Indian English. Main characteristics of Indian English. Reggae English

The vocabulary of Indian English is regularly enriched. Some of the examples below may seem strange to a person who speaks standard English at a communicative level. However, taking into account the influence of the native languages ​​of speakers of Indian English, one word is replaced by another. For example: across instead of over. As a result of such substitutions, the standard English send itover lines take on the unusual form: “send the bill across to me.”

The ready-made formulas of standard English used are interspersed with borrowings from Hindi. Ready-made Standard English form "What is your name?" transforms into "Your good name please?"

Here are a few more significant and common expressions.

"Order for food" instead of "order food", for example "Let's order for sandwiches".

"Back" will replace "ago" to indicate an action that took place some time ago, for example "I met him five years ago" instead of "I met him five years ago."

"Freak out" meaning to have fun, for example "let's go to the party and freak out."

"Funny" replaces not only "odd"/"strange" but also "rude"/"precocious"/"impolite". "That man was acting really funny with me, so I gave him a piece of my mind."

Using T-K instead of O.K. when answering a question, for example

"Would you like to come to the movie?" - "T-K, I"ll meet you there later." ("theek

hai", literally meaning ok).

Today morning (afternoon, evening, etc.) instead of "this morning." (“I met with him today morning.”). Same thing, "yesterday night" instead of "last night". A peculiar use of the word `only", for example: “I have been in Madras from 2004 only”, “I am having one daughter only”.

"What a nonsense/silly you are!" or “Don’t be doing such nonsense anymore” idiomatic use of nonsense/silly as a noun

"Pass out" meaning to graduate from a higher educational institution, for example

"I passed out of the university in 1995."

Using the word "shift" to mean "move", for example

"When are you shifting?" (instead of "When are you moving?").

"Tell me" is used in a telephone conversation, meaning "How can

Some of the newly introduced words and expressions are reflected in the Oxford Advanced Learners' Dictionary (1996 Indian Edition). Here are some of them:

Innocent divorcee: A person who got divorced with no fault of her/him but willing to give another try. Commonly found in matrimonial ads.

Native place: A place where you are from. Some people even drop "place"

and say just "native".

Co-brother: Typically South Indian. Refers to a man"s wife"s sister"s husband. It"s to explain complicated relationships such as these that words like cobrother

exist. Say "co-brother," and all is clear. The sons-in-law of the family, in other words.

Wheatish: Light brown in colour. Refers to a promising bride in the

matrimonial ads. Not dark, not wheat. Not fair complexioned either. Refers to a promising bride in the matrimonial ads.

Mixture: That familiar savory which is a mix of so many different savories that only a word like mixture can do it justice.

Eversilver: Stainless steel, simply. A word often heard in South Indian homes. When a bride leaves for her husband"s house, she"s armed to the teeth with every kind of eversilver utensil possible.

Batchmate: Refers to the chappy who passed out of college the same year as you. Maybe you were on nodding terms with him then, or maybe you avoided him outright. But now he"s a big man, so you drop names airily and say he was your batchmate.

Naming ceremony: The average Indian celebrates so many events in a lifetime with so many ceremonies that they must be prefixed for clarity. A naming ceremony is, well, a naming ceremony. Not to be confused with a cradle ceremony, or a first-shave-of-the-head ceremony, or a thread ceremony, or a house warming or a bridal shower or a baby shower.

Borrowings and translations from other languages ​​are also quite common. Some words are borrowed from Portuguese, others are borrowed from local languages ​​such as Hindi and Bengali. Some words have been completely assimilated into English, for example: Bandana, brahmin, bungalow, calico, caste-mark, chakra, cheetah, cheroot, chintz, chit, chutney, coolie, curry, dacoit, guru, jodhpurs, juggernaut, jungle, juice, mogul , mulligatawny, nirvana, pundit, purdah, rajah, rupee, sahib, tiffin, verandah, yoga.

Others, on the contrary, are unknown outside the country or are widespread through either literary works or specialized areas of knowledge, such as Indian cuisine or yoga. It is in the area of ​​vocabulary that the differences between Indian English and Standard English are most significant, as words take on new meanings in the local context:

Ayah - native nanny

Achcha - everything is fine

Basmati - a type of rice

Bandh - workers' strike

Crore - 10 million

Eve-teasing - harassment of women

Godown - warehouse

Goonda is a bully

Head-bath - hair washing

Intermarriage - marriage between representatives of different religions and castes

Issueless - childless

Jawan - soldier

Kaccha road - dirt road

Lach - one hundred thousand

Masala - spices

Tiffin room - snack bar

Wellah - one who belongs to a certain occupation (e.g.

police wallah, literature wallah)

Love marriage - a marriage for love as opposed to an arranged marriage (a marriage planned by the parents of the bride and groom).

To this list we can add a few more new words that have appeared in Indian English:

finger chips - French fries,

fullboiled and half-boiled egg - to denote hard-boiled and soft-boiled eggs,

English-knowing - a person with knowledge of the English language,

England-returned - a person who returned from England, usually after studying, upliftment - to lift something, improve, botheration - inconvenience, worry, chaste - perfect, impeccable, as for example she speaks chaste Hindi

(Kachru B.B., Kachru Y., Nelson C.L. The handbook of world Englishes. Oxford:

Blackwell, 2006. P. 103.).

Many words undergo changes in meaning beyond recognition. Also, some English words have meanings that differ from the meanings in different versions. For example:

Indian English Meaning

Clever intelligent, cunning

Smart well-dressed or cunning

Botheration bother

Since changes constantly occur in a language, so-called lexical innovations appear in it. And Indian English is no exception. Let's look at two main types of compounding: compound words and affixation.

Indian languages ​​are rich in compound words and this feature has been carried over to Indian English. Compound words can be divided into noun-noun and adjective-noun categories. The most productive type is the noun-noun:

Black money unaccounted money, earnings on which tax is not paid

Auto-rickshaw a motorized three wheeler

Table fan an electric fan meant to be placed on a table

Ceiling fan an electric fan meant to be fixed to the ceiling

Plate meal a meal with fixed portions of various items

Hill station a place in the hills which is generally cool in climate

Pass percentage the percentage of students who have passed

God-woman a woman who claims spiritual attainment, and the ability to perform miracles

Soapnut a herbal extract used for washing hair

Kitty party a women's club of sorts, which meets regulary

Headbath washing one's hair

Lemon-set a plastic set of jug and glasses to serve juice

Many complex words are formed by combining

a) noun-noun, including nouns derived from verbs:

Play-back singer / artist singer who sings for actors in films

Eve-teaser male who teases a girl

Room-cooler electric device which blows cool air

Solar cooker cooker powered by solar energy

Car-lifter car-thief

Child-lifter kidnapper of children

Stone-pelting throwing stones by a mob by way of protester

Eve-teasing the act of tempting a girl

b) Adjective-noun:

Tall claim an exaggerated claim

Joining report a report given by a person who has join duty,either at the beginning of employment or after long leave

Creamy layer the economically well-off sections of those who belong to underprivileged castes

Gazetted officer a government official of a particular rank

Gazette holiday officially notified government holiday

English-educated one educated in England or in English

Cool drink soft drink, juice

Half-pants shorts

Affixation and suffixation are not sufficiently productive word formation. Perhaps one of the most productive suffixes is the suffix -wala, which is used to describe a person who is engaged in a certain type of activity.

