LinguisticandSocialCharacteristicsofIndianEnglishJasonBaldridge

Fall1995

TABLEOFCONTENTS(abbreviated)

DiscussionandAnalysisDiscussionTranscriptionsBibliography

DiscussionandAnalysis

Introduction.

SomegoodfriendsofminefromIndiawerewatchingTVintheirapartmentinToledo,Ohiowhenarepairmancametofixsomething.Theytalkedtohimperiodicallywhilehewasworking,andafterawhile,heaskedthemhowlongtheyhadbeenintheUnitedStates.Whentheytoldhimthatitwastheirthirdmonthhere,hewasevidentlyveryimpressedthattheyhadlearnedtospeakEnglishsowellandsoquickly.Hecomplimentedthemonthat,butwhatthiswellmeaningfellowdidnotrealizewasthatmyfriendshadallstartedlearningEnglishbythetimetheyhadbegunkindergarten,thatthemajorityoftheirschoolcourseworkhadbeeninanEnglishmedium,andthattheywereveryfamiliarwithEnglishbooks,movies,andnewspapers.Also,EnglishwasthemediuminwhichtheycommunicatedwitheachotherhereintheUnitedStatesbecausetheyallcamefromdifferentstatesinSouthIndiaandeachpersonspokeadifferentnativelanguage.

EnglishhasbeenwithIndiasincetheearly1600's,whentheEastIndiaCompanystartedtradingandEnglishmissionariesfirstbegantheirefforts.AlargenumberofChristianschoolsimpartinganEnglisheducationweresetupbytheearly1800's.TheprocessofproducingEnglishknowingbilingualsinIndiabeganwiththeMinuteof1835,whichofficiallyendorsedT.B.Macaulay'sgoalofforming"aclasswhomaybeinterpretersbetweenusandthemillionswhomwegovernaclassofpersons,Indiansinbloodandcolour,butEnglishintaste,inopinion,inmoralsandinintellect"(quotedinKachru1983,p.22).EnglishbecametheofficialandacademiclanguageofIndiabytheearlytwentiethcentury.Therisingofthenationalistmovementinthe1920'sbroughtsomeantiEnglishsentimentwithiteventhoughthemovementitselfusedEnglishasitsmedium.

OnceindependencewasgainedandtheEnglishweregone,theperceptionofEnglishashavinganalienpowerbasechangedhowever,thecontroversyaboutEnglishhascontinuedtothisday.Kachrunotesthat"Englishnowhasnationalandinternationalfunctionsthatarebothdistinctandcomplementary.Englishhasthusacquiredanewpowerbaseandanewelitism"(Kachru1986,p.12).OnlyaboutthreepercentofIndia'spopulationspeakEnglish,buttheyaretheindividualswholeadIndia'seconomic,industrial,professional,political,andsociallife.EventhoughEnglishisprimarilyasecondlanguageforthesepersons,itisthemediuminwhichagreatnumberoftheinteractionsintheabovedomainsarecarriedout.HavingsuchimportantinformationmovinginEnglishconduitsisoftennotappreciatedbyIndianswhodonotspeakit,buttheyarerelativelypowerlesstochangethat.Itsinertiaissuchthatitcannotbeeasilygivenup.ThisisparticularlytrueinSouthIndia,whereEnglishservesasauniversallanguageinthewaythatHindidoesintheNorth.Despitebeingathreepercentminority,theEnglishspeakingpopulationinIndiaisquitelarge.WithIndia'smassivepopulation,thatthreepercentputsIndiaamongthetopfourcountriesintheworldwiththehighestnumberofEnglishspeakers.EnglishconfersmanyadvantagestotheinfluentialpeoplewhospeakitwhichhasallowedittoretainitsprominencedespitethestrongoppositiontoEnglishwhichrisesperiodically.

Purposeandcollectionmethods.

TheEnglishwhichisspokeninIndiaisdifferentfromthatspokeninotherregionsoftheworld,anditisregardedastheuniquevarietywhichiscalledIndianEnglish.ThepurposeofthisfolkloreprojectistoshowsomeofthevariouswaysIndianshaveintentionallyandunintentionallycustomizedEnglishtobettersuittheirneedsandtodiscusssomeoftheproblemsandsituationswhichcananddoarisewhenIndiansuseorexperienceEnglishindifferentsettings.AttitudesaboutEnglishandEnglishspeakersinIndiaarealsoexplored.

ThecollectingwasdoneintwoseparatediscussiongroupsinwhichvariousaspectsofIndianEnglishweretalkedabout.ThefirstdiscussionwaswithN.G.,N.J.,andS.Shahintheirapartment.Ihadvisitedthemseveraltimesbeforeandengagedinlengthydiscussionsonvariousissues,sowhenIcamewithmyrecorderinhandandatopicalreadyinmind,verylittlewasneededtoestablishagoodrapport.TheseconddiscussionwasheldwithB.C.,A.S.,andS.SinghinB.C.andS.Singh'sapartmentthesameapartmentthatIhadlivedinfortheprevioustwoyearswithS.Singhasoneofmyflatmates.Withthisestablishedlink,Ihadlittletroublegettingtheconversationmoving.Languagesareoftenasubjectofcasual,thoughoftenheated,conversationsbetweenIndians,sobothgroupswereveryinterestedinthetopic,Also,Ifoundthatinbothgroups,individualswereabletoplayoffeachotherand,indoingso,delvefurtherintotheissuesthantheywouldhavealone.Ilearnedagreatdealfromthediscussions,butIwasverythankfulformytwoyearsoflivingwithIndiansandmymonthlongtriptoIndiawhichpreparedmeforunderstandingandparticipatinginthediscussions.IalsoreceivedinputfromseveralotherIndianfriends(MuraliKotaandAdityaMulukutlaespecially)ininformalconversationsaboutIndianEnglish.

