Indian languages (at least the North Indian ones) have only one letter “wa” (व) to cover the letters V and W, therefore many Indians mispronounce words that contain the letter “v”.

The “wa” sound is made with the lips forming a circle as you open the mouth.

The “va” sound requires you to place your lower lip behind the upper front teeth and release the lip as you say it.

In Marathi, the V sound is transliterated as व्ह (“vh”) – no idea why, because it causes people to inject the “h” sound when none exists.

Laloo Yadav’s speech in Parliament is a fine example of an ailing Indian English. It kicks off this website’s first post. Enjoy!