Indian English came into its own right as a legitimate version of English when it was used in fiction. It occupies the same status as African English, which can be further divided into the other variants on the continent of Africa, Caribbean English, Singaporean English and so on. What is quite amazing is the manner in which Indianisms have flowered and come to stay. A cursory online search will give lists of Indianisms. Here are some that are quite amusing and yet make sense only in India (OII). We usually warn students about using Indianisms in contexts other than fictional dialogue.
This article is part of the series on Editing do’s and don’ts.
It was probably an attempt at polite speech that coined the question, ‘What is your good name?’ The user of the innocently asked question is often quite unaware that by inference they are suggesting there might be an evil name of the subject in addition to the good one. Again OII.
How often have you heard a conversation where a speaker says, ‘My son/daughter passed out of college.’ To pass out is to faint, to lose consciousness temporarily. But this Indianism which we are all familiar with means, the son or daughter graduated from college.
Another favourite Indianism is to refer to a person and say that they had expired. It appears to be a term used OII. Outside India, it is common to use the word expired in connection to expiry dates on food products or other products with short shelf life. Putting an expiry date is mandatory on all goods. I think we need to find other words to replace ‘expired’ for deaths. It should be quite acceptable to say ‘passed away’, ‘died,’ ‘is no more,’ ‘has gone home to his maker’ and so on.
The name ‘mixie’ has been around ever since the ‘mixie’ hit stores in India. But importing the word beyond Indian shores doesn’t seem to have worked. Outside India,a mixie is a food blender. A far boring name than the good old mixie.
Phrases like ‘sitting on my head’ and ‘eating my brain’ are such fine examples of Indianisms. ‘Sitting on my head’ is used by the speaker to refer to a boss or a horde of relatives forcing him/her to do something. ‘Eating my brain’ is used by the speaker to convey that a matter is really bothering him/her. ‘Mugging up’ for exams is another Indianism. For non-Indians, it is too close to the real meaning of mugging - being robbed by another person, usually a thief.
The meaning of the word ‘homely’ has been transformed by Indian English. In its home of origin, to be described as homely is unflattering as it means a young woman is unattractive. But in Indian English it is a compliment as it means the person has admirable domestic qualities and is good wife material. Along the same vein, the word ‘schemes’ as used in India has no relation to the negative meaning of the word in English. In Indian English, schemes simply refer to the governmental programs for development of the society.
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Believe it or not, ‘prepone’ is not a word in native English. It has been coined in India and serves that purpose very well. Likewise, words like co-brother-in-law, co-sister, co-brother are all Indianisms. Veg, non-veg anyone? OII. Only in India.
Overused newspaper phrases
Newspapers often warn rookie reporters against using overused phrases. It is a good idea to get hold of a style book, if available, and be nurtured into writing good English. The Statesman used to have its own style book in the 70s and 80s, which served as a very good guide to sparkling English for newspaper use. I have not heard of other newspapers with the same eagerness to instil good language skills as The Statesman of old. Anyway, here are some overused newspaper phrases that can be avoided, and replaced. Reports on robberies often state that certain people were ‘relieved of their valuables and money’. I have read a report on an elderly woman ‘relieved of her gold chain and purse.’ Being relieved of, instead of being robbed of, their watches and jewellery, suggests that the stolen objects were a burden to the owners and the thieves had done them a favour by robbing them and thus giving them ‘relief’ from these ‘burdens.’
A frequently used phrase is, ‘he succumbed to his injuries.’ It is quite acceptable to state that the person died of his injuries. Yet another overused word in newspaper reporting is ‘miscreant.’ The original meaning of miscreant was infidel or heretic. Nowadays it simply means villain.It can be replaced by words that fit the activity such as dacoit, robber, pickpocket, or burglar.
