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Neil Miller October 12, 2015 Filed Under: #ChaosBeatsLogic, Into India, Transportation

Do you speak Air Horn?

Horn Language

 

My dad liked to play this joke growing up. When we were driving and he saw someone he didn’t know doing some yard work outside, he would roll down his window, honk the horn and wave. Being a small mid-western town, people would usually wave back, assuming they knew the ‘honkee’. Dad thought this was hilarious. (Like most fathers, Dad’s jokes were really only funny to him.)

His trick worked because in my culture, a horn honking meant only one of two things. 1) I am six inches away from hitting your car, or 2) Hello, I know you.

In fact, when I was back in the US for about two months, I heard someone honk a horn a total of four times over sixty days, and two of those were at me for my poor driving skills.

Here in India the horn is, shall we say, more loquacious?

Here is a handy guide for understanding the meanings of the Indian horn.

 

 

The Single

Short, subtle, proper. Used by passive drivers to calmly communicate unimportant information to neighboring cars.

http://learningindia.in/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Single.mp3

 

Possible meanings include:

  • I’m here
  • Don’t forget that I exist
  • Don’t mind me, I’m just coming through

 

 

The Double

Serious, intentional, forceful. This is used to arouse the attention of nearby drivers.

http://learningindia.in/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Double.mp3

 

Possible meanings include:

  • The light has turned green
  • The light will turn green in 5 seconds
  • I’m going to pass you on this narrow road where there isn’t enough room for one car
  • Please don’t be dumb as you think about pulling out in front of me

 

The Triple

Purposefully obnoxious. This indicates a high degree of dissatisfaction with other drivers.

http://learningindia.in/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Triple.mp3

 

Possible meanings include:

  • The light is red, but there is no traffic coming and therefore you should go
  • The light has been green for .05 seconds and you still aren’t moving!
  • You were just dumb, thanks a lot
  • I am invincible, get out of my way!
  • I am upset that traffic has not moved in 3 minutes, but I think that by blasting this horn, I will make people move faster

 

 

The Repeated Triple

Insistent, unrelenting. This triad is repeated over and over as long as anything is in the way. Generally used by AHOL license holders.

http://learningindia.in/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Repeated-Triple.mp3

 

Possible meanings include:

  • I am more important than you; get out of my way

 

 

The Big Blast

This is the attention-grabber. It is used to signal a severe infraction of the rules of driving.

http://learningindia.in/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Big-Blast.mp3

 

Possible meanings include:

  • I’m literally about to hit you
  • What were you thinking being so dumb?
  • Will everyone look at what this dumb person is doing?
  • Why are you still in the way?

 

 

The Double Blast

Usually used by large vehicles to mimic the sound of an oncoming train and warn you will face a similar fate if you don’t get out of the way.

(This one’s a little loud; you might want to adjust your speakers first)

 

http://learningindia.in/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Double-Blast1.mp3

 

The Big Blast + The Triple

This one conveys intense urgency.

http://learningindia.in/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Blast-Triple.mp3

 

Possible meanings include:

  • I am very late for where I need to go, please move now
  • I don’t have time for all of you millions of other people

 

 

The Extended Blast

Provocative, intense. This one is meant to attract the attention not just of the driver, but the entire nation.

http://learningindia.in/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Extended-Blast.mp3

 

Possible meanings include:

  • Oh my goodness, what in the world are you doing?
  • Get off the road right now!
  • Are you serious?

 

The Air Horn

Large vehicles often employ air horns to communicate their message with a certain style or flair. Generally translates to: I can do whatever I want because I am massive.

Here are a few samples.

http://learningindia.in/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Air-Horn1.mp3

 

 

Now go out and practice your new language!

 

 

Special thanks to my neighbors who noticed nothing out of the ordinary while I recorded these sounds.

Image Credit: Adam Cohn on Flickr

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Comments

  1. Whisky Lady in India says

    October 17, 2015 at 6:43 pm

    Fabulous post! There is indeed a honking language that is rather amusing at times and annoying at others!

    • Neil Miller says

      October 19, 2015 at 9:17 am

      Agreed!

  2. Luis Gonzales says

    October 18, 2015 at 8:00 pm

    Love this one!

    • Neil Miller says

      October 19, 2015 at 9:17 am

      Thanks, I had fun with it!

  3. kalehv says

    November 5, 2015 at 12:11 am

    Hahaha, amazing as always. I know honking is a bad idea when done without reason, but growing in India, I almost miss it now here in the US 😛

    • Neil Miller says

      November 5, 2015 at 2:30 pm

      🙂

  4. Kloppmeister says

    November 6, 2017 at 8:19 pm

    Hahaha unfortunate but true!

  5. sumit bhatnagar says

    November 24, 2017 at 9:15 pm

    ha ha ha… You know I have been driving in India since 1996 and things were not like this. Yes the traffic was lesser and yet we had the bad elements. But poor drivers were stopped and scolded by the ones who followed the rules… It slowly took this shape, I wish authorities paid attention before it came to this. Now it seems too late!

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© Neil A. Miller, LearningIndia.in, and Madras Media Marketing LLC 2013-2015. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given.