Transcript Indian Englishx - 2016-history-of-english-nccu

Indian English
April Lu
Raj from The Big Bang Theory S15E14 (0:54-1:32)
Indian English
• How English came to India
• English in present India
• Indian English Grammar
• Hindi and English
How English came to India
• Colonization
1. Trade
2. Christian missionary
3. Administration
English in India
• As the language of…
• The government
• The social elites
• National press
English in present India
• India has been independent since 1947
• One of the 23 official languages
(Among which Hindi and English are the major
while the other 21 are the official regional
languages.)
• For examples: “Hello” and “Namastey”
• Remained as an “associated language”
Indian English Grammar
• contact with English since 17th century
• Indian English developed a unique set of grammar
different from standard English
• “The only rule of Indian English is no rule at all.”
Indian English Grammar
• Verbs
• Nouns
• Word order
Indian English Grammar- Verbs
• phrases with “unusual” prepositions
• SE: Please return the library books.
• IE: Please return back the library books.
Indian English Grammar- Verbs
• The frequent use of “–ing”
• SE: She has two books.
• IE: She is having two books.
• SE: You must know my brothers.
• IE: You must be knowing my brothers.
Indian English Grammar- Verbs
• Combine a Hindi word with a standard English
suffix
• Hindi word: “masti” (fun)
• masti+ -fy (verb suffix)
• This party is dull. Let’s mastify it!
Indian English Grammar- Nouns
• Some singular nouns in standard English may
become plural in Indian English
• SE: A room full of furniture
• IE: A room full of furnitures
• Vice versa
• IE: One of my relative came to me yesterday.
Indian English Grammar- Word Order
• SE: When are they coming?
• IE: When they are coming?
• SE: What would you like to eat?
• IE: What you would like to eat?
Indian English Grammar- Word Order
• The use of “all”
• SE: All of my friends are coming.
• IE: My all friends are coming.
Hindi and English
• English→ Hindi (the native Indian language)
• Hindi→ English (?)
Does Hindi influence English?
• Yes.
• Some words in English came from Hindi.
• e.g., Shampoo, pajama, and jungle
References
• n33nja10's channel. (2012, January 26). The Big Bang Theory:
Raj's Date with Siri [Video file]. Retrieved form
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjZ4tdtEvcQ
• S. (2015, October 23). Christian missionary activities in British
India. Retrieved May 31, 2016, from
https://selfstudyhistory.com/2015/10/23/christian-missionaryactivities-in-india/
• Lonely Planet. (2008, September). Indian English: Language &
Culture. Victoria, Australia: Lonely Planet Publications.