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Indian English

Article Discussion

Template:Short description {{#invoke:Hatnote|hatnote}} Template:For Template:Use Indian English Template:Use dmy dates {{#invoke:Infobox|infobox}}Template:Template otherTemplate:Main other {{#invoke:Listen|main}} {{#invoke:Listen|main}} {{#invoke:Listen|main}} Template:English language Indian English (IndE,<ref>Template:Citation</ref> IE) or English (India) is a group of English dialects spoken in the Republic of India and among the Indian diaspora and native to India.<ref name="English in India">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> English is used by the Government of India for communication, and is enshrined in the Constitution of India.<ref name = "Languages in the Constitution of India">Template:Cite book</ref> English is also an official language in seven states and seven union territories of India, and the additional official language in seven other states and one union territory. Furthermore, English is the sole official language of the Judiciary of India, unless the state governor or legislature mandates the use of a regional language, or if the President of India has given approval for the use of regional languages in courts.<ref name="The Economic Times">Template:Cite news</ref>

Before the dissolution of the British Empire on the Indian subcontinent, the term Indian English broadly referred to South Asian English, also known as British Indian English.

StatusEdit

After gaining independence from the British Raj in 1947, English remained an official language of the new Dominion of India and later the Republic of India. After the partition of India, Pakistani English and Bangladeshi English were considered separate from Indian English.

In the 21st century, only a few hundred thousand Indians, or less than 0.1% of the total population, speak English as their first language,<ref>Census of India's Indian Census Template:Webarchive, Issue 25, 2003, pp. 8–10, (Feature: Languages of West Bengal in Census and Surveys, Bilingualism and Trilingualism).</ref><ref>"Family-wise Grouping of the 122 Scheduled and Non-scheduled Languages". Template:Webarchive – 2001 Census of India</ref><ref>Tropf, Herbert S. (2005).

Template:Usurped. Siemens AG, Munich.</ref><ref>For the distinction between "English Speakers" and "English Users", see TESOL-India (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages), "India is World's Second Largest English-Speaking Country". Template:Webarchive. The article explains the difference between the 350 million number mentioned in a previous version of this Wikipedia article and the current number: <templatestyles src="Template:Blockquote/styles.css" />

Wikipedia's India estimate of 350 million includes two categories – 'English speakers' and 'English users'. The distinction between speakers and users is that Users only know how to read English words, while Speakers know how to read English, understand spoken English and form their own sentences to converse in English. The distinction becomes clear when you consider China's numbers. China has over 200 million people who can read English words but by this definition only a few million are English speakers.{{#if:|{{#if:|}}

— {{#if:|, in }}Template:Comma separated entries

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{{#invoke:Check for unknown parameters|check|unknown=Template:Main other|preview=Page using Template:Blockquote with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | author | by | char | character | cite | class | content | multiline | personquoted | publication | quote | quotesource | quotetext | sign | source | style | text | title | ts }}</ref> and around 30% of the Indian population can speak English to some extent.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

According to the 2001 Census, 12.18% of Indians knew English at that time. Of those, approximately 200,000 reported that it was their first language, 86 million reported that it was their second, and 39 million reported that it was their third.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

According to the 2005 India Human Development Survey,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> of 41,554 surveyed, households reported that 72% of men (29,918) spoke no English, 28% of them (11,635) spoke at least some English, and 5% of them (2,077, roughly 17.9% of those who spoke at least some English) spoke fluent English. Among women, 83% (34,489) spoke no English, 17% (7,064) spoke at least some English, and 3% (1,246, roughly 17.6% of those who spoke at least some English) spoke English fluently.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> According to statistics from the District Information System for Education (DISE) of the National University of Educational Planning and Administration under the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India, enrollment in English-medium schools increased by 50% between 2008–09 and 2013–14. The number of English-medium school students in India increased from over 15 million in 2008–09 to 29 million by 2013–14.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

According to the 2011 Census, 129 million Indians (10.6%) spoke English. 259,678 (0.02%) Indians spoke English as their first language.<ref name="auto"/> It concluded that approximately 83 million Indians (6.8%) reported English as their second language, and 46 million (3.8%) reported it as their third language, making English the second-most spoken language in India.<ref name="censusindia.gov.in"/>

India ranks 52 out of 111 countries in the 2022 EF English Proficiency Index published by the EF Education First. The index gives the country a score of 496 indicating "moderate proficiency". India ranks 6th out of 24 Asian countries included in the index.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

