How can Indians be comfortable speaking english?

[PredictablyMalicious]

English, the language of the colonialists and ultimately a foreign language that can not hold a candle to a great language like sanskrit or even any indic language. How is speaking english not a sign of self hate? Why doesn't the Indian government try to prevent the spread of english?

 

[PredictablyMalicious]

You know what makes me sad? When on bollywood videos, all the comments are in english.

 

[pmaitra]

I see at least one reason why one would hate English. It requires one to shed his/her laziness about capitalizing a proper noun.

 

[Singh]

English, the language of the colonialists and ultimately a foreign language that can not hold a candle to a great language like sanskrit or even any indic language. How is speaking english not a sign of self hate? Why doesn't the Indian government try to prevent the spread of english?

aware me brah

 

[parijataka]

Well said. This disease was rampant in N India only - now other regions are also affected !

No one speaks in their native language correctly and the worst part is most Indians do not have good English language skills either.

Pathetic situation.

 

[Dovah]

so edgy .................................................................................. so wow
.
. ...................................much bollywood ............. so anger
.
. ......many sadness .............
.
. ...................................................such hate

 

[Singh]

Well said. This disease was rampant in N India only - now other regions are also affected !No one speaks in their native language correctly

Delhi is not N. India.

and the worst part is most Indians do not have good English language skills either.

South Indian Accent FTW

Pathetic situation.

u wot m8 ?

 

[Singh]

so edgy .................................................................................. so wow
.
. ...................................much bollywood ............. so anger
.
. ......many sadness .............
.
. ...................................................such hate

Hero se tu kam na lagta re
Look point tera killer
Tom Cruise aur Johnny Depp toh
Tera yaka chillar (Repeat once)
Tollso tali ring ror pe
Kaddi aaj bagaayenge
Arrey baby baith pajero mein
Tera appy budday manayenge
Arrey baby baith pajero mein
Chall long drive jayenge
Arrey baby baith pajero mein
Chall long drive jayenge
Yeah.. yeah..
O.. O..
Naughty Naughty baatein teri
Touch kar gayee manne
Arrey touch kar gayee manne
Bin tere dill katayee na lagta
Sach batadun tanne
Arrey sach batadun tanne
Deep love ki pheeling wale
Angreji gaane gayenge
Arrey boy baith pajero mein
Tera appy budday manayenge
Arrey baby baith khatole pe
Chall long drive jayenge
Baith pajero pe
Chall long drive jayenge
Baith khatole pe
Tera appy budday manayenge
Arrey baith khatole pe
Tera appy budday manayenge
Arrey baby baith pajero mein
Chall long drive jayenge

 

[PredictablyMalicious]

Singh I am serious. It is a sad state of affairs. No one respects those who have no respect for themselves. Indians speaking English means they don't respect their language and therefore they have no respect for themselves.

 

[Dovah]

Nayak se tu kam na lagta re
drishti teri jaanleva
Amitabh aur Dharmendra toh
Tera yaka chillar (Repeat once)
Marg shulk tali paridhi sarak pe
Kaddi aaj bagaayenge
Arrey priyatama baith pajero mein
Tera janma divas manayenge
Arrey priyatama baith pajero mein
Chall lambi sair jayenge
Arrey priyatama baith pajero mein
Chall lambi sair jayenge
haan.. haan..
ओ.. ओ..
Shaitan shaitan baatein teri
sparsh kar gayee manne
Arrey sparsh kar gayee manne
Bin tere dill katayee na lagta
Sach batadun tanne
Arrey sach batadun tanne
Gehra prem ki bhavna wale
Angreji gaane gayenge
Arrey ladke baith pajero mein
Tera janma divas manayenge
Arrey priyatama baith khatole pe
Chall lambi sair jayenge
Baith pajero pe
Chall lambi sair jayenge
Baith khatole pe
Tera janma divas manayenge
Arrey baith khatole pe
Tera janma divas manayenge
Arrey premika baith pajero mein
Chall lambi sair jayenge

Fixed saar.