DistinguishingcharacteristicsofIndianEnglish

IndianEnglishisadistinctvarietyoftheEnglishlanguage.ManyIndiansclaimthatitisverysimilartoBritishEnglish,butthisopinionisbasedonasurfacelevelexaminationoflexicalsimilarities.Ofcourse,onemustkeepinmindthatnoteverylinguisticitemisusedbyeveryIndianEnglishspeakerandthatagreatdealofregionalandeducationaldifferentiationexists.Evenso,itemscanbeidentifiedwhichareindicativeofIndianEnglishspeechandwhicharewidelyused.Theseoperateonvariousphonological,morphological,lexical,andsyntacticlevels,whichIwillcharacterizedwithitemsbroughtupintherecordeddiscussions,inmypreviousexperiencewithIndianEnglish,andinscholarlywritingsaboutIndianEnglish.Referencestothetranscriptionexcerpts(pages1726ofthisreport)arewritten,forexample,as1.3.4,whichindicatesDiscussion1,Excerpt3,Item4.

Phonology.

Iwasabletodoverylittleonthephonologicallevel.IsetupatesttoseeiftheEnglishalveolar/t/wouldbearticulatedastheIndianretroflex/t/orasthedental/t/indifferentphonologicalenvironments.Theresultwasthattheretroflexcompletelyreplacedthealveolarinfact,ithasbeenfoundthattheentireseriesofEnglishalveolarconsonantstendstobereplacedbyretroflexconsonants(Trudgill&Hannah1994,p.128).OneitemthatdidcomeoutoftheexperimentwasthatsomeIndianEnglishspeakershadatendencytodroptheedendingafter/k/and/t/(ex:walkedbecamewalk)(1.6.5).Someinterestingthingsseemedtobehappeningwiththearticulationof//(asinthen),whichnormallyispronouncedasaninterdental/d/,butwhichsometimesseemedtobecomealveolar.Also,listeningtothetapeddiscussionsrevealedthatsometimesawasusedinfrontofvowelinitialwords(1.4.2)beforewhichNorthAmericanEnglishandBritishEnglishspeakerswouldusean.Thisaverynaturaladjustmentfornativespeakers,yetitisapparentthataconsciousefforttodothisissometimesrequiredbyIndianEnglishspeakers(2.2.3).Todiscoverwhetherornottheseobservationsaresignificantwouldrequirefurthertesting.

OtheritemslistedbyTrudgillandHannah(1994)arethatIndianEnglishtendstohaveareducedvowelsystem/r/tendstobecomeaflaporretroflexflaptheconsonants/p/,/t/,and/k/tendtobeunaspiratedandinsomeregions,/v/and/w/arenotdistinguished(volleyballisthesame

aswallyball),whileinothers,/p/and/f/,/t/and//,/d/and//,and/s/and/s/arenot(1.4.4).Theyalsonotethat"IndianEnglishtendstobesyllableratherthanstresstimed.Also,syllablesthatwouldbeunstressedinothervarietiesofEnglishreceivesomestressinIndianEnglishandthusdonothavereducedvowels.Suffixestendtobestressed,andfunctionwordswhichareweakinothervarietiesofEnglish(of,to,etc.)tendnottobereducedinIndianEnglish"(p.128).

Morphology.

IndianEnglishmorphologyisverycreativeanditisfilledwithnewtermsandusages.IndianEnglishusescompoundformationextensively,asinEnglishspeakingclasses(1.3.1)orconventgoing(1.2.1).ThecompoundscousinbrotherandcousinsisterallowtheIndianEnglishspeakertodesignatewhethertheircousinismaleorfemaleafunctionwhichisinherentintheterminologyofmostIndianlanguages.Othersincludechalkpiece,keybunch,meetingnotice,agebarred,andpindropsilence.IndiansalsopluralizemanyEnglishmassnounsandendupwithwordssuchaslitters,furnitures,andwoods(Trudgill&Hannah,pp.129130).Sometimeswordswhichshouldbepluralizedarenotforexample,S.Shahsays,"Oneofmyrelative"(1.6.1).AquintessentialIndianEnglishtermwhichcomesfromcompoundformationistimepass,whichdenotessomethingasnonexciting,asin"Thatmoviewasrealtimepass."Itcanalsoindicatetheactofpassingtimewithoutaspecificpurposeormotivation.

Indiansalsoshortenmanywordstocreatecommonlyusedterms.Enthusiasmiscalledenthuassuch,itcanbeusedinnewways.Onecansay,"Thatguyhasalotofenthu."Whilethisissimplyanabbreviation,enthucanalsobeusedasanadjectivewhereenthusiasmcannot,asin"He'sarealenthuguy."Thesameappliesforfundamentals,whichisshortenedasfundas."Sheknowsherfundas."Whatisinterestingaboutfundasisthatwhentheasendingisdroppedanduisadded,ittakesonanewmeaningandcanbeusedinanewway.Fundubasicallymeanswonderfulorbrilliant.Onecansay"Heisafunduperson"oreven"Heisfundu."

WhenbringingIndianwordsintoEnglish,termssuchasroti(bread),whicharealreadyplural,willbepluralizedforEnglishbytheadditionofs(rotis).EnglishsuffixesarealsoappendedtoIndianterms.AnexamplewhichwasbroughtupinthefirstdiscussionisthepracticeinBombayofaddingfytoaHindiwordtoindicatethatanactionisbeingdonetosomeonebysomeone.FromtheHindiwordmuska,tomuskafymeanstoflattersomebodyortobutterthemup.Similarly,topataofyistheactionofwooingsomeone.Othersuffixessuchasic(Upanishadic),dom(cooliedom),andism(goondaism)areusedtocreatenewusagesforIndianterms.Prefixescanalsobeusedinnewways.InIndianEnglish,preissubstitutedforpostinpostponetocreateprepone,whichindicates,forexample,thatameetinghasbeenmovedtoasoonertime.

