LinguisticandSocialCharacteristicsofIndianEnglish

JasonBaldridge
Fall1995
TABLEOFCONTENTS(abbreviated)
DiscussionandAnalysis
DiscussionTranscriptions
Bibliography
DiscussionandAnalysis
Introduction.
SomegoodfriendsofminefromIndiawerewatchingTVintheirapartmentinToledo,Ohiowhena
repairmancametofixsomething.Theytalkedtohimperiodicallywhilehewasworking,andaftera
while,heaskedthemhowlongtheyhadbeenintheUnitedStates.Whentheytoldhimthatitwas
theirthirdmonthhere,hewasevidentlyveryimpressedthattheyhadlearnedtospeakEnglishsowell
andsoquickly.Hecomplimentedthemonthat,butwhatthiswellmeaningfellowdidnotrealizewas
thatmyfriendshadallstartedlearningEnglishbythetimetheyhadbegunkindergarten,thatthe
majorityoftheirschoolcourseworkhadbeeninanEnglishmedium,andthattheywereveryfamiliar
withEnglishbooks,movies,andnewspapers.Also,Englishwasthemediuminwhichthey
communicatedwitheachotherhereintheUnitedStatesbecausetheyallcamefromdifferentstatesin
SouthIndiaandeachpersonspokeadifferentnativelanguage.
EnglishhasbeenwithIndiasincetheearly1600's,whentheEastIndiaCompanystartedtradingand
Englishmissionariesfirstbegantheirefforts.AlargenumberofChristianschoolsimpartingan
Englisheducationweresetupbytheearly1800's.TheprocessofproducingEnglishknowing
bilingualsinIndiabeganwiththeMinuteof1835,whichofficiallyendorsedT.B.Macaulay'sgoalof
forming"aclasswhomaybeinterpretersbetweenusandthemillionswhomwegovernaclassof
persons,Indiansinbloodandcolour,butEnglishintaste,inopinion,inmoralsandinintellect"
(quotedinKachru1983,p.22).EnglishbecametheofficialandacademiclanguageofIndiabythe
earlytwentiethcentury.Therisingofthenationalistmovementinthe1920'sbroughtsomeanti
EnglishsentimentwithiteventhoughthemovementitselfusedEnglishasitsmedium.
OnceindependencewasgainedandtheEnglishweregone,theperceptionofEnglishashavingan
alienpowerbasechangedhowever,thecontroversyaboutEnglishhascontinuedtothisday.Kachru
notesthat"Englishnowhasnationalandinternationalfunctionsthatarebothdistinctand
complementary.Englishhasthusacquiredanewpowerbaseandanewelitism"(Kachru1986,p.12).
OnlyaboutthreepercentofIndia'spopulationspeakEnglish,buttheyaretheindividualswholead
India'seconomic,industrial,professional,political,andsociallife.EventhoughEnglishisprimarilya
secondlanguageforthesepersons,itisthemediuminwhichagreatnumberoftheinteractionsinthe
abovedomainsarecarriedout.HavingsuchimportantinformationmovinginEnglishconduitsis
oftennotappreciatedbyIndianswhodonotspeakit,buttheyarerelativelypowerlesstochangethat.
Itsinertiaissuchthatitcannotbeeasilygivenup.ThisisparticularlytrueinSouthIndia,where
EnglishservesasauniversallanguageinthewaythatHindidoesintheNorth.Despitebeingathree
percentminority,theEnglishspeakingpopulationinIndiaisquitelarge.WithIndia'smassive
population,thatthreepercentputsIndiaamongthetopfourcountriesintheworldwiththehighest
numberofEnglishspeakers.Englishconfersmanyadvantagestotheinfluentialpeoplewhospeakit
whichhasallowedittoretainitsprominencedespitethestrongoppositiontoEnglishwhichrises
periodically.

Purposeandcollectionmethods.
TheEnglishwhichisspokeninIndiaisdifferentfromthatspokeninotherregionsoftheworld,andit
isregardedastheuniquevarietywhichiscalledIndianEnglish.Thepurposeofthisfolkloreprojectis
toshowsomeofthevariouswaysIndianshaveintentionallyandunintentionallycustomizedEnglish
tobettersuittheirneedsandtodiscusssomeoftheproblemsandsituationswhichcananddoarise
whenIndiansuseorexperienceEnglishindifferentsettings.AttitudesaboutEnglishandEnglish
speakersinIndiaarealsoexplored.
ThecollectingwasdoneintwoseparatediscussiongroupsinwhichvariousaspectsofIndianEnglish
weretalkedabout.ThefirstdiscussionwaswithN.G.,N.J.,andS.Shahintheirapartment.Ihad
visitedthemseveraltimesbeforeandengagedinlengthydiscussionsonvariousissues,sowhenI
camewithmyrecorderinhandandatopicalreadyinmind,verylittlewasneededtoestablishagood
rapport.TheseconddiscussionwasheldwithB.C.,A.S.,andS.SinghinB.C.andS.Singh'sapartment
thesameapartmentthatIhadlivedinfortheprevioustwoyearswithS.Singhasoneofmy
flatmates.Withthisestablishedlink,Ihadlittletroublegettingtheconversationmoving.Languages
areoftenasubjectofcasual,thoughoftenheated,conversationsbetweenIndians,sobothgroupswere
veryinterestedinthetopic,Also,Ifoundthatinbothgroups,individualswereabletoplayoffeach
otherand,indoingso,delvefurtherintotheissuesthantheywouldhavealone.Ilearnedagreatdeal
fromthediscussions,butIwasverythankfulformytwoyearsoflivingwithIndiansandmymonth
longtriptoIndiawhichpreparedmeforunderstandingandparticipatinginthediscussions.Ialso
receivedinputfromseveralotherIndianfriends(MuraliKotaandAdityaMulukutlaespecially)in
informalconversationsaboutIndianEnglish.
DistinguishingcharacteristicsofIndianEnglish
IndianEnglishisadistinctvarietyoftheEnglishlanguage.ManyIndiansclaimthatitisverysimilar
toBritishEnglish,butthisopinionisbasedonasurfacelevelexaminationoflexicalsimilarities.Of
course,onemustkeepinmindthatnoteverylinguisticitemisusedbyeveryIndianEnglishspeaker
andthatagreatdealofregionalandeducationaldifferentiationexists.Evenso,itemscanbeidentified
whichareindicativeofIndianEnglishspeechandwhicharewidelyused.Theseoperateonvarious
phonological,morphological,lexical,andsyntacticlevels,whichIwillcharacterizedwithitems
broughtupintherecordeddiscussions,inmypreviousexperiencewithIndianEnglish,andin
scholarlywritingsaboutIndianEnglish.Referencestothetranscriptionexcerpts(pages1726ofthis
report)arewritten,forexample,as1.3.4,whichindicatesDiscussion1,Excerpt3,Item4.
Phonology.
Iwasabletodoverylittleonthephonologicallevel.IsetupatesttoseeiftheEnglishalveolar/t/
wouldbearticulatedastheIndianretroflex/t/orasthedental/t/indifferentphonological
environments.Theresultwasthattheretroflexcompletelyreplacedthealveolarinfact,ithasbeen
foundthattheentireseriesofEnglishalveolarconsonantstendstobereplacedbyretroflexconsonants
(Trudgill&Hannah1994,p.128).OneitemthatdidcomeoutoftheexperimentwasthatsomeIndian
Englishspeakershadatendencytodroptheedendingafter/k/and/t/(ex:walkedbecamewalk)
(1.6.5).Someinterestingthingsseemedtobehappeningwiththearticulationof//(asinthen),which
normallyispronouncedasaninterdental/d/,butwhichsometimesseemedtobecomealveolar.Also,
listeningtothetapeddiscussionsrevealedthatsometimesawasusedinfrontofvowelinitialwords
(1.4.2)beforewhichNorthAmericanEnglishandBritishEnglishspeakerswouldusean.Thisavery
naturaladjustmentfornativespeakers,yetitisapparentthataconsciousefforttodothisissometimes
requiredbyIndianEnglishspeakers(2.2.3).Todiscoverwhetherornottheseobservationsare
significantwouldrequirefurthertesting.
OtheritemslistedbyTrudgillandHannah(1994)arethatIndianEnglishtendstohaveareduced
vowelsystem/r/tendstobecomeaflaporretroflexflaptheconsonants/p/,/t/,and/k/tendtobe
unaspiratedandinsomeregions,/v/and/w/arenotdistinguished(volleyballisthesame

