Indian English
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Nothing against native English speakers, but this has always struck me as strange - when there is a phrase or word used by native English speakers of a particular region/country, it somehow seems to gain acceptance. However, the idiosyncrasies of English as spoken by Indians are termed incorrect, despite the fact that India has the most English speakers in the world! Personally, while I cringe at "Why you went there?" or "Who and all are in the car?", I love the unique flavor. :love: While I would never write stuff like "You are going to Hyderabad tomorrow, no*?", I use it all the time when speaking to fellow Indians (never to native speakers, though). Most likely because I'd stick out as a sore thumb otherwise, I suppose. :^) Until last year or so, I used to say "I have a doubt". Although I think my English is very good, it never *struck me* that the above sentence was incorrect. I now say "I have a question". I also used to say 'yesterday night' until Roger told me the correct term was 'last night'. Yesterday morning, yesterday afternoon, yesterday evening, but last night. Sounds a bit strange, but hey, I've learned** to live with it. So, what do you guys think of the Indian dialects of English? :-D * In this context, 'no' means 'aren't you'? ** While many may say 'learnt' is the correct past tense of 'learn', I prefer learned.
Cheers, Vikram.
"But nowadays, it means nothing. Features are never frozen, development keeps happening, bugs never get fixed, and documentation is something you might find on wikipedia." - Marc Clifton on betas.
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byalmightybobVikram A Punathambekar wrote:
So, what do you guys think of the Indian dialects of English?
Some of them are really, Really hard to understand over the phone. I'm talking "repeat everything twice and i'll still only get half of what you're saying" hard. I feel utterly exhausted after some of these conversations. No idea what location(s) these are specific to, but they seem to be marked by very brief sentences spoken in a very fast, clipped manner.
----
It appears that everybody is under the impression that I approve of the documentation. You probably also blame Ken Burns for supporting slavery.
--Raymond Chen on MSDN
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Vikram A Punathambekar wrote:
"You are going to Hyderabad tomorrow, no*?"
Many "native" English speakers use that phrase. I know I do.
Vikram A Punathambekar wrote:
So, what do you guys think of the Indian dialects of English?
The "I have a doubt" phrase bugs me. There is a fundamental difference between the words "doubt" and "question." Other than that y'all cute the way you speak. ;)
regards, Paul Watson Ireland & South Africa
Shog9 wrote:
And with that, Paul closed his browser, sipped his herbal tea, fixed the flower in his hair, and smiled brightly at the multitude of cute, furry animals flocking around the grassy hillside where he sat coding Ruby on his Mac...
Paul Watson wrote:
The "I have a doubt" phrase bugs me. There is a fundamental difference between the words "doubt" and "question."
The reason most Indians mix up "doubt" and "question" is that in nearly all the Indian languages the word for "doubt" can be used in some places when you mean "question". The Indian word for "doubt" is not an exact equivalent of the English "doubt".
Regards, Nish
Nish’s thoughts on MFC, C++/CLI and .NET (my blog)
C++/CLI in ActionFly on your way like an eagle Fly as high as the sun On your wings like an eagle Fly and touch the sun
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Vikram A Punathambekar wrote:
So, what do you guys think of the Indian dialects of English?
I like some of it. The overuse of the present continuous tense I like. e.g. "I am wanting a drink" Vs. "I want a drink", or "I am thinking that..." Vs. "I think that..." But the "I have a doubt" irritates me. A "doubt" expresses something that is unbelievable. e.g. "I doubt that the polititian is telling the truth"
Upcoming events: * Glasgow: Introduction to AJAX (2nd May), SQL Server 2005 - XML and XML Query Plans, Mock Objects, SQL Server Reporting Services... Never write for other people. Write for yourself, because you have a passion for it. -- Marc Clifton My website
Colin Angus Mackay wrote:
But the "I have a doubt" irritates me. A "doubt" expresses something that is unbelievable. e.g. "I doubt that the polititian is telling the truth"
Quoting my reply to Paul :- The reason most Indians mix up "doubt" and "question" is that in nearly all the Indian languages the word for "doubt" can be used in some places when you mean "question". The Indian word for "doubt" is not an exact equivalent of the English "doubt".
Regards, Nish
Nish’s thoughts on MFC, C++/CLI and .NET (my blog)
C++/CLI in ActionFly on your way like an eagle Fly as high as the sun On your wings like an eagle Fly and touch the sun
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I have a related question; why do I see SMS SPK used much more often by Indians than any other English Speakers online?
J4amieC wrote:
I have a related question; why do I see SMS SPK used much more often by Indians than any other English Speakers online?