Vegetablewala vegetable vendor

Paperwala newspaper and magazine vendor

Presswala journalist

Words formed with various affixes de, -ish, -ist, pre:

Delink to separate one unit from another

Wheatish light brown complexion

Reservationist one who espouses the cause of reserving seats in

educational institutions and government jobs for certain underprivileged groups

Derecognise to withdraw official recognition, particularly of an institution

Prepone to bring something forward to a time or date earlier than was originally planned

The idiomatic linguistic means of Indian English are also interesting. He is typical of literal translations of Indian idioms into English. Here are some examples:

He will eat my brain. He will harm me.

My client had to drink seven tanks of water. My client suffered torment.

I hit my own feet with the hammer. I damaged my own interests.

He has brains in the knee cap. He has no brains at all.

Vocabulary, as the most mobile part of the language in the Indian version, has received the greatest transformations and discrepancies in meanings. Formed according to the rules of English composition, such lexical units as upliftment (improving the plight of the downtrodden), botheration (inconvenience), head-bath (washing one's hair after massaging with oil) are used only in the Indian version. Some have become familiar in others varieties of English (British, American), for example, pundit and mantra. A separate group of lexical units became part of the English language with the mark Asian English, for example, ahimsa (non-violence), satyagraha (friendly passive resistance).

It's no secret that the formation of languages ​​is influenced by a number of factors - from living conditions in the places of residence of a particular people to the psychological attitudes inherent in its speakers. The concepts of mutual influence of languages ​​are also considered important. Peoples living in the neighborhood for a long time, one way or another, tend to borrow from each other many elements of everyday life, crafts, housekeeping and wars... The list can be continued endlessly, but it is certain that with contact between ethnic groups, important changes in their language historically occur

This interpenetration can take different forms. For example, very often pidgin was used for communication between people of different nations who were forced to live next to each other in a limited area. This is a kind of mixture of two languages: Russian-Norwegian, Spanish-English, and even Dutch-Zulu pidgins are well known to linguistic science. However, any such macrolanguage sooner or later lost its relevance, and over time, people began to tend to change their place of residence much more often, both at the personal level and at the level of entire ethnocultural areas. Wars, revolutions, and national liberation movements have further undermined the customary centuries-old stability.

One example of the amazing interpenetration of languages ​​in the last few centuries can be considered the birth of a regional version of the English language - the so-called “Hinglish” (from the word English and the first letter of the name Hindi, the most widespread language in Hindustan). Of course, English, being the language of the once largest British Empire in the world, has dozens of variants in the places of former colonial possessions. But Hinglish is not just a mixed language, but a full-fledged means of communication for 350 million people!

What distinguishes Hinglish from British English?

First of all, it was born from the interaction of the classical language of Foggy Albion and the local languages ​​of original India - Hindi, Bengali, Punjabi, Urdu and many others, including non-Indo-European languages ​​of the south of the peninsula. The special manner of pronunciation inherent to the local residents could not but be reflected in the phonetics: the language sounds very peculiar, which is often humorously interrupted in English-language films, TV series and performances. For what it’s worth, even a soft l, pronounced in words, may not be understood either by the British or by speakers of American English. Hinglish exists outside of rigid boundaries, so phonetics can vary from city to city, from speaker to speaker.

The very grammar of this phenomenon is based rather on the logic of Hindi and related languages, hence the simplification of grammatical structures and open violation of the rules of the English language: for example, adding the -ing form to almost any verb, regardless of grammatical tense. Verbs can also be used in the infinitive form, and in absolutely any context.

English words themselves are sometimes replaced by Indian analogues, and if we consider that there are concepts and phenomena that are absent in English, the discrepancy becomes even stronger.

The primitivization of the structure of the language also leads to the fact that the order of words in a sentence and the placement of stresses become arbitrary, and purely local idioms are used, for example, the word “name” is pronounced and written as “good name” (“good, holy name"), which is a translation from Hindi, and goes back to the concepts of Hinduism.

The result is a paradoxical language, or, better said, a macrolanguage that combines the incongruous and finds a lot of fans far beyond India - mainly fans of Bollywood films.

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Final qualifying work

Teaching the pronunciation side of speaking: phonetic features of Indian English

Introduction

Chapter 1. Variability of the English language. English in India

1.1 Language variability

1.2 The concepts of “national language variant”, “dialect”, “accent”

1.3 Variation of the English language

1.4 Modern British pronunciation standards

1.5 Teaching the pronunciation aspect of speech

1.6 Languages ​​in India

1.7 Place of English in India

1.8 Phonetic features of Indian English

Conclusions on the first chapter

Chapter 2. Analysis of phonetic features of Indian English

Conclusions on the second chapter

Conclusion

Bibliography

Introduction

English is the official language of many countries, most notably the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. About 1.6 billion people, i.e. Almost one third of the world's population speaks English, although only 380 million people speak English as their first language. Most books, magazines, and newspapers are published in this language. Radio, television, especially blockbusters also help spread the language. According to statistics, more than 80% of Internet content is in English, although 44% of users speak another language. England has grown and strengthened, entered a large market called the “global village”, changing both the market and its language. Finding itself in new, unfamiliar contexts - environmental, cultural, linguistic - the language began to acquire different features. Variants of English spoken in countries where English is an official language and where English is spoken as a second language are called "new varieties of English". It is difficult to judge the positive or negative aspects of the globalization of the English language, but one cannot but agree that in the history of mankind no language has ever been so widespread and popular.

The particular relevance of the problem of language variability caused by social, functional and territorial factors is evidenced by a number of works in domestic and foreign linguistics (V.M. Zhirmunsky, L.L. Nelyubin, G.A. Orlov, V.V. Oshchepkova, L. O.G. Popova, O.E. Semenets, N.N. Semenyuk, A.I. Smirnitsky, G.V. Stepanov, G.D. Tomakhin, A.I. Cherednichenko, A.D. Schweitzer, V.N. Yartseva, R. Bailey, D. Crystal, W. Labov, G. Turner). Interest in the issues of variability of the English language is explained by the heterogeneity and complexity of its composition, the peculiarities of its functioning in various linguistic situations and territorial areas.

India is the seventh largest country and the second most populous, its population accounts for about 17% of the population of the entire globe. The Federal Republic of India consists of twenty-eight states and seven union territories. The language situation in this country, like no other, is quite complex. In addition to the 18 official languages, there are countless dialects. As for the English language, it has the status of an official language on par with Hindi, although it plays more of a supporting role. English is widely used in business and administration, and it also plays a large role in education, especially in secondary and higher education. The entire Indian intelligentsia is simply obliged to master it perfectly. Naturally, it is much easier to assimilate something that is already partly instilled. Therefore, educated representatives of different parts of India sometimes speak English better than Hindi. There are currently more English speakers in India than in England. 25 million people in India regularly use English in their lives and work. In all major cities, newspapers (at least 3,000 newspapers are published in English, this number is exceeded only by the number of newspapers in Hindi), menus in restaurants and cafes, telephone books, and road signs are written in English.

