writer is putting useless effort ...forgetting that evening English people cant speak right english. India is country of dialects and various degree of fun and literacy is added to creat a real cocktail of spoken language.. like our writer is struggling to explain.. what to say "cool glasses".. let her get a glass of cool or cock tail?????
why struggle with English?! Just speak in Hindi or your language and let the listeners have it in full measure. If they don't get it, they will get their own translators. People will learn our language!
At least people will undertstand what they fight about!
I think educated Indians are too sensitive and very critical about the way our countrymen speak English. It is sad that we taunt each-other on our english accent and wrong use of words or phrases. I have never seen this trait amongst the immigrants to English speaking countries from Italy , Greece, Arabia or East-european countries. We Indians should be more worried about the fact that most of us, particularly the younger generation, cannot speak their mother-tongue fluently and flawlessly. It is even more sad to see parents being proud of the fact that their child speaks excellent English and cannot communicate in the mother-tongue. English is a foreign language for a large part of the world and the primary purpose of knowing this language is to make professional communication possible world-wide. All of us indians are not intending to be Chetan Bhagats or Salman Rushdies
Re: Indians have become Linguistic orphans ....
by piri on Apr 07, 2017 02:27 PM
Chetan Bhagat is a mere pretender !
He churns out pulp and imagines himself to be a great writer just because he is received well by sections of the Indian middle classes who are pleased with his preachings !
Re: Indians have become Linguistic orphans ....
by Joseph Thodukayil on Apr 07, 2017 07:00 PM
Whether professional or personal communication, one should always strive to speak and write English language without error.English language can't be termed as a foreign language because we are using this language as a link language among the multilingual Indians to communicate with each other. Another advantage is that most of the books for professional courses are available in English language and one has to master this language to learn any profession in a better way.Mastering this language has the dual advantage of using it as a link language within India as well as for effective communication with foreign nationals. Normally no one is interested in learning a foreign language unless he finds it difficult to communicate with others who speak that language only. If children in major cities can't speak their mother tongue well it's because they could manage things with Hindi and English.For a native of Tamil Nadu, Punjabi language is more foreign than English and vice versa.
Re: Re: Indians have become Linguistic orphans ....
by Sunil Dabadghao on Apr 08, 2017 08:31 AM
You miss my point, Mr Joseph. Attempt should be made to speak every language as falwlessly as possible. But parents and schools should insist on mother tongue and language of the region where the child is growing up, to be spoken fluently. Mother-tongue and the regional language is the easiest for the child to grasp and master. Learning new languages becomes easier thereafter. Besides, life is not just professional development. There is culture to imbibe, a thought process to develop and finally an identity to evolve. Creativity comes thereafter. There is no relation of proficiency in English language and professional achievement even in science and technology. I have had the good fortune to listen to over a dozen nobel laureates of science. The grasp of English language of several of them will amuse a child of 10th class in India. The tremendous sensitivity about the grammatical mistakes in spoken and written English, seen in Indians is a colonial mindset with tremendous inferiority complex. We seek approval of the white-skin for everything and anything that is indegenous.
Re: Indians have become Linguistic orphans ....
by Edward Serrao on Apr 12, 2017 03:39 PM
Indians don't like to be corrected if they are wrong. So let them talk English the way they want as long one understand what he intends to say. Students who wants to immigrate to Western countries will make English their main language.
A great effort indeed to prepare Indians for global communication.
However, a few facts which may be interesting to some:
1. The language, like most other things in the world undergoes changes (some for the better) continuously. Every year we see new words and phrases being introduced by OED - considered the bible of English language.
2. One study showed (read in a leading publication a few years ago) that in a few years (
Re: English vinglish
by Cynic on Apr 07, 2017 10:35 AM
A great effort indeed to prepare Indians for global communication.
However, a few facts which may be interesting to some:
1. The language, like most other things in the world undergoes changes (some for the better) continuously. Every year we see new words and phrases being introduced by OED - considered the bible of English language.
2. One study showed (read in a leading publication a few years ago) that in a few years (less than 10), India will have the maximum number of English speakers in the world. And, when that happens, the way Indians speak English will be the "right" way to speak English (reproduced as best recalled)
3. A language is a means of communication and that's how it must be viewed. Now picture this - language is for communication, which, in turn, is for building bridges. On the other hand, should one start using the knowledge of language to establish one's supremacy, it is not only psuedo-elitism but also defeats the purpose of language (creating gaps rather than bridging them)
A phrase that can convey the meaning effectively is better than something that is grammatically perfect but not understood by the addressee.
A great effort indeed to prepare Indians for global communication.
However, a few facts which may be interesting to some:
1. The language, like most other things in the world undergoes changes (some for the better) continuously. Every year we see new words and phrases being introduced by OED - considered the bible of English language.
2. One study showed (read in a leading publication a few years ago) that in a few years (