aswallyball),whileinothers,/p/and/f/,/t/and//,/d/and//,and/s/and/s/arenot(1.4.4).Theyalso
notethat"IndianEnglishtendstobesyllableratherthanstresstimed.Also,syllablesthatwouldbe
unstressedinothervarietiesofEnglishreceivesomestressinIndianEnglishandthusdonothave
reducedvowels.Suffixestendtobestressed,andfunctionwordswhichareweakinothervarietiesof
English(of,to,etc.)tendnottobereducedinIndianEnglish"(p.128).
Morphology.
IndianEnglishmorphologyisverycreativeanditisfilledwithnewtermsandusages.IndianEnglish
usescompoundformationextensively,asinEnglishspeakingclasses(1.3.1)orconventgoing(1.2.1).
ThecompoundscousinbrotherandcousinsisterallowtheIndianEnglishspeakertodesignate
whethertheircousinismaleorfemaleafunctionwhichisinherentintheterminologyofmost
Indianlanguages.Othersincludechalkpiece,keybunch,meetingnotice,agebarred,andpindrop
silence.IndiansalsopluralizemanyEnglishmassnounsandendupwithwordssuch
aslitters,furnitures,andwoods(Trudgill&Hannah,pp.129130).Sometimeswordswhichshouldbe
pluralizedarenotforexample,S.Shahsays,"Oneofmyrelative"(1.6.1).AquintessentialIndian
Englishtermwhichcomesfromcompoundformationistimepass,whichdenotessomethingasnon
exciting,asin"Thatmoviewasrealtimepass."Itcanalsoindicatetheactofpassingtimewithouta
specificpurposeormotivation.
Indiansalsoshortenmanywordstocreatecommonlyusedterms.Enthusiasmiscalledenthuassuch,
itcanbeusedinnewways.Onecansay,"Thatguyhasalotofenthu."Whilethisissimplyan
abbreviation,enthucanalsobeusedasanadjectivewhereenthusiasmcannot,asin"He'sarealenthu
guy."Thesameappliesforfundamentals,whichisshortenedasfundas."Sheknowsherfundas."
Whatisinterestingaboutfundasisthatwhentheasendingisdroppedanduisadded,ittakesona
newmeaningandcanbeusedinanewway.Fundubasicallymeanswonderfulorbrilliant.Onecan
say"Heisafunduperson"oreven"Heisfundu."
WhenbringingIndianwordsintoEnglish,termssuchasroti(bread),whicharealreadyplural,willbe
pluralizedforEnglishbytheadditionofs(rotis).EnglishsuffixesarealsoappendedtoIndianterms.
AnexamplewhichwasbroughtupinthefirstdiscussionisthepracticeinBombayofaddingfytoa
Hindiwordtoindicatethatanactionisbeingdonetosomeonebysomeone.FromtheHindi
wordmuska,tomuskafymeanstoflattersomebodyortobutterthemup.Similarly,topataofyisthe
actionofwooingsomeone.Othersuffixessuchasic(Upanishadic),dom(cooliedom),and
ism(goondaism)areusedtocreatenewusagesforIndianterms.Prefixescanalsobeusedinnew
ways.InIndianEnglish,preissubstitutedforpostinpostponetocreateprepone,whichindicates,
forexample,thatameetinghasbeenmovedtoasoonertime.
Lexicon.
TheIndianEnglishlexiconhasmanydistincttermswhicharecommonlyusedbyitsspeakers.Some
arisethroughtheuseofoldandnewmorphologicalfeatures,asdiscussedabove.Otherscomefrom
acronymsandabbreviations.ManytermsfromIndianlanguagesareutilized,andnewusagesfor
Englishwordsorexpressionsarecreated.Itmustbenotedthatmanyofthesetermsandusagesare
specifictothepopulationofIndianEnglishspeakerswhoarecurrentlybetweentwentyandthirty
yearsofage.
Examplesoftheuseofacronymsincludethefollowing:
MCP=MaleChauvinistPig
FOC=FreeOfCharge
MPK=MainePyarKiya(apopularmovie)
QSQT=QayamatSeQayamatTak(apopularmovie)
ILU=ILoveYou(fromasongpronouncedeelu)
ABCD=AmericanBornConfusedDeshi(nativeofIndia)