Text messaging is very popular in India, and is the most common scenario where Indians use English. So most of them (who don't normally use English) get used to SMS-speak. So when they post on the web or write an email, they use SMS-speak because they are not used to using non-SMS English all that much. This is particularly true among teenagers and preteens.
Regards, Nish
Nish’s thoughts on MFC, C++/CLI and .NET (my blog)
C++/CLI in ActionFly on your way like an eagle Fly as high as the sun On your wings like an eagle Fly and touch the sun
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Matt Newman wrote:
The common term in my area is Engrish
You live in Japan? Marc
People are just notoriously impossible. --DavidCrow
There's NO excuse for not commenting your code. -- John Simmons / outlaw programmer
People who say that they will refactor their code later to make it "good" don't understand refactoring, nor the art and craft of programming. -- Josh SmithMarc Clifton wrote:
You live in Japan?
:laugh:
Regards, Nish
Nish’s thoughts on MFC, C++/CLI and .NET (my blog)
C++/CLI in ActionFly on your way like an eagle Fly as high as the sun On your wings like an eagle Fly and touch the sun
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Nothing against native English speakers, but this has always struck me as strange - when there is a phrase or word used by native English speakers of a particular region/country, it somehow seems to gain acceptance. However, the idiosyncrasies of English as spoken by Indians are termed incorrect, despite the fact that India has the most English speakers in the world! Personally, while I cringe at "Why you went there?" or "Who and all are in the car?", I love the unique flavor. :love: While I would never write stuff like "You are going to Hyderabad tomorrow, no*?", I use it all the time when speaking to fellow Indians (never to native speakers, though). Most likely because I'd stick out as a sore thumb otherwise, I suppose. :^) Until last year or so, I used to say "I have a doubt". Although I think my English is very good, it never *struck me* that the above sentence was incorrect. I now say "I have a question". I also used to say 'yesterday night' until Roger told me the correct term was 'last night'. Yesterday morning, yesterday afternoon, yesterday evening, but last night. Sounds a bit strange, but hey, I've learned** to live with it. So, what do you guys think of the Indian dialects of English? :-D * In this context, 'no' means 'aren't you'? ** While many may say 'learnt' is the correct past tense of 'learn', I prefer learned.
Cheers, Vikram.
"But nowadays, it means nothing. Features are never frozen, development keeps happening, bugs never get fixed, and documentation is something you might find on wikipedia." - Marc Clifton on betas.
Join the CP group at NationStates. Password:
byalmightybobVikram A Punathambekar wrote:
"You are going to Hyderabad tomorrow, no*?
After lot of practice, I use like this. "You are going to Hyderabad, aren't you?" That's typical way here in US.
Vikram A Punathambekar wrote:
I used to say "I have a doubt".
ROTFL. I remember in one conference call where we talking to a guy (outsourcing) in India and that guy said 'I have a small doubt'. And my PM was asking me what he means by that. Later I told the guy in India that you just use 'I have a question' instead of small doubt or big doubt. ;)
Vikram A Punathambekar wrote:
I also used to say 'yesterday night' until Roger told me the correct term was 'last night'.
In India we use specific day to reference when we talk. ex: Last Tuesday we went to a movie. But here in US, 'Otherday we went to a movie'.
రవికాంత్
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Vikram A Punathambekar wrote:
"You are going to Hyderabad tomorrow, no*?"
Many "native" English speakers use that phrase. I know I do.
Vikram A Punathambekar wrote:
So, what do you guys think of the Indian dialects of English?
The "I have a doubt" phrase bugs me. There is a fundamental difference between the words "doubt" and "question." Other than that y'all cute the way you speak. ;)
regards, Paul Watson Ireland & South Africa
Shog9 wrote:
And with that, Paul closed his browser, sipped his herbal tea, fixed the flower in his hair, and smiled brightly at the multitude of cute, furry animals flocking around the grassy hillside where he sat coding Ruby on his Mac...
Paul Watson wrote:
Other than that y'all cute the way you speak.
Philistine. "Othuh than that, y'all have a cute way of talkin'."
Software Zen:
delete this; -
Marc Clifton wrote:
You live in Japan?
:laugh:
Regards, Nish
Nish’s thoughts on MFC, C++/CLI and .NET (my blog)
C++/CLI in ActionFly on your way like an eagle Fly as high as the sun On your wings like an eagle Fly and touch the sun
Going to TORONO , Eh? -- Canadian
Tapas Shome System Software Engineer Keen Computer Solutions 1408 Erin Street Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada R3E 2S8 www.keencomputer.com
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Vikram, Personally, I think you are running into anal retentive types who just need... well, I won't tell you what I think they need :). I grew up in the southern portion of the United States, my wife is a true Southerner, but my boys play ice hockey. So, we mingle with northerners so much that some of us have picked up the phrase - "you guys". As in, "You guys want to watch a movie?". In the south, it's, "Do y'all want to watch a movie?" How AR is that? :) I wouldn't worry about it. Americans will be speaking mainly Spanish in 10 years ;)
Charlie Gilley Will program for food... Whoever said children were cheaper by the dozen... lied. Overheard in a cubicle: "A project is just a bug under development." Seeking to rise above the intelligence of a one eared rabbit...