As a multilingual country, English is the lingua franca among different regions of India.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Writing for The New York Times, journalist Manu Joseph stated in 2011 that, due to the prominence and usage of the language and the desire for English-language education, "English is the de facto national language of India. It is a bitter truth."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In his book, In Search of Indian English: History, Politics and Indigenisation, Ranjan Kumar Auddy shows that the history of the rise of Indian nationalism and the history of the emergence of Indian English are deeply inter-related.<ref>Template:Citation</ref>

Court languageEdit

Under the Indian Constitution, English is the language of India's Supreme Court and of all the high courts of India.<ref name="The Economic Times"/> However, as allowed by the Constitution, Hindi is also used in courts in Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan by virtue of special presidential approval.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Template:As of, the high courts of Punjab and Haryana were also awaiting presidential approval to use Hindi alongside English,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and the Madras High Court has been taking steps to use Tamil alongside English.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

NamesEdit

The first occurrence of the term Indian English dates from 1696,<ref>Ovington, J. (1696). A Voyage to Suratt, in the Year 1689, p. 326.</ref> though the term did not become common until the 19th century. In the colonial era, the most common terms in use were Anglo-Indian English, or simply Anglo-Indian, both dating from 1860. Other less common terms in use were Indo-Anglian (dating from 1897) and Indo-English (1912).<ref name="ReferenceA">Lambert, James (2012). "Beyond Hobson-Jobson: Towards a new lexicography for Indian English", English World-Wide 33(3): 294.</ref> An item of Anglo-Indian English was known as an Anglo-Indianism from 1851.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

In the modern era, a range of colloquial portmanteau words for Indian English have been used. The earliest of these is Indlish (recorded from 1962), and others include Indiglish (1974), Indenglish (1979), Indglish (1984), Indish (1984), Inglish (1985) and Indianlish (2007).<ref>Lambert, James. 2018. A multitude of 'lishes': The nomenclature of hybridity. English World-wide, 39(1): 26. {{#invoke:doi|main}}</ref>

FeaturesEdit

Template:Expand section Indian English generally uses the Indian numbering system. Idiomatic forms derived from Indian literary languages and vernaculars have been absorbed into Indian English. Nevertheless, there remains general homogeneity in phonetics, vocabulary, and phraseology among various dialects of Indian English.<ref>Mukesh Ranjan Verma and Krishna Autar Agrawal: Reflections on Indian English literature (2002), page 163: "Some of the words in American English have spelling pronunciation and also pronunciation spelling. These are also characteristic features of Indian English as well. The novels of Mulk Raj Anand, in particular, are full of examples of ..."</ref><ref>Pingali Sailaja: Indian English (2009), page 116: "So what was Cauvery is now Kaveri. Some residual spellings left by the British do exist such as the use of ee for /i:/ as in Mukherjee. Also, some place names such as Cuddapah and Punjab"</ref><ref>Edward Carney: Survey of English Spelling (2012), page 56: "Not all distributional differences, however, have important consequences for spelling. For instance, the ... Naturally enough, Indian English is heavily influenced by the native language of the area in which it is spoken."</ref><ref>Indian English Literature (2002), page 300: "The use of Indian words with English spellings: e.g. 'Mundus,' 'raksha'; 'Ed Cherukka,' 'Chacko Saar Vannu'"</ref>

Formal written publications in English in India tend to use lakh/crore for Indian currency and Western numbering for foreign currencies like dollars and pounds,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }} - Shapiro is/was an OED employee. The article states: "The opinions and other information contained in the OED blog posts and comments do not necessarily reflect the opinions or positions of Oxford University Press."</ref> although lakh and crore are also used to refer to other large numbers such as population sizes. These terms are not used by other English-speakers, who have to learn what they mean in order to read Indian English news articles.

HistoryEdit

Template:See also

British IndiaEdit

The English language established a foothold on the Indian subcontinent with the granting of the East India Company charter by Queen Elizabeth I in 1600 and the subsequent establishment of trading ports in coastal cities such as Surat, Mumbai (called Bombay before 1995), Chennai (called Madras before 1996), and Kolkata (called Calcutta before 2001).