However, due to the widespread use of English in India and over time, as well as under the influence of Indian languages, it acquired additional features. Of course, those who speak English in India try to speak correctly and clearly with a British - and more recently American - accent. But language proficiency levels vary widely, from salespeople who speak only a basic vocabulary to highly educated individuals and government officials. The latter can easily switch from their native language to English and vice versa, and even sometimes claim English as their first language.

Now in India there are an endless number of gradations of Indian English from the most colloquial varieties to standard Indian English, which is called book English. Differences in languages ​​exist at all levels - phonological, morphological, lexical and syntactic. However, we will devote our work specifically to phonetic deviations of Indian English from standard British pronunciation. Phonetics is the very first thing that should be considered in the system of differences in language variants. Since any language varieties are characterized by phonetic features, thereby differing from the accepted language standard. The study of the Indian version of the English language, in particular its phonetic side, was carried out by such researchers as: D. Crystal, B. Kachru, P. Sailaya, A. Sahgal, J. Baldrige, E.A. Kurchenkova, R. Garesh, A. Banerjee, E. V. Schneider, P. Bascararao, G.T. Nezhmetdinova and others. The topic has not been fully studied, and still represents a large field for research, which is its relevance.

The purpose of this final qualifying work is to consider the phonetic features of the Indian English language, to trace the general trends in the discrepancies between the pronunciation of the Indian English language and standard English pronunciation.

The object of study is the Indian version of English.

The subject of the study is the phonetic features of the Indian English language.

The purpose of the work determined the formulation of the following tasks:

1) study and describe the variability of the English language, define the concepts of “language variety”, “national language standard”, “dialect”, “accent”;

2) consider the linguistic situation in India; explore the place of English in India;

3) consider the phonetic features of the Indian version of the English language.

Research methods: study of literature on the topic; analysis and synthesis of theoretical material; analysis of research results.

The material for the study was video recordings of 25 people with a total duration of 12 minutes.

The theoretical significance of the study lies in the fact that the variability of the English language is described, the concepts of “language variant”, “national language standard”, “dialect”, “accent” are revealed; the linguistic situation of India and the place of the English language in India have been studied; The phonetic features of the Indian version of the English language are considered.

The practical value of this work is that its results can be used in the course of theoretical phonetics of the English language, regional studies, and sociolinguistics.

Work structure. The work consists of an introduction, theoretical and practical chapters, chapter-by-chapter conclusions, conclusion, and bibliography.

Chapter 1. Variability a English language . English in India

1.1 The concept of “linguistic variability”

English Indian Pronunciation

Human language as a natural sign system has such a property as the ability to constantly change, or variation. Thus, the possibilities of speaking and writing contained in each language are realized differently in speech. For example, Russian speakers can pronounce the word coldly with different stress: [homladna], [haladnom] and [halomdna], or with assimilation (association) of the sound [d] to the sound [n]: [homlanna], or - in Northern Russian dialects - omkaya, i.e. distinguishing between unstressed [o] and [a]: [homlodno], or - in Central and Southern Russian dialects, as well as in literary Russian - such, i.e. pronouncing unstressed [ a] and [o] are the same: [cold]. In Russian speech, further, some say playing, others say playfully, and some say playing, or playing. Russian speakers call the same thing differently: jug, jug, makhotka, glechik, gorlach, jug, kuban, balakir. [Mechkovskaya, 2000: p.28]

Thus, we see that one language can be implemented in different ways, in different variants. The variability of language in historical terms is a consequence of linguistic evolution, contacts of languages ​​and dialects, and the interaction of numerous factors of different nature. According to A.V. Podstrakhova, the prerequisites for variability are embedded both in the system itself and in the specific socio-historical forms of its existence [Proshina, 2010].

General and specific problems of language variation have been studied for a long time, which has made it possible to accumulate and generalize enormous practical material from many languages. Despite this, there is no generally accepted understanding of the term “variation” in modern linguistics.

V.M. Solntsev defines variability as the idea of ​​different ways of expressing a linguistic entity, as its modification, variety, or as a deviation from some norm. In addition, “variability” characterizes the way of existence and functioning of language units and the language system as a whole [Solntsev, 1999]. V.D. Devkin notes that variability is a fundamental property of the language system and the functioning of all language units, which is characterized using other concepts such as “variant”, “invariant”, “variation”. In the first understanding of variability, only the concepts of “variant” and “variation” are used, that is, what is modified is understood as a certain sample, standard or norm, and a variant is understood as a modification of this norm or a deviation from it. With the second understanding, the term “invariant” and the opposition option/invariant are introduced. Variants are understood as different manifestations of the same essence, for example, modifications of the same unit, which remains the same despite all changes. An invariant is an abstract designation of the same entity (for example, the same unit) in abstraction from its specific modifications - variants [Devkin, 1988]. V.V. Vinogradov adds that variability permeates the entire language, its system and its implementation in speech and is an ontological and universal property [Vinogradov, 1994].

However, we are specifically interested not in variant as a modification of one unit within a language, but in variant as a separate form of language. Sociolinguistics interprets this concept of a language variant as one of the forms of existence of a language, which is a modification of an invariant (spatial, temporal or social), which can be:

1) system and structure of the language;

2) the norm of language. [Zherebilo, 2010]

Language variants appear as a result of language differentiation under the influence of extralinguistic factors, such as the structure of society, its functioning and history. For example, historical variants of the Russian language: Old Russian, Central Russian and modern Russian. [Zherebilo, 2010]

A language variant (or they are also called a language variety) differs from speech varieties: individual and literary styles. The following types of language variants are distinguished:

1) national, which appeared as a result of the territorial isolation of native speakers;

2) ethnic (ethnolects), which arose in areas of contact of a given language with other languages ​​as a result of the emergence of differences under the influence of interference;

3) territorial (territorial dialects), which appeared in connection with the territorial isolation of some of its speakers;

4) social (social dialects, sociolects), which arose in connection with the functioning of language in different social strata (professional jargons, corporate jargons, vernacular, etc.). [Zherebilo, 2011]

E.V. Schneider gives a similar definition; in his opinion, new varieties of the English language, formed in various post-colonial countries, are considered by linguists as separate varieties (varieties), which arose in certain historical conditions and in the conditions of various language contacts. A Z.G. Proshina defines language variants “as special linguistic formations characterized by specific features that distinguish one variant from another... These variants have a sociolinguistic nature and characterize the characteristics of the language of society, and not of individual individuals.” [Proshina, 2010, p. 244]

1.2 The concepts of “national language variant”, “dialect”, “accent”

Any language in its spoken form, as a rule, has variants, so the existence of such modifications as American, Australian, and Canadian varieties of English is no exception. However, these intertransitive formations cannot be called dialects of the British English language; they are rather variants or modifications of the English language.