FOB=FreshOfftheBoat
FOBisactuallyusedbyAmericanbornIndiansagainstIndianbornIndianswhocometoAmerica
andteasethemforbeingABCD's.OtheracronymsstemfromentireHindisentences.
ManyabbreviationsareusedbyIndians.Forexample:
Jan=January
Feb=February
subsi=subsidiary
supli=supplementary
soopi=superintendent
princi=principle
Gen.Sec.
orG.Sec.=GeneralSecretary
Soc.Sec.=SocialSecretary
labass=laboratoryassistant
asswardi=assistantwarden
WhatisinterestingaboutIndianEnglishabbreviationsisthattheyarepronouncedthewaytheyare
spelledaftertheyhavebeenshortened.ANorthAmericanEnglishspeakerwillgenerallyreadan
abbreviationasthoughitweretheentireword(i.e.Sec.isreadasSecretary).Also,NorthAmerican
Englishspeakerstendtoabbreviatephoneticallywhenspokenabbreviationsareused(i.e.Soc.is
pronouncedsoash).WhenreadbyanIndianEnglishspeaker,Soc.Sec.ispronouncedsockseck.
Actually,manyEnglishwordswhicharepronouncedquitedifferentlythantheirspellingwould
indicatearepronouncedastheyarespelledbymanyIndians.Vowelswhichhavebeendroppedby
NorthAmericanandBritishEnglishspeakersaretypicallyarticulatedbyIndians.For
example,typicallyisgenerallypronouncedtipicklee,butIndianEnglishspeakerswilloftensayti
pickahlee.
Newwordsandnewusagesofstandardwordsareintroducedaswell.Afoodgrinderissimplycalled
amixi.Jangosarepeoplewhoareverymaud(modern)andfashionablesuchpeoplecouldbe
describedasfast(untraditionalandmodern).Adeadlymovieoreventishardhittingandaction
packed.Somethingwhichishitechisexceedinglyincredible.Itisnotjustlimitedtotechnologyfor
example,onecouldbewearingahitechoutfit.Areceptionissometimescalledanathome.An
illiteratepersonmaybecalledathumbsupbecausetheyusetheirthumbprinttosigndocuments.For
anIndiandoingmath,twointofourmeans"2x4"andsixbythreeorsixuponthreemeans"63".A
squarerootisknownasanunderroot.Sometimes,aseriesofwordsisusedtoapproximateaword
whichmomentarilyescapesone'smind,suchasB.C.'suseof"overhisself"tomeanconceited(2.2.2).
IndianEnglishspeakersuselesstoindicatethatsomethingisinsufficient"Thereislesssaltinthe
curry."Oftenthisisextendedtotoolessof.Theextraneousofalsoappearsintheexpressionstoo
muchofandsomuchof,suchasS.Singh's"somuchofheat"(2.2.5).Noneofmyinformantswere
surewhyofisusedinthosesituations,buttheyallagreeditdidnotcomefromHindioranyother
Indianlanguage'susage.
HindiinfluencedtermsandexpressionsinIndianEnglish.
SomeitemsaredirectlyrelatedtocharacteristicsofIndianlanguages.Indianswilloftenask,"Whatis
yourgoodname?"whichisasomewhatliteraltranslationof"Aapkashubhnaamkya
hai?"Shubhmeansauspiciousorgood,anditisbasicallyusedasapolitewayofaskingforsomeone's
fullname.AnIndianEnglishspeakersaystodaymorning(aajsubha)oryesterdaynight(kalraat)to
meanthismorningandlastnight.IndiansalsoruntheriskofoffendingU.S.Americanswhenthey
usecertainliteraltranslationswhichhavetheintendedmeaning,butwhichalsohaveoffensive
connotations.N.G.mentionedthataU.S.Americanwithwhomsheworkstoldherthatshewasan
"abrasivewoman"becauseshetoldhimtoshutup.ShutupinHindiischupbet,whichisgenerally

usedmorecasually(butwhichcanbeusedoffensivelyaswell).Also,Indianscommonlyuseyou
peoplewhentheywanttoaddressmorethanoneperson.Theydonotrealizethebelittling,racial
connotationsthatitcarrieswithitforthemitisasimpletranslationofaaplogortumlog.
HinditermsandexpressionsusedinIndianEnglish.
WhenIndiansuseEnglish,itisoftenamixtureofEnglish,Hindi,andotherlanguages.B.C.,A.S.,and
S.Singhcalledthiswayofspeakingkichiri(2.2.3).Kichiriisamealwhichiscomposedofseveral
randomingredientsaratheraccuratedescriptionofthewayIndiansoftentalktooneanother.Even
in"pure"IndianEnglish,manyIndiantermsslipinfrequently.Someexpressionssuchasgeneral
mai(ingeneral)andekminute(oneminute)areprevalentinIndianEnglish.N.G.mentionsthe
Gujaratiexpressiontakecarekarje(dotakecare)in1.1.5.Thesemixturescomequitenaturallywhen
oneisacquaintedwithtwoormorelanguages.WhenIbeganlearningHindi,Iacquiredmanynew
terms,oneofwhichwasmausum(whichmeansweatherorseason).Iunwittinglycoinedthe
expressionawesomemausumoneafternoonwhenIsteppedoutsideanddiscoveredwhatabeautiful
dayitwas.N.G.passedthisexpressionalongtoherfriendsinBombay,andsupposedlyitisstartingto
spreadthere.Heruseofnahi(no)in1.1.2,andS.Singh'suseofkya(what)in2.1.1aretypicalofthe
sortsofwaysHinditermsareemployed.OthercommonlyusedHinditermsandexpressionsinclude
thefollowing:
achchaa=good
arrai=hey
bahut=alot
bus=that'sit
ek=one(asanumber)
ghotu=onewhoreadsalot
hajar(hazar)=aton(morethanalot)
hogaya=donefinished
koibatnahi=noproblem
kyahallhai=howareyou
lakh(s)=onehundredthousand
lekhin=but
masala=risquspicyhot(likeafilm)
muthlab=meaning
paka=pure
teekhai=okay(lit:itisright)
yaar=buddypal

Thesearejustafewofthemostcommonones.Onemustbefairlyconversantintheseandotherterms
andexpressionsifonewantstofollowadiscussionbetweenIndianscompletely.
Syntax.
HindisyntaxaffectsIndianEnglishsyntaxinseveralways.Thereisaseeminglyarbitraryuseofthe
articlesaandthe,whichdonothaveparallelsinHindi.Often,oneissubstitutedforaforexample,
S.Shahsays"Andoneblacklady..."(1.6.4).Theandaareoftendroppedwhentheyshouldbesaid
(1.2.21.6.22.1.22.2.6)andusedwhentheyshouldbeleftout(1.1.31.4.51.6.32.3.1).Itisnot
uncommontohearsomethinglike,"Wearegoingtotemple."Whetherornottheseapparentmisuses
areactuallyarbitrarywouldrequirefurtherstudy.Isuspecttheyarenot.
SomethingwhichIndianEnglishhasthatisnotfoundinothervarietiesofEnglishistheuse
ofonlyanditselftoemphasizetimeandplace.ItcomesfromtheHindiwordhiandproduces
sentenceslike"IwasinToledoonly"and"Canwemeettomorrowitself?"IndianEnglishspeakers
oftenusereduplicationasawayofemphasizinganactionIhavebeentoldbeforeto"Comecome!
Sitsit!"Reduplicationcanalsoreplaceveryforintensifyingorextendingsomething,asinhot,
hotwaterandlong,longhair.SuchusageiscommoninspokenHindi.AnotherthingIndianEnglish
speakersdoisleavetooutwhengivingarangeofnumbers.B.C.doesthisin2.3.3whenhesays,

