Indian English

Indian English is a catch-all phrase for the dialects or varieties of English spoken widely in India (by about 11% of the population, according to the 1991 census although the number of Indian English speakers have dramatically increased since then) and the Indian subcontinent in general, but also by Desis. The dialect is also known as South Asian English. Due to British colonialism that saw an English-speaking presence in India for over two hundred years, a distinctly South Asian brand of English was born.

Related Topics:
Dialects - English - India - Indian subcontinent - Desis - Colonialism - South Asia

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Variations in the pronunciation of several phonemes are affected by the regional tongues (see Languages of India) across the subcontinent, the greatest distinction being that between South India and Sri Lanka on the one hand and the north of the subcontinent (including Pakistan, North India and Bangladesh) on the other. Several idiomatic forms crossing over from Indian literary and vernacular language also have made their way into the English of the masses. In spite of India's diversity, however, there is indeed a general homogeneity in syntax and vocabulary that can be found among speakers across South Asia. It will be found that excellent English bearing fewer regional grammatical peculiarities is spoken in upper-class families (commonly referred to, in India, as 'Westernised'), though even among them hints of a uniquely Indian flavour (particularly in a so-called 'Indianised' British accent) are typically retained.

Related Topics:
Phonemes - Languages of India - South India - Sri Lanka - Pakistan - India - Bangladesh

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