English-language public instruction began in the subcontinent in the 1830s during the rule of the British East India Company. In 1835, English replaced Persian as the official language of the East India Company. Lord Macaulay played a major role in introducing English and Western concepts into educational institutions in British-India. He supported the replacement of Persian by English as the official language, the use of English as the medium of instruction in all schools, and the training of English-speaking Indians as teachers.<ref name="John MacKenzie 2013">MacKenzie, John (January 2013). "A family empire", BBC History Magazine.</ref> Throughout the 1840s and 1850s, primary, middle, and high schools were opened in many districts of British India, with most high schools offering English language instruction in some subjects. In 1857, just before the end of East India Company rule, universities that were modeled on the University of London and used English as the medium of instruction were established in Bombay, Calcutta and Madras. During the British Raj (1858 to 1947), English-language penetration increased throughout the subcontinent. This was driven in part by the gradually increasing hiring of Indians in the civil services. At the time of Indian independence in 1947, English was the only functional lingua franca in the region.

Republic of IndiaEdit

After the independence and Partition of British India, Modern Standard Hindi was declared the first official language in the new Indian Republic, and attempts were made to declare Hindi the sole national language. Due to protests from Tamil Nadu and other non-Hindi-speaking states, it was decided to temporarily retain English for official purposes until at least 1965. By the end of this period, however, opposition from non-Hindi states was still too strong to have Hindi declared the sole language. With this in mind, the English Language Amendment Bill declared English to be an associate language "until such time as all non-Hindi States had agreed to its being dropped."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> This has not yet occurred, and English is still widely used. For instance, it is the only reliable means of day-to-day communication between the central government and the non-Hindi states.

The view of the English language among many Indians has changed over time. It used to be associated primarily with colonialism; it is now primarily associated with economic progress, and English continues to be an official language of India.<ref>Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref> Indian men who speak fluent English have been found to earn 34% higher hourly salaries than men who don't speak English.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

While there is an assumption that English is readily available in India, studies show that its usage is actually restricted to the elite,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> because of inadequate education to large parts of the Indian population. It has been suggested that Indian English, rather than British English, should be taught in schools, to allow for international cooperation while valuing local cultural features "due to a set of unique lexical, grammatical, phonological and discourse features that would allow it to act as both a lingua franca within the country and on the international stage".<ref>https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1244241</ref> The use of outdated teaching methods and the poor grasp of English exhibited by the authors of many guidebooks disadvantage students who rely on these books, giving India only a moderate proficiency in English.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

In addition, many features of Indian English were imported into Bhutan due to the dominance of Indian-style education and teachers in the country after it withdrew from its isolation in the 1960s.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Hinglish and other hybrid languagesEdit

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}}Template:See also The term Hinglish is a portmanteau of the languages English and Hindi. This typically refers to the macaronic hybrid use of Hindustani and English. It is often the growing preferred language of the urban and semi-urban educated Indian youth, as well as the Indian diaspora abroad.<ref name="The Times of India">Template:Cite news</ref> The Hindi film industry, more popularly known as Bollywood, incorporates considerable amounts of Hinglish as well.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Many internet platforms and voice commands on Google also recognise Hinglish.<ref name="The Times of India"/> When Hindi–Urdu is viewed as a single language called Hindustani, the portmanteaus Hinglish and Urdish mean the same code-mixed tongue, where the former term is used predominantly in modern India and the latter term predominantly in Pakistan.

Other macaronic hybrids such as Minglish (Marathi and English), Banglish (Bengali and English), Manglish (Malayalam and English), Kanglish (Kannada and English), Tenglish (Telugu and English), and Tanglish or Tamglish (Tamil and English) exist in South India.<ref>Lambert, James. 2018. A multitude of 'lishes': The nomenclature of hybridity. English World-wide, 39(1): 1-32. {{#invoke:doi|main}}</ref>

PhonologyEdit

VowelsEdit

In general, Indian English has fewer peculiarities in its vowel sounds than the consonants, especially as spoken by native speakers of languages like Hindi, the vowel phoneme system having some similarities with that of English. Among the distinctive features of the vowel-sounds employed by some Indian English speakers:

  • North Indians, especially a minority of English students and teachers along with some people in various professions like telephone customer service agents, often speak with a non-rhotic accent. Examples of this include flower pronounced as {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, never as {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, water as {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, etc. Some South Indians, however, like native Telugu speakers speak with a rhotic accent, but the final {{#invoke:IPA|main}} becomes an {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, and an alveolar tap {{#invoke:IPA|main}} is used for /r/, resulting in water and never as {{#invoke:IPA|main}} or {{#invoke:IPA|main}} and {{#invoke:IPA|main}} respectively.
    • Features characteristic of North American English, such as rhoticity and r-coloured vowels, have been gaining influence on Indian English in recent years as cultural and economic ties increase between India and the United States.<ref name=":0">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

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The following are some variations in Indian English resulting from not distinguishing a few vowels:

ConsonantsEdit

The following are the standard variations in Indian English:

  • The voiceless plosives {{#invoke:IPA|main}} are always unaspirated in Indian English, (aspirated in cultivated form) whereas in RP, General American and most other English accents they are aspirated in word-initial or stressed syllables. Thus "pin" is pronounced {{#invoke:IPA|main}} in Indian English but {{#invoke:IPA|main}} in most other dialects. In native Indo-Aryan languages, a predominant language family in India, the distinction between aspirated and unaspirated plosives is phonemic, and the English stops are equated with the unaspirated rather than the aspirated phonemes of the local languages.Template:Sfn The same is true of the voiceless postalveolar affricate {{#invoke:IPA|main}}. The local unvoiced aspirated plosives are instead equated with English fricatives, namely {{#invoke:IPA|main}} and {{#invoke:IPA|main}}.
  • The alveolar stops English {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, {{#invoke:IPA|main}} are often retroflex {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, especially in the north of India.Template:Sfn In Indian languages, there are two entirely distinct sets of coronal plosives: one dental and the other retroflex. Native speakers of Indian languages prefer to pronounce the English alveolar plosives sound as more retroflex than dental,Template:Sfn and the use of retroflex consonants is a common feature of Indian English.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn In the Devanagari script of Hindi, all alveolar plosives of English are transcribed as their retroflex counterparts. One good reason for this is that unlike most other native Indian languages, Hindi does not have true retroflex plosives (Tiwari, [1955] 2001). The so-called retroflexes in Hindi are actually articulated as apical post-alveolar plosives, sometimes even with a tendency to come down to the alveolar region. So a Hindi speaker normally cannot distinguish the difference between their own apical post-alveolar plosives and English's alveolar plosives. Languages such as Tamil have true retroflex plosives, however, wherein the articulation is done with the tongue curved upwards and backwards at the roof of the mouth. This also causes (in parts of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar) the {{#invoke:IPA|main}} preceding alveolar {{#invoke:IPA|main}} to allophonically change to {{#invoke:IPA|main}} (Template:Angbr, {{#invoke:IPA|main}} → {{#invoke:IPA|main}}). Mostly in north India, some speakers allophonically further change the voiced retroflex plosives to voiced retroflex flap {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, and the nasal {{#invoke:IPA|main}} to a nasalised retroflex flap.
  • Most major native languages of India lack the dental fricatives Template:IPAc-en and Template:IPAc-en (spelled with th), although [ð] occurs variably as intervocalic allophones in GujaratiTemplate:Sfnp and Tamil. Usually, the aspirated voiceless dental plosive {{#invoke:IPA|main}} is substituted for {{#invoke:IPA|main}} in the north (it would be unaspirated in the south) and the unaspirated voiced dental plosive {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, or possibly the aspirated version {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, is substituted for {{#invoke:IPA|main}}.Template:Sfn For example, "thin" would be realised as {{#invoke:IPA|main}} instead of {{#invoke:IPA|main}} for North Indian speakers, whereas it would be pronounced unaspirated in the south.
  • The English of Delhi often has yod-dropping after coronals, unlike RP.<ref name=":2" />
  • The rhotic consonant /r/ is pronounced by most speakers as an alveolar tap {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, but may also be pronounced as a retroflex flap {{#invoke:IPA|main}} or alveolar trill {{#invoke:IPA|main}} based on the influence by the native phonology, or an alveolar approximant {{#invoke:IPA|main}} like in most varieties of English.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

