#37, Research Paper: Characteristics of Indian English

Characteristics of Indian English

by Dr. Asma Rizwan, People’s Institute of Management & Research, Bhopal

ABSTRACT

English has been in India since the early 1600’s, when the East India Company started trading and English missionaries first began their efforts. English started life in India as not just a foreign language, but as a much-hated language. A large number of Christian schools imparting an English education were set up by the early 1800’s. The process of producing English-knowing bilinguals in India began with the Minute of 1835, which officially endorsed T.B. Macaulay’s goal of forming “a class who may be interpreters between us and the millions whom we govern – a class of persons, Indians in blood and colour, but English in taste, in opinion, in morals and in intellect” (quoted in Kachru 1983, p. 22). English became the official and academic language of India by the early twentieth century. The rising of the nationalist movement in the 1920’s brought some anti-English sentiment with it — even though the movement itself used English as its medium. From the despised instrument of oppression to the reluctantly adopted lingua franca to the status symbol of the upper classes to its position today as a second language, English has come a long way. The liberalisation of the Indian economy ushered in all kinds of reasons to learn the language. There are now call centres that need trainers to equip their employees with communication skills, there are multinationals who have been recruiting marketing staff that needed to be taught spoken English, there are medical transcription centres which need efficient translators and reporters.

The English which is spoken in India is different from that spoken in other regions of the world, and it is regarded as the unique variety which is called Indian English. The purpose of this Paper is to show some of the ways Indians have intentionally and unintentionally customized English to suit their needs.

INTRODUCTION

The year 1600, when English began to flow into the subcontinent of India, saw the beginnings of new forms of the language and Indian English is the oldest World English after those of the British Isles. (Crystal, Guardian) Influences were two-way. English began to take words from the languages of the subcontinent, and those old languages began the subtle transformation of the new language. In less than two hundred years, English was beginning to compete with local languages. The year 1774 was the key date because it was then that English became ‘the language of the Supreme Court in Calcutta’.

The process of producing English-knowing bilinguals in India began with the Minute of 1835, which officially endorsed T.B. Macaulay’s goal of forming “a class who may be interpreters between us and the millions whom we govern – a class of persons, Indians in blood and colour, but English in taste, in opinion, in morals and in intellect” (quoted in Kachru 1983, p. 22). English became the official and academic language of India by the early twentieth century. Although less than four percent of India’s population speaks English, but they are the individuals who lead India’s economic, industrial, professional, political, and social life. Even though English is primarily a second language for these persons, it is the medium in which a great number of the interactions in the above domains are carried out. With India’s massive population, around three percent English speakers puts India among the top four countries in the world with the highest number of English speakers.

Indian English is used mainly by Indians whose native language it is not. It is a minority language, but yet a language of national affairs. The language has penetrated deeply in the society, which has, in its turn, resulted in several varieties of English in India. The development of these new varieties is connected with historical and social factors. The new English that is the Indian English has its own contexts of functions, usage and characteristics. Indian English is characterized by treating mass nouns as count nouns, frequent use of the “isn’t it?” tag, use of more compounds, and a different use of prepositions. “use to” means usually, and no articles are used before occupations. Some characteristics of Indian English are however little known beyond South Asia and are liable to be regarded by native speakers of English as ‘deviant’ in various ways. Indian English is a complex and variegated phenomenon which lies in its typically Indian tone and rhythm, words and phrases, and sentences and proverbs The Indian English speaker is the carrier of sociocultural genes who is often compelled to borrow words from the native language in order to convey the flavour of raciness of his mother tongue. This paper attempts to trace the special characteristics of the English spoken by the Indians.

CHARACTERISTICS OF INDIAN ENGLISH

Indian English is a distinct variety of the English language. It is important to know that not every linguistic item is used by every Indian English speaker and that a great deal of regional and educational differentiation exists. Some of these major differences are discussed here which are widely used by the Indian speakers. These operate on various phonological, morphological, lexical, and syntactic levels.

PHONOLOGY & MORPHOLOGY

Indian accents vary greatly from those close to a pure British (RP) to those leaning towards a more ‘vernacular’ (Indian language)-tinted speech. Some Indian English speakers have a tendency to drop the -ed ending after /k/ and /t/ ex: walked becomes walk and talked becomes talk. The voiceless plosives /p/, /t/, /k/ are always unaspirated in Indian English, whereas in RP, they are aspirated in word-initial or stressed syllables. Thus “pin” is pronounced [p?n] in Indian English but [p??n] in most other accents. Chiefly in states like Punjab, Haryana and in my native place Bhopal, the short [?] becomes lengthened and higher to long [e?], making <pen> sound like <pain>.Standard Hindi and most other vernaculars do not differentiate between /v/ and /w/. Instead, most Indians use [?] for words with either sound, possibly in free variation with [v] or [w]. So wine and vine are homophones and volleybal is the same as wallyball.

