Prof. Nissim Ezekiel's Poems in Indian English is a rich source of typical Indianisms. Yes, there are peculiarities of usge for sure, but some Indianisms do serve communicative purposes not served by British or American Standard English. The Indian concept of "shubh naam" is rendered in Indian English by "good name". The pragmatics of the intended usage cannot be signaled by the plain "name". There are very many other examples, but dealing with them is not within the scope of this "note".
Another usage gets on my nerves is use of "having" instead of "have". So far as I know, "having" can be used in the sense of "experiencing" something. e.g. I am having sex. I am having problem with this contact lens. etc. But oftentimes we come across. I am having this book. I am having money in my account. etc. Instead, if we say "I have this book."; "I have money in my account." it will be correct.
Re: I am
by satya vrata on Dec 27, 2014 01:35 PM
Great! We must speak correctly. Also, there is no harm if we indians create our own brand of english. After all US has done this and we all speak the US english today, not the real English. Its fine what we use so long as the message effectively gets through. Let me be honest, I was actually shocked to see such an article. Which world are we still living in. There are better things t do than learning 'London' English correctly. Go work hard, earn money, keep your family happy and contribute to society and country.
Crime writer H.R.F.Keating (creator of Mumbai police inspector Ganesh Ghote) used Indian English in his India based novels. In the novel "Bribery, Corruption also" Ghote says "Sir, it is most good of you to be seeing me. Let me inform you of the corruption I have I think, put one finger upon".
