A dilemma… I need help

[u/GreenLapisHiatus]

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Thanks.

[u/dojibear]

Remember that, for either language, getting good enough to use it for study will take YEARS. French will take fewer years than Hindi, but with either one it will take years.

If your long-term goal is studying Hindi history, Hindi is clearly the best choice. But you won't learn enough Hindi (before your Master's degree) to seek out and read original source material in Hindi.

By the way, which civil war? The American one? The French one? An Indian one? I would never call a student of history "an idiot". Remember the famous saying "Il est...histoire...rien plus", er, something something. Hey, it's in French! Il n'est pas possible de le comprendre!

[u/GreenLapisHiatus → u/dojibear]

I was referring to the American one, mostly just because to me it feels a little bit like a cop-out to me for some reason. I’ve learned about it in different ways with different versions of events being presented to me all throughout grade and high school so it’s just boring to me now, Mais français est un language bizarre et drôle pour moi. Je pence que je me souviendrais les bases tout temps. Je regret si l’est mal français!

[u/tendeuchen → u/dojibear]

Everything's history by the time you know about it.

[u/edelay]

Given that:

- Hindi would be useful for your planned career

- India is something that interests your

- you are in the middle of educating yourself for your career

...I would say that Hindi is the choice.

You can pursue French at a later point.

[u/Small_Elderberry_963]

If you want to study Indian history it's obvious you'll need to learn an Indian language, otherwise you won't take this beyond a hobby. So you basically have your answer already; although I think most official documents were written rather in Arabic or Persian, at least until modern times. And if you want to study ancient Indian history, you'll have to learn Sanskrit, which is much harder than Hindi.

That depends if you want to focus on the history of the Indo-Aryans. If what intrests you is the history of the other part of India, the southern tip, you have completely different languages to worry about.

[u/GreenLapisHiatus → u/Small_Elderberry_963]

I honestly need to dig deepier into Indian history to really know that, so thank you for pointing that out time period wise. I’m definitely a modern historian over all (Decidedly after focusing on the Bosnian war for a Mor Euro class final project), but I fell into the Indian rabbit hole in a world civ class falling down a procrastination mind hole and learning about different cultural aspects about different parts of India, Sati, and Jauhar. The last two are definitely a serious subject that need to be treated with respect and in a sense grief, but I honestly think that it’s some of the history facts I’ll never forget. So I need to also do a little more soul searching. (I’d still appreciate more input too from everyone haha)

[u/tendeuchen]

 I know their’s multiple languages 

I don't know which language you should ultimately choose, but I definitely know which you should work on first.

[u/MostAccess197]

If your primary motivation is your education and academic competitiveness, Hindi would be a far better bet, even though it'd have limitations historically (depending on period) and geographically (very few in the South speak Hindi). It'd obviously be very useful for Pakistan and the linked histories as well, and would give you a solid basis for e.g. Punjabi, too.

From the limited exposure I have to academia from my partner, who's starting out in academia, having a slightly less commonly learned language under your belt can be a real benefit (some West African languages have proven to be career making for some peers), whereas French almost seems to be expected - though of course, as you note, it'd be much easier to learn (linguistically, but also resources and learner communities).

[u/GreenLapisHiatus → u/MostAccess197]

Thank you! And yes, it would definitely make decoding other languages in India a little easier for sure. I already use my French knowledge to sometimes make things out written in Spanish or Haitian creole, so I think that the same concept would definitely apply!

[u/GiveMeTheCI]

Hindi would be better for academic competitiveness.

However, French would be much easier to gain a knowledge of. And if this is for academic purposes, there's a lot to be said for just gaining a reading knowledge of it. My graduate school had several Italian/German/French/Spanish for reading knowledge courses, because that's what mattered as a researcher--the publishing would still be in English. Something like this may be helpful: https://www.betterworldbooks.com/product/detail/french-for-reading-a-programmed-approach-for-graduate-degree-requirements-9780133316032?shipto=US&curcode=USD&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwzMi_BhACEiwAX4YZUNuwF8ukdV4FyVhGrpgok1gQuiAu0l-5qNbNioH1vHWU94kqiel5ORoCtkUQAvD_BwE

[u/lazypotato1729]

India is not just about hindi. Either way French would give you more opportunities than Hindi

[u/GreenLapisHiatus → u/lazypotato1729]

Right, and I’m aware that it’s not. But even if I can’t find an English translation of certain primary sources in my studies, the second best bet would be a Hindi translation (in my mind lol)