Lexicon.

TheIndianEnglishlexiconhasmanydistincttermswhicharecommonlyusedbyitsspeakers.Somearisethroughtheuseofoldandnewmorphologicalfeatures,asdiscussedabove.Otherscomefromacronymsandabbreviations.ManytermsfromIndianlanguagesareutilized,andnewusagesforEnglishwordsorexpressionsarecreated.ItmustbenotedthatmanyofthesetermsandusagesarespecifictothepopulationofIndianEnglishspeakerswhoarecurrentlybetweentwentyandthirtyyearsofage.

Examplesoftheuseofacronymsincludethefollowing:

MCP=MaleChauvinistPigFOC=FreeOfChargeMPK=MainePyarKiya(apopularmovie)QSQT=QayamatSeQayamatTak(apopularmovie)ILU=ILoveYou(fromasongpronouncedeelu)ABCD=AmericanBornConfusedDeshi(nativeofIndia)

FOB=FreshOfftheBoat

FOBisactuallyusedbyAmericanbornIndiansagainstIndianbornIndianswhocometoAmericaandteasethemforbeingABCD's.OtheracronymsstemfromentireHindisentences.

ManyabbreviationsareusedbyIndians.Forexample:

Jan=JanuaryFeb=Februarysubsi=subsidiarysupli=supplementarysoopi=superintendentprinci=principleGen.Sec.orG.Sec.=GeneralSecretarySoc.Sec.=SocialSecretarylabass=laboratoryassistantasswardi=assistantwarden

WhatisinterestingaboutIndianEnglishabbreviationsisthattheyarepronouncedthewaytheyarespelledaftertheyhavebeenshortened.ANorthAmericanEnglishspeakerwillgenerallyreadanabbreviationasthoughitweretheentireword(i.e.Sec.isreadasSecretary).Also,NorthAmericanEnglishspeakerstendtoabbreviatephoneticallywhenspokenabbreviationsareused(i.e.Soc.ispronouncedsoash).WhenreadbyanIndianEnglishspeaker,Soc.Sec.ispronouncedsockseck.Actually,manyEnglishwordswhicharepronouncedquitedifferentlythantheirspellingwouldindicatearepronouncedastheyarespelledbymanyIndians.VowelswhichhavebeendroppedbyNorthAmericanandBritishEnglishspeakersaretypicallyarticulatedbyIndians.Forexample,typicallyisgenerallypronouncedtipicklee,butIndianEnglishspeakerswilloftensaytipickahlee.

Newwordsandnewusagesofstandardwordsareintroducedaswell.Afoodgrinderissimplycalledamixi.Jangosarepeoplewhoareverymaud(modern)andfashionablesuchpeoplecouldbedescribedasfast(untraditionalandmodern).Adeadlymovieoreventishardhittingandactionpacked.Somethingwhichishitechisexceedinglyincredible.Itisnotjustlimitedtotechnologyforexample,onecouldbewearingahitechoutfit.Areceptionissometimescalledanathome.Anilliteratepersonmaybecalledathumbsupbecausetheyusetheirthumbprinttosigndocuments.ForanIndiandoingmath,twointofourmeans"2x4"andsixbythreeorsixuponthreemeans"63".Asquarerootisknownasanunderroot.Sometimes,aseriesofwordsisusedtoapproximateawordwhichmomentarilyescapesone'smind,suchasB.C.'suseof"overhisself"tomeanconceited(2.2.2).IndianEnglishspeakersuselesstoindicatethatsomethingisinsufficient"Thereislesssaltinthecurry."Oftenthisisextendedtotoolessof.Theextraneousofalsoappearsintheexpressionstoomuchofandsomuchof,suchasS.Singh's"somuchofheat"(2.2.5).Noneofmyinformantsweresurewhyofisusedinthosesituations,buttheyallagreeditdidnotcomefromHindioranyotherIndianlanguage'susage.

HindiinfluencedtermsandexpressionsinIndianEnglish.

SomeitemsaredirectlyrelatedtocharacteristicsofIndianlanguages.Indianswilloftenask,"Whatisyourgoodname?"whichisasomewhatliteraltranslationof"Aapkashubhnaamkyahai?"Shubhmeansauspiciousorgood,anditisbasicallyusedasapolitewayofaskingforsomeone'sfullname.AnIndianEnglishspeakersaystodaymorning(aajsubha)oryesterdaynight(kalraat)tomeanthismorningandlastnight.IndiansalsoruntheriskofoffendingU.S.Americanswhentheyusecertainliteraltranslationswhichhavetheintendedmeaning,butwhichalsohaveoffensiveconnotations.N.G.mentionedthataU.S.Americanwithwhomsheworkstoldherthatshewasan"abrasivewoman"becauseshetoldhimtoshutup.ShutupinHindiischupbet,whichisgenerally

usedmorecasually(butwhichcanbeusedoffensivelyaswell).Also,Indianscommonlyuseyoupeoplewhentheywanttoaddressmorethanoneperson.Theydonotrealizethebelittling,racialconnotationsthatitcarrieswithitforthemitisasimpletranslationofaaplogortumlog.

HinditermsandexpressionsusedinIndianEnglish.