  • Indian English is variably rhotic; with pronunciations either being non-rhotic due to the traditional influence of RP, or generally rhotic due to the underlying phonotactics of the native Indo-Aryan and Dravidian languages.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>Template:Sfn
    • In recent years, rhoticity has been increasing.Template:Sfn Generally, American English is seen as having a large influence on the English language in India recently.<ref name=":0" />
    • Many Indians with rhotic accents prefer to pronounce words with {{#invoke:IPA|main}} as {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, such as Template:Angbr as {{#invoke:IPA|main}} and Template:Angbr as {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, as opposed to {{#invoke:IPA|main}} and {{#invoke:IPA|main}} in more non-rhotic varieties. Speakers with rhotic accents, especially some south Indians, may also pronounce word-final {{#invoke:IPA|main}} as {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, resulting in water and never as {{#invoke:IPA|main}} and {{#invoke:IPA|main}} respectively.
  • Most Indian languages do not differentiate between {{#invoke:IPA|main}} (voiced labiodental fricative) and {{#invoke:IPA|main}} (voiced labiovelar approximant). Instead, many Indians use a frictionless labiodental approximant {{#invoke:IPA|main}} for words with either sound, possibly in free variation with {{#invoke:IPA|main}} and/or {{#invoke:IPA|main}} depending upon region. Thus, wet and vet are often homophones.Template:Sfn
  • South Indians tend to curl the tongue (retroflex accentuation) less for {{#invoke:IPA|main}} and {{#invoke:IPA|main}}.
  • Sometimes, Indian speakers interchange {{#invoke:IPA|main}} and {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, especially when plurals are being formed, unlike speakers of other varieties of English, who use {{#invoke:IPA|main}} for the pluralisation of words ending in a voiceless consonant, {{#invoke:IPA|main}} for words ending in a voiced consonant or vowel, and {{#invoke:IPA|main}} for words ending in a sibilant.
  • In case of the postalveolar affricates {{#invoke:IPA|main}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, native languages like Hindi have corresponding affricates articulated from the palatal region, rather than postalveolar, and they have more of a stop component than fricative; this is reflected in their English.
  • Syllabic {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, {{#invoke:IPA|main}} and {{#invoke:IPA|main}} are usually replaced by the VC clusters {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, {{#invoke:IPA|main}} and {{#invoke:IPA|main}} (as in button {{#invoke:IPA|main}}), or if a high vowel precedes, by {{#invoke:IPA|main}} (as in little {{#invoke:IPA|main}}). Syllable nuclei in words with the spelling er/re (a schwa in RP and an r-coloured schwa in GA) are also replaced by VC clusters. e.g., metre, {{#invoke:IPA|main}} → {{#invoke:IPA|main}}.Template:Citation needed
  • Indian English uses clear {{#invoke:IPA|main}} in all instances like Irish English whereas other varieties use clear {{#invoke:IPA|main}} in syllable-initial positions and dark l Template:IPAblink (velarised-L) in coda and syllabic positions.

The following are variations in Indian English due to language contact with Indian languages:

  • Most Indian languages (except Assamese, Marathi, Tamil and Urdu) lack the voiced alveolar fricative {{#invoke:IPA|main}}. A significant portion of Indians thus, even though their native languages do have its nearest equivalent: the unvoiced {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, often use the voiced palatal affricate (or postalveolar) {{#invoke:IPA|main}}. This makes words such as Template:Angbr and Template:Angbr sound as {{#invoke:IPA|main}} and {{#invoke:IPA|main}} (the latter, especially in the North). This replacement is equally true for Persian and Arabic loanwords into Hindi. The probable reason is the confusion created by the use of the Devanagari grapheme Template:Angbr (for /dʒ/) with the Nuqta to represent {{#invoke:IPA|main}} (as Template:Angbr). A similar thing happens in other Indian languages like Bengali, with the letters for {{#invoke:IPA|main}} (except Indian varieties of Nepali where Template:Angbr represents /Template:IPA link/) usually being used to represent {{#invoke:IPA|main}}. This is common among people without formal English education. In Telugu, {{#invoke:IPA|main}} and {{#invoke:IPA|main}} are allophones in some cases, so the words such as fridge {{#invoke:IPA|main}} become {{#invoke:IPA|main}}.
  • In Assamese, {{#invoke:IPA|main}} and {{#invoke:IPA|main}} are pronounced as {{#invoke:IPA|main}}; and {{#invoke:IPA|main}} and {{#invoke:IPA|main}} are pronounced as {{#invoke:IPA|main}}. Retroflex and dental consonants are not present and only alveolar consonants are used unlike other Indian languages. Similar to Bengali, {{#invoke:IPA|main}} is pronounced as {{#invoke:IPA|main}} and {{#invoke:IPA|main}} in Assamese. For example; change is pronounced as {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, vote is pronounced as {{#invoke:IPA|main}} and English is pronounced as {{#invoke:IPA|main}}.<ref name="Mahanta 2012 217–224">Template:Cite journal</ref>
  • Again, in Assamese and Bhojpuri, all instances of {{#invoke:IPA|main}} are spoken like {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, a phenomenon that is also apparent in their English. Exactly the opposite is seen for many Bengalis.<ref name="Mahanta 2012 217–224"/>
  • Inability to pronounce certain (especially word-initial) consonant clusters by people of rural backgrounds, as with some Spanish-speakers. This is usually dealt with by epenthesis. e.g., Template:Angbr {{#invoke:IPA|main}}.
  • Many Indians with lower exposure to English also may pronounce {{#invoke:IPA|main}} as an aspirated voiceless bilabial plosive {{#invoke:IPA|main}}. Again in Hindi Devanagari the loaned {{#invoke:IPA|main}} from Persian and Arabic is written by putting a dot beneath the grapheme for native {{#invoke:IPA|main}} Template:Angbr: Template:Angbr. This substitution is rarer than that for {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, and in fact in many Hindi {{#invoke:IPA|main}} is used by native speakers instead of {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, or the two are used interchangeably.
  • Many speakers of Indian English do not use the voiced postalveolar fricative ({{#invoke:IPA|main}}). Some Indians use {{#invoke:IPA|main}} or {{#invoke:IPA|main}} instead, e.g. Template:Angbr {{#invoke:IPA|main}},Template:Sfn and in some south Indian variants, with {{#invoke:IPA|main}} as in Template:Angbr, e.g. Template:Angbr {{#invoke:IPA|main}}.Template:Citation needed