Concepts such as “national variant”, “literary pronunciation”, “variant of literary pronunciation”, “dialect” are widely discussed in modern linguistics and do not have precise final definitions. The concept of “national language” refers to a historical category that develops from the conditions of economic and political concentration that characterize the formation of a nation. The pronunciation of each national modification of the English language has its own characteristics that distinguish it from others. However, they all have a lot in common. Therefore, they are considered modifications of one thing, namely the English language. National modifications of English pronunciation are not uniform. Each of them developed in its own conditions and was used in its own way. It would hardly be correct to say that diametrically opposed modifications of the national language in their oral form represent standard (literary) pronunciation, i.e. orthoepic norm and dialects that exist as its territorial modifications. Normative (standard) pronunciation can be defined as a complete modification of the national language in its oral form, which is subject to certain recognized norms and is therefore unconditionally accepted. Standard pronunciation is pronunciation governed by an orthoepic norm. The orthoepic norm in this case is a regulator that determines the phonetic inventory of options, the boundaries of deviation, as well as acceptable and unacceptable variations in pronunciation [Vasiliev, 1962].

As for the national version of a language, the dictionary of linguistic terms gives us the following definition: a national version of a language is a language that has acquired differences as a result of its development in different conditions, in different territories, unrelated to each other. May have a literary variety (for example, English in England and the USA). [Zherebilo, 2010] The same definition is given to us by the dictionary of sociolinguistic terms (authors: V.A. Kozhemyakina, N.G. Kolesnik).

The concepts of national language and national variant of a language should not be confused. According to V.I. Terkulov, the formation of a national version of a language is a stage preceding the emergence of a national language. In this case, three stages of the formation of a separate national language are distinguished:

1. The first stage is the “foreign language stage”: the ethnic group uses a specific existing language, which may be the language of another country, ensuring mutual understanding within the nation.

2. The second stage is the “national variant stage”: an ethnos defines its dialect as a national variant of the language it speaks. This version of the language absorbs local features of dialects and creates a national version of the literary language. This happened, for example, in the United States of America, Australia, etc. It is the presence of a literary language as an invariant, a standard variety of language that is the factor of isolation that first forms its national variant, and then a new national language. At the same time, it should be noted that one national language can have several literary languages, but there cannot be a national variant and a national language that uses the literary language of another national variant or national language. In this case, it simply becomes a variety of this other national language.

3. The third stage is the “national language stage”. In some cases, the national variant is defined by its speakers as a separate language, which is noted, for example, in Luxembourg (originally German was used, then the Luxembourgish variant of German, which in our time became the Luxembourgish language), Croatia (originally Serbo-Croatian was used, then the Croatian variant Serbo-Croatian language, and nowadays it is called the Croatian language), etc. [Terkulov, 2012]

Thus, the difference between a national version of a language and a new national language is only that the first definition is used when a new nation has already arisen, but is still aware of its genetic connection with the state that previously dominated it (see, for example, the Australian version English), and the second - when he tries to forget about this connection. [Terkulov, 2012]

It is also important to mention the standard pronunciation of the language. It includes in its inventory such pronunciation forms that reflect the main trends in the pronunciation of a given language. Typically, this pronunciation is typical for well-educated people, it is used on radio and TV, and it is recorded in dictionaries as normative and correct. However, the standard pronunciation is not final and immutable. It is subject to change during the evolution of language and as a result of external factors (for example, population migration), although the rate of such change is usually low. Facts prove that any modification of a national language can be divided into several regional pronunciation standards, each of which is considered equally correct and acceptable. They can be subsumed under the definition of “modifications of the national pronunciation norm”, which have more similarities with each other than differences. In other words, the regional pronunciation standard in most cases agrees with the norm rather than diverges from it.

Regional standards are usually grouped into major territorial dialects. In addition to dialect, there is also the concept of "accent", and these concepts should not be confused.

The Linguistic Encyclopedic Dictionary gives the following definition of dialect: dialect (from Greek conversation, dialect, adverb) is a variety of a given language used as a means of communication by persons connected by a close territorial, social or professional community [LES, 1990]. The dictionary distinguishes territorial and social dialects.

A territorial dialect is a part of a whole - a given language or one of its dialects. Therefore, a dialect is always opposed to another dialect or other dialects, uniting with them a number of common linguistic features. Territorial dialects have differences in sound structure, grammar, word formation and vocabulary. These differences may be small, so that speakers of different dialects of a given language understand each other (for example, dialects of Slavic or Turkic languages). The dialects of other languages ​​are so different from each other that communication between speakers of different dialects is difficult or impossible (for example, dialects of German, Chinese, Hindi). [LES, 1990]

Social dialects mean the language of certain social groups. These are the professional languages ​​of hunters, fishermen, potters, shoemakers, etc., which differ from the common language only in vocabulary; group, or corporate, jargon or slang of pupils, students, athletes, soldiers and other, mainly youth, groups; secret languages, argot of declassed elements, artisans, otkhodniks, traders. This also includes variants of the national language, characteristic of certain economic, caste, religious, etc. groups of the population. [LES, 1990]

The Oxford Dictionary defines the term dialect as a form of language spoken in an area that differs in pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar from other forms of the same language (for example, Yorkshire dialect).

David Crystal also emphasizes that a dialect is a combination of grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation characteristic of a particular area. This applies specifically to the regional dialect. David Crystal also distinguishes social (characteristic of a certain class or social circle of people) and professional types of dialects. The latter is used in certain professional fields - a person may speak and write like a lawyer or a priest or a scientist.

Sokolova’s opinion does not disagree with the previous ones; she gives a similar definition of dialect. She writes that dialects can be called both national versions of the English language, British and American, and any local ones, for example, the English county of Lancashire or Brooklyn, a famous area of ​​​​New York. [Sokolova, 2003]

Each regional standard is characterized by features common to all dialects of a given region. Dialects have a set of pronunciation, lexical and grammatical features that distinguish them from all other dialects. Dialects can be geographical, in the sense that they are spoken by people living in certain territories. Dialects can also be classified in terms of sociolinguistic criteria, i.e. area of ​​residence, level of education, occupation, social environment, class differences, etc. It was believed that speakers of the dialect are the least educated people. Thus, dialects can be defined as modifications spoken by a socially limited number of people, or modifications characteristic of certain areas.

[Vasiliev, 1962: p. 147]

The degree to which a dialect differs from standard pronunciation is determined by various factors, for example, the history of the development of a given dialect, the socio-economic structure of society, etc. Dialects often retain features lost in the literary language; moreover, they are practically not subject to external interference. [Vasiliev, 1962: p. 148]

The study of dialects is especially useful for resolving problems of a historical nature, such as the development of English phonology, changes in the distribution of certain features, the preservation of archaisms, and the delimitation of culturally isolated territories.

As for accent, the Oxford Dictionary defines it as a way of pronouncing words in a language that can be used to judge what country or region a person is from or what social class they belong to.