WhenIndiansuseEnglish,itisoftenamixtureofEnglish,Hindi,andotherlanguages.B.C.,A.S.,andS.Singhcalledthiswayofspeakingkichiri(2.2.3).KichiriisamealwhichiscomposedofseveralrandomingredientsaratheraccuratedescriptionofthewayIndiansoftentalktooneanother.Evenin"pure"IndianEnglish,manyIndiantermsslipinfrequently.Someexpressionssuchasgeneralmai(ingeneral)andekminute(oneminute)areprevalentinIndianEnglish.N.G.mentionstheGujaratiexpressiontakecarekarje(dotakecare)in1.1.5.Thesemixturescomequitenaturallywhenoneisacquaintedwithtwoormorelanguages.WhenIbeganlearningHindi,Iacquiredmanynewterms,oneofwhichwasmausum(whichmeansweatherorseason).IunwittinglycoinedtheexpressionawesomemausumoneafternoonwhenIsteppedoutsideanddiscoveredwhatabeautifuldayitwas.N.G.passedthisexpressionalongtoherfriendsinBombay,andsupposedlyitisstartingtospreadthere.Heruseofnahi(no)in1.1.2,andS.Singh'suseofkya(what)in2.1.1aretypicalofthesortsofwaysHinditermsareemployed.OthercommonlyusedHinditermsandexpressionsincludethefollowing:

achchaa=goodarrai=heybahut=alotbus=that'sitek=one(asanumber)ghotu=onewhoreadsalothajar(hazar)=aton(morethanalot)hogaya=donefinishedkoibatnahi=noproblemkyahallhai=howareyoulakh(s)=onehundredthousandlekhin=butmasala=risquspicyhot(likeafilm)muthlab=meaningpaka=pureteekhai=okay(lit:itisright)yaar=buddypal

Thesearejustafewofthemostcommonones.OnemustbefairlyconversantintheseandothertermsandexpressionsifonewantstofollowadiscussionbetweenIndianscompletely.

Syntax.

HindisyntaxaffectsIndianEnglishsyntaxinseveralways.Thereisaseeminglyarbitraryuseofthearticlesaandthe,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).Itisnotuncommontohearsomethinglike,"Wearegoingtotemple."Whetherornottheseapparentmisusesareactuallyarbitrarywouldrequirefurtherstudy.Isuspecttheyarenot.

SomethingwhichIndianEnglishhasthatisnotfoundinothervarietiesofEnglishistheuseofonlyanditselftoemphasizetimeandplace.ItcomesfromtheHindiwordhiandproducessentenceslike"IwasinToledoonly"and"Canwemeettomorrowitself?"IndianEnglishspeakersoftenusereduplicationasawayofemphasizinganactionIhavebeentoldbeforeto"Comecome!Sitsit!"Reduplicationcanalsoreplaceveryforintensifyingorextendingsomething,asinhot,hotwaterandlong,longhair.SuchusageiscommoninspokenHindi.AnotherthingIndianEnglishspeakersdoisleavetooutwhengivingarangeofnumbers.B.C.doesthisin2.3.3whenhesays,

"...twothreelanguages..."Thisoftenexpressesexaggerationwhenlargernumbersareused,asin"onehundredtwohundred."

CertainverbsareusedinIndianEnglishinthesamewaytheyareusedinHindi.Indiansusekolnaandbandhkarnawhenaskingsomeonetoturnalightonorofftheliteraltranslationisretained,sosomeIndianEnglishspeakerssay"openthelight"and"closethelight."Thesameistrueofgivingatest(fromtheHindiverbdena)ratherthantakingatest.Takemeansconsumewhenusedwithfoodanddrinkitems"Willyoutaketea?"TheverblenaistheHindiequivalentofthis.A.S.elicitsanotherHindibasedsyntacticelement,thetagquestion,in2.2.4.Hesays,"Yeah,likethisguyGothamfeltlikewhenhewentback,no?"Thisuseofno(andtheexpressionisn'titinthesamemanner)stemsfromtheuseofnainHindi,whichisexemplifiedbyN.G.in1.1.6,"...takecarekarjeapplikerhaina?"Thiscouldberoughlytranslatedas"...takecarekarjecanbeapplied,can'tit?"

IndianEnglishspeakersoftenusecertainverbsinwaysthatareconfusingtospeakersofotherEnglishvarieties.Keepisusedforput,soonefindsIndianssayingthingslike"keeptheballthere"or"keeptheballback"toapersonwhoisstillholdingtheball.Leavereplaceskeep'slostfunctionofallowingsomethingtoremainsomewhere.Putisoftenusedwithoutanexplicitdestinationordirection,soanIndianmightsay,"ShallIputthetape?"or,likeB.C.in2.2.3,"putanimage."

OneofthemostindicativesignsofIndianEnglishgrammaristheuseoftheprogressiveaspectwithhabitualactions,completedactions,andstativeverbs.Thisproducessentencessuchas"Iamdoingitoften"ratherthan"Idoitoften""Whereareyoucomingfrom?"insteadof"Wherehaveyoucomefrom?""and"Shewashavingmanysarees"ratherthan"Shehadmanysarees"(Trudgill&Hannah,p.132).

ThewordorderofquestionsisoftenuniqueinIndianEnglish.Sentencessuchas"Whatyouwouldliketoeat?"and"Whoyouwillcomewith?"showtheabsenceofsubjectverbinversionindirectquestions.S.Shahprovidesanexamplein1.1.1,"...whatisyourcompanion,"inwhichaninversiondoesnottakeplacewhereitshould.Anotheraspectofgrammarthatisofteninconsistentistheuseofalso(averypopularwordinIndianEnglish).Itcanbefoundinvariouspartsofasentence,butittendstobeplacedattheend,likeN.J.doesin1.1.4"WeneverevenusedHindiwordalso."

HavingfunwithEnglish.

IndianEnglishspeakersplayaroundwiththelanguageasmuchasanyothergroup.Englishisanimportantpartoflifeforthem,especiallyinschoolandwhentheycometotheUnitedStates.TheycirculatedocumentsontheiremailonthingssuchasalistofwaystochangefromanIndianconversationtoamoreAmericanconversation.AcommonsayingamongIndiangraduatestudentsintheUnitedStatesjokesabouthowroutinetheirlivessometimesbecome:

Apartment,Department.Advisor,Budweiser.

