What does "bharat" mean? I've encountered it a few times while cataloging books (what I do when not larking about with AWAD). It seems to describe either a portion of India, or a particular period of its history. I can't make it out from context, and it's not in My Favorite Dictionary.
Certainly maahey or anchita could correct me, but I believe that it is nothing more nor less than the local name for the Republic of India.
"a republic in the Asian subcontinent in southern Asia; second most populous country in the world; achieved independence from the United Kingdom in 1947"
I've got it, Alex! What is India?
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Yes, "Bharat" (the first 'a' pronounced as in 'car' while the second 'a' pronounced as in 'cut') is another name for India... It is the actual Hindi/Sanskrit name for the country. "Hindustan" is another name, derived from Urdu, I think, and 'India' is an anglicized version of its root 'Hind' (the 'i' pronounced as in 'pin'). The name "Bharat" was given after a famous ancient king "Bharat" (both 'a's pronounced as in 'cut,') whose story has contributed richly to the Indian mythology.
It may or may not be coincidental that Barat is the Indonesian for West.
Bingley
Barat is the Indonesian for West
Are ba and bha a minimal pair in Indonesian?
Yeah, but if they had more letters they'd be more than minimal, I thunk ...
Well, I google®d it and, no, they'd need more letters to *be minimal.
You just caint please some folks, huh? More is less. Now where have I heard that before?
where have I heard that before?
From Les Moore?
Bh doesn't really exist in Indonesian, except in a few conscious modern borrowings from Sanskrit. Even then I think it's pronounced just as a b.
Bingley
Bh doesn't really exist in Indonesian
Well, there you go, and Bharat is to the west.
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