When we use the terms “South Asia” and “South Asian
English”, we normally refer to the countries under SAARC; India, Pakistan, Sri
Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and Maldives, and obviously the varieties of
English spoken by the people belonging to these countries. When we look at the
cultural-linguistic map, we find that South Asia is one region where the
culture and language of the people vary dramatically every few thousand miles
apart. As the colonizers set foot on the subcontinent, they found the task of
ruling over such culturally diverse natives an onerous one. For administrative
purposes, they introduced English language in its colonies through its
missionaries, by setting up Christian educational institutions. In an age of
rapid industrialisation, education and access to the sciences could be made
only in the “global language”, so people slowly accepted it.
But as time went by, English in South Asia started evolving.
It inducted words from vernacular languages into its lexicon. The cultural
variations among the natives also had a great role to play in the localisation
of English. The mother tongues of the natives also interfered in their vocal
expression of English words. These mother tongues were so many, and so nuanced
that many individual varieties of English blossomed into existence. These
included national varieties like Indian English, Pakistani English, Maldivian
and Sri Lankan varieties. Within nations like India, many smaller varieties of
the same sprang up. A Malayali never spoke English as a Bengali did as their
mother tongues always affected their pronunciation. Since most South Asians
learn English from their South Asian teachers rather than from native speakers
of English, the “south Asian” persists over generations. South Asian languages
are mostly syllable- timed. Hence, South Asian English also has a
syllable-timed rhythm. In this manner, many Indian “English’s” were born.
We see that there are three main types of English speakers
in South Asia; those who’s English is like Received Pronunciation, the educated
variety of South Asian English speakers and those uneducated speakers who use
varieties of pidgin English.
There are many
factors that present English its curious position in South Asia. As Braj Kachru
points out, we should understand that English is a foreign language for South
Asians, yet is no less important as it is the global language. Secondly, the
language’s usage depends on the functional domains in which it is used.
Thirdly, Kachru sheds light on the manner in which English has been taught in
South Asia – as a classical language. The average learner of English can only
write well. He would not be as good a speaker as he is a writer, probably
because the majority rarely use English as a spoken language in their daily lives.
South Asian English has always welcomed words from regional
languages into its lexicon. Although some critics have argued that English, by
doing so, was ruining itself, many believe the opposite. Kamal K Sridhar says,
“Words from the local language express local sensibilities, and are perceived
as enhancing the expressive resources of the English language”. Therefore, by
borrowing native words, English is broadening its wings.
Famous words like Jai Ho, and Satyagraha, have been inducted
into the lexicon of South Asian English from local languages in India. These
words are so much a part of the daily affairs of an Indian that these words can
be found even in newspapers.
Taking into consideration the grammatical characteristics
shared by all South Asian users of English, we see that there is a tendency to
form information questions without changing the position of the subject and
auxiliary items. For example, instead of asking “Where would you like to visit
first?” they sometimes ask “Where you would like to visit first?”. Many South Asian languages use the same word
twice to emphasize the effect of the word. For example, “choti choti (small)”
in Hindi, “soodu soodu (hot) vada” in Tamil, kochu kochu (small) in Malayalam
etc. This is known as reduplication and is also seen in South Asian English.
(Small small things, hot hot coffee etc.)
We also see that the culture of a society can mould the
conversational style of its language. Kinship terms, factors like respect and
politeness and even thought processes which are in turn affected by the culture
are all crucial factors in determining the manner in which a language is
spoken.
To conclude, we can say that English is hardly considered a
foreign language among South Asians these days. It has become so nativized that
it occupies a position similar to a regional language in South Asia. But it has
had its fair share of opposition as well. Many still view English as a vestige
of British colonial rule and question its status. But these arguments are
clearly dying if not already dead. We can unhesitatingly declare that English
has played a crucial role in improving India’s position in the areas of science
and technology, and also in raising its economic profile.