According to the encyclopedic dictionary of F. A. Brockhaus and I. A. Efron, an accent is the manner of pronunciation of words by a given person. An accent reflects the sound features of another language or dialect, less often of an individual dialect. Thus, accents should not be confused with dialects, which are variants of a language that differ in vocabulary, syntax and morphology, as well as pronunciation. A dialect is usually spoken by a group united by geography or social status. [Brockhaus, 1890]

M.A. Sokolova and David Crystal also emphasize that the term accent refers solely to the phonetic characteristics of an entire speech community or one individual; the word "accent" can also be used to denote only one specific feature of pronunciation. David Crystal gives the example of Scottish English, which is spoken in both Glasgow and Edinburgh, but with different accents in the two cities. People who speak standard English often have different accents in their speech. Thus, one can talk about an American accent or a French accent in English based on the pronunciation features of vowels, consonants, stress, rhythm, voice quality and intonation, together or separately.

1.3 Variation of the English language

Although English was originally spoken only in England and southeast Scotland, it is now the national language of Great Britain, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and much of Canada. Due to the growing influence of the United States in the world in the second half of the 20th century. English has received the status of a global language, a language of intercultural communication. English became the world's first universal language, the lingua franca. It has practically no competitors. English is the native language of 500 million people in 12 countries. And another 600 million speak English as a second language. Several hundred million have some knowledge of English, which has official or semi-official status in some 62 countries. And its use is growing at an amazing rate.

In addition, English has become a global language, since the need for a language of international communication for the needs of international trade, business, diplomacy, security, mass communication, cultural exchange and other areas of international cooperation objectively exists. In general, today approximately 1,500 million people speak English [Sokolova, 2003]. However, English is also called a “killer language” because it has a destructive effect on the languages ​​of the local population, changing and developing new dialects. This is determined by sociolinguistic principles and is characterized by many common features among contact languages.

There is another downside to the spread of one language throughout the world, namely, the variability of this language has become inevitable. The English language, therefore, is now represented by many variants, each of which differs primarily phonetically and, to a lesser extent, lexically and grammatically. Examples of language variants are: Indian English (or anglicized Hindi) as a variant of English containing elements of Indian language systems; Scottish English, Australian English, Canadian English, American English, etc. Language variants also arise when one language splits recently into two or more and is characterized by a small degree of hybridization - the crossing of languages. [Pankin, 2011]

Variants of the English language, as Proshina notes, represent a lecture continuum consisting of several phases - acrolect - mesolect - basilect (acrolect - the formal level of communication, mesolect - the informal level of educated users and basilect - the level characteristic of uneducated users). These phases characterize the level of language use, but not in one individual, but in the whole society [Proshina, 2010].

According to Proshina and Kachru, such variants of the English language as “World English” and “English as an International Language” have appeared. The term “World English” refers to English as an international language of communication and English, which is used as a second foreign language. This variety of language is devoid of culturally specific features and does not discriminate against speakers on political, social, age, religious, cultural and other grounds. Recently, English has become a means of expressing the national identity of the country in the process of intercultural communication. Domestic linguists consider the concept of “World Englishes” as a theory of regional varieties of the English language. [Proshina, 2010]

As for “English as an International Language”, it is based on the formal level of communication that usually takes place in international negotiations, scientific discussions, etc. Linguistically, he uses modern, neutral vocabulary, eliminates outdated words and uses simple structures. The main criteria for this version of the English language are clarity, appropriateness and effectiveness of communication [Proshina, 2010].

The previously existing concept of two variants of the English language is now being replaced by another concept, according to which the English language is represented by many equal localized variants. According to Braj Kachru's "three concentric circles" theory, all types of English pronunciation are divided into the following:

1) national pronunciation options in countries where English is the native language for the majority of the population; they are called the inner circle, which includes the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the white population of the Republic of South Africa;

2) types of English pronunciation in former British colonies (India, Singapore, etc.), where English is one of the official languages, the so-called second language; they are called the “outer circle”;

3) English in countries where it is the most common foreign language studied in schools and higher education institutions, for example in Russia and China; This is an "expanding circle". [Kachru, 2006]

It should be noted that there are no clear boundaries between the circles and therefore the same option can be assigned to different circles [Proshina, 2010]. Also, a feature of the modern language situation is that representatives of the second and third circles, due to their numerical superiority, more often communicate with each other than with native speakers of the first circle. In this case, there is traditionally a division into two main types of pronunciation, characteristic of native speakers in the UK or the USA. Australia, New Zealand, and the Republic of South Africa are oriented towards the British version of pronunciation. The North American version is adopted in Canada. British influence remained in West Africa. Europe, including Russia, has always chosen the British version of pronunciation in teaching English as a foreign language. But in general, in the world there is a numerical superiority of speakers of American English pronunciation, in particular in Southeast Asia and the countries of the Pacific Rim [Sokolova, 2003].

Currently, all English-speaking nations have their own national pronunciation options, which have certain distinctive features, but which at the same time have much in common, which is why they are considered variants of the same language. Moreover, in each country there are:

1) national standard of pronunciation, which is the orthoepic norm of literary pronunciation of the language;

2) regional standards, corresponding to the speech of educated people living in regions, which partially modify literary pronunciation;

3) territorial types or local accents, corresponding to traditional rural or urban dialects.

Speaking about the national standard of pronunciation, the term “standard” in this case can be defined as a variant of the language accepted in society, established in accordance with systematized norms of rules [Sokolova, 2003]. P. Strevens gives a more precise definition of the standard of international English, which, in his opinion, is “a special dialect of the English language, the only non-localized dialect, having a global distribution without significant variation, universally accepted as an appropriate educational goal in teaching English, which can be implemented in speech with an unlimited set of accents” [Proshina, 2010]. However, Z.G. Proshina immediately mentions that “international English” is an ideal educational model, devoid of ethno-cultural characteristics, which teachers and students from different countries who teach and study English strive to achieve. However, in reality, like any ideal, this model is absolutely unattainable - not a single individual can transcend his culture and native language” [Proshina, 2010]. And in reality, there is no international standard of English as such, but there are several national pronunciation standards that all English-speaking nations speak today. The following national pronunciation standards are distinguished:

· Great Britain - RP (Received Pronunciation or BBC English);

· USA - GA (General American or American Network English);

· Canada - GenCan (General Canadian);

· Australia -- GenAus (General Australian) [Sokolova, 2003]

National standards are associated with the speech of radio and television announcers reading news on serious channels (BBC Channels 3 and 4; CBS and NBC on American television). In addition, certain professional groups, political and public figures are symbols of certain types of pronunciation. The form of pronunciation is reflected, i.e. codified, in pronunciation dictionaries and teaching aids for schools, including for adults who want to change their accent.

Here are examples of regional (or territorial) pronunciation standards:

· In Great Britain - southern, northern, Scottish, Northern Irish;

· In the USA - northern, North Midland, South Midland, southern, western.

For residents who own regional standards, it is essential to belong to the region that historically was the main source of the national norm. In such a region (south-east of England; North, North Midlands and West of the USA) the speech of the vast majority of residents has the smallest deviations from the national standard. Conversely, northern and Scottish accents in the British Isles, southern (...) and eastern (New York, Boston and...) accents in the USA have the largest set of deviations from the national standard and are therefore easily identified by residents of other regions [Sokolova, 2003].

