What is the maximum reported number of languages used by a
singer in the rest of the world?

Lata Mangeshkar sang in 36 languages! I'd like to see the languages
named. I didn't know movies were made in that many languages in India.

One of India's most beloved singers, Lata Mangeshkar, has died at the
age of 92. Mangeshkar rose to fame at the dawn of Bollywood's golden
age as a "playback singer", providing the singing voice to Bollywood's
lip-synching movie stars. She has a back catalogue of around 30,000
songs spanning numerous genres and a total of 36 languages.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-45703099

On Sunday, February 6, 2022 at 11:28:23 AM UTC-5, Dingbat wrote:
> What is the maximum reported number of languages used by a
> singer in the rest of the world?
>
>
> Lata Mangeshkar sang in 36 languages! I'd like to see the languages
> named. I didn't know movies were made in that many languages in India.
>
>
> One of India's most beloved singers, Lata Mangeshkar, has died at the
> age of 92. Mangeshkar rose to fame at the dawn of Bollywood's golden
> age as a "playback singer", providing the singing voice to Bollywood's
> lip-synching movie stars. She has a back catalogue of around 30,000
> songs spanning numerous genres and a total of 36 languages.
>
> https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-45703099

Not to compare in performance quality or fame, but I wrote a song 'YOYIC' which incorporates
English, Malay, Spanish, Japanese, Philipino, Arabic, German & Mongolian words/phrases.

On 7/02/2022 5:28 a.m., Dingbat wrote:
> What is the maximum reported number of languages used by a
> singer in the rest of the world?
>
>
> Lata Mangeshkar sang in 36 languages! I'd like to see the languages
> named. I didn't know movies were made in that many languages in India.

I have been wondering about that too.

Wikipedia says:

"She recorded songs in over thirty-six Indian languages and a few
foreign languages, though primarily in Hindi, Bengali, and Marathi."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lata_Mangeshkar

This is a peculiar -- though hardly unique -- use of "over", with such
an unround (and fairly small) number.

There is a footnote to a _Hindustan Times_ article (from 2019) which
includes the same number:

"Famous as the Nightingale of India, her songs have figured in over a
thousand Hindi films, 36 regional and foreign language during a
seven-decade career."

I would understand this as referring to 36 _films_ in which she sang
which were in languages other than Hindi. "36 languages" seems to result
from a careless reading of this passage.

So far, no list, but you could start here:

https://m.rediff.com/amp/movies/report/how-many-languages-has-lataji-sung-in/20220206.htm

It mentions Tamil, Russian, "Malaysian" and English.

The Wiki article cites a _Guinness Book of Records_ (1974) claim of "20
Indian languages". It also notes that in the 70s-80s she sang many songs
in Assamese.

> One of India's most beloved singers, Lata Mangeshkar, has died at the
> age of 92. Mangeshkar rose to fame at the dawn of Bollywood's golden
> age as a "playback singer", providing the singing voice to Bollywood's
> lip-synching movie stars. She has a back catalogue of around 30,000
> songs spanning numerous genres and a total of 36 languages.
>
> https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-45703099
>

On Wednesday, February 9, 2022 at 6:51:09 PM UTC-5, benl...@ihug.co.nz wrote:
> On 7/02/2022 5:28 a.m., Dingbat wrote:
> > What is the maximum reported number of languages used by a
> > singer in the rest of the world?
> >
> >
> > Lata Mangeshkar sang in 36 languages! I'd like to see the languages
> > named. I didn't know movies were made in that many languages in India.
> I have been wondering about that too.
>
> Wikipedia says:
>
> "She recorded songs in over thirty-six Indian languages and a few
> foreign languages, though primarily in Hindi, Bengali, and Marathi."
>
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lata_Mangeshkar
>
> This is a peculiar -- though hardly unique -- use of "over", with such
> an unround (and fairly small) number.
>
> There is a footnote to a _Hindustan Times_ article (from 2019) which
> includes the same number:
>
> "Famous as the Nightingale of India, her songs have figured in over a
> thousand Hindi films, 36 regional and foreign language during a
> seven-decade career."
>
> I would understand this as referring to 36 _films_ in which she sang
> which were in languages other than Hindi. "36 languages" seems to result
> from a careless reading of this passage.
>
> So far, no list, but you could start here:
>
> https://m.rediff.com/amp/movies/report/how-many-languages-has-lataji-sung-in/20220206.htm
>
> It mentions Tamil, Russian, "Malaysian" and English.
>
> The Wiki article cites a _Guinness Book of Records_ (1974) claim of "20
> Indian languages". It also notes that in the 70s-80s she sang many songs
> in Assamese.
> > One of India's most beloved singers, Lata Mangeshkar, has died at the
> > age of 92. Mangeshkar rose to fame at the dawn of Bollywood's golden
> > age as a "playback singer", providing the singing voice to Bollywood's
> > lip-synching movie stars. She has a back catalogue of around 30,000
> > songs spanning numerous genres and a total of 36 languages.
> >
> > https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-45703099
> >

