| Karen's Linguistics Issues, February 2007 | Previous Months |
The English Language in India
by R. Narayanan, Vinayaka Missions University, Aarupadai Veedu Institute of Technology, Kanchipuram, India
Dr. N. Rajasekharan Nair, Professor of Linguistics, Annamalai University, Annamalai Nagar, and
Dr. S. Iyyappan, Head of Department of English, SSN College of Engineering, Kalavakkam
It is generally supposed that the study of English was imposed upon Indians by Lord Macaulay with the sole purpose of serving the end of the British Administration in India. From being a language rooted in colonialism, English has become the language that has given India an edge over countries where English is a foreign language. India has become a resource pool of English – a language whose ascendancy remains unquestioned. English plays an important role in the domains of education, administration, business and political relations, judiciary, industry, etc. and is therefore a passport to social mobility, higher education, and better job opportunities. In urban India, it is very common to see young people code-mixing and code-switching between English and other Indian languages.
English literature written by Indian authors has made its mark in world literature. Among the Indian writers in English, R. K. Narayan chooses to write in English because he himself says, "It is the only language I am really familiar with. It is the only language which is transparent and takes on the hues of the country or region where the story set." Narayan uses popular Tamil and Sanskrit words freely in his novels; for example: bonda; sadhu; rasam; Samadhi; asura and so on. The flexibility and adaptability of English has fascinated him, and for this reason he has chosen it as his medium of story –telling.
In India, where more than 18 different state languages coexist, English serves as the connector between people speaking different mother tongues. So more than two hundred and fifty years later, the number of Indians who wish to learn and use English is still growing steadily. The impact of English is not only continuing but increasing. The number of English newspapers, journals, and magazine is on the increase. According to Braj Kachru , a noted EFL theoretician, at present there are 3,582 Indian newspapers in English. According to David Crystal, “British English is now, numerically speaking, a minority dialect, compared with American, or even Indian English.” (English in the Indian context by i-osmosis instructor .pp-1)
In fact, Indian English is a recognized dialect of English, just like British Received Pronunciation or Australian English, or Standard American. It has a lot of distinctive pronunciations, some distinctive syntax, and quite a bit of lexical variation.
Grammar, idioms, and usage in Indian English
For those aware of the grammar of Indian tongues, such as Bengali, Hindi, Malayalam, and Tamil, the logic behind the quirks of Indian English is quite transparent, and readily explicable.
The progressive tense in stative verbs: I am understanding it. She is knowing the answer. This is an influence from traditional Hindi grammar.
Variations in noun number and determiners: He performed many charities. She loves to pull your legs. Staffs are requested to come in white dress.
Prepositions: pay attention on, discuss about, convey him my greetings. Most prepositions in English are direct mental translations of the approximate postpositions in Hindi.
The past perfect tense used in verbs where international English speakers would use the simple past: I had gone for I went.
Use of would instead of will as in "I would be going to New York this weekend".
Use of the words but or only as intensifiers, such as in: "I was just joking but." or "It was she only who cooked this rice." (Influenced by Hindi syntax).
Anglicisation of Indian words especially in Chennai by adding "ify" to a local Tamil word.
Use of yaar, machaa, abey, arey in English conversation, mainly by people of native Hindi-speaking origin; da, machaa are more frequently used in the South.
Overuse of the words Generally/Actually/Obviously/Basically at the beginning of a sentence, e.g "Actually I am not feeling well." (http://en.wikipedia.org//wiki/india.english).
Idioms and Popular Phrases
Many of these idioms and popular phrases are heavily influenced by the way Indians express these ideas in their native languages.
Mast meaning large or tall.
"Your good name please?", meaning "What is your name?". This is a carry over from the Hindi expression "shubh-naam", literally meaning "auspicious name". This is similar to the way Japanese people refer to another person's name with an honorific "O-" prefix, as in "O-namae" instead of the simple "namae" when referring to their own name. It is also an indication that the questioner wants to know the person's formal or legal name, as opposed to his or her nickname, which is commonly used among friends and family.
Out of station" to mean "out of town".
"Join duty" to mean "reporting to work for the first time". "Rejoin duty" is to come back to work after a vacation.
Some Indian English words:
cousin-brother (male-cousin)
eve-teasing (harassment of women)
godown (warehouse)
opticals (eyeglasses)
scheduled caste (lowest Hindu caste)
These examples show how adaptable the English language is, and how it can take on the tint of any country.
The need for English is steadily increasing, primarily boosted by globalization. India is all set to play a very important role in spreading English to different nations, and it can help to change the face of English education across the world.
References
English in the Indian context by i-osmosis instructor. p.1
Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language, Cambridge University Press, 1995.
Bio-data:
R. Narayanan works as an English lecturer for VMRF-Deemed University, Kanchipuram, India. He is particularly interested in Indian writing in English and English language teaching. He has presented two papers, and holds an MA in English Literature, an MA in Linguistics, and an MPhil in Indian writing in English. Presently, he is doing research in the area of applied linguistics in the Department of Linguistics at Annamalai University, Annamalai Nagar, India.
©R.
Narayanan 2007. All rights reserved.