Spelling pronunciationEdit

A number of distinctive features of Indian English are due to "the vagaries of English spelling".Template:Sfn Most Indian languages, unlike English, have a nearly phonetic spelling, so the spelling of a word is a highly reliable guide to its modern pronunciation. Indians' tendency to pronounce English phonetically as well can cause divergence from British English. This phenomenon is known as spelling pronunciation.

  • In words where the digraph Template:Angbr represents a voiced velar plosive ({{#invoke:IPA|main}}) in other accents, some Indian English speakers supply a murmured version {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, for example Template:Angbr {{#invoke:IPA|main}}. No other accent of English admits this voiced aspiration.Template:Sfn
  • Similarly, especially with Hindi speakers, the digraph Template:Angbr may be aspirated as {{#invoke:IPA|main}} or {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, resulting in realisations such as Template:Angbr {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, found in no other English accent (although some Scottish accents come close).Template:Sfn This is somewhat similar to the traditional distinction between Template:Angbr and Template:Angbr present in English, however, wherein the former is {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, whilst the latter is {{#invoke:IPA|main}}.
  • In unstressed syllables, which speakers of American English would realise as a schwa, speakers of Indian English would use the spelling vowel, making Template:Angbr sound as {{#invoke:IPA|main}} instead of {{#invoke:IPA|main}}. This trait is also present in other South Asian dialects (Pakistani and Sri Lankan English), and common for many second-language European speakers of English.
  • The word "of" is usually pronounced with a {{#invoke:IPA|main}} instead of a {{#invoke:IPA|main}} as in most other accents.Template:Sfn
  • Use of {{#invoke:IPA|main}} instead of {{#invoke:IPA|main}} for the "-ed" ending of the past tense after voiceless consonants, for example "developed" may be {{#invoke:IPA|main}} instead of RP {{#invoke:IPA|main}}.Template:Sfn
  • Use of {{#invoke:IPA|main}} instead of {{#invoke:IPA|main}} for the Template:Angbr ending of the plural after voiced consonants, for example Template:Angbr may be {{#invoke:IPA|main}} instead of {{#invoke:IPA|main}}.Template:Sfn
  • Pronunciation of Template:Angbr as {{#invoke:IPA|main}} in both the noun and the verb, instead of {{#invoke:IPA|main}} as a noun and {{#invoke:IPA|main}} as a verb.
  • Silent letters may be pronounced. For example, 'salmon' is usually pronounced with a distinct {{#invoke:IPA|main}}.

Supra-segmental featuresEdit

English is a stress-timed language. Both syllable stress and word stress (where only certain words in a sentence or phrase are stressed) are important features of Received Pronunciation. Indian native languages are actually syllable-timed languages, like French. Indian-English speakers usually speak with a syllabic rhythm.<ref>Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref> Further, in some Indian languages, stress is associated with a low pitch,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> whereas in most English dialects, stressed syllables are generally pronounced with a higher pitch. Thus, when some Indian speakers speak, they appear to put the stress accents at the wrong syllables, or accentuate all the syllables of a long English word. Certain Indian accents possess a "sing-song" quality, a feature seen in a few English dialects of Britain, such as Scouse and Welsh English.<ref>Varshney, R.L., "An Introductory Textbook of Linguistics and Phonetics", 15th Ed. (2005), Student Store, Bareilly.</ref>

Numbering systemEdit

The Indian numbering system is preferred for digit grouping.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> When written in words, or when spoken, numbers less than 100,000 are expressed just as they are in Standard English. Numbers including and beyond 100,000 are expressed in a subset of the Indian numbering system. Thus, the following scale is used:

