43 English words that originate from India

A few weeks ago, we looked at example of “legitimate” Indian English — expressions native to the way Indians speak the English language, which are distinctive but not necessarily incorrect. Some Indian Englishisms are merely translated from an Indian language: “What is your good name?” is the classic, since all Bengalis, for instance, have a “daak naam” that they are called by, and a “bhalo naam” (or “good name”) for the record. But “what is your good name?” is still the most polite form, in any Indian version of the English language, for finding out the identity of your interlocutor. “Is he your real brother?” someone asks, not to accuse you of having imaginary siblings, but to differentiate this brother from a cousin, who is also referred to as a “brother” by affectionate Indians.

Such cultural assumptions inevitably influence language. The widespread preference for — or at least acceptability of — vegetarianism in India makes Indian English the only language that uses the expression “non-veg” for meat, fish and those who consume them. The Indian arranged marriage culture has also had its impact on our local English. Our matrimonial ads have created their own cultural tropes with expressions that only mean something in Indian English — “wheatish complexion”, of course, and better still, “traditional with modern outlook”. Many ads require a prospective bride in India to be “homely” (that is, home-loving and a good housekeeper) and to have “passed out” — not fainted or lost consciousness, as a Brit or American might assume, but graduated — from a “convent school”; in other words, a school established by a missionary order where the medium of instruction is English.

wknd@khaleejtimes.com