"...twothreelanguages..."Thisoftenexpressesexaggerationwhenlargernumbersareused,asin"one
hundredtwohundred."
CertainverbsareusedinIndianEnglishinthesamewaytheyareusedinHindi.Indians
usekolnaandbandhkarnawhenaskingsomeonetoturnalightonorofftheliteraltranslationis
retained,sosomeIndianEnglishspeakerssay"openthelight"and"closethelight."Thesameistrue
ofgivingatest(fromtheHindiverbdena)ratherthantakingatest.Takemeansconsumewhenused
withfoodanddrinkitems"Willyoutaketea?"TheverblenaistheHindiequivalentofthis.A.S.
elicitsanotherHindibasedsyntacticelement,thetagquestion,in2.2.4.Hesays,"Yeah,likethisguy
Gothamfeltlikewhenhewentback,no?"Thisuseofno(andtheexpressionisn'titinthesame
manner)stemsfromtheuseofnainHindi,whichisexemplifiedbyN.G.in1.1.6,"...takecarekarje
applikerhaina?"Thiscouldberoughlytranslatedas"...takecarekarjecanbeapplied,can'tit?"
IndianEnglishspeakersoftenusecertainverbsinwaysthatareconfusingtospeakersofotherEnglish
varieties.Keepisusedforput,soonefindsIndianssayingthingslike"keeptheballthere"or"keep
theballback"toapersonwhoisstillholdingtheball.Leavereplaceskeep'slostfunctionofallowing
somethingtoremainsomewhere.Putisoftenusedwithoutanexplicitdestinationordirection,soan
Indianmightsay,"ShallIputthetape?"or,likeB.C.in2.2.3,"putanimage."
OneofthemostindicativesignsofIndianEnglishgrammaristheuseoftheprogressiveaspectwith
habitualactions,completedactions,andstativeverbs.Thisproducessentencessuchas"Iamdoingit
often"ratherthan"Idoitoften""Whereareyoucomingfrom?"insteadof"Wherehaveyoucome
from?""and"Shewashavingmanysarees"ratherthan"Shehadmanysarees"(Trudgill&Hannah,
p.132).
ThewordorderofquestionsisoftenuniqueinIndianEnglish.Sentencessuchas"Whatyouwould
liketoeat?"and"Whoyouwillcomewith?"showtheabsenceofsubjectverbinversionindirect
questions.S.Shahprovidesanexamplein1.1.1,"...whatisyourcompanion,"inwhichaninversion
doesnottakeplacewhereitshould.Anotheraspectofgrammarthatisofteninconsistentistheuse
ofalso(averypopularwordinIndianEnglish).Itcanbefoundinvariouspartsofasentence,butit
tendstobeplacedattheend,likeN.J.doesin1.1.4"WeneverevenusedHindiwordalso."
HavingfunwithEnglish.
IndianEnglishspeakersplayaroundwiththelanguageasmuchasanyothergroup.Englishisan
importantpartoflifeforthem,especiallyinschoolandwhentheycometotheUnitedStates.They
circulatedocumentsontheiremailonthingssuchasalistofwaystochangefromanIndian
conversationtoamoreAmericanconversation.AcommonsayingamongIndiangraduatestudentsin
theUnitedStatesjokesabouthowroutinetheirlivessometimesbecome:
Apartment,Department.
Advisor,Budweiser.

ThisisjoinedbyotheritemssuchasABCD(mentionedearlier).Actually,ABCDextendstoZ,andit
makesfunoftheGujaratiswhooperatemotelsintheUnitedStates:
AmericanBornConfusedDeshi,
EmigratedFromGujarat,
HousedInJersey,
KeptLotsaMotels,
NamedOmkaranathPatel,
QuietlyReachedSuccessThroughUnderhanded,ViciousWays,
XenophobicYetZestful.

AnotheritemutilizestheEnglishalphabetinrhyme:

ABCDEFG
Sheeshamatidarupi.(Drinkliquorfromabottle.)

IndiansarealsoacutelyawareofthevastdifferencesinaccentsinspokenIndianEnglishwhichare
causedbyIndia'sdifferentlinguisticregions.N.G.'sGujujokes(1.4)aregoodexamplesofhow
Indiansmakesometimesmakefunoftheirownandeachother'saccents:
WhatdoesaGujuhaveforbreakfast?
Snakes.(Snacks)(1.4.1)
WhatdoesaneightiesGujuwear?
Foosnupantandsmacenushirt.(F'uspantsandaSmashshirt)(1.4.3)
WhatdoesaninetiesGujuwear?
Jinsjicket,
lowloacket.
Combinbayckpoaket,
andgoaglesoneyesoaket.
(Jeansjacket,lovelocket,combinbackpocket,andgogglesoneyesocket)(1.4.6)

EncounteringNorthAmericanEnglishandtheUnitedStates.
IndiansareverycognizantofthedifferencesbetweenNorthAmericanEnglishandIndianEnglish.
Thosewhocomeherefindthemselvesbombardedbynewexpressions,newterms,andnewslang.
OftenthesearesimplylexicaldifferencesbetweenNorthAmericanEnglishandBritishEnglish(with
whichIndianEnglishhasmoretermsincommon),butsometimesIndianscanbesurprisedwhenthey
trytotranslateaNorthAmericanEnglishexpressionintotheirownlanguages.S.Shahrelatedastory
aboutoneofherrelativeswhoranintothisproblem:
"Oneofmyrelativewasherebeforeafewyearsago,andhewaskindofnew.Imean,hejustcametoU.S.,andhedidn't
knowhowtospeakEnglish,andhewasjustkindofnew.So,hewasgoingtosomewhereinChicago.Hewastravelingby
thetrain,andhewassittingontheseatsomewhereoverthere.Andoneblackladycameuptohimandaskhim,"What's
up?"AndinGujaratiwhat'supmeanslikeuparshuche(Gujarati:whatisaboveyou).SohemadeitintoGujarati,sohe
said,"Thesky."Sothatladygavehimtencentsandwentaway"(1.6).

SomeIndianswhosenameshavesimilarsoundingwordsinEnglishfindU.S.Americanspokingfun
atthem.OneexampleisA.S.'suncleShambu,whowascalledShampoowhenhecametotheUnited
States(2.2.1).AfriendofminewhosenameisManiwasconstantlychidedbyU.S.Americans
because"it'salwaysgreattohaveMoneyaround!"
TherearealsomanyregionalstoriesandjokesaboutcertainindividualswhohavegonetotheUnited
Statesandcomebacktalkingandactinginapeculiarmanner.N.G.recountedthestoryofafellow
whoseemedtothinkofhimselfasotherthanIndianwhenhereturnedfromtheUnitedStates,which
heshowedbyspeakinginEnglishandusingthepossessive"your"whenreferringtoIndia:
"TherewasthisguywhostayedforsomeyearsinAmericaanditwasverydifficulttocomehere(theUSA)atthattime.
So,whenhecameback,hewaswearingthisreallythick,woolenjacketaround,andsportingitaroundanditwas
summertimeinIndia.Hewaswalkingaroundwithit,andhekeptsaying,"YourIndiaissohot!YourIndiaissohot!"So
it'slike,yeah,everytimeit'sreallyhotinthehouseandpeoplearecomplainingaboutit,that'swhatwesay."Oh,your
Indiaissohot!"Ay,hewaswearingajacket,Imeanhehadnoreasontocomplain"(1.5).