ThisisjoinedbyotheritemssuchasABCD(mentionedearlier).Actually,ABCDextendstoZ,anditmakesfunoftheGujaratiswhooperatemotelsintheUnitedStates:

AmericanBornConfusedDeshi,EmigratedFromGujarat,HousedInJersey,KeptLotsaMotels,NamedOmkaranathPatel,QuietlyReachedSuccessThroughUnderhanded,ViciousWays,XenophobicYetZestful.

AnotheritemutilizestheEnglishalphabetinrhyme:

ABCDEFGSheeshamatidarupi.(Drinkliquorfromabottle.)

IndiansarealsoacutelyawareofthevastdifferencesinaccentsinspokenIndianEnglishwhicharecausedbyIndia'sdifferentlinguisticregions.N.G.'sGujujokes(1.4)aregoodexamplesofhowIndiansmakesometimesmakefunoftheirownandeachother'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(withwhichIndianEnglishhasmoretermsincommon),butsometimesIndianscanbesurprisedwhentheytrytotranslateaNorthAmericanEnglishexpressionintotheirownlanguages.S.Shahrelatedastoryaboutoneofherrelativeswhoranintothisproblem:

"Oneofmyrelativewasherebeforeafewyearsago,andhewaskindofnew.Imean,hejustcametoU.S.,andhedidn'tknowhowtospeakEnglish,andhewasjustkindofnew.So,hewasgoingtosomewhereinChicago.Hewastravelingbythetrain,andhewassittingontheseatsomewhereoverthere.Andoneblackladycameuptohimandaskhim,"What'sup?"AndinGujaratiwhat'supmeanslikeuparshuche(Gujarati:whatisaboveyou).SohemadeitintoGujarati,sohesaid,"Thesky."Sothatladygavehimtencentsandwentaway"(1.6).

SomeIndianswhosenameshavesimilarsoundingwordsinEnglishfindU.S.Americanspokingfunatthem.OneexampleisA.S.'suncleShambu,whowascalledShampoowhenhecametotheUnitedStates(2.2.1).AfriendofminewhosenameisManiwasconstantlychidedbyU.S.Americansbecause"it'salwaysgreattohaveMoneyaround!"

TherearealsomanyregionalstoriesandjokesaboutcertainindividualswhohavegonetotheUnitedStatesandcomebacktalkingandactinginapeculiarmanner.N.G.recountedthestoryofafellowwhoseemedtothinkofhimselfasotherthanIndianwhenhereturnedfromtheUnitedStates,whichheshowedbyspeakinginEnglishandusingthepossessive"your"whenreferringtoIndia:

"TherewasthisguywhostayedforsomeyearsinAmericaanditwasverydifficulttocomehere(theUSA)atthattime.So,whenhecameback,hewaswearingthisreallythick,woolenjacketaround,andsportingitaroundanditwassummertimeinIndia.Hewaswalkingaroundwithit,andhekeptsaying,"YourIndiaissohot!YourIndiaissohot!"Soit'slike,yeah,everytimeit'sreallyhotinthehouseandpeoplearecomplainingaboutit,that'swhatwesay."Oh,yourIndiaissohot!"Ay,hewaswearingajacket,Imeanhehadnoreasontocomplain"(1.5).

UsingEnglishinIndia.

Asnotedearlier,EnglishisnotappreciatedbymanyIndianswhoconsideritanelite,oppressivelanguage.ItisusedbymanyupperclassIndianstoshowofftheirstatus.AllofmyinformantsagreedthatwhilemanypeoplerespectapersonforbeingabletospeakEnglish,theyalsofeelthatEnglishspeakersaresnobbish(1.22.3).Infact,usingEnglishinthewrongsituationscanleadtoaseriousscolding,asB.C.discoveredinTirupathi:

"Likeithappenedoncewithme.Iamnotveryfamiliarwithmymothertongue.SoI'dbeentothisholyplaceofTirupathi.

Okay?SoIwentthere,andthiswasthetimeIwentalone.AndIdidn'tknowhowtoconversewithhimproperly.Basically,thethingoutthereisbetweenTamilandTelegu,it'sabitmixed,ah,up,youknow,thedialect.SoIwastryingtoconversewithhimandIwasn'tsuccessful,soIthoughtI'ddoitinEnglish..SoIstartedtalkingtohiminEnglish,andlikethatfellowgotreallypissed.Hewastellinglikehewasrealmad.Ifyoudon'tknow,justgetout,orsomethinglikethat.Itwasallforbookingofasillyroom.That'sit.AllIhadtodowasgetaroom"(2.1).

Suchreactionsmostlydependontheindividualattitudeofthepersononeisdealingwith.However,itseemsthatapersonisgivenrespectnotonlyforknowingEnglish,butalsoforknowingwhentouseit.

SpeakingEnglishcorrectly.

MybackgroundexperiencewithIndianEnglishallowedmetonoticethatinthetapeddiscussions,certainattemptsweremadebyindividualstospeakmore"properly"andwithfewerIndiantermsandslangwords.IndianEnglishasitisspokenbetweenIndiansisquitedifferentfromwhatIrecordedduringthediscussions.Oneobviousreasonforthiswasmypresenceasanactiveparticipantinthediscussion,therebynecessitatingtheuseofEnglishinawaythatwouldbeunderstandabletome.AnotherreasonisthatthereisapredominatingpreoccupationwithmanyIndiansinregardtoapproximatingBritishEnglishwhentheyarespeakingparticularlywhentheyareconversingwithanativeNorthAmericanEnglishorBritishEnglishspeaker.Outrightdiscussionsaboutthecorrectnessofaparticularwordorusagearoseseveraltimesduringbothdiscussions(1.3.2).