Eartha Kitt (Catwoman)

Kitt's unique style was enhanced as she became fluent in French during her years performing in Europe. She spoke four languages (she is thought to have learned German and Dutch from her stepfather, English from her mother, and French from the European cabaret circuit) and sang in eleven, which she demonstrated in many of the live recordings of her cabaret performances.” wikipedia

On 10/02/2022 3:12 p.m., Daud Deden wrote:
> On Wednesday, February 9, 2022 at 6:51:09 PM UTC-5, benl...@ihug.co.nz wrote:
>> On 7/02/2022 5:28 a.m., Dingbat wrote:
>>> What is the maximum reported number of languages used by a
>>> singer in the rest of the world?
>>>
>>>
>>> Lata Mangeshkar sang in 36 languages! I'd like to see the languages
>>> named. I didn't know movies were made in that many languages in India.
>> I have been wondering about that too.
>>
>> Wikipedia says:
>>
>> "She recorded songs in over thirty-six Indian languages and a few
>> foreign languages, though primarily in Hindi, Bengali, and Marathi."
>>
>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lata_Mangeshkar
>>
>> This is a peculiar -- though hardly unique -- use of "over", with such
>> an unround (and fairly small) number.
>>
>> There is a footnote to a _Hindustan Times_ article (from 2019) which
>> includes the same number:
>>
>> "Famous as the Nightingale of India, her songs have figured in over a
>> thousand Hindi films, 36 regional and foreign language during a
>> seven-decade career."
>>
>> I would understand this as referring to 36 _films_ in which she sang
>> which were in languages other than Hindi. "36 languages" seems to result
>> from a careless reading of this passage.
>>
>> So far, no list, but you could start here:
>>
>> https://m.rediff.com/amp/movies/report/how-many-languages-has-lataji-sung-in/20220206.htm
>>
>> It mentions Tamil, Russian, "Malaysian" and English.
>>
>> The Wiki article cites a _Guinness Book of Records_ (1974) claim of "20
>> Indian languages". It also notes that in the 70s-80s she sang many songs
>> in Assamese.
>>> One of India's most beloved singers, Lata Mangeshkar, has died at the
>>> age of 92. Mangeshkar rose to fame at the dawn of Bollywood's golden
>>> age as a "playback singer", providing the singing voice to Bollywood's
>>> lip-synching movie stars. She has a back catalogue of around 30,000
>>> songs spanning numerous genres and a total of 36 languages.
>>>
>>> https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-45703099
>>>
>
> Eartha Kitt (Catwoman)
>
> Kitt's unique style was enhanced as she became fluent in French during her years performing in Europe. She spoke four languages (she is thought to have learned German and Dutch from her stepfather, English from her mother, and French from the European cabaret circuit) and sang in eleven, which she demonstrated in many of the live recordings of her cabaret performances.” wikipedia

One of her signature songs was "Kâtibim" ("my clerk"), or "Üsküdar'a
Gider İken" ("while going to Üsküdar"), which she sang (at least partly)
in Turkish. I don't know where she picked it up, or how good her
pronunciation was, but she obviously loved the exotic touch.

On Wednesday, February 9, 2022 at 10:24:08 AM UTC-8, S K wrote:
> On Sunday, February 6, 2022 at 11:28:23 AM UTC-5, Dingbat wrote:
> > What is the maximum reported number of languages used by a
> > singer in the rest of the world?
> >
> > Lata Mangeshkar sang in 36 languages! I'd like to see the languages
> > named. I didn't know movies were made in that many languages in India.
> >
> > One of India's most beloved singers, Lata Mangeshkar, has died at the
> > age of 92. Mangeshkar rose to fame at the dawn of Bollywood's golden
> > age as a "playback singer", providing the singing voice to Bollywood's
> > lip-synching movie stars. She has a back catalogue of around 30,000
> > songs spanning numerous genres and a total of 36 languages.
> >
> > https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-45703099

> you should make it clear that most of them were transliterated into hindi/marathi for her to be able to sing them.

Many of them were written in Devanagari. In a recent posting on SCI, I noted that she pronounced Gham wrong in
Kabhi Kushi Kabhi Gham, probably because Devanagari has no standard way to write a Ghayn.

But it seems like a Tamil song, and most likely songs in a number of other languages, were written in Latin script.