Indian English morphology is very creative and it is filled with new terms and usages. Indian English uses compound formation extensively, as in English-speaking classes or convent-going. The compounds cousin-brother and cousin-sister allow the Indian English speaker to designate whether their cousin is male or female. Others include batchmate or batch-mate (for class mate) chalk-piece, key-bunch, meeting notice, age barred, and pindrop silence. English mass nouns are often pluralized such as litters, furnitures, equipments and woods in Indian English. Sometimes words which should be pluralized are not; for example “One of the largest hub”. A quintessential Indian English term which comes from compound formation is time-pass, which means idling or something as non-exciting, as in “That match was real time-pass.” Some other words which are exclusive to Indian English are-

1. Over speeding and tyre bursting cause accidents

2. ‘Free of cost’ is used for ‘Free of charge”

3. Do Not Crisscross on Expressway-  crisscross is not used in formal writings

4. Parking Inside the Lawn is Strictly Prohibited- that means don’t park on the grass.

5. ‘ wheatish’, describing a type of complexion

6. Road In Curve Ahead-‘In Curve’; it’s about to curve around

7. Speed Breaker Ahead- referring to road Bumps.

8. Super stores – for grocery stores slightly bigger than normal stores or department stores.

9. Super bazaar/ market – for grocery stores slightly bigger than the super stores.

10. No 2-/3-Wheelers allowed – 2-wheelers is the generic term for motorbikes and scooters; 3-wheelers is the everyday description of auto-rickshaws.

Indian English also shorten many words to create commonly used terms. Enthusiasm is called enthu; as such, it can be used in new ways. One can say, “That guy has a lot of enthu.” While this is simply an abbreviation, enthu can also be used as an adjective where enthusiasm cannot, as in “He’s a real enthu guy.” The same applies for fundamentals, which is shortened as fundas. “She knows her fundas.” What is interesting about fundas is that when the -as ending is dropped and -u is added, it takes on a new meaning and can be used in a new way. Fundu basically means wonderful or brilliant. One can say “He is a fundu person” or even “He is fundu.” When bringing Indian words into English, terms such as roti (bread), which is already plural, will be pluralized for English by the addition of -s (rotis). English suffixes are also appended to Indian terms. Like adding -fy to a Hindi word to indicate that an action is being done to someone by someone. From the Hindi word muska, to muskafy means to flatter somebody or to butter them up. Similarly, to pataofy is the action of wooing someone. Other suffixes such as -ic (Upanishadic), -dom (cooliedom), and -ism (goondaism) are used to create new usages for Indian terms. Prefixes can also be used in new ways. In Indian English, pre- is substituted for post- in postpone to create prepone, which indicates, for example, that a meeting has been moved to a sooner time.

LEXICON

The Indian English lexicon has many distinct terms which are commonly used by its speakers. Some arise through the use of old and new morphological features, as discussed above. Others come from acronyms and abbreviations. Many terms from Indian languages are utilized and new usages for English words or expressions are created. It must be noted that many of these terms and usages are specific to the population of Indian English speakers who are currently between twenty and thirty years of age.

Jan = January

Feb = February

subsi = subsidiary

supli = supplementary

soopi = superintendent

princi = principle

Gen. Sec. or G. Sec. = General Secretary

Soc. Sec. = Social Secretary

lab ass = laboratory assistant

dep. – Department

Agri – agriculture

Most of these short terms are coined in college campus specially IITs & IIMs. The student of these elite technical Institutions speak in short forms which becomes difficult to decipher for an outsider. Roomy is one who shares the room and Tommy is one who shares the toilet  What is interesting about Indian English abbreviations is that they are pronounced the way they are spelled after they have been shortened. A Native speaker will generally read an abbreviation as though it were the entire word (i.e. Sec. is read as Secretary). Also, He tends to abbreviate phonetically when spoken abbreviations are used (i.e. Soc. is pronounced soash). When read by an Indian English speaker, Soc. Sec. is pronounced sock seck. Vowels which have been dropped by American and British English speakers are typically articulated by Indians. For example, typically is generally pronounced ti-pick-lee, but Indian English speakers will often say ti-pick-ah-lee.

