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 #32 (permalink) Tue Mar 11, 2008 14:29 pm Usage of "Who all" |
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| Molly wrote: |
<Foreign learners are often unable to perform or even comprehend these switches because their level of acquired English is functionally flat.">
| Quote: |
| People in India can talk any way they want. They can replace every form of tag question with a single "is it?" if they want. They can change the past tense of "go" from "went" to "was go" if they want. They can use such deviant pronunciation that no native speaker can understand them, if they want. They can do all kinds of things to the English language in India if they want to, but if their goal is clear communication in an international context, then they have to drop all those eccentricities and adhere to the general standard. |
Which could leave the rest of us, i.e. non-Indians, more functionally flat, right? |
You've lost the argument. Just give up. |
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Jamie (K)
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Joined: 24 Feb 2006
Posts: 5334
Location: Detroit, Michigan, USA
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| #33 (permalink) Tue Mar 11, 2008 17:36 pm Usage of "Who all" |
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| Molly wrote: |
| You believe it is incorrect in Indian English? |
According to the following Wikipedia entry 'Indian English' is simply regarded as 'incorrect English' so why bother with it?
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Formal British English is preferred over the layman's Indian English in educated Indian circles and higher Indian writing. Middle and upper-class Indians, especially those with greater and wider exposure to the West through books, electronic media (such as television or movies) and travel, tend to speak grammatically-standard English.
What is characterised as Indian English is not considered "correct usage" by either government-related institutions (such as offices and schools) or educated Indians who prize 'proper' English. Indian schools still teach grammar from (frequently older) British textbooks like Wren & Martin or J. C. Nesfield (1898): the grammar of higher British English is considered the only correct one. Efforts by the Oxford University Press to publish a dictionary of Indian English resulted in abject failure since customers in India preferred the 'proper' British dictionary. |
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Torsten
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Molly
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| #35 (permalink) Wed Mar 12, 2008 10:33 am Usage of "Who all" |
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Hi Molly,
I think we can swap quotes back and forth until the cows come out. The initial question was grammar related and at some point the discussion started to take a slightly different direction moving into sociolinguistics. It's probably best if you open a new thread on the different varieties of English with a focus on Indian and Nigerian English. Since English is a second language to me, I'm concentrating on learning the language of those people I want to emulate. Maybe there is a certain percentage of ESL learners who instead of UK or US English want to learn Nigerian, Indian or Creole English and you might be able to help them achieve their goal.
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| #36 (permalink) Wed Mar 12, 2008 10:42 am Usage of "Who all" |
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OK, Torsten. Thanks for the exchange of views.
One thing, how do you go about this?
| Quote: |
| I'm concentrating on learning the language of those people I want to emulate. |
Which "models" do you use? |
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Molly
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| #37 (permalink) Wed Mar 12, 2008 11:03 am Usage of "Who all" |
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I don't use any 'models' but prefer learning from and with people instead. After all, I don't want to interact with 'models' but with people.
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| #38 (permalink) Wed Mar 12, 2008 11:25 am Usage of "Who all" |
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| Torsten wrote: |
| I think we can swap quotes back and forth until the cows come out. |
Till the cows come home. |
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Jamie (K)
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| #39 (permalink) Wed Mar 12, 2008 11:45 am Usage of "Who all" |
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Hi Jamie, thanks for pointing this out. Is there a difference between 'till the cows come home' and 'until the cows come home'? It seems that both versions are acceptable and used?
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| #40 (permalink) Wed Mar 12, 2008 11:48 am Usage of "Who all" |
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| "Till" is colloquial, or poetic. There's no difference. |
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Jamie (K)
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Posts: 5334
Location: Detroit, Michigan, USA
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| Is this a natural english writing? (For this problem, I won't put more effort...) | Ballot vs vote |
