English in India has a unique identity of its own. With such a big population of people speaking the language, it could really influence the way English is spoken in the future.

The perception of English in India is best described in a very famous Indian film, called “Namak Halal” (can be translated as -Loyal To The Hand That Feeds You).

Its protagonist, played by the superstar Amitabh Bachchan, when looking for work in a fancy hotel is asked if he can speak English?

He replies in way that reflects the essence of Indian English, “I know such English that I will leave the British behind. You see sir, I can talk English, I can walk English, I can laugh English, I can run English, because English is such a funny language.”

India has a peculiar relationship with English, especially with political and social interference. A person who speaks English well is respected, because it is the language of the privileged. At the very same time, he or she is also looked down upon, as anglicized and completely out of touch with the roots.

This goes back to the spread of English to strengthen British colonialism. The Indians who initially learnt it were seen to be a part of the upper class oppressors, who at the same time had to be respected because they were the representatives of the rulers.

Over time the attitude to English has changed, today it is very much at the mainstream of Indian life. Everyday a huge number of children are enrolled into “English medium schools” or schools, with English as the main medium of instruction. An equally large number of young adults enroll into expensive spoken English classes. Prestigious institutions like the National Defense Academy in Pune (NDA) add “language labs” to ensure the cadets English reaches an “acceptable level.” (Indian Express, Pune Newsline May 25th 2006)

With the emergence of new technologies and globalization the number of English speakers has steadily increased. Today India has the second largest number of English speakers in the world, with over 150 million people speaking English in the country. (Wikipedia - Demographics of India.)

Indian English is a dialect on its own, sing – song in pattern, different in the way some words are pronounced, with the habit of using too many adjectives and turning the most unlikely nouns into verbs.

Hindi, and other Indian languages have contributed extensively to it, many vernacular words are used in everyday language. One suspects that it would be very difficult for most Indians to speak pure English, without adding in at least a few Hindi or vernacular language words, the most common one being, “Han” or yes.

Many Indians who learn English as a second language will learn most of their coursework in school in their native mother tongue and have English as a subject. Of course, they learn to think in their native tongues and then translate their thoughts into English as they speak. Impressive sounding words, very formal and studied English is liked. This is best seen in the Hollywood film called “The Party”, where Peter Sellers plays the character of Haroon D. Bakshi. He uses these fascinatingly polite and large words, stringed together they make no sense at all.

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