In digits (International system) In digits (Indian system) In words (short scales) In words (Indian system)
10 ten
100 one hundred
1,000 one thousand
10,000 ten thousand
100,000 1,00,000 one hundred thousand one lakh (from Template:Transliteration {{#invoke:Lang|lang}})
1,000,000 10,00,000 one million ten lakh
10,000,000 1,00,00,000 ten million one crore (from Template:Transliteration {{#invoke:Lang|lang}})
100,000,000 10,00,00,000 one hundred million ten crore
1,000,000,000 1,00,00,00,000 one billion one hundred crore
one arab (from Template:Transliteration {{#invoke:Lang|lang}})
10,000,000,000 10,00,00,00,000 ten billion one thousand crore
ten arab
100,000,000,000 1,00,00,00,00,000 one hundred billion ten thousand crore
one kharab (from Template:Transliteration {{#invoke:Lang|lang}})

(arab and kharab are not commonly used today)

Larger numbers are generally expressed as multiples of the above (for example, one lakh crores for one trillion).<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

VocabularyEdit

Template:Further Indian English includes many political, sociological, and administrative terms, such as dharna, hartal, eve-teasing, vote bank, swaraj, swadeshi, scheduled caste, scheduled tribe, and NRI. It incorporates some Anglo-Indian words such as tiffin, hill station, gymkhana, along with slang.<ref>James Lambert (2014). Indian "English slang". In Julie Coleman (ed.) Global English Slang: Methodologies and Perspectives (pp. 126–134). London: Routledge.</ref><ref>Lambert, James (2018). "Anglo-Indian slang in dictionaries on historical principles". World Englishes 37(2): 248–260. {{#invoke:doi|main}}</ref>

Indian English, like some other World Englishes, is notable for its treatment of English mass and count nouns. Words that are treated as mass nouns in native forms of English, such as evidence, equipment, or training, are frequently treated as count nouns in Indian English.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Some examples of words and phrases unique to, or chiefly used in, standard written Indian English include:

  • ayye, aiye (interjection) (South India): ew.
  • ayyo, aiyo (interjection) (South India): oh no, yikes.
  • brinjal (noun): An eggplant/aubergine
  • bus stand (noun): A bus station (British English)
  • chain-snatching (verb): To snatch a gold chain (or sometimes silver chain) from someone and run away, usually perpetrated by two or more criminals on a motorbike/moped/scooter.
    • e.g. "Women are avoiding wearing gold chains due to the concerning rise in number of chain-snatching cases in many parts of the city."
  • cinema (noun): A movie or film
  • cinema hall (noun): A cinema or movie theatre<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

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  • communalism: The creation of hatred between different religions and ethnicities which cause communal violence between them. The term is usually used to describe the hatred spread by religious leaders and politicians which cause Hindu–Muslim riots.
  • desi: South Asian, Indian.
  • do the needful: To do that which is necessary or required, with the respectful implication that the other party is trusted to understand what needs doing without being given detailed instructions.
  • English-knowing (adjective): Of a person or group of people that uses or speaks English.
  • foreign-returned (adjective): Of a person or group of people who has returned home after living abroad for a while<ref>Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref>
  • freeship (noun): A studentship or scholarship.<ref>Template:Cite OED</ref>
    • e.g. "Two permanent freeships, each tenable for one year and one of which is for the second and the other for the third year class." (The Medical Reporter (Calcutta) 57/1, 1 February 1893)
    • e.g. "Private institutions can only develop if they are allowed to charge reasonable fees, while also providing need based freeships and scholarships for a certain percentage of students." (The Economic Times (Nexis), 12 October 2006)<ref>Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref>
  • hartal (noun): A strike, protest.
  • hotel (noun): A restaurant or café.
    • e.g. "A group of four friends had gone to have dinner at a roadside hotel." (Statesman (Calcutta), 10 February 1999 (Midweek section) 4/3)<ref>Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref>
  • is it so: Oh really?
  • it will be: Template:Dubious span.
    • e.g. Q: "How much is this?" A: "It will be two hundred and seventy rupee."
  • kindly adjust: Used to acknowledge and apologise for something that causes problems or difficulties and ask people to accept and adapt to the situation, or used to apologise for causing inconvenience.
    • e.g. "The store will be closed this afternoon due to staffing shortages. Kindly adjust."
    • e.g.: When asking someone to move along so you can sit down. "I would like to sit down, sir. Kindly adjust."<ref>Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref>
  • matrimonial (noun): Advertisements in a newspaper for the purpose of finding a marriageable partner.
    • e.g. "When I have a job I'll have to begin a whole new search for my better half ... Back to the newspaper matrimonials on Sundays." (Statesman (Calcutta), 10 February 1999 (Midweek section) 4/3)<ref>Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref>
  • na (interjection) (North India): "isn't it?"
    • e.g. "That place is quite far na?"
  • office boy: Usually a person employed to do less important and menial jobs in a business office (such as a messenger, copier maintenance, Chaiwala, etc.). Often resides or spends their working time in a special service space in the office, behind the front desk or in the pantry.
  • out of station: used for saying that someone is away.<ref>Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref> This phrase has its origins in the posting of army officers to particular "stations" during the days of the East India Company.
  • pass(ing) out (phrase): Graduate from school/college or complete a course at an institution.<ref name=":1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

