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Chapter 16: English in India

  • Devyani Sharma
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Volume 5 Varieties of English
This chapter is in the book Volume 5 Varieties of English

Abstract

English has existed in India for at least 400 years but its place in the Indian linguistic ecology has always been conflicted. It arrived as a tool of colonialism but became one of resistance; it is used widely in the country but remains a second language for most speakers; it transcends regional divides yet continues to underscore socioeconomic disparities. An adequate history of English in India must therefore accommodate a wide diversity of ideologies, functions, and forms of the language. The present chapter outlines the establishment and development of English in India through four historical segments: early presence, colonial ideologies, the independence movement, and independent India. Each section links structural linguistic changes to historical and sociopolitical dynamics. Both British and Indian varieties of English in India are examined in the colonial segments, as these constitute two markedly different outcomes of contact: British English in India - temporarily a “settler” variety, in Schneider’s (2003) terms - is an example of light lexical borrowing in a prolonged but highly asymmetric contact situation; Indian English - an “indigenous” variety - is an example of moderate first language interference in a contact situation, with limited access to the target variety and limited language shift (Thomason and Kaufman 1988). In closing, the chapter describes contemporary variation in Indian English as a window into diachronic processes and theoretical debates.

Abstract

English has existed in India for at least 400 years but its place in the Indian linguistic ecology has always been conflicted. It arrived as a tool of colonialism but became one of resistance; it is used widely in the country but remains a second language for most speakers; it transcends regional divides yet continues to underscore socioeconomic disparities. An adequate history of English in India must therefore accommodate a wide diversity of ideologies, functions, and forms of the language. The present chapter outlines the establishment and development of English in India through four historical segments: early presence, colonial ideologies, the independence movement, and independent India. Each section links structural linguistic changes to historical and sociopolitical dynamics. Both British and Indian varieties of English in India are examined in the colonial segments, as these constitute two markedly different outcomes of contact: British English in India - temporarily a “settler” variety, in Schneider’s (2003) terms - is an example of light lexical borrowing in a prolonged but highly asymmetric contact situation; Indian English - an “indigenous” variety - is an example of moderate first language interference in a contact situation, with limited access to the target variety and limited language shift (Thomason and Kaufman 1988). In closing, the chapter describes contemporary variation in Indian English as a window into diachronic processes and theoretical debates.

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter I
  2. Table of Contents V
  3. Abbreviations VII
  4. Chapter 1: Introduction 1
  5. Chapter 2: Standard American English 9
  6. Chapter 3: Regional varieties of American English 31
  7. Chapter 4: Canadian English in real-time perspective 53
  8. Chapter 5: Re-viewing the origins and history of African American Language 80
  9. Chapter 6: Standard British English 96
  10. Chapter 7: Regional varieties of British English 121
  11. Chapter 8: Received Pronunciation 151
  12. Chapter 9: Estuary English 169
  13. Chapter 10: Cockney 187
  14. Chapter 11: Celtic and Celtic Englishes 210
  15. Chapter 12: Scots 231
  16. Chapter 13: English in Ireland 244
  17. Chapter 14: English in Wales 265
  18. Chapter 15: Australian/New Zealand English 289
  19. Chapter 16: English in India 311
  20. Chapter 17: English in Africa – a diachronic typology 330
  21. Chapter 18: Diffusion 349
  22. Chapter 19: Supraregionalization 365
  23. Chapter 20: Pidgins and creoles 385
  24. Index 403
https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110525045-016

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter I
  2. Table of Contents V
  3. Abbreviations VII
  4. Chapter 1: Introduction 1
  5. Chapter 2: Standard American English 9
  6. Chapter 3: Regional varieties of American English 31
  7. Chapter 4: Canadian English in real-time perspective 53
  8. Chapter 5: Re-viewing the origins and history of African American Language 80
  9. Chapter 6: Standard British English 96
  10. Chapter 7: Regional varieties of British English 121
  11. Chapter 8: Received Pronunciation 151
  12. Chapter 9: Estuary English 169
  13. Chapter 10: Cockney 187
  14. Chapter 11: Celtic and Celtic Englishes 210
  15. Chapter 12: Scots 231
  16. Chapter 13: English in Ireland 244
  17. Chapter 14: English in Wales 265
  18. Chapter 15: Australian/New Zealand English 289
  19. Chapter 16: English in India 311
  20. Chapter 17: English in Africa – a diachronic typology 330
  21. Chapter 18: Diffusion 349
  22. Chapter 19: Supraregionalization 365
  23. Chapter 20: Pidgins and creoles 385
  24. Index 403
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