How we cite our quotes: (Part.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
"I really do love you, you know, Didier," Lettie stuttered, through her bubbling laughter. "Even if you are a despicable toad of a man."
"No, you love him because he is a despicable toe of a man," Ulla declared.
"That's toad, love, not toe,' Lettie corrected patiently, still laughing. [...]
"I'm not so good with the English jokes, you know that, Lettie," Ulla persisted. (1.4.49)
Get a group of foreigners together and the fun language mistakes will come rolling in. In this case it's Ulla, mistaking toad for toe. It makes us think that a lot of language is really arbitrary—why shouldn't he be a toe? They're stinky, a trait that toads don't share, last time we checked.
Quote #8
"And I suppose that the real breakthrough came with the language. When I started to dream in Hindi, I knew that I was at home here. Everything has fallen into place since then." (1.4.147)
Karla's "breakthrough" is about feeling like she fits in in Bombay. She's a foreigner, and looks and acts differently than native women in her adopted city. But by learning Hindi, one of the city's native languages, she unlocks the door into society and finally feels at home.
Quote #9
"No, say it also, Lin! Say the words—I will never let it go this shirts. Quickly!"
"Oh, for God's sake. All right—I will never let it go this shirts. Are you satisfied?" (1.5.22-23)
Poor Prabaker. It's hard to imagine that Lin doesn't sound just as silly when he's trying to speak Hindi or Marathi, but since he's the narrator he doesn't let us in on that fact. Instead, he just paints Prabaker's English as funny, mocking and copying his funky plurals and extra it's.