New words and new usages of standard words are introduced as well. A food grinder is simply called a mixi. Fashionable people are maud (modern) and – such people could be described as fast (untraditional and modern). A deadly movie or event is hard-hitting and action-packed. Hi-tech is not just limited to technology; for example, one could be wearing a hi-tech outfit. A reception is sometimes called an at home. In Indian English A square root is known as an under root. Indian English speakers use less to indicate that something is insufficient — “There is less salt in the curry.” Often this is extended to too less also. Similarly Hindi conversations are lased with occasional expressions like too much of and so much of. None of my informants were sure why of is used in those situations, but they all agreed it did not come from Hindi or any other Indian language’s usage.

We Indians love our alphabet soup. Even Indians living in villages know their letters. The world of newspapers, magazines, official documents, street signs, billboards are all full of acronyms. In fact we have as many initials, acronyms and abbreviations in usage as our population. Staying abreast of current events and navigating society often means wading into a thick pool of alphabet soup.Examples of the use of acronyms include the following:

MCP – Male Chauvinist Pig

ABCD- American Born Confused Desi (native of India)

DINK- Double income no kids (Couple)

Acronyms are popular in shortening the names of the Hindi movies like-

QSQT – Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (a popular movie)

ILU – I Love You (from a song; pronounced ee-lu)

Reading a newspaper is like travelling through the maze of acronyms. Like a head line in the daily Indian Express:

“Go to HC, SC tells NICE.” (or “Go to High Court, Supreme Court tells Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprises.”)

“Around new IITs, IIMs, will come SDZs: SEZs with a Difference.”

“Quota for SCs/STs in MBBS, BDS.”

“RBI urging the IBA to follow KYC and AML standards” (Reserve Bank of India, Indian Banks’ Assn., Know Your Customer and Anti-Money Laundering).”

“MMRDA trusts women’s NGOs,” (to run a public toilet-cleaning program) reported by a Mumbai newspaper named DNA.

The profusion of abbreviations are mystifying to outsiders, for whom scanning headlines is often like staring at an eye chart. But their omnipresence shows as to how the country has taken English and shaped it for its own ends, and how a once-alien tongue continues to be a unifier of sorts in a culturally diverse population. Consequently, it is the de facto language of the federal government, whose bureaucrats appears to relish nothing more than cooking up new acronyms and abbreviations for government posts, policies, schemes, designations, agencies and institutions. There is no dictionary to help decipher these terms. And it is not uncommon for newspapers to neglect to spell them out in their copy, on the assumption that no explanation is necessary for most readers. That assumption appears true to a surprising extent. Even illiterate residents and those who speak no English often recognize acronyms and initials in conversation, which by their very nature are easier to remember than the full words and phrases, Villagers may not know what RTI ( Right to Information) stands for but they know what it does. Similarly they know that NREGS stands for National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme that guarantees them some days of work a year. English acronyms and abbreviations have thus proven to be effective tools for getting the word out on government programs to far-flung corners.

Even Indian politics relies on acronyms. Most political parties are known by their initials, with the major exception of the ruling Congress Party, which is mostly represented by UPA, the ruling coalition. Others are BJP, CPI, CPI(M0, DMK, AIADMK, which, admittedly, is much easier to call than All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. Indian English’s love of short forms has got the biggest boon by the explosion in cell phone ownership and the immense popularity of text-messaging or SMS.

