Will English kill off India's languages?

[Loyus]

They can do a lot of things. I am talking about what they actually do. They always talk in English, not Hindi.QUOTE]

that is incorrect. i have talkied in Hindi to Tamils..when both knows English
And as I mentioned the acceptabiliuty of Hindi has gone up which I have already told you

 

[Developereo]

Because their identity recognition is not as high as the Chinese people.

Therefore, they have to use English in order to linguistically unify their country.

Well, China is a much more homogenous country like Japan, Korea, Germany, France, etc. so a common language is a given.

India has a lot of diversity and regionalism, so English is the neutral ground. Of course, the legacy of colonialism and the fact of English as the lingua franca also play into that.

But you are right: English is not a requirement to become a powerhouse on the international stage.

 

[ChineseTiger1986]

I think it's more like Catalan of Spain. If I want to learn Spanish, the last thing I would think about is how to speak Catalan. Same with anyone wanting to learn Chinese, last thing in their mind would probably be trying to learn how to speak Shanghainese. Mandarin will always be the main language of China.

Shanghainese is not as popular as Mandarin and Cantonese, but many immigrants in Shanghai will like learn Shanghainese since the last century from 1880s to 1990s.

But today the Mandarin is becoming more popular, so they don't even learn Shanghainese anymore even they are about to become the permanent residents in Shanghai.

BTW, all Chinese dialects or languages belong to the same Sinic family, just like how English/German/Dutch all belong to the Germanic family.

 

[illusion8]

English proficiency is a status symbol in South Asia because private schools tend to be English-medium, so fluency in English is perceived as a sign of wealth and upbringing. I am talking about proper English, not pidgin English as many people speak.

For the English speaking western countries French or Spanish is exotic and they are fascinated by the speakers,
But there is no fascination in English for us Indians its become second nature to converse and learn English from what i see for a Indian English is relatively easier to learn and it being the computer language and generally used in science and maths becomes a necessity to learn. As far as English killing off the numerous Indian languages and dialects not gonna happen cause we only converse in our regional languages within ourselves and take pride in doing it. I being a south Indian am very fluent in Hindi and love it and also knowing only Hindi is enough to survive anywhere in India.

 

[Roybot]

Language is tool to help people communicate. Nothing more nothing less. The more languages you know these days the better.

India has a lot of other things that holds it together.

 

[Obambam]

Shanghainese is not as popular as Mandarin and Cantonese, but many immigrants in Shanghai will like learn Shanghainese since the last century from 1880s to 1990s.

But today the Mandarin is becoming more popular, so they don't even learn Shanghainese anymore even they are about to become the permanent residents in Shanghai.

BTW, all Chinese dialects or languages belong to the same Sinic family, just like how English/German/Dutch all belong to the Germanic family.

Yep as I said, it's like comparing the local language of Barcelona to Spanish of Spain.
In fact Shanghainese is a dying language, even kids in Shanghai these days show little interest in it. Majority of them speaks Mandarin, unlike places like Guangzhou, Hong Kong or Macau where they are still brought up speaking Cantonese.

 

[Loyus]

Developero,

i have found your attitude of stubornness a bit dosconcerting..

It was there in the thread about the plight of Indian Muslims in my country where I had tried to engage with you in a proper debate

The thing is:
You don;t have to know everything. If you don;t know anything then try to learn from others especially from people who have got first hand experience of it (in person)

That time you claimed to know more about my state than me..
Now also, your attitude remains the same..

 

[ChineseTiger1986]

Yep as I said, it's like comparing the local language of Barcelona to Spanish of Spain.
In fact Shanghainese is a dying language, even kids in Shanghai these days show little interest in it. Majority of them speaks Mandarin, unlike places like Guangzhou, Hong Kong or Macau where they are still brought up speaking Cantonese.

Yep, those born after 2000s will not be able to speak it anymore.

BTW, i hope Cantonese can further improve their Mandarin skill, but to follow the trend of Shanghainese is unnecessary, since it has much more historical importance.

 

[Obambam]

Yep, those born after 2000s will not be able to speak it anymore.

BTW, i hope Cantonese can further improve their Mandarin skill, but to follow the trend of Shanghainese is unnecessary, since it has much more historical importance.

Kids in Hong Kong are taught Mandarin and it is compulsory I believe. It used to be English, but Mandarin has taken its place since 1997. I doubt Cantonese will suffer the same fate as Shanghainese since it is more and still widely used.

 

[Developereo]

You have courses opoened like "Learn spoken english in 21 days" ))

BPO/service industry is speeding these

That only goes so far. There was an article here about Philippines overtaking India in call center jobs because Americans find Indian English too foreign.

