The article explores the role of English in the Indian subcontinent. Through a diachronic perspective, the sociolinguistic change and the process of regeneration in Indian English speakers’ attitude are examined. This does not mean that Indians have become less patriotic; it only shows that they have become pragmatic. Indians have realized that English has become a goldmine which is a legacy of colonial rule. They have also realized that English is no longer a symbol of colonialism and it has become a tool for international communication and a key to employment in the global market, a re-shaped discourse providing communicative responses to the speakers’ community. In finding explanations for the main characteristics of Indian English(es), the study shows that a large number of words from English, even where there are words in the local languages, are mixed and used as part of the Indian languages. Thus, code mixing and code-switching have created a fashionable landscape. Originally, the registers of English introduced in India were of administration and law; so Indians who write in English tend to clutter their sentences with preposterous bits of officialese, commercialese and legalese. For example, the stale euphemisms of the Victorians are preferred to direct expressions.

The Story of English in India. From the Language of the Elite to the Language of the People

LEOTTA, PAOLA CLARA
2012-01-01

Abstract

The article explores the role of English in the Indian subcontinent. Through a diachronic perspective, the sociolinguistic change and the process of regeneration in Indian English speakers’ attitude are examined. This does not mean that Indians have become less patriotic; it only shows that they have become pragmatic. Indians have realized that English has become a goldmine which is a legacy of colonial rule. They have also realized that English is no longer a symbol of colonialism and it has become a tool for international communication and a key to employment in the global market, a re-shaped discourse providing communicative responses to the speakers’ community. In finding explanations for the main characteristics of Indian English(es), the study shows that a large number of words from English, even where there are words in the local languages, are mixed and used as part of the Indian languages. Thus, code mixing and code-switching have created a fashionable landscape. Originally, the registers of English introduced in India were of administration and law; so Indians who write in English tend to clutter their sentences with preposterous bits of officialese, commercialese and legalese. For example, the stale euphemisms of the Victorians are preferred to direct expressions.
2012
978-88-7115-767-2
INDIAN ENGLISH; HISTORY OF ENGLISH; ENGLISHES
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11769/67140
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