Syndrom "języka ciotczynego", czyli rzecz o angielszczyźnie w Indiach

• Authors: Maria M. Piechaczek-Borkowska

Title variants

EN

The "Auntie Tongue" Syndrome, or Some Remarks on the English Language in India

• Languages of publication: PL EN

Abstracts

EN

In her paper, the author presents the term ‘Auntie Tongue’ Syndrome, coined by Probal Dasgupta in 1993, to examine how relevant it is in present-day India, two decades after the publication of Dasgupta’s thesis. To contextualise her argument, she outlines the history of the English language in the Indian subcontinent, from its arrival with the East India Company in the 17th century, to colonial times, the Indian struggle for independence, and, finally, to the postcolonial era. Among the issues addressed here are the role that English has played in the Indian educational system, the ways in which Indians used it on their way to independence, and the functions it performs today as one of India’s official languages and as a ‘global language’. By contrasting various sociolinguistic approaches, the author argues that no single label can aptly describe the complex phenomena into which Indian English has evolved, ‘auntie tongue’ being an outdated concept with regard to the outpouring of Indian literature in English and the expansion of transnational call centres based in Indian metropolises.

Keywords

EN

Indian English; India; Mother Tongue; Official language; linguistic policy

• Publisher: Polskie Towarzystwo Orientalistyczne
• Journal: Przegląd Orientalistyczny
• Year: 2013
• Issue: 3-4(247-248)
• Pages: 185-194

Contributors

author

Maria M. Piechaczek-Borkowska

• Uniwersytet Jagielloński