    • e.g. "I passed out of college in 2007."<ref name=":1" />
    • e.g. "I passed out of my school aged 17."
  • petrol pump / petrol bunk (used in some parts of south India; noun): A petrol station (British English), gas station (American English)
  • prepone (verb): To bring (something) forward to an earlier date or time.<ref>Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref>
    • e.g. "The meeting has been preponed due to a change in the schedule."
  • pressperson (noun, frequently as a single word): A newspaper journalist, a reporter, a member of the press.
  • ragging (noun): bullying, fagging
  • redressal (noun): Redress
    • e.g. "There is an urgent need for setting up an independent authority for redressal of telecom consumer complaints." (Statesman (India) (Nexis), 2 April 1998)
    • e.g. "Where does he go for the redressal of his genuine grievances?" (Sunday Times of India, 15 September 2002 8/4)<ref>Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref>
  • revert (verb): To report back with information.
    • e.g. "Please revert with the required documentation."
  • road junction/circle (noun): a crossroad (British English), intersection (American English)
  • tiffin: lunch, snack.
  • updation: The act of updating.
  • upgradation (noun): The enhancement or upgrading of status, value or level of something.
    • e.g. "Our Company lays great stress on technical training and knowledge upgradation." (Business India, 8 September 1986 153/1 (advert))<ref>Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref>
  • votebank: A bloc of voters from a single community or a group of communities who always back a certain candidate or political party for bribes and/or employment favours given by the particular party.

SpellingTemplate:AnchorEdit

Spelling practices in Indian English generally follow the British style, e.g., using travelling, litre, practise (as a verb), anaesthesia, fulfil, catalogue, realise and colour, rather than the American style.Template:Sfn

DictionariesEdit

The most famous dictionary of Indian English is Yule and Brunell's Hobson-Jobson, originally published in 1886 with an expanded edition edited by William Crooke in 1903, widely available in reprint since the 1960s.

Numerous other dictionaries ostensibly covering Indian English, though for the most part being merely collections of administratively-useful words from local languages, include (chronologically): Rousseau A Dictionary of Words used in the East Indies (1804), Wilkins Glossary to the Fifth Report (1813), Stocqueler The Oriental Interpreter and Treasury of East Indian Knowledge (1844), Elliot A Supplement to the Glossary of Indian Terms: A-J (1845), Brown The Zillah Dictionary in the Roman Character (1852), Carnegy Kutcherry Technicalities (1853) and its second edition Kachahri Technicalities (1877), Wilson Glossary of Judicial and Revenue Terms (1855), Giles A Glossary of Reference, on Subjects connected with the Far East (1878), Whitworth Anglo-Indian Dictionary (1885), Temple A Glossary of Indian Terms relating to Religion, Customs, Government, Land (1897), and Crooke Things India: Being Discursive Notes on Various Subjects connected with India (1906).

The first dictionary of Indian English to be published after independence was Hawkins Common Indian Words in English (1984). Other efforts include (chronologically): Lewis Sahibs, Nabobs and Boxwallahs (1991), Muthiah Words in Indian English (1991), Sengupta's Indian English supplement to the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary (1996) and Hankin Hanklyn-Janklin (2003). Nihalani et al. Indian and British English: A Handbook of Usage and Pronunciation (2004) delineates how Indian English differs from British English for a large number of specific lexical items. The Macmillan publishing company also produced a range of synchronic general dictionaries for the Indian market, such as the Macmillan Comprehensive Dictionary (2006).

The most recent dictionary is Carls A Dictionary of Indian English, with a Supplement on Word-formation Patterns (2017).Template:Update inline

See alsoEdit

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ReferencesEdit

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BibliographyEdit

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Further readingEdit

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External linksEdit

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