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Colin Angus Mackay wrote:
But the "I have a doubt" irritates me. A "doubt" expresses something that is unbelievable. e.g. "I doubt that the polititian is telling the truth"
Quoting my reply to Paul :- The reason most Indians mix up "doubt" and "question" is that in nearly all the Indian languages the word for "doubt" can be used in some places when you mean "question". The Indian word for "doubt" is not an exact equivalent of the English "doubt".
Regards, Nish
Nish’s thoughts on MFC, C++/CLI and .NET (my blog)
C++/CLI in ActionFly on your way like an eagle Fly as high as the sun On your wings like an eagle Fly and touch the sun
-
Vikram A Punathambekar wrote:
"You are going to Hyderabad tomorrow, no*?
After lot of practice, I use like this. "You are going to Hyderabad, aren't you?" That's typical way here in US.
Vikram A Punathambekar wrote:
I used to say "I have a doubt".
ROTFL. I remember in one conference call where we talking to a guy (outsourcing) in India and that guy said 'I have a small doubt'. And my PM was asking me what he means by that. Later I told the guy in India that you just use 'I have a question' instead of small doubt or big doubt. ;)
Vikram A Punathambekar wrote:
I also used to say 'yesterday night' until Roger told me the correct term was 'last night'.
In India we use specific day to reference when we talk. ex: Last Tuesday we went to a movie. But here in US, 'Otherday we went to a movie'.
రవికాంత్
Kant wrote:
"You are going to Hyderabad, aren't you?"
I know very few people who speak that formally. It's usually "You going to Hyderabad?" or even worse just: "Going to Hyderabad?" The subject is often inferred by whom the question is asked. If the context is speaking about tomorrow than tomorrow is rarely referenced again until the need to change time reference. I know, it leads to a lot of confusion, especially if you enter into the middle of a conversation and have no idea who is speaking to whom and when they are referencing....
_________________________ Asu no koto o ieba, tenjo de nezumi ga warau. Talk about things of tomorrow and the mice in the ceiling laugh. (Japanese Proverb)
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Nothing against native English speakers, but this has always struck me as strange - when there is a phrase or word used by native English speakers of a particular region/country, it somehow seems to gain acceptance. However, the idiosyncrasies of English as spoken by Indians are termed incorrect, despite the fact that India has the most English speakers in the world! Personally, while I cringe at "Why you went there?" or "Who and all are in the car?", I love the unique flavor. :love: While I would never write stuff like "You are going to Hyderabad tomorrow, no*?", I use it all the time when speaking to fellow Indians (never to native speakers, though). Most likely because I'd stick out as a sore thumb otherwise, I suppose. :^) Until last year or so, I used to say "I have a doubt". Although I think my English is very good, it never *struck me* that the above sentence was incorrect. I now say "I have a question". I also used to say 'yesterday night' until Roger told me the correct term was 'last night'. Yesterday morning, yesterday afternoon, yesterday evening, but last night. Sounds a bit strange, but hey, I've learned** to live with it. So, what do you guys think of the Indian dialects of English? :-D * In this context, 'no' means 'aren't you'? ** While many may say 'learnt' is the correct past tense of 'learn', I prefer learned.
Cheers, Vikram.
"But nowadays, it means nothing. Features are never frozen, development keeps happening, bugs never get fixed, and documentation is something you might find on wikipedia." - Marc Clifton on betas.
Join the CP group at NationStates. Password:
byalmightybob -
charlieg wrote:
Spanish
Or even worse.... Spanglish
Why is common sense not common? Never argue with an idiot. They will drag you down to their level where they are an expert. Sometimes it takes a lot of work to be lazy
You know, before someone misreads my post :), for me to criticize Spanglish - nothing against you Wes - we'd have to stop recognizing all of the other "foreign" language inputs to American English. For goodness' sake, "google" is a word now. Makes it hard to criticize spanglish... though I understand your point. :)
Charlie Gilley Will program for food... Whoever said children were cheaper by the dozen... lied. Overheard in a cubicle: "A project is just a bug under development." Seeking to rise above the intelligence of a one eared rabbit...