IamoftentoldquiteearnestlybymanyIndiansthattheirEnglishismorelikeBritishEnglishthanNorthAmericanEnglishis.TheycitemanyexamplesofwordstheyuseincommonwiththeBritishnotrealizingthatwhenanalyzedondeeperlinguisticlevels,IndianEnglishdiffersfromBritishEnglishjustasmuchasNorthAmericanEnglish.Thequestiontoraisetheniswhoreallycareswhatiscorrect?Theyareallmutuallydistinctvarieties,andthatuniquenessshouldbevaluedandappreciated.Evenso,manyIndiansseemtoholdBritishEnglishupastheparagonperhapsthisisbecausehowwelloneapproximatesBritishEnglishoftendetermineshowwellone'seducationallevelisregardedinIndia.

Conclusion.

ThisleadstothequestiondoIndiansappreciatetheirownEnglish?Ultimately,Ithinktheydo.IthasbeensaidthatIndianshavemadeEnglishintoanativelanguagewithitsownlinguisticandculturalecologiesandsocioculturalcontexts.Myinformantsindicatedthatinmanyways,IndianEnglishisverymuchtheirown.ItsspecialfunctionshaveengravedEnglishintotheculturallifeofIndia,anditisverymuchapartoftheexperienceofbeingIndianevenifonedoesnotspeakit.ManyIndiansfeelthattheuseofEnglishshouldbeactivelyencouragedbecauseofthemanyadvantagesitconfersthegreatestofwhichisitsuniversalcharacter.TheIndianwriterandphilosopherRajaRaowrote,

"Truth,saidagreatIndiansage,isnotthemonopolyoftheSanskritlanguage.Truthcanuseanylanguage,andthemoreuniversal,thebetteritis.IfmetaphysicsisIndia'sprimarycontributiontoworldcivilization,aswebelieveitis,thenmustsheusethemostuniversallanguageforhertobeuniversal....AndaslongastheEnglishlanguageisuniversal,itwillalwaysremainIndian....ItwouldthenbecorrecttosayaslongasweareIndianthatis,notnationalists,buttrulyIndiansoftheIndianpsycheweshallhavetheEnglishlanguagewithusandamongstus,andnotasaguestorfriend,butasoneofourown,ofourcaste,ourcreed,oursectandourtradition"(quotedinKachru1986,p.12).

Manyothersfear,perhapslegitimately,thelossofIndia'snativelanguages.EnglishhaschangedIndianlanguagesinmanywaysmostlythroughtheincorporationofnewwords.However,thepopulationofEnglishspeakersinIndia,thoughsociallyinfluential,isasmallminoritycomparedtotherest.Also,mostoftheseindividualsareconversantinatleastone,ifnottwoorthree,otherlanguages,andunlessthesituationnecessitatesEnglish,theyusuallyspeakintheirnativelanguage.EvenN.G.,whoapproximatesBritishEnglishveryclosely,wouldswitchtoGujaratiwhenaskingforconfirmationfromN.J.orS.Shah(1.1.6).Itseemsthatmultiplelanguagescanfunctiontogetherwhentheyeachhavetheirparticulardomainsofuse.ThesheernumberofspeakersofIndia'snative

languagesmoreorlessinsuresthattheydonotfaceextinction.

Englishisinaslightlymoreprecariousposition.AlthoughithasastrongbaseintheeliteclassofIndiaandinthegeneralculture,itcouldeasilyfallvictimtoanantiEnglishmovementifoneeverarose.PublicfervorisknowntobeespeciallyforcefulinIndia,andaskillfulleadercoulduseittocreatesuchamovement.Hopefully,thiswillnothappen.IndianshavealottogainfromknowingEnglish,andtheworldhasalottogainfromIndiansknowingEnglish.SomeIndianscomplainthatEnglishbringsintoomuchWesternthought,butEnglishinIndiaalsoexportsavastamountofIndiancultureandthoughttotherestoftheworld.Thisincreasesthediversityofexperiencethatpeoplearoundtheworldreceiveaspartoftheireducation.RatherthanworryingaboutwhetherornotEnglishshouldbeused,peopleshouldfocusonextendinganeducationtomorechildrenwhichallowsthemtolearnanduseEnglish,butwhichalsoputsagreatemphasisonusingandunderstandingtheirnativelanguages.

DiscussionTranscriptions

CollectorInformation.

MynameisJasonBaldridge.IamafourthyearstudentmajoringinanthropologyattheUniversityofToledo.IwasbornonJanuary16,1974inGrandRapids,Michigan,andIgrewuponafarminRockford,asuburbofGrandRapids.MymotherwasverymuchintoIndianphilosophy,soIgrewupinaratherVedanticallyorientedenvironment.IcametoToledointhefallof1992,andthatwinter,IbecamefriendswithKotaMuraliKrishnaandseveralotherIndiangraduatestudents.IlivedwithKota,JayantGhoshal,andAchyutJajoointheKenwoodapartmentcomplex(sometimescalledLittleIndia)duringmysecondyear.Thatwinter,ItraveledtoIndiaforamonthtoseeAchyut'sweddingandtovisitKota'sfamily.Lastyear,IlivedinthesameapartmentwithKota,S.Singh(oneofmyinformants),andMattMeyers.WithtwoU.S.AmericansandtwoIndiansinoneapartment,manythingsaboutthedifferentwayswespokewerediscussedfrequently.Thisyear,IamaResidentAdvisorintheInternationalHouseResidenceHalloncampus.IamabletoreadSpanish,IcangetbyinconversationalandwrittenHindi,andIamminimallyacquaintedwithArabic.IplantoenteraPh.D.programinlinguisticsnextyear,afterIgraduatefromtheUniversityofToledo.

Informantinformation.

Note:BecauseIammakingthisavailableontheinternet,Ihavereplacedtheinformants'nameswiththeirinitialstoprotecttheirprivacy.

N.G.wasborninBombayonSeptember24,1971.ShegrewupinBombayandattendedonlyEnglishmediumschools.HernativelanguageisGujarati(Kutchidialect),andshealsospeaksEnglish,Hindi,andMarati.SheiscurrentlyagraduatestudentinpsychologyattheUniversityofToledo.