UsingEnglishinIndia.
Asnotedearlier,EnglishisnotappreciatedbymanyIndianswhoconsideritanelite,oppressive
language.ItisusedbymanyupperclassIndianstoshowofftheirstatus.Allofmyinformantsagreed
thatwhilemanypeoplerespectapersonforbeingabletospeakEnglish,theyalsofeelthatEnglish
speakersaresnobbish(1.22.3).Infact,usingEnglishinthewrongsituationscanleadtoaserious
scolding,asB.C.discoveredinTirupathi:
"Likeithappenedoncewithme.Iamnotveryfamiliarwithmymothertongue.SoI'dbeentothisholyplaceofTirupathi.

Okay?SoIwentthere,andthiswasthetimeIwentalone.AndIdidn'tknowhowtoconversewithhimproperly.
Basically,thethingoutthereisbetweenTamilandTelegu,it'sabitmixed,ah,up,youknow,thedialect.SoIwastrying
toconversewithhimandIwasn'tsuccessful,soIthoughtI'ddoitinEnglish..SoIstartedtalkingtohiminEnglish,and
likethatfellowgotreallypissed.Hewastellinglikehewasrealmad.Ifyoudon'tknow,justgetout,orsomethinglike
that.Itwasallforbookingofasillyroom.That'sit.AllIhadtodowasgetaroom"(2.1).

Suchreactionsmostlydependontheindividualattitudeofthepersononeisdealingwith.However,it
seemsthatapersonisgivenrespectnotonlyforknowingEnglish,butalsoforknowingwhentouse
it.
SpeakingEnglishcorrectly.
MybackgroundexperiencewithIndianEnglishallowedmetonoticethatinthetapeddiscussions,
certainattemptsweremadebyindividualstospeakmore"properly"andwithfewerIndiantermsand
slangwords.IndianEnglishasitisspokenbetweenIndiansisquitedifferentfromwhatIrecorded
duringthediscussions.Oneobviousreasonforthiswasmypresenceasanactiveparticipantinthe
discussion,therebynecessitatingtheuseofEnglishinawaythatwouldbeunderstandabletome.
AnotherreasonisthatthereisapredominatingpreoccupationwithmanyIndiansinregardto
approximatingBritishEnglishwhentheyarespeakingparticularlywhentheyareconversingwitha
nativeNorthAmericanEnglishorBritishEnglishspeaker.Outrightdiscussionsaboutthecorrectness
ofaparticularwordorusagearoseseveraltimesduringbothdiscussions(1.3.2).
IamoftentoldquiteearnestlybymanyIndiansthattheirEnglishismorelikeBritishEnglishthan
NorthAmericanEnglishis.TheycitemanyexamplesofwordstheyuseincommonwiththeBritish
notrealizingthatwhenanalyzedondeeperlinguisticlevels,IndianEnglishdiffersfromBritish
EnglishjustasmuchasNorthAmericanEnglish.Thequestiontoraisetheniswhoreallycareswhat
iscorrect?Theyareallmutuallydistinctvarieties,andthatuniquenessshouldbevaluedand
appreciated.Evenso,manyIndiansseemtoholdBritishEnglishupastheparagonperhapsthisis
becausehowwelloneapproximatesBritishEnglishoftendetermineshowwellone'seducationallevel
isregardedinIndia.
Conclusion.
ThisleadstothequestiondoIndiansappreciatetheirownEnglish?Ultimately,Ithinktheydo.Ithas
beensaidthatIndianshavemadeEnglishintoanativelanguagewithitsownlinguisticandcultural
ecologiesandsocioculturalcontexts.Myinformantsindicatedthatinmanyways,IndianEnglishis
verymuchtheirown.ItsspecialfunctionshaveengravedEnglishintotheculturallifeofIndia,andit
isverymuchapartoftheexperienceofbeingIndianevenifonedoesnotspeakit.ManyIndians
feelthattheuseofEnglishshouldbeactivelyencouragedbecauseofthemanyadvantagesitconfers
thegreatestofwhichisitsuniversalcharacter.TheIndianwriterandphilosopherRajaRaowrote,
"Truth,saidagreatIndiansage,isnotthemonopolyoftheSanskritlanguage.Truthcanuseanylanguage,andthemore
universal,thebetteritis.IfmetaphysicsisIndia'sprimarycontributiontoworldcivilization,aswebelieveitis,thenmust
sheusethemostuniversallanguageforhertobeuniversal....AndaslongastheEnglishlanguageisuniversal,itwill
alwaysremainIndian....ItwouldthenbecorrecttosayaslongasweareIndianthatis,notnationalists,buttrulyIndians
oftheIndianpsycheweshallhavetheEnglishlanguagewithusandamongstus,andnotasaguestorfriend,butasone
ofourown,ofourcaste,ourcreed,oursectandourtradition"(quotedinKachru1986,p.12).

Manyothersfear,perhapslegitimately,thelossofIndia'snativelanguages.Englishhaschanged
Indianlanguagesinmanywaysmostlythroughtheincorporationofnewwords.However,the
populationofEnglishspeakersinIndia,thoughsociallyinfluential,isasmallminoritycomparedto
therest.Also,mostoftheseindividualsareconversantinatleastone,ifnottwoorthree,other
languages,andunlessthesituationnecessitatesEnglish,theyusuallyspeakintheirnativelanguage.
EvenN.G.,whoapproximatesBritishEnglishveryclosely,wouldswitchtoGujaratiwhenaskingfor
confirmationfromN.J.orS.Shah(1.1.6).Itseemsthatmultiplelanguagescanfunctiontogetherwhen
theyeachhavetheirparticulardomainsofuse.ThesheernumberofspeakersofIndia'snative

languagesmoreorlessinsuresthattheydonotfaceextinction.
Englishisinaslightlymoreprecariousposition.Althoughithasastrongbaseintheeliteclassof
Indiaandinthegeneralculture,itcouldeasilyfallvictimtoanantiEnglishmovementifoneever
arose.PublicfervorisknowntobeespeciallyforcefulinIndia,andaskillfulleadercoulduseitto
createsuchamovement.Hopefully,thiswillnothappen.Indianshavealottogainfromknowing
English,andtheworldhasalottogainfromIndiansknowingEnglish.SomeIndianscomplainthat
EnglishbringsintoomuchWesternthought,butEnglishinIndiaalsoexportsavastamountofIndian
cultureandthoughttotherestoftheworld.Thisincreasesthediversityofexperiencethatpeople
aroundtheworldreceiveaspartoftheireducation.Ratherthanworryingaboutwhetherornot
Englishshouldbeused,peopleshouldfocusonextendinganeducationtomorechildrenwhichallows
themtolearnanduseEnglish,butwhichalsoputsagreatemphasisonusingandunderstandingtheir
nativelanguages.