"The Tamil language was really difficult for me to handle. I would note down all the lines in English and then master their pronunciation."
https://m.rediff.com/amp/movies/report/how-many-languages-has-lataji-sung-in/20220206.htm

On 13/02/2022 2:43 a.m., Dingbat wrote:
> On Wednesday, February 9, 2022 at 10:24:08 AM UTC-8, S K wrote:
>> On Sunday, February 6, 2022 at 11:28:23 AM UTC-5, Dingbat wrote:
>>> What is the maximum reported number of languages used by a
>>> singer in the rest of the world?
>>>
>>> Lata Mangeshkar sang in 36 languages! I'd like to see the languages
>>> named. I didn't know movies were made in that many languages in India.
>>>
>>> One of India's most beloved singers, Lata Mangeshkar, has died at the
>>> age of 92. Mangeshkar rose to fame at the dawn of Bollywood's golden
>>> age as a "playback singer", providing the singing voice to Bollywood's
>>> lip-synching movie stars. She has a back catalogue of around 30,000
>>> songs spanning numerous genres and a total of 36 languages.
>>>
>>> https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-45703099
>
>> you should make it clear that most of them were transliterated into hindi/marathi for her to be able to sing them.
>
> Many of them were written in Devanagari. In a recent posting on SCI, I noted that she pronounced Gham wrong in
> Kabhi Kushi Kabhi Gham, probably because Devanagari has no standard way to write a Ghayn.
>
> But it seems like a Tamil song, and most likely songs in a number of other languages, were written in Latin script.
>
> "The Tamil language was really difficult for me to handle. I would note down all the lines in English and then master their pronunciation."
> https://m.rediff.com/amp/movies/report/how-many-languages-has-lataji-sung-in/20220206.htm

By "in English" I assume she means "in the Roman alphabet", whether
standard transliteration or her own phonetic system.

Or did she work with an English translation to get an idea of the sense,
and then simply imitate a Tamil singer or recording?

On Saturday, February 12, 2022 at 11:48:13 AM UTC-8, benl...@ihug.co.nz wrote:
> On 13/02/2022 2:43 a.m., Dingbat wrote:
> > On Wednesday, February 9, 2022 at 10:24:08 AM UTC-8, S K wrote:
> >> On Sunday, February 6, 2022 at 11:28:23 AM UTC-5, Dingbat wrote:
> >>> What is the maximum reported number of languages used by a
> >>> singer in the rest of the world?
> >>>
> >>> Lata Mangeshkar sang in 36 languages! I'd like to see the languages
> >>> named. I didn't know movies were made in that many languages in India.
> >>>
> >>> One of India's most beloved singers, Lata Mangeshkar, has died at the
> >>> age of 92. Mangeshkar rose to fame at the dawn of Bollywood's golden
> >>> age as a "playback singer", providing the singing voice to Bollywood's
> >>> lip-synching movie stars. She has a back catalogue of around 30,000
> >>> songs spanning numerous genres and a total of 36 languages.
> >>>
> >>> https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-45703099
> >
> >> you should make it clear that most of them were transliterated into hindi/marathi for her to be able to sing them.
> >
> > Many of them were written in Devanagari. In a recent posting on SCI, I noted that she pronounced Gham wrong in
> > Kabhi Kushi Kabhi Gham, probably because Devanagari has no standard way to write a Ghayn.
> >
> > But it seems like a Tamil song, and most likely songs in a number of other languages, were written in Latin script.
> >
> > "The Tamil language was really difficult for me to handle. I would note down all the lines in English and then master their pronunciation."
> > https://m.rediff.com/amp/movies/report/how-many-languages-has-lataji-sung-in/20220206.htm
>
> By "in English" I assume she means "in the Roman alphabet", whether
> standard transliteration or her own phonetic system.
>
She means the alphabet. Indians don't call the alphabet Latin or Roman. They also call letters alphabets,
so they don't seem to have a word for alphabet,
>
> Or did she work with an English translation to get an idea of the sense,
> and then simply imitate a Tamil singer or recording?

On Monday, February 14, 2022 at 5:41:11 AM UTC-8, S K wrote:
> On Saturday, February 12, 2022 at 8:43:09 AM UTC-5, Dingbat wrote:
>
> > Many of them were written in Devanagari. In a recent posting on SCI, I noted that she pronounced Gham wrong in
> > Kabhi Kushi Kabhi Gham, probably because Devanagari has no standard way to write a Ghayn.
>
> fucking guy - linguistic bullshit gives hin entree to serve as a lying informant about India..
>
It wouldn't be possible for me to be an informant about India on SCI since it's
frequented by people from India who know about as much about India as I know.
>
> Lata started her career without knowing about Urdu sounds not present in Hindi or Marathi - but was later coached about them.
>
She seems to have missed learning the Ghayn. Perhaps not even Urdu speakers
produce all the sounds in the languages from which they got their words, in
which case she might have needed foreign teachers to teach the original/
code switched pronunciations. I haven't heard Urdu speakers pronounce
adhaan like an Arab whereas I've heard the Arab pronunciation from a
Malayali Muslim.
>
> A post office employee once got a joke off at my expense - I asked do you have any gum? he replied yaha(n) gam ke sivay kya hai?
>
Mildly amusing. Similarly, Tamil speakers pronounce bezaar as bejaar unless they
are Muslim Tamil speakers who also speak (a dialect of) Urdu.