Not accurate, that would depend on the education levels. In any case English has been accepted as an Indian language by most Indians which is quite interesting when you contrast it with Persian which was the official language of the Mughal court & yet completely disappeared from India immediately after the collapse of Mughal rule. It seems that all "foreign imposed" languages are not treated with the same magnanimity by Indians.

The comparison to Persian is not apt. Royal languages are specifically intended to be exclusive and different to the language of the masses. English royalty used to speak French for the longest time.

 

[pmukherjee]

Indian languages have developed from Sanskrit over thousands of years except for Tamil, Malayalam, Telegu and Kannad which evolved independently. Indian languages have faced great threat earlier too, they have emerged all the stronger. In the present context, we do not have a national language and seem to be doing quite OK without one but there is a need for a trans Indian common language of communication. The choice is between English and Hindi. Hindi was tried out but failed as the extremities of our country felt that Hindi was being foisted upon them by the Hindi speaking states. Hindi was rejected by the southern states as well as West Bengal, Odisha and the seven sisters as all these states had very well developed and rich languages of their own and did not wish to give them a subordinate status. We therefore come back to English. It is the language of the educated and not necessarily the elite, it is a language in which a Punjabi, a Bengali, an Assamese and a Malayali can converse comfortably. The only requirement is that they should be educated enough to speak it. Without any official or governmental decree, English has already taken up the role of being the language of communication across the entire country.

Regarding Indian languages dying out. I don't think so. There will always be a strong audience for local languages and literature, poetry, drama etc. After all they form our mother tongue. So basically each state will have two languages, the local regional language and English. Hindi will be the third language in non Hindi speaking states.
Growth of English will not only bind the country, it will also lessen the importance of the regional languages and curb excessive language based regionalism which threatens our national identity.

 

[Loyus]

That only goes so far. There was an article here about Philippines overtaking India in call center jobs because Americans find Indian English too foreign.
QUOTE]

A clarification..
It is because of the accent..
South Indians have accent, Bengalis have accent etc etc..

The best are the North Eastern indians in terms of accent nuetraility and accepatnce among foreigners
Philippines was an US colony
their English is Amercanised and so is their accent..

The sense of americanism is reflected in their culure too..
Ask the East Asians

so quality (US accent) and low cost makes it a better option in the call centre market

But in the data category of the BPO business
India still makes it mark

 

[RezRoll]

The real problem comes when you start associating English with upper class and native language with lower class, which has indeed happened in many countries.

Already happening here.

Try as much to deny it, but people with better spoken English are often perceived to be smarter. Preferably with a British/Australian/American accent for added "coolness".

Yes, i know. It sounds ridiculous.

Even in a job interview, a strong command of English is a must for nearly any job. That's the reality.

Here's a fun fact : In my high school (one of the most oldest, prestigious schools in the country), only two languages were allowed to be spoken. Malay (national language) and English. Speaking any other languages would get you a fine

Language is tool to help people communicate. Nothing more nothing less. The more languages you know these days the better.

This pretty much sums it up.

I'm not a fan of the whole associating language to nationalistic pride.

Language to me, is just a tool for communication.

 

[Developereo]

Developero,

i have found your attitude of stubornness a bit dosconcerting..

It was there in the thread about the plight of Indian Muslims in my country where I had tried to engage with you in a proper debate

The thing is:
You don;t have to know everything. If you don;t know anything then try to learn from others especially from people who have got first hand experience of it (in person)

That time you claimed to know more about my state than me..
Now also, your attitude remains the same..

I am telling you my experience with South Indians over the last 10-15 years. They don't like to speak Hindi unless absolutely necessary. That's what they told me.

 

[Loyus]

That only goes so far. There was an article here about Philippines overtaking India in call center jobs because Americans find Indian English too foreign.



The comparison to Persian is not apt. Royal languages are specifically intended to be exclusive and different to the language of the masses. English royalty used to speak French for the longest time.

A clarification..
It is because of the accent..
South Indians have accent, Bengalis have accent etc etc..

The best are the North Eastern indians in terms of accent nuetraility and accepatnce among foreigners
Philippines was an US colony
their English is Amercanised and so is their accent..

The sense of americanism is reflected in their culure too..
Ask the East Asians

so quality (US accent) and low cost makes it a better option in the call centre market

But in the data category of the BPO business
India still makes it mark

---------- Post added at 06:06 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:03 PM ----------

I am telling you my experience with South Indians over the last 10-15 years. They don't like to speak Hindi unless absolutely necessary. That's what they told me.

Yes, that is true

I am telling you of my experience in August 2011..

even the Tamil politicains who were aniti hindi earlier are open to hindi for communication

This is because of large North Indian population in thewir area due to economic necessities

As I said earlier

Economics always truimph emotions..

It is the most important truth..