Indian English
Jerry Knowles, author of "A Cultural History of English Language" and senior
lecturer in Linguistics at Lancaster University in Northern England says,
"There are new Englishes in Asia and the tiger economies. If economic power
passes to the tiger economies, they will be telling us what to do.
In other words telling us how to talk. These new Englishes are not creoles
but 'a whole literary language, standard English modified by the local
vernaculars, becoming standard languages in their own right." He is empathetic
that the new Englishes being spoken and written in India, east Africa,
Singapore and Malaysia are bound to leave their mark. Knowles says, "These
are not foreign speakers of English, but speakers of different vareities
of English." He points out, for example, that although the word "thrice"
is no longer used by American English speakers, it is alive and well in
New Delhi English. Each variety of English is quite as valid and
as consistent as the American English which at present rules the Web. (Martin
Mulligan, martin.mulligan@ft.com; Financial Times, Jan. 6 1997).
Let us add Tenglish to the list of Englishes of the world!
Long Live Mother English!
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