Indian English Oddities (And Ways to Fix Them) - Word Choice

This post on word choice is the second post of a three-part series covering Indian English oddities and will help you understand more nuances of the language as it is spoken by some people.

1. Encores & No-Shows

• Redundancy: Verbosity regularly features in IE. Look out for prepositions, conjunctions, adjectives, adverbs, synonyms and articles ‘a’ or ‘the’ that only add to the length of a sentence. Can you be able to come here please? (Can you come here please? or Is it possible for you to come here?)
• Word repetitions: IE tends to lean towards writing accoutrements aimed to emphasize on the fact. Check for phrases like cent per cent (100 percent). Miss Pushpa is smiling and smiling. (Miss Pushpa is a cheerful person.)
• Omission of Words: Keep an eye out for missing prepositions, conjunctions, articles and adjectives. Please do the needful. (Please send the requested files.)

2. Vocabulary Simulations

• Spellings: Watch out for homonyms (hear & here) and homophones (principal & principle).
• Indian words spelt out in English: crore, chappal. Here, a dictionary will come in handy. While some Indian English words have entered many dictionaries and are acceptable, some are simply not understood yet by a global audience.
• Morphed Words: Look out for phrasal verbs, clipped words (enthu, funda - usually nouns or adjectives), anthimeria (‘gift’ used as a verb), portmanteau (compound nouns & English and native words combinations)

3. Limited Usage

• Limited Vocabulary: I will have a cold. (I will catch a cold)
• Anachronisms:  Jargon that now seems dated can be found in IE. E.g. Dicky/dickey trunk (of car)
• Literal Translations: For this one, you’ll need to be acquainted with the native languages of India. Since it’s not possible to know the meanings of all the words  – just like it’s not possible to learn all American or British English words wherein new words are invented every day – I recommend familiarizing yourself with Indian-English literature and dictionaries. Speak slowly (softly), they're sleeping
• Words out of context: I’m going to watch a cinema (movie).
• Clichés: Native Indian writers tend to have an arsenal of commonly used phrases (‘n’ number of projects. (many projects) & idioms, outside which they’ll refuse to stray. Remember that there's a world full of possibilities where metaphors are as many as there are unused words in the dictionary.

Encores & No Shows in Indian English [Infographic]

4 Indian English Oddities - Style [Infographic]

Indian English Oddities (And Ways to Fix Them) - Style

Indian English is employed by Indian writers, writers of Indian origin or English writers influenced by Indians speaking in English. This quirky mode of communication has slowly spread its roots across the world, making it an unapologetic language by which to get your five cents er…rupees... across. However, when you isolate the global audience, not all of whom are aware of the subtleties of Indian English, it could mean loss of precious business. 

Here’s how to peel off the Indian English facade and flawlessly communicate with your target audience by watching out for these peculiarities. This post is broken down into three parts: Style, Word Choice and Grammar. Let's start with the first part.

STYLE

1. Emphasis: Indian English style uses certain techniques for emphasis.

o Reflexive Pronouns:  He only wrote that. (He himself wrote that). Myself, Jane; this is my friend Sheila. (I’m Jane and this is my friend Sheila.)

o Modifiers: I will do it now only. (I will do it right now.)

o Capping Common Nouns: Sean Wrote Scripts and Participated in Reality Shows.

2. Swaps & Switches:

o Word Order Variations: He does this always. (He always does this). I wonder where does he work. (I wonder where he works.)

o Questions: Look for unexpected precedents. You didn’t come for the show? Yes, I didn’t. (No I didn’t) You said you would do the job, isn't it? (didn’t you?)

3. Respect:

o Courtesy titles: Mr, Mrs, Miss, Ms, Master - Reserve these titles for people with high authority, formal situations or to specify marital status or gender.

o Salutations: Yours respectfully,  (Yours sincerely [based on relationship with this person]) Dear sir/madam (Dear Jake/Gillian)

4. Curtness and Lack of Awareness

o  Overlooking global language, cultural and seasonal differences: Examples: Holi (the Indian festival of colors), Winter, board exams. Unless you live in India, you won't know exactly what these are referring to. Provide references if the material must remain for contextual reasons. If it is not required, alter it to introduce commonality.

o  Short sentences: Short sentences without explanations or examples may seem curt. (Trying to make a point here!)

In conclusion, a fresh pair of eyes reading your work is your best bet. Hire a good editor. If you've been thinking about doing this, you're in luck. I just so happen to be one. If you want to work with me, simply drop me a mail at infanciac AT hotmail.com.

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I have more than 14 years of full-time and independent experience as a Copy Editor and Writer.


My areas of expertise include Education, Research, E-Learning and Publishing.


If you want to work with me or learn how to speak fluent English, simply drop an mail to infanciac AT hotmail.com.