DiscussionTranscriptions
CollectorInformation.
MynameisJasonBaldridge.IamafourthyearstudentmajoringinanthropologyattheUniversityof
Toledo.IwasbornonJanuary16,1974inGrandRapids,Michigan,andIgrewuponafarmin
Rockford,asuburbofGrandRapids.MymotherwasverymuchintoIndianphilosophy,soIgrewup
inaratherVedanticallyorientedenvironment.IcametoToledointhefallof1992,andthatwinter,I
becamefriendswithKotaMuraliKrishnaandseveralotherIndiangraduatestudents.Ilivedwith
Kota,JayantGhoshal,andAchyutJajoointheKenwoodapartmentcomplex(sometimescalledLittle
India)duringmysecondyear.Thatwinter,ItraveledtoIndiaforamonthtoseeAchyut'swedding
andtovisitKota'sfamily.Lastyear,IlivedinthesameapartmentwithKota,S.Singh(oneofmy
informants),andMattMeyers.WithtwoU.S.AmericansandtwoIndiansinoneapartment,many
thingsaboutthedifferentwayswespokewerediscussedfrequently.Thisyear,IamaResident
AdvisorintheInternationalHouseResidenceHalloncampus.IamabletoreadSpanish,Icangetby
inconversationalandwrittenHindi,andIamminimallyacquaintedwithArabic.Iplantoentera
Ph.D.programinlinguisticsnextyear,afterIgraduatefromtheUniversityofToledo.
Informantinformation.
Note:BecauseIammakingthisavailableontheinternet,Ihavereplacedtheinformants'nameswith
theirinitialstoprotecttheirprivacy.
N.G.wasborninBombayonSeptember24,1971.ShegrewupinBombayandattendedonly
Englishmediumschools.HernativelanguageisGujarati(Kutchidialect),andshealsospeaks
English,Hindi,andMarati.SheiscurrentlyagraduatestudentinpsychologyattheUniversityof
Toledo.
N.J.wasborninJamnagar,GujaratonSeptember4,1973.ShegrewupinAhmedabadandattended
anEnglishmediumschooluntilfourthstandard(grade)andcompletedtherestofhereducationin
Gujaratimediumschools.NehaandherfamilyhavelivedinChicagoforseveralyears.Hernative
languageisGujarati,andshealsospeaksEnglishandHindi.Sheisanundergraduatepharmacy
studentattheUniversityofToledo.
S.ShahwasborninAhmedabad,GujaratonApril4,1975.ShegrewupinBombayandattended
Gujaratimediumschoolsuntiltenthstandard,afterwhichshestudiedinEnglishmediumschools.Her
nativelanguageisGujarati,andshealsospeaksEnglish,Hindi,andMarati.Sheisanundergraduate
pharmacystudentattheUniversityofToledo.

B.C.wasborninKakinada,AndhraPradeshonDecember8,1972.HegrewupinBahrainandstudied
onlyinEnglishmediumschools.HisnativelanguageisTelegu,andhespeaksEnglishandHindiand
canunderstandTamil.Heiscurrentlyamastersstudentinmanufacturingmanagementatthe
UniversityofToledo.
A.S.wasborninRoorkee,UttarPradeshonMay5,1970.HeattendedEnglishmediumschools.His
nativelanguageisHindi,andhealsospeaksEnglish.Heisamastersstudentincivilengineeringat
theUniversityofToledo.
S.SinghwasborninJamshedpur,BiharonMay4,1967.HestudiedinHindimediumschoolsuntil
seventhstandard,afterwhichhestudiedinEnglishmediumschools.Heworkedforseveralyearsas
anengineerinIndia.HisnativelanguageisHindi,andhealsospeaksBhojpuriandEnglish.Heisa
mastersstudentinmechanicalengineeringattheUniversityofToledo.
Transcriptions.
Thefollowingpagesincludeexcerptsfromthediscussions.Thefirstsixarefromthediscussionwith
Neha,Neha,andS.Shah.ThelastthreearefromthediscussionwithB.C.,A.S.andS.Singh.The
excerptsarenumberedsothatitemsmaybereferredtointhetextthus,2.2.5referstoS.Singhsaying
"somuchof"indiscussiontwo,excerpttwo.ThisisprimarilytoprovideexamplesofIndianEnglish
actuallyinuse,ratherthanjustreportingthethingsIwastoldexplicitly.
Excerpt1.1
TranscribedfromTape2(11/20/95)
Informants:N.G.,N.J.,andS.Shah
Topic:Languagemixing.
JB:...whenyouwere,likesay,outhavingcoffeewithyourfriendsincollege,whatwouldyou
generallyconversein?Anybody...
NG:Allsortsoflanguages.Itwouldbe,um...
SS:Mixture.
NG:Oh,yeah,Hindi,Marati,um,English,Gujarati,andEnglishEnglishwordsthatarenotEnglish
reallyslang,Gujarati,anything...anythinggoes.
SS:Dependsonwhatisyourcompanion1likeifitisHindispeakingguy,thenwe'llspeakinHindi,
Marati,whatever
NG:Nahi2(Hindi:no),evenifthepersonisanon,ifthepersonisinBombay
SS:IfthepersondoesnotunderstandinMarati,thenwecannotspeak,wecannotcommunicatewith
thatguyina3Marati.
NG:No.WhatImeantwasthatwedon'tspeakinonelanguagecontinuously,it'slike...we,wepick
upwordsfromotherlanguages.Allthetime.
SS:[atthesametime]Yeah,it'slikemixture.Everything.Weusewordsfromotherlanguagesalso.
JB:Soitgetsmished.

NG:Total.
SS:Depends.
JB:Bigjumble.[laughter]
NJ:Butforme,weonlyspeaksinGujarati,likeeverything,so...ButstilllikeIdon'tknow.We
neverevenusedHindiwordalso4.Everythingisin,like,Gujarati.
JB:Okay.Um,okay,IguessI'lljustgoontomynextquestion
NG:There'ssomethingthatIthoughtofthatmightbeofinterest.Um,Gujarati'sintheU.S.,when
theycomeandstayhere,theyusecertainwordswhichareverytypicalof,um...takecarekarje5appli
kerhaina6?TakecarekarjeI'vehearditsomanytimes!Takecare,andkarjeisdo.
JB:Oh,karje?IskarisittheGujaratiformofkaro(Hindi:do)?
NJ:Karo.
NG:Yeah,karo.Now,ifyousaytakecare,itjustmeanstakecare,youdon'tneedtoaddanything
else.
JB:Doit.
NG:It'sliketakecarekarje.[laughter]
Excerpt1.2
TranscribedfromTape2(11/20/95)
Informants:N.G.,N.J.andS.Shah
Topic:AttitudestowardsEnglishspeakersinIndia.
JB:ThequestionishowarepeoplewhospeakEnglish,um,youknow,inIndiaviewedbypeople
whodonotspeakEnglishinIndia.YouknowwhatImean?
NG:ViewedbyotherswhodonotspeakEnglish.
JB:Yeah,thepeoplewhocanspeakEnglishhowaretheyviewedbythosewhodonot?Canyou
answerthat?
NG:Snobbish.I'vebeencalledsnobbish,I'vebeencalledconventgoing1,youknowit'slike[ina
singsongvoice]oh,yougotoaconventandsoyouhavecertainattitudesand,whicharevery
differentfromand,um,Iguess,sometimesevensuperior,and...youknow...lookedupto.
NJ:Yeah.InAhmedabadtheyusuallythinkthatwhoeverspeaksinEnglishandwhoeverstudiesin
convent2orSt.Xavier'sorthosekindofthattheythinktheyaresuperior,thanthem.Usuallythey
thinkthatway.
JB:Butatthesametimethey'rekindofthinkingthatthey'resnobbishtoo.
ALL:Yeah.
JB:Respect,butalittlebitofapprehensionthereorsomething.

