It’s So English

I made my first international trip to the United States of America with my family at 16 years of age. One of my father’s friends came to receive us at the JFK International airport. The cold breeze, bright lights, and clean streets were fascinating, but what was amusing was the way in which my father’s American friend and his family perceived India. Apart from the stereotypical notions they had about snake charmers and elephants in India, they were astonished that I spoke fluent English. When I told them that English was the only language I spoke fluently (technically, my first language) other than a dash of Hindi (the Indian national language) and Gujarati (my mother tongue), and that I was an avid Hollywood fan and enjoyed Boyzone and Spice Girls, there were ear-splitting exclamations!

India inherited English from the British during the colonization period. This language then seeped through some of the most essential sectors of the society: communication, business, science, entertainment, media, education system, and politics and steadily into the social sphere. Although the English spoken in India is closer to the British English style, with globalisation American English has made a definite impact on the youth as well as the professionals. India is a vast nation and in terms of number of English speakers, it ranks third in the world after USA and the UK. The famous linguistic professor David Crystal claims that, of the countries where English is used as the second language, India has the most English speakers.

Although Hindi is the national language of India, English is the dominant choice for the medium of instruction in schools, colleges and universities. English has been the medium of instruction throughout my education. These days, most receive their primary, secondary and high school education in English in India. In big cosmopolitan cities, one will find at least one in five students in a school with a different language or a dialect as their mother tongue. Therefore, English is the most common language that bonds students, friends and professionals. Additionally, most of the next generation in India is at its comfortable best while using English rather than their mother tongue or the national language while interacting with their family and friends.