The second important point is the social status of people living in the regions: the higher it is, the fewer deviations from RP and GA. Conversely, the greatest differences from the standard appear among workers both in rural areas and in industry, which is an indicator of their sociocultural level. In addition, the speech of a large number of ethnic groups bears traces of interference from their native language. In the United States, in addition to African-American Vernacular English (AAVE - Afro-American Vernacular English), which is considered a separate dialect due to its grammar and vocabulary, significant phonetic features are noted among Spanish-speaking Americans, as well as among people from Southeast Asia and the Caribbean. Basin and Mexico.

So, the phonetics of the English language studies the types of English pronunciation characteristic of various territories, social groups (including entire classes of people), and individuals. Living in different territories, such as the USA or Australia, as well as in special areas of the city due to segregation (for example, the segregation of the African-American population in American cities, in which there is no close contact with other ethnic groups) creates the conditions for the existence of several types of pronunciation of one language that makes mutual understanding difficult.

1.4 Modern British pronunciation standards

In the history of the English language in Great Britain, dialects have followed a certain pattern. In the 15th century, England was a continuous alternation of regional dialects. With the growth of cities, a normative language emerged, which became mainly the London form of the south-eastern dialect. Over time, it lost some local characteristics and finally established itself in the speech of representatives of the educated class who graduated from private schools. It was thanks to schools that this pronunciation (Received Pronunciation) was preserved. Until recently, this pronunciation was a kind of social standard with which a certain position in society was associated. In the public consciousness, it was associated with the language of BBC broadcasting; it is this standard that is taught in English textbooks for foreigners. However, analyzing the state of modern RP, D. Crystal notes that with the disappearance of rigid boundaries between social classes, RP is no longer a symbol of the social elite. Rather, it is an emphasis on education, and it falls into several varieties. The most common version is the Air Force, but even here there is a division into conservative and newfangled forms. The former are found in the speech of older speakers, the latter are associated with certain social and professional groups. [Crystal, 2003]

Early BBC recordings demonstrate just how much RP has changed over the past few decades, and it has become clear that any accent, even the “best” ones, is subject to change. However, the most important conclusion is that RP is no longer as common as it was 50 years ago. It still remains the language of the royal family, parliament, the Church of England, the Supreme Court and other national institutions, but the fact remains that this accent in its pure form is spoken by less than 3% of the UK population. The most educated people speak a mixture of RP with regional norms - moderate (modified) RP. [Crystal, 2003] Moreover, the current RP is no longer homogeneous. It distinguishes 3 main types: conservative forms, used by the older generation and traditionally by representatives of certain professions and social groups; common forms used by BBC announcers; advanced (new) forms in the speech of the younger generation. [Sokolova, 2003]

As a result of the influence of certain factors in the post-war period (increasing urbanization, increasing levels of education, popular culture), RP was noticeably influenced by regional dialects. Recent studies of British English have shown that the pressure of normative English is so great that many speakers have essentially become bilingual, i.e. speak RP with teachers and switch to their native accent in the company of their own kind. This state of linguistic duality, in which the same individual uses both the literary norm and the local dialect depending on the social situation, is called diglossia. Diglossia should not be confused with bilingualism, which is the ability to speak two different languages. In the case of the coexistence of diglossia and bilingualism, the so-called code switching occurs, which is studied by sociolinguistics and psychology. [Sokolova, 2003]

Pure RP can cause hostility and suspicion, especially in regions with their own pronunciation norms (Scotland, Wales). Despite everything, RP still has significant status. The most amazing thing is that it is spoken by many more people abroad than in their home country, since it is taught to foreigners, although, for example, the Scottish accent is much easier to pick up. In addition, RP has become a source for numerous phonetic and phonological studies. [Crystal, 2003]

As British English becomes one of the most irrelevant languages, as new language norms emerge, as fewer British English teachers are able to speak RP fluently, it can be assumed that its role will gradually decrease.

1.5 Teaching the pronunciation aspect of speech

Currently, the world attaches great importance to a person’s communicative competence, which allows for international cooperation. At the same time, it has become important not only what a person says, but also how he says it, since this contributes to better cooperation with representatives of other countries at the international level. Therefore, mastering pronunciation skills, as the ability to construct a speech that is literate from the point of view of a native speaker, to demonstrate its melody (which includes mastery of phonetic skills: intonation, rhythm, correct pronunciation) is of particular relevance at the present stage of teaching any foreign language.

And before we begin to consider this topic, it is advisable to define the concept of “phonetics”. The interdisciplinary dictionary gives the following definition of this term: “phonetics is a branch of linguistics that studies the substantial (acoustic and articulatory) features of the sound structure of a language” [Yazyk..., 2006].

A.N. Shamov clarifies this definition: “phonetics as an aspect of learning is understood as the sound structure of a language, the totality of all sound means that make up its material side (sounds, sound combinations, stress, rhythm, melody, intonation, pauses), regardless of their semantic distinguishing functions” [Shamov , 2008].

The main goal of teaching phonetics in secondary school, according to E.I. Passes are the formation of pronunciation skills as components of complex speech skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing. Pronunciation skill is defined as the ability to carry out a synthesized action, performed within skill parameters and providing adequate sound design of a speech unit [Passov, 2009].

G. A. Rogova calls pronunciation skills very specific: according to their belonging to the RD, these are speech motor skills; because speech skills exist only in sound samples; pronunciation skills are merged with lexical and grammatical skills, where they are speech in nature. On the other hand, it owes its functioning to the movements of the speech organs. In turn, the pronunciation skill consists of two operations: articulation and intonation, which, unlike the first, necessarily has the quality of situationality, the markedness of the speech task. THOSE. Sakharova distinguishes two types of pronunciation skills - auditory pronunciation and rhythmic-intonation Rogova, 2009.

Speech and auditory pronunciation skills of F.M. Rabinovich calls the skills of phonemic correct pronunciation of all studied sounds in the flow of speech, understanding of all sounds when listening to the speech of others.

The concept of “phoneme” lies at the heart of auditory pronunciation skills. M.A. Sokolov calls a phoneme a set of phonetically significant features characteristic of a given sound formation. The quality of auditory pronunciation skills depends on the development of the so-called. phonemic hearing (the ability of the human ear to synthesize and analyze speech sounds based on distinguishing phonemes) [Sokolova, 2006.

Rhythmic-intonation skills T.E. Sakharova calls the skills of intonationally and rhythmically correct speech design and, accordingly, understanding the speech of others Rogova, 2009.

When mastering foreign language phonetics, great importance is attached to knowledge in the field of phonetics. M.A. Sokolova calls phonetic knowledge the reflection of sound phenomena existing in a foreign language at various levels - sound, phoneme, word and sentence, the correct relationship between grapheme and phoneme, as well as transcription designations that uniquely characterize sound phenomena. In a narrow sense, knowledge of phonetic phenomena is divided into knowledge of individual sounds (rules of distribution and combination of sounds in a given language) and knowledge within words or within a speech tact/sentence (rhythm, phrasal stress, intonation).

Knowledge ensures the implementation of the principle of consciousness when mastering foreign language phonetics, which allows the most rational formation of students’ pronunciation skills Sokolova, 2006.