 

[Singh]

Fixed saar.

Saar well done (Repeat Once)

 

[Apollyon]

I never speak in English.

 

[parijataka]

@Singh, @Dovah - I dont find anything funny about the topic.

Fewer and fewer people nowadays speak good Hindi, good Punjabi, good Tamil, etc. AFAIK many Punjabis in Delhi cannot speak in `thet` Punjabi either.

Not talking about accents here - can make fun of all accents and usages across India - East, West, South or North.

English is spoken as a `status` symbol by all Indians.

And don't get me started me on Delhi people's language skills - lived there 5 years (enjoyed it BTW!).

 

[pmaitra]

English is spoken as a `status` symbol by all Indians.

Erroneous presumption.

 

[Singh]

@Singh, @Dovah - I dont find anything funny about the topic.

Fewer and fewer people nowadays speak good Hindi, good Punjabi, good Tamil, etc. AFAIK many Punjabis in Delhi cannot speak in `thet` Punjabi either.

Not talking about accents here - can make fun of all accents and usages across India - East, West, South or North.

English is spoken as a `status` symbol by all Indians.

And don't get me started me on Delhi people's language skills - lived there 5 years (enjoyed it BTW!).

Because "thet" Punjabi refers to an East Punjabi Dialect, whereas most of Delhi's Punjabis are from West Punjab. Punjabi has more than a dozen (or 2 dozen) dialects.

In any case plucked from their native place, they couldn't have possibly maintained their culture.
And even at that time, the Status Symbol was the ability to converse in/read/write Urdu.

 

[Mad Indian]

English is spoken as a `status` symbol by all Indians.
.

QFT. I have noticed this ever since I was a school kid. Its sad when the parents of TN kids are proud that their wards know "onlee eengliszh and not Tamil"

 

[Singh]

Singh I am serious. It is a sad state of affairs. No one respects those who have no respect for themselves. Indians speaking English means they don't respect their language and therefore they have no respect for themselves.

I bet you speak your mother tongue at home ?
Since you are in Canada, keeping with Punjabi won't be an issue.

 

[Bilal]

Same goes for urdu,but i feel one can speak any language he likes and connects to.

 

[Dovah]

@Singh, @Dovah
Not talking about accents here - can make fun of all accents and usages across India - East, West, South or North.
English is spoken as a `status` symbol by all Indians.
And don't get me started me on Delhi people's language skills - lived there 5 years (enjoyed it BTW!).

Regardless of how much you want to promote local languages, there is no way English is losing it's value. How do you teach curriculum in local languages? Translate everything? How would a Tamil student who has learnt everything in Tamil all his life integrate into a Bengali University or vice versa? Unless Indians are ready to accept a language as a national language to replace English, English will always enjoy the special status it does today and good-luck making Indians agree to a common language.

Fewer and fewer people nowadays speak good Hindi, good Punjabi, good Tamil, etc. AFAIK many Punjabis in Delhi cannot speak in `thet` Punjabi either.

What is "good hindi/Panjab/ Tamil? All languages evolve, there are always different dialects, languages always import words and adapt to the times. One could argue that no one apart from the Britons speaks good English either.

English is spoken as a `status` symbol by all Indians.

No. It is spoken as a necessity.

And don't get me started me on Delhi people's language skills - lived there 5 years (enjoyed it BTW!).

This is a funny statement, on one hand you are bemoaning the influence of English in our society and on the other you are dismissing a people's language skill based on their grasp on English.

I dont find anything funny about the topic.

I do. For two reasons.

1) This topic pops up every month on DFI.

2) It is funny that someone would post a thread lamenting the influence English in an English language forum, in English, residing in an English speaking country. Not to mention the fact most proponents of Sanskrit do not speak the language themselves( myself included).

 

[pmaitra]

@Dovah,

That was an excellent exposé of an obvious hypocrisy of many.

I didn't attempt to do so because, I have done this many times, and am tired of it, because, as you rightly said, this topic pops up time and again.