N.J.wasborninJamnagar,GujaratonSeptember4,1973.ShegrewupinAhmedabadandattendedanEnglishmediumschooluntilfourthstandard(grade)andcompletedtherestofhereducationinGujaratimediumschools.NehaandherfamilyhavelivedinChicagoforseveralyears.HernativelanguageisGujarati,andshealsospeaksEnglishandHindi.SheisanundergraduatepharmacystudentattheUniversityofToledo.

S.ShahwasborninAhmedabad,GujaratonApril4,1975.ShegrewupinBombayandattendedGujaratimediumschoolsuntiltenthstandard,afterwhichshestudiedinEnglishmediumschools.HernativelanguageisGujarati,andshealsospeaksEnglish,Hindi,andMarati.SheisanundergraduatepharmacystudentattheUniversityofToledo.

B.C.wasborninKakinada,AndhraPradeshonDecember8,1972.HegrewupinBahrainandstudiedonlyinEnglishmediumschools.HisnativelanguageisTelegu,andhespeaksEnglishandHindiandcanunderstandTamil.HeiscurrentlyamastersstudentinmanufacturingmanagementattheUniversityofToledo.

A.S.wasborninRoorkee,UttarPradeshonMay5,1970.HeattendedEnglishmediumschools.HisnativelanguageisHindi,andhealsospeaksEnglish.HeisamastersstudentincivilengineeringattheUniversityofToledo.

S.SinghwasborninJamshedpur,BiharonMay4,1967.HestudiedinHindimediumschoolsuntilseventhstandard,afterwhichhestudiedinEnglishmediumschools.HeworkedforseveralyearsasanengineerinIndia.HisnativelanguageisHindi,andhealsospeaksBhojpuriandEnglish.HeisamastersstudentinmechanicalengineeringattheUniversityofToledo.

Transcriptions.

Thefollowingpagesincludeexcerptsfromthediscussions.ThefirstsixarefromthediscussionwithNeha,Neha,andS.Shah.ThelastthreearefromthediscussionwithB.C.,A.S.andS.Singh.Theexcerptsarenumberedsothatitemsmaybereferredtointhetextthus,2.2.5referstoS.Singhsaying"somuchof"indiscussiontwo,excerpttwo.ThisisprimarilytoprovideexamplesofIndianEnglishactuallyinuse,ratherthanjustreportingthethingsIwastoldexplicitly.

Excerpt1.1

TranscribedfromTape2(11/20/95)

Informants:N.G.,N.J.,andS.Shah

Topic:Languagemixing.

JB:...whenyouwere,likesay,outhavingcoffeewithyourfriendsincollege,whatwouldyougenerallyconversein?Anybody...

NG:Allsortsoflanguages.Itwouldbe,um...

SS:Mixture.

NG:Oh,yeah,Hindi,Marati,um,English,Gujarati,andEnglishEnglishwordsthatarenotEnglishreallyslang,Gujarati,anything...anythinggoes.

SS:Dependsonwhatisyourcompanion1likeifitisHindispeakingguy,thenwe'llspeakinHindi,Marati,whatever

NG:Nahi2(Hindi:no),evenifthepersonisanon,ifthepersonisinBombay

SS:IfthepersondoesnotunderstandinMarati,thenwecannotspeak,wecannotcommunicatewiththatguyina3Marati.

NG:No.WhatImeantwasthatwedon'tspeakinonelanguagecontinuously,it'slike...we,wepickupwordsfromotherlanguages.Allthetime.

SS:[atthesametime]Yeah,it'slikemixture.Everything.Weusewordsfromotherlanguagesalso.

JB:Soitgetsmished.

NG:Total.

SS:Depends.

JB:Bigjumble.[laughter]

NJ:Butforme,weonlyspeaksinGujarati,likeeverything,so...ButstilllikeIdon'tknow.WeneverevenusedHindiwordalso4.Everythingisin,like,Gujarati.

JB:Okay.Um,okay,IguessI'lljustgoontomynextquestion

NG:There'ssomethingthatIthoughtofthatmightbeofinterest.Um,Gujarati'sintheU.S.,whentheycomeandstayhere,theyusecertainwordswhichareverytypicalof,um...takecarekarje5applikerhaina6?TakecarekarjeI'vehearditsomanytimes!Takecare,andkarjeisdo.

JB:Oh,karje?IskarisittheGujaratiformofkaro(Hindi:do)?

NJ:Karo.

NG:Yeah,karo.Now,ifyousaytakecare,itjustmeanstakecare,youdon'tneedtoaddanythingelse.

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,inIndiaviewedbypeoplewhodonotspeakEnglishinIndia.YouknowwhatImean?

NG:ViewedbyotherswhodonotspeakEnglish.

JB:Yeah,thepeoplewhocanspeakEnglishhowaretheyviewedbythosewhodonot?Canyouanswerthat?

NG:Snobbish.I'vebeencalledsnobbish,I'vebeencalledconventgoing1,youknowit'slike[inasingsongvoice]oh,yougotoaconventandsoyouhavecertainattitudesand,whichareverydifferentfromand,um,Iguess,sometimesevensuperior,and...youknow...lookedupto.

NJ:Yeah.InAhmedabadtheyusuallythinkthatwhoeverspeaksinEnglishandwhoeverstudiesinconvent2orSt.Xavier'sorthosekindofthattheythinktheyaresuperior,thanthem.Usuallytheythinkthatway.

JB:Butatthesametimethey'rekindofthinkingthatthey'resnobbishtoo.

ALL:Yeah.

JB:Respect,butalittlebitofapprehensionthereorsomething.

NG:Sometimesit'sevenjust,youknow,plainrespectjustbecauseyou'reabletospeakinEnglish.Itdependsonthepersonactually.