So, mastering the sound structure of a language is a prerequisite for communication. In secondary school, teaching the pronunciation side of foreign language speech primarily pursues a practical goal. According to Zh.B. Vareninova, the presence of strong pronunciation skills ensures the normal functioning of all types of speech activity and specifies the tasks of teaching pronunciation as follows:

- pronunciation training (2 grades, 5-6 grades);

- maintaining auditory pronunciation and rhythmic-intonation skills (3 grades, 6-9 grades);

- adjustment and improvement of pronunciation skills (throughout all years of study) Vereninova, 2005.

Phonetics teaching in secondary school takes place in the absence of a natural language environment and minimal learning time, so it is almost impossible to achieve a level of authentic pronunciation. However, at present, a realistic principle has been established in the field of mastering foreign language pronunciation, which is based on the idea of ​​approximation - approaching standard pronunciation.

According to I.L. Bim., the implementation of the principle of approximation when mastering pronunciation in secondary school occurs in two directions:

1) limiting the number of foreign sounds and intonation patterns;

2) in the approximate articulation of sounds and intonation patterns Vasiliev, 2008.

At the same time, highlighting the main requirement for the selection of phonetic material, V.A. Vasiliev believes that even in the approximation mode, phonetic features should be worked out, first of all, those that are truly relevant for communication, in accordance with their actual functioning in foreign speech, and in the system Vasiliev, 2008.

Speaking about limiting the volume of phonetic material for schoolchildren, methodologists identify a phonetic minimum. It represents a set of phonetic phenomena selected in accordance with certain principles that are necessary and sufficient for mastering a foreign language as a means of communication within the limits of the requirements stipulated by the program. The phonetic minimum is divided into active and passive parts. Active phonetic minimum V.A. Vasiliev defines it as a set of sounds and intonation patterns intended for reproduction. The passive phonetic minimum is a set of sounds and intonation patterns designed for recognition in speech and their understanding Vasiliev, 2008.

According to V.A. Vasilyev, the active phonetic minimum differs from the passive phonetic minimum in the following:

- in the active phonetic minimum approximation is allowed, in the passive phonetic minimum it is not;

- the active phonetic minimum includes only meaningful phonemes, the passive phonetic minimum includes meaningful phonemes plus phoneme variants;

- the active phonetic minimum is acquired by concentrating voluntary attention (conscious imitation of a model, mastering the rules of articulation), the passive phonetic minimum is based on involuntary attention Vasiliev, 2008.

The phonetic minimum usually includes sounds, sound combinations, phonetic phenomena and intonation patterns. To resolve issues related to teaching pronunciation, N.I. Zhinkin believes that a comparative analysis of the phonological base of the studied and native languages ​​is of great importance. On its basis, difficulties that arise for students when studying phonetic phenomena are identified, which, in turn, determines the nature of work on them. Mastery of individual sounds and especially their complexes (significant segments of speech) facilitates the knowledge and practical assimilation of the most important general patterns of pronunciation in the language being studied, mainly those that are absent in the sound system of the native language Zhinkin, 2008.

Since a foreign language sound form is studied on the basis of the speech habits of the native language, various difficulties arise depending on the degree of coincidence or difference between the phenomena of the foreign and native languages. Pronunciation features led to the emergence of a methodological typology of phonetic material, which refers to the grouping of phonemes in accordance with the possible difficulties of their assimilation in speech. Based on studies of the phonetic structure of a foreign language and the peculiarities of its acquisition by Russian students, N.I. Zhinkin and A.N. Leontyev conditionally divided all the sounds of the English language into three groups:

1. Phonemes close to the phonemes of the native language in articulation and acoustic properties: [m], [f], [g], [t], [d], [l], etc.

2. Phonemes that, due to the presence of common properties, seem to be identical with the phonemes of the Russian language, but differ from them in significant features: [zh], [e], , [i], , [L], [?:], etc.

3. Phonemes that do not have articulatory and acoustic analogues in the native language: [w], [h], [?], [r], , [and], etc.

Until recently, it was believed that the third group was the most difficult to master, because when working on the sounds of this group, it was necessary to create a new articulatory base for students. But practice has shown that it is especially difficult for students to learn the sounds of the second group, where the interfering influence of the students’ native language is too strong Zhinkin, 2008.

The presence of a methodological typology of phonetic material facilitates the teacher’s work in organizing familiarization and training of phonetic means of a foreign language. It helps to choose the correct, most rational way of introducing a new sound, as well as methods and techniques for explaining and training it in students’ speech to ensure the formation of correct phonetic skills.

Work on pronunciation traditionally begins with the introduction of phonetic material. The formation of phonetic skills is associated with the development of communicative skills in oral speech and reading. Therefore, the sequence of introduction of sounds and intonation patterns is determined by speech patterns and their lexical and grammatical content.

Methods of introducing phonetic material depend on the age characteristics of students. In elementary school, for example, methods of imitation, fairy tales and images are often used, and less often - methods of association. Next comes consolidation, automation and speech.

Work on phonetics is carried out on the basis of typical phrases in the following sequence:

1) perception of the presentation of sound in words or phrases by ear;

2) demonstration and explanation by the teacher of the method of sound production (explanation of its articulation). When working on individual sounds, the teacher can give elementary phonetic rules, for example, about the position of the tongue, lips, the degree of tension of the speech organs;

3) reproduction (pronunciation) by students of a sound behind an announcer or teacher in combination with another sound, then in a word, phrase, phrase (multiple reproduction of sound by students);

4) familiarity with the transcriptional sound icon;

5) reading sounds - words with a given sound, phrases with a given sound, pronouncing words and phrases as a whole (behind the speaker/teacher/choir/individually).

6) control of sound pronunciation [Passov, 2009].

When introducing sounds and intonations, it is productive to use gestures. So, raising or lowering tone, primary and secondary stress are easy to show with your hands. Conducting, beating the rhythm, and intonation marking of phrases contribute to the effective introduction of intonation patterns.

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Background to the origins of Indian English

In 1835, the British government in India designated English as the language of education in schools and universities. Over the course of a century of British rule, English grew in popularity and became the language of power, prestige, and opportunity. Although, at that time, it was a foreign language, the native Indians easily and quickly perceived this language, and even their resistance to the British government, they, first of all, expressed in English. And even when India gained independence from Britain, English continued to be widely used, even after much discussion, the Indian Constitution was drafted in English. Apart from designating Hindi as the official language of the Union, Article 343 of the Indian Constitution also provided for the use of English for all official purposes of the Union for a period of 15 years.


Nine years later, the Official Language Committee of India advised to expand the use of English; a recommendation that was subsequently made by several other committees over several years. English has become known as a "second foreign language" or a "second auxiliary language". The realization that there is a need to improve the skills of English teachers has led to the opening of several English language teaching institutions in India, such as the Institute of English Language Teaching, and the Central Institute of English Language, as well as several regional English language institutes.

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Indian English: language features

The variety of English found in India can be considered different varieties of the language. They developed on the basis of British English, absorbing some features of pronunciation, grammar and semantics from the native language of India. The set of all these variants can be called as "Indian English". Indian Varieties of English (IVE) is the most suitable expression for this.