NG:Sometimesit'sevenjust,youknow,plainrespectjustbecauseyou'reabletospeakinEnglish.It
dependsonthepersonactually.
Excerpt1.3
TranscribedfromTape2(11/20/95)
Informants:N.G.,N.J.,andS.Shah
Topic:Englishspeakingclasses
NG:Wehave,inIndia,wehave,uh,conversationalEnglishclasses.So,youlearnhowtospeak
English.Evenafteryouhaveyoumightbeadoctorand
JB:Andwhoteachesthose?
SS:Private
NG:Theyhave,um,thereisanIndoAmericansocietywheretheyhavethisclass.Itaughtsome
classes.
SS:CallitalsoEnglishspeakingclasses1.
[Everyonespeakingatthesametime]
NG:Yeah,theycallitEnglishspeakingorit'sconversationalEnglishwouldbeabetterwayto
sayit2.
JB:Well,don'tnecessarilythinkthatthere'sabetterwayofsayingit,becausepartofitis,Imean
youknowwhatImean?Perhapsthere'samoreBritishwayofsayingitoramoreAmericanwayof
sayingit,butmaybe
NG:No,butwhatImeantwasthelabel.TheEnglishspeakingversus
JB:Yeah,butwhatI'msayingisthatEnglishspeakingisakindofthat'sasortof
NJ:Yeah,butusuallytheythat'swhatIhavesaid,likeusuallytheyhaveEnglishspeakingclasses.
NG:Yeah,that'swhatpeopleunderstand
NJ:Understandbetter,Ibelieve.
NG:Yeah,ifyouputconversational,theymightnotgetit.
JB:Andthat'sanIndianism.Andthat'ssignificant,so
ALL:Yes.[laughter]
Excerpt1.4
TranscribedfromTape2(11/20/95)
Informant:N.G.(N.J.andS.Shahpresentalso)
Topic:Gujujokes

JB:Arethereanyjokes,riddles,orstoriesrelatedtoEnglishand/orspeakingEnglish?
NG:Yeah,therearejokesonhowcertainpeopletalkinEnglish.Specificthingsandtheyhave
anothermeaninginEnglish,soitkindof...
JB:Oh,okay.So,doyouknowofany?
NG:Yeah!MyGujujokes![clapshands]I'mgonnasaythose![laughter]
JB:Goforit!Anything!
NG:WhatdoesaGujuhaveforbreakfast?Snakes.[laughter]Snakesisthewaytheysaysnacks1.
And,um,whatelse....
Okay,thereisoneIdon'tknowhow,howyouwouldgetit,butthereisthiscompany,um,forT
shirtsinBombaywhichisSmash.And,thereisajeanswhichisF'us.Okay,FapostropheUS.And
yousayitaseffuzeF'usJeans.
So,whatdoesaeightiesGuju2dressupin?Foosnupantandsmacenushirt3.[laughter]
SS:That'ssmart...[gestures]
NG:That'sthenineties,that'saninetiesGuju!Okay...TheeightiesGujuareFoosnupant.
Now,F'usisjustFoos.
JB:Insteadofeffuze.
NG:Yeah,foos.Andfoosissupposedtomean...[laughing][clapping]Foosmeans...Idon'tknow
howtosayit.
NJ:Idon'tknowhowtolike
JB:IsitaGujaratiterm?
NJ:No,no,no.
NG:Yeah.Yeah,Foosapplikerfoos.
NG:Well,likeitjustwentflat.[Clapshandshorizontally]
SS:Poosh!
[Everyonetalkingatonceandlaughing]
NG:Itjustwentflat,youknow.
NJ:Flat,yeah,itwentflat.
NG:Like,uh,ifyoupierceaballoon.
JB:Oh...oh...It,um,compressed?
NG:Yeah,andthekindoffunnynoisethatcomeoutofit.
JB:Oh...[raspberrysound]afart!

NG:Yeah,afart.So,that'sfoosnewpant.
JB:Afartnewpant,moreorless?
NG:Nupant.Nuisof(pronouncedoff).
NJ:Ofpant.
JB:Off?OFF?
NG:No,OF.Of.
JB:Oh,okay.Okay,so,fartofpant?Afartingpant!
NG:[laughing]Yeah,that'swhatitwouldmean.
JB:Andthen
NG:Smacenushirt.Smacedoesn'tmeananything,butit'sjustthewaytheysayit.[laughter]
SS:Smash.
NJ:Actuallyit'slikesmash,butitssaidsmas.
NG:It'ssmash.Butit'slikesmacesmace,that'sthewayit'sspoke.Theydon'tsaythesaandsha4.
Digression
NG:Okay,youmustlistentotheninetiesGuju![laughter]
WhatdoesaninetiesGujudressupinnow?
Jinsjicket[laughter]
JB:Oh,okay,likejeansandjacket?
NG:Yeah.Jinsjicket,lowloakettheyneversayloveaslove.It'salwaysinanyHindisongit'll
alwaysbemispronouncedlow.Solowlocket,youknowthere'sthislocketthatthe5peoplewear
whereitiswrittenloveorwhatever.Okay,wherewasI?
Jinsjicket,
lowloaket,
combinbayckpoaket,
andgoaglesoneyesoaket.6
[laughter]
(Jeansjacket,lovelocket,combinbackpocket,andgogglesoneyesocket).
Excerpt1.5
TranscribedfromTape2(11/20/95)

