Indian English (IndE) is one of the most studied varieties of English in the world (Gargesh, 2004), with a large body of research focusing on its distinctive features, particularly from a descriptive and a corpus linguistic... [ view full abstract ]
Indian English (IndE) is one of the most studied varieties of English in the world (Gargesh, 2004), with a large body of research focusing on its distinctive features, particularly from a descriptive and a corpus linguistic perspective (Sailaja, 2012). While this has demonstrated IndE to be a specific variety in its own right, many Indians view British English as a more favourable prestige target variety (Bernaisch & Koch, 2016). However, globalisation, increased mobility, and India’s emergent economy calls for more targeted language attitudes research focusing on particular strata and substrata of Indian society (e.g. Cowie, 2007).
This paper reports on 32 semi-structured interviews eliciting language attitudes conducted in Hyderabad, India in 2017 with educated young urban students and professionals. A content analysis revealed that the individuals were highly attuned to ‘variation’ in IndE, which tended to be viewed on a cline of ‘neutral’ to ‘strong’, and which was believed to be most strongly influenced by region of origin and schooling. Specifically, attendance at a private or convent school, versus a government school, was believed to have a ‘neutralising’ effect on one’s accent, an attribute believed by many to be desirable. The analysis also showed that English continues to occupy a legitimate position within the popular consciousness, but that there is an increasing sense of ownership of IndE. A supra-local or pan-dialectal "Indian English" emerged as the most common label for the variety, and there was an expressed desire and will for IndE to continue to level and expand, and to be accepted as one of the authentic languages of India:
I believe it’s time for us to have an Indian variety which is considered to be a standard variety or a normal variety, not as something as a second rated or third rated, which is as par with Australian, American or British or New Zealand (Participant IE13).
Overall, the participants exhibited relatively high levels of linguistic security, and while some did retain a certain 'nostalgia' for British English or other Inner Circle varieties, IndE appears to be emerging as an authentic carrier of Indian identity among young educated urban professionals.