There is a big difference between regional varieties in the pronunciation of Indian English. This is something similar to the different regional accents of English in Britain. Indian English has different pronunciation patterns in different regions of India. Different regions such as northeast India, Bengal, Orissa, Andhra and Karnataka, as well as Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Punjab and Bihar all add different flavors to English pronunciation.

Comparing "Indian English" with Clear English Pronunciation (CHAP), we found many instances of figures of speech characteristic of Indian English. Here are some examples:

  1. Diphthongs in CHAP correspond to pure long consonants in Indian pronunciation;
  2. Alveolar sounds " t" and "d » in CHAP are pronounced as retroflex (hard sounds);
  3. dental fricative sounds "θ " and "ð" are replaced by soft "th" and soft "d";
  4. The "v" and "w" in CHAP are pronounced similar to "w" in many parts of India, and they usually merge with " b " in the pronunciation of English in areas such as Bengal, Assams and Oriya.

Some words which do not exist in any other English are used in Indian English. These are either newly introduced words or translations of some native words and expressions. For example:

  • cousin brother = male cousin,
  • prepone = advance or bring forward in time,
  • foreign returned = returned from abroad.

There are also examples of Indian innovations in English grammar. So, in Indian English has plural uncountable nouns(for example: breads, foods, advices), and time use Present Progressive for Present Simple (I am knowing).

What kind of mysterious word is “Hinglish”? It's simple, Hinglish is a mixture of Hindi (the official language of India), other Indian languages ​​like Punjabi, Bengali, etc. and English, which is the second official language of India. According to world statistics, Indian English is spoken by about 350 million people living in Indian cities.

It is easy to guess that it is young people living in the cities of India, being active links in the modern processes of world globalization, who are the most ardent adherents of English. Coupled with the development of television and the Internet, this led to the introduction of English into local Hindi, which could not but cause a mixture of vocabulary and grammar of these two completely different languages. Thus, as a result we have a dialect called , i.e. English + Hindi, which explains the whole essence of the newly formed phenomenon.

Features of Indian English

What are the features of Hinglish? Indian English is a rich language that arose as a result of borrowings from literature, i.e. the official language in compliance with all rules and traditions, and from the spoken, so-called folk language, and, naturally, from the British Speech Standards. However, the story with India is also interesting because in this case there is a borrowing of words and phrases not only from British, but also from American English. This caused discrepancies in the spelling of words. For example, in Indian newspapers you can read: color, so color.

But the biggest difference between Hinglish and English is pronunciation. People from different parts of India pronounce words with different accents, and English words, in turn, undergo extreme phonetic transformations. The following is a video in which the well-known hero of the series “The Big Bang Theory” (“ The Big Bang Theory”) Rajesh Koothrappali tries to speak perfect English while his friend Howard Wolowitz, a native English speaker, imitates Indian speech. Who will do it better? Let's see. Below is a list of phrases used by the characters in the following video, with translation.

  • To speak to a call center in India– contact the Indian call center.
  • To use smb's regular voice– speak as usual (in your own manner).
  • To feel like making fun of smb- feel like you're mocking someone.
  • It's ridiculous! - This is ridiculous!
  • Terrible accent- horrible accent.
  • Brilliant accent- great accent.
  • Good Lord, what have I done? - Lord, what have I done?
  • Alright, hot-shot! - Well, okay, you're a risky guy!
  • Let's see your Indian– let's check your Indian (accent).

Hinglish can be expressed in different forms - these can be non-existent words that are similar to English or are half-English. Hinglish can also be called the local way of pronouncing English words. That is, one can observe absolutely chaotic methods of mixing, the whole point is that there are no clear boundaries or rules, and therefore the Indian version of the English language, being popular and used, is constantly changing and becoming even more saturated.

If you have had the opportunity to watch a Bollywood movie, then you have probably heard what Hinglish sounds like, because it is a modern expression of Hindi, this is one of its main functions. “Modernity” in this case is expressed in “not being fixated” on traditional rules.

  • Time kya hua hai? = What time is it right now?
  • I have hazaar things to tell you. = I have thousands of things to tell you.
  • Chello will mean an offer to go somewhere, i.e. let's go, A achcha- this is banal okay.
  • Thirsty, kya? = Are you thirsty?

The rapidly growing popularity of Bollywood films and the ongoing introduction of Indian specialists into the field are leading to a mixture of two languages. IT-technology. India is also famous for its technical support, which is a real feat to understand, because the most frequent users of Internet services are people from European countries and America who have never been to India.

Moreover, Hinglish is used not only in India, but also in the UK, and the reason for this was the same Bollywood movie. For example, the British vocabulary includes such colloquial phrases as innit?, i.e. shortened form isn't it? Can also be used as an abbreviation in phrases like “ It's going to rain, we need umbrella, innit?", that is don't we?

Features of the use of English in the context of Hindi

Features of using English in Hindi include:

  1. Using endings - ing, For example: " You must be knowing this actress? or " Hello! It is nice meeting you!”.
  2. Adding an ending - ji to names, which means an expression of reverence and deep respect, for example: Chrisji, Michaelji.
  3. Indians generally avoid changing verbs in tense, using them in most cases only in the infinitive form without taking into account the person. For example, " Yesterday he watch his favorite film again”.
  4. Some Indian words cannot be replaced in English. Such words are, for example, pronouns, which are almost never English, as well as possessive adjectives.
  5. The main requirement of Hinglish is that all words must be pronounced as if they were spoken by a native Indian. Pronunciation is one of the main points, i.e. even if you construct phrases correctly, without observing the pronunciation inherent in Indians, it will no longer be Hinglish.
  6. The grammar on which the construction of sentences in Hinglish is based mainly takes its roots from Hindi, that is, you can forget about the usual word order, for example, “ You will come tomorrow?”
  7. The stress in words is placed atypically for the English language: Okay instead of Okay.
  8. Indians often end sentences with a clarifying question “ no? ("is not it?"): " They really know each other well, no?”

As for the pronunciation features of Indian English, they include soft / l/, which is due to the peculiarities of the phonetics of the national language. Lack of sound / in Hindi z/ makes itself felt when we hear / j/ instead, for example supposed /səˈpəʊjt/.

When Indians want to start a dialogue with a British or American, they use Hinglish, but this is where misunderstandings and disagreements arise, since many idioms and set phrases used by the British have completely different meanings in India, and some are used only there.

Indians will ask a person's name like this: “ What is your good name?”, since in Hindi this question contains the phrase “ Shubh naam", What means good name.

Currently, Indian English is most often used in advertising campaigns, slogans and posters. This way it is easier to attract attention to the product. The use of English words shows that the brand is modern and focuses more on young people. And if you want to get to know such an interesting phenomenon as Hinglish, we strongly recommend delving into the world of Indian newspapers and television shows. Do you want to improve your Hinglish listening skills? I advise you to pay attention to stand-up comedians. Their humor will introduce you to the local flavor and show the main points and stereotypes about the life of Indians. Enjoy!

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