Excerpt1.3

TranscribedfromTape2(11/20/95)

Informants:N.G.,N.J.,andS.Shah

Topic:Englishspeakingclasses

NG:Wehave,inIndia,wehave,uh,conversationalEnglishclasses.So,youlearnhowtospeakEnglish.Evenafteryouhaveyoumightbeadoctorand

JB:Andwhoteachesthose?

SS:Private

NG:Theyhave,um,thereisanIndoAmericansocietywheretheyhavethisclass.Itaughtsomeclasses.

SS:CallitalsoEnglishspeakingclasses1.

[Everyonespeakingatthesametime]

NG:Yeah,theycallitEnglishspeakingorit'sconversationalEnglishwouldbeabetterwaytosayit2.

JB:Well,don'tnecessarilythinkthatthere'sabetterwayofsayingit,becausepartofitis,ImeanyouknowwhatImean?Perhapsthere'samoreBritishwayofsayingitoramoreAmericanwayofsayingit,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.SpecificthingsandtheyhaveanothermeaninginEnglish,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,forTshirtsinBombaywhichisSmash.And,thereisajeanswhichisF'us.Okay,FapostropheUS.AndyousayitaseffuzeF'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'tknowhowtosayit.

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'llalwaysbemispronouncedlow.Solowlocket,youknowthere'sthislocketthatthe5peoplewearwhereitiswrittenloveorwhatever.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,woolenjacketaround,andsportingitaroundanditwassummertimeinIndia.Hewaswalkingaroundwithit,andhekeptsaying,"YourIndiaissohot!YourIndiaissohot!"Soit'slike,yeah,everytimeit'sreallyhotinthehouseandpeoplearecomplainingaboutit,that'swhatwesay."Oh,yourIndiaissohot!"Ay,hewaswearingajacket,Imeanhehadnoreasontocomplain.

Excerpt1.6

TranscribedfromTape2(11/20/95)

Informant:S.Shah(N.J.andN.G.alsopresent)

Topic:What'sup?

SS:Oneofmyrelative1washerebeforeafewyearsago,andhewaskindofnew.Imean,hejustcametoU.S.2,andhedidn'tknowhowtospeakEnglish,andhewasjustkindofnew.So,hewasgoingtosomewhereinChicago.Hewastravelingbythe3train,andhewassittingontheseatsomewhereoverthere.Andone4blackladycameuptohimandask5him,"What'sup?"AndinGujaratiwhat'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,someHindifilmswherethisparticularfellowwillwalkuptoaguyatadeskandstartspeakinginEnglish,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.Iamnotveryfamiliarwithmymothertongue.SoI'dbeentothisholyplaceofTirupathi.Okay?SoIwentthere,andthiswasthetimeIwentalone.AndIdidn'tknowhowtoconversewithhimproperly.Basically,thethingoutthereisbetweenTamilandTelegu,it'sabitmixed,ah,up,youknow,thedialect.SoIwastryingtoconversewithhimandIwasn'tsuccessful,soIthoughtI'ddoitinEnglish.SoIstartedtalkingtohiminEnglish,andlikethatfellowgotreallypissed.Hewastellinglikehewasrealmad.Ifyoudon'tknow,justgetout,orsomethinglikethat.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,andsomethinghappenstothemthereorstoriesofsomebodywhogoestoAmericaandcomesbackandsomeinterestingsituationsgoon.Doyouknowanyofthose?

AS:Yeah,thereismyuncleandhisnamewasShambhu,andthewaypeoplereferredhimasShampoo1outhere[laughter].Sohewaslike

SS:Wentback?

AS:Nono.HecamehereforaFullbrightscholarshipthreemonths.Itwaspretty(?)asshampoo.

JB:Um,howaboutthatwheresomebody,saycomesbackfromAmerica,andthenmaybetalksbigordoessomethinglikethat,youknow.

BC:Yeah,that'sanaturaltendencyforaguytoactabit...overhisself2.

AS:Atleasthetalksaboutthetechnology.

BC:He'lltrytoputaputanimage3whichisnothimself.

AS:Dependsfrompersontoperson.Yeah,and,um,mostlypeopledofallsickaftergoingfromthisplace(theUSA).

SS:Lostalltheimmunitytothe

AS:Yeah,likethisguyGothamfeltlikewhenhewentback,no4?

JB:[Relatesthe"YourIndiaissohot"story.]

SS:Yeah,peoplegobackandtalkaboutalotofdust[laughter]...somuchof5heat.Sotheplacewheretheyhavestayedforpast6twentyyearsortwentyfiveyears.Imean,theycomehere,stayhereforoneyearortwoyearsandcome,gobackandcomplainaboutthat.Thathashappenedwithmyrelativeswhohavegonebackthere.Andthenpeopledon'tlikevery...thosetypes.

Excerpt2.3

TranscribedfromTape3(11/21/95)

Informants:B.C.,S.Singh,andA.S.

Topic:SpeakingEnglishinsocialsituationskichirilanguage.

JB:Okay,howarepeoplewhospeakEnglishviewedbynonspeakers,youknowlike,peoplewhocan'tspeakit?Howdotheylookatthosewhocan?

BC:That'satoughone.

AS:Depends.

SS:Depends,yeah,itdependsonthesituation.

AS:Buthewilldefinitelytreatyouasaneducatedperson.

SS:Yeah,it'sameasureofyoureducation.Howmuchyouknow.Andsometimesthe1peopledon'tknow,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,likeifyouarewithafriendatarestaurant.

SS:Youcould,um...

AS:See,ImeanifIamtalkingto,justasyousaid,workers,IwillneverspeakinEnglish.Infact,IwillnotevenspeakinHindiI'llspeakinadialectwhereI'mthat'sverydifferentfromHindi,so....that'swhatwedo.

BC:Dependsonthepersonwhomyouareconversingwith.Okay,heisonthesamelevelasyou,younormallytendtospeakinalanguagewhichisunderstandablebyhimandwhichhefeelscomfortablewith,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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