Sunday Times 2
Diplomats in India must learn ‘Hinglish’
Prepare for a new addition to the English language, with ‘Hinglish’ on the rise. The hybrid child of Hindu and English, the language is now becoming India’s most important language – to the extent that British diplomats posted to the country have now been told they will need to learn the language.
Hinglish is not so much its own language, but the free mixing of Hindu and English words and sentence structures – even within a single sentence.
While this mixing has occurred since colonial times, it is now maturing and spreading across the country – meaning a diplomat without some understanding of the Hindi words can be left out of the loop in conversations or miss nuances which could affect relationships and business deals.
For 200 years, English has always been a ‘language of choice’ for businesses, private schools and the upper classes
Meanwhile words have always moved freely between the two languages – words we used every day in English-speaking countries such as shampoo and pyjamas have their origins in India.
But with many Indian TV channels and movies now freely mixing the two languages, the impact is now spreading into other areas of life. It is also spreading across the country – with cheaper televisions and access to the internet spreading across rural areas spreading the influence further than the cities.
The Telegraph, which first reported the shift in diplomatic policy, reported how Bollywood films regularly use English.
Meanwhile advertisements on television will mix the two languages, such as a recent shampoo advertisement which had the slogan: ‘Come on girls, waqt hai shine karne ka!’ – or ‘it’s time to shine’.
Whereas diplomats needed previously to be simply fluent in English, it is now not seen as sufficient – particularly for business matters. A British high commission spokesman told The Telegraph: ‘The Foreign Office is placing increasing importance on the ability to transact business in foreign languages.
‘English news channels often have a portion where people choose to express themselves in Hindi because it captures what they’re trying to say better than the English equivalent, so it’s increasingly important for British diplomats to be able to appreciate the nuances.’
© Daily Mail, London
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