it's fine, all you have to do is come back to your country!

Answer 8

None of your damned business what happened years ago in an entirely different world. The Brits were called in to stop the Muslims and the Hindus fighting each other. That's why Pakistan and Bangladesh was created. You see, you were fighting even then. Seems to be a habit.

Answer 9

In your dreams the ones that occupied India & Africa where all toffs.

Answer 10

Of course not!

Instead, they taught them how to play cricket and bridge, showed them how to be cultured, refined and how to drink tea from china cups. They also taught them how to read the Bible and Shakespeare.

The British showed them how to build railways, how to set up local government, how to build nice buildings and how to value education.

All that the natives had to do was carry important people across rivers, fan them when they got hot and come running when required to do so.

Many were delivered from barbarity to faith in Jesus, and all they had to do was attend church and send their children to Sunday Schools.

Rather foolishly, the Indians and the Africans then threw the British out, just because the British liked to have a bit of fun and beat the natives with sticks. Unfortunately, some poeple just do not share our sense of humour.

After all, Africans were only expected to dig up gold and diamonds, wash them, and hand them over to their British friends; in return for which they got all the above things for free.

In fact, it shows how good friends never let you down, because the Africans came here to drive our buses and tend our sick, and the Indians came to remind us that education, good manners, a sense of humour and social refinement are still important in a civilised society!

Answer 11

As I understand it they saw their role as colonialising other countries because the British saw themselves as superior beings and wanted to convert these people to their own beliefs.

The multicultural links that exist today have come chiefly from the migration of people from other countries to the UK and hoe their culture has become immersed in British society.

the only other real gain that I can see is from the common soldiers adaptation of the local language, which has found its way into regular English - e.g. jodhpurs, khaki, etc.