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You know, before someone misreads my post :), for me to criticize Spanglish - nothing against you Wes - we'd have to stop recognizing all of the other "foreign" language inputs to American English. For goodness' sake, "google" is a word now. Makes it hard to criticize spanglish... though I understand your point. :)
Charlie Gilley Will program for food... Whoever said children were cheaper by the dozen... lied. Overheard in a cubicle: "A project is just a bug under development." Seeking to rise above the intelligence of a one eared rabbit...
charlieg wrote:
other "foreign" language
I would definitely agree with you... to a point. (you just knew there had to be a "but" in there didn't you?) I actualy don't mind "google" though. At least that is a "complete" word. What I do think is an abomination to the English language is that SMS garbage. U no wut I m tlkg abt? You just know that that is going to make it into the language soon. Another thing that seems to be gaining speed is "Put down the phone" or other noun in place of "phone". I really would like to talk to the people that do that or have them tell to me perform this action. "Okay phone... you are made of cheap plastic!" Is that enough of a put down? Or should I put the phone down more? But I think I am treading dangerously close to soapbox here.... :laugh: -- modified at 22:56 Wednesday 25th April, 2007
Why is common sense not common? Never argue with an idiot. They will drag you down to their level where they are an expert. Sometimes it takes a lot of work to be lazy
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Nothing against native English speakers, but this has always struck me as strange - when there is a phrase or word used by native English speakers of a particular region/country, it somehow seems to gain acceptance. However, the idiosyncrasies of English as spoken by Indians are termed incorrect, despite the fact that India has the most English speakers in the world! Personally, while I cringe at "Why you went there?" or "Who and all are in the car?", I love the unique flavor. :love: While I would never write stuff like "You are going to Hyderabad tomorrow, no*?", I use it all the time when speaking to fellow Indians (never to native speakers, though). Most likely because I'd stick out as a sore thumb otherwise, I suppose. :^) Until last year or so, I used to say "I have a doubt". Although I think my English is very good, it never *struck me* that the above sentence was incorrect. I now say "I have a question". I also used to say 'yesterday night' until Roger told me the correct term was 'last night'. Yesterday morning, yesterday afternoon, yesterday evening, but last night. Sounds a bit strange, but hey, I've learned** to live with it. So, what do you guys think of the Indian dialects of English? :-D * In this context, 'no' means 'aren't you'? ** While many may say 'learnt' is the correct past tense of 'learn', I prefer learned.
Cheers, Vikram.
"But nowadays, it means nothing. Features are never frozen, development keeps happening, bugs never get fixed, and documentation is something you might find on wikipedia." - Marc Clifton on betas.
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byalmightybobIndians don't speak English. They all speak their vernaculars using words from the English language. The cadence, the idioms, the accents, etc., are all from their native languages. Please don't flatter yourself by saying, "Indians speak English." They murder it.
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Indians don't speak English. They all speak their vernaculars using words from the English language. The cadence, the idioms, the accents, etc., are all from their native languages. Please don't flatter yourself by saying, "Indians speak English." They murder it.
Vivic wrote:
Please don't flatter yourself by saying, "Indians speak English." They murder it.
Well, you have a right to your opinion. :)
Cheers, Vikram.
"But nowadays, it means nothing. Features are never frozen, development keeps happening, bugs never get fixed, and documentation is something you might find on wikipedia." - Marc Clifton on betas.
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byalmightybob -
Vikram A Punathambekar wrote:
So, what do you guys think of the Indian dialects of English?
It is sounding funny to us. Isnt it? :)
Josh Gray wrote:
It is sounding funny to us.
Bad Gollum, bad. ;P
Cheers, Vikram.
"But nowadays, it means nothing. Features are never frozen, development keeps happening, bugs never get fixed, and documentation is something you might find on wikipedia." - Marc Clifton on betas.
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byalmightybob -
Vikram A Punathambekar wrote:
what do you guys think of the Indian dialects of English?
The fact that you refer to a form of English as an "Indian dialect" is pretty darn terrifying, if you ask me. That's all we need. Inglish. Marc
People are just notoriously impossible. --DavidCrow
There's NO excuse for not commenting your code. -- John Simmons / outlaw programmer
People who say that they will refactor their code later to make it "good" don't understand refactoring, nor the art and craft of programming. -- Josh SmithEnglish is considered a first language in India though. An Indian and a Russian friend of mine and I used to discuss language alot. My Russian friend couldn't think in English for more than a half hour without reverting back to Russian. My Indian friend said that even in India he thinks in English. As its taught from the beginning. I think its as valid as an Austrailian dialect, or a South African dialect.
This statement was never false.
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And in English it does too depending on context. Its just not the prevelant form.
This statement was never false.