SYNTAX

Indian English grammar contains many deviations from standard English forms, they are often a result of direct transfers of grammar features from native languages. Hindi syntax affects Indian English syntax in several ways. There is a seemingly arbitrary use of the articles a and the, which do not have parallels in Hindi. Often, one is substituted for a; for example “And one black cat..”. The and a are often dropped when they should be said and used when they should be left out like, “We are going to temple”  or before professions .Something which Indian English has that is not found in other varieties of English is the use of only and itself to emphasize time and place. It comes from the Hindi word “hee” and produces sentences like “I was in Delhi only” and “Can we meet tomorrow itself?” Indian English speakers often use reduplication as a way of emphasizing an action, like “Come come! Sit sit!”. Reduplication can also replace very for intensifying or extending something, as in long, long hair. Adjectives are also intensified by doubling them. This is a common feature of most Indian languages. For example: “She has curly-curly hair”; “We went to different-different places in the city”; “Don’t worry about small-small things” to mean very insignificant issues. Certain verbs are used in Indian English in the same way they are used in Hindi. Like using kholna and bandh karna when asking someone to turn a light on or off; the literal translation is retained, so it becomes “open the light” and “close the light.” The same is true of giving a test (from the Hindi verb dena) rather than taking a test. Take means consume when used with food and drink items — “Will you take tea?” The verb ‘lena’ is the Hindi equivalent of this. Indian English speakers often use certain verbs in ways that are confusing to speakers of other English varieties. One of the most indicative signs of Indian English grammar is the use of the continuous tense with habitual actions, completed actions, and stative verbs. This produces sentences such as “I am doing it often” rather than “I do it often”; “Where are you coming from?” instead of “Where have you come from?” and “She was having many sarees” rather than “She had many sarees” (Trudgill & Hannah, p. 132). Perhaps to highlight this aspect of Indian English McDonald’s created the slogan of “I am loving It” in their advertising campaign. Other distinguished grammar usage are-

a) Progressive tense in stative verbs (Hindi influence): She is knowing the answer.

b) Different prepositions: to discuss about, pay attention on…

c) Use of general tag questions: You are going, isn’t it? He’s here, no?

d) Agreement with the form, not the content of a question: A. You didn’t do it? B: Yes, I didn’t.

The word order of questions is often unique in Indian English. Sentences such as “What you would like to eat?” instead of “what would you like to eat?” and “Who you will come with?” show the absence of subject-verb inversion in direct questions.

CONCLUSION

It is quiet clear that Indian English has its own distinct flavour. We have made English into a native language with its own linguistic and cultural ecologies and sociocultural contexts. Indian English is very much our own. Its special functions have engraved English into the cultural life of India, and it is very much a part of the experience of being Indian — even if one does not speak it. Many Indians feel that the use of English should be actively encouraged because of the many advantages it confers – the greatest of which is its universal character. The Indian writer and philosopher Raja Rao wrote, “Truth, said a great Indian sage, is not the monopoly of the Sanskrit language. Truth can use any language, and the more universal, the better it is. If metaphysics is India’s primary contribution to world civilization, as we believe it is, then must she use the most universal language for her to be universal…. And as long as the English language is universal, it will always remain Indian…. It would then be correct to say as long as we are Indian — that is, not nationalists, but truly Indians of the Indian psyche — we shall have the English language with us and amongst us, and not as a guest or friend, but as one of our own, of our caste, our creed , our sect and our tradition” (quoted in Kachru 1986, p. 12).

Indians use English the same way other speakers of English as a foreign language may do it: they adapt it to fit their native language concepts, they use the material to form new vocabulary items, without bothering much for grammar. Even though we hold the British English as a benchmark to perfect English, the Indian variety is unique, and this uniqueness should be valued and appreciated. Indian English has now come to be recognised as a viable and self generating vehicle for expressing Indian sensibility in an Indian atmosphere. It is now a natural product of an alien medium developed in interaction and interference in native language and native culture. This form of English is thriving in our country as we Indians “don’t worry about small-small things”.

REFERENCES

Kachru, Braj. (1983). The Indianization of English. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Kachru, Braj. (1986). The Alchemy of English: The spread, functions and models of non-native Englishes. New York: Pergamon Press Inc.

Trudgill, Peter, and Hannah, Jean. (1994). International English: A Guide to the Varieties of Standard English. London: Edward Arnold.

Strevens, Peter. ‘English as an International Language’ in The Other Tongue: English Across Cultures. Edited by Braj B. Kachru. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1992. 27-47.

Crystal, David. ‘The Subcontinent Raises Its Voice.’ The Guardian (19 November 2004): http://education.guardian.co.uk/tefl/story/0,,1355064,00.html.

Using English.com. www.usingenglish.com/reference/common-words/index.html, 2007

Dr.Asma Rizwan of People’s Institute of Management & Research, Bhopal, is a teacher and a trainer. PhD in English and an examiner of Cambridge University for its Business English Speaking skills exam. More than ten years of teaching experience mostly to adults at graduate and post graduate levels. Trained in  EFL ( English as foreign language) techniques in (ESOL) that is teaching English to the speakers of other language by British Council. Keen follower of Indian English and adapted words and slang by the Indian Media and research on the same subject. Edited the college management Journal and part of several editorial board.

**ELTWeekly Team would like to thank Dr.Asma Rizwan for contributing this research paper.