Informant:N.G.(N.J.andS.Shahpresentalso)
Topic:YourIndiaissohot!
NG:TherewasthisguywhostayedforsomeyearsinAmericaanditwasverydifficulttocomehere
(theUSA)atthattime.So,whenhecameback,hewaswearingthisreallythick,woolenjacket
around,andsportingitaroundanditwassummertimeinIndia.Hewaswalkingaroundwithit,andhe
keptsaying,"YourIndiaissohot!YourIndiaissohot!"Soit'slike,yeah,everytimeit'sreallyhotin
thehouseandpeoplearecomplainingaboutit,that'swhatwesay."Oh,yourIndiaissohot!"Ay,he
waswearingajacket,Imeanhehadnoreasontocomplain.
Excerpt1.6
TranscribedfromTape2(11/20/95)
Informant:S.Shah(N.J.andN.G.alsopresent)
Topic:What'sup?
SS:Oneofmyrelative1washerebeforeafewyearsago,andhewaskindofnew.Imean,hejust
cametoU.S.2,andhedidn'tknowhowtospeakEnglish,andhewasjustkindofnew.So,hewas
goingtosomewhereinChicago.Hewastravelingbythe3train,andhewassittingontheseat
somewhereoverthere.Andone4blackladycameuptohimandask5him,"What'sup?"Andin
Gujaratiwhat'supmeanslikeuparshuche(Gujarati:whatisaboveyou).SohemadeitintoGujarati,
sohesaid,"Thesky."Sothatladygavehimtencentsandwentaway.
Excerpt2.1
TranscribedfromTape3(11/21/95)
Informants:B.C.,S.Singh,andA.S.
Topic:AntiEnglishsentiment.
JB:Iknowthere's,um,someHindifilmswherethisparticularfellowwillwalkuptoaguyatadesk
andstartspeakinginEnglish,andtheguywillchastisehimandsay,"Ahh!Whatareyoudoing,this?
SpeakHindi!"Youknow,somethinglikethis.Doyouknowanyofthosekindof....
SS:Kya1(Hindi:what),actually,Idon'tremember.Therearequiteafew....AmitabhBachchan's...
AS:Yeah,AmitabhBachchan'smoviestherewillbequiteafew.Cuzhe...
JB:Butnotjustmovies,Imeanlike,um,instanceswhereyouknowofthisactuallyhappening....
wheresomebodygets,youknow....
BC:Yeah,it'sprettycommon.Likeithappenedoncewithme.Iamnotveryfamiliarwithmymother
tongue.SoI'dbeentothisholyplaceofTirupathi.Okay?SoIwentthere,andthiswasthetimeIwent
alone.AndIdidn'tknowhowtoconversewithhimproperly.Basically,thethingoutthereisbetween
TamilandTelegu,it'sabitmixed,ah,up,youknow,thedialect.SoIwastryingtoconversewithhim
andIwasn'tsuccessful,soIthoughtI'ddoitinEnglish.SoIstartedtalkingtohiminEnglish,andlike
thatfellowgotreallypissed.Hewastellinglikehewasrealmad.Ifyoudon'tknow,justgetout,or
somethinglikethat.Itwasallforbooking2ofasillyroom.That'sit.AllIhadtodowasgetaroom.

JB:YouspeakTelegu,right?
BC:IspeakTelegu.
Excerpt2.2
TranscribedfromTape3(11/21/95)
Informants:B.C.,S.Singh,andA.S.
Topic:GoingtoandcomingbackfromAmerica.
JB:Allright.Um,doyouknowofanybody,like,storiesof,um,peoplewho'vegone,saytoAmerica,
andsomethinghappenstothemthereorstoriesofsomebodywhogoestoAmericaandcomesback
andsomeinterestingsituationsgoon.Doyouknowanyofthose?
AS:Yeah,thereismyuncleandhisnamewasShambhu,andthewaypeoplereferredhim
asShampoo1outhere[laughter].Sohewaslike
SS:Wentback?
AS:Nono.HecamehereforaFullbrightscholarshipthreemonths.Itwaspretty(?)asshampoo.
JB:Um,howaboutthatwheresomebody,saycomesbackfromAmerica,andthenmaybetalksbigor
doessomethinglikethat,youknow.
BC:Yeah,that'sanaturaltendencyforaguytoactabit...overhisself2.
AS:Atleasthetalksaboutthetechnology.
BC:He'lltrytoputaputanimage3whichisnothimself.
AS:Dependsfrompersontoperson.Yeah,and,um,mostlypeopledofallsickaftergoingfromthis
place(theUSA).
SS:Lostalltheimmunitytothe
AS:Yeah,likethisguyGothamfeltlikewhenhewentback,no4?
JB:[Relatesthe"YourIndiaissohot"story.]
SS:Yeah,peoplegobackandtalkaboutalotofdust[laughter]...somuchof5heat.Sotheplace
wheretheyhavestayedforpast6twentyyearsortwentyfiveyears.Imean,theycomehere,stayhere
foroneyearortwoyearsandcome,gobackandcomplainaboutthat.Thathashappenedwithmy
relativeswhohavegonebackthere.Andthenpeopledon'tlikevery...thosetypes.
Excerpt2.3
TranscribedfromTape3(11/21/95)
Informants:B.C.,S.Singh,andA.S.
Topic:SpeakingEnglishinsocialsituationskichirilanguage.

JB:Okay,howarepeoplewhospeakEnglishviewedbynonspeakers,youknowlike,peoplewho
can'tspeakit?Howdotheylookatthosewhocan?
BC:That'satoughone.
AS:Depends.
SS:Depends,yeah,itdependsonthesituation.
AS:Buthewilldefinitelytreatyouasaneducatedperson.
SS:Yeah,it'sameasureofyoureducation.Howmuchyouknow.Andsometimesthe1peopledon't
know,Imeantheywilllookatyouasif...um,onlyyouknowsomething,and...
AS:Yeah,they'lllookuptoyou
JB:Respect.
SS:Withrespect.Sometimes...
BC:Sometimeswithdisdainalso.
SS:Sometimeslikeindifferent.Sometimesdisdain.
JB:Sometimesdotheylookuponitassnobbish?
ALL:Yeah.
BC:Showingoff.
SS:Showoff,yeah.
JB:Sodoesthatmakeyoumorecarefulaboutspeakingit...inageneralsituation,likeifyouarewith
afriendatarestaurant.
SS:Youcould,um...
AS:See,ImeanifIamtalkingto,justasyousaid,workers,IwillneverspeakinEnglish.Infact,I
willnotevenspeakinHindiI'llspeakinadialectwhereI'mthat'sverydifferentfromHindi,so....
that'swhatwedo.
BC:Dependsonthepersonwhomyouareconversingwith.Okay,heisonthesamelevelasyou,you
normallytendtospeakinalanguagewhichisunderstandablebyhimandwhichhefeelscomfortable
with,right?That'sthenormalcourse.
JB:Oftentimesit'samixturethough,right?
SS:Mostofthetimes,yeah.
BC:Kichiri2.[laughter]
JB:Waitwhat'sthat?
BC:Mixtureofall,like,twothree3languageswillcombineinto...
AS:There'sadish,like,whichwecook.It'scalledkichiri.It'slikewithpulsesandriceandsomany

things
BC:Whateverelseyoucanfind.
JB:Kichiri?
AS:Kichiri,yeah.
JB:Andthat'swhatyoucalltalkinginthissortof,sortofway?
SS:Kichirilanguage.
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