South Asian English

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

South Asian English is the

English accent of many modern-day South Asian countries, inherited from British English dialect. Also known as Anglo-Indian English during the British Raj, the English language was introduced to the Indian subcontinent in the early 17th century and reinforced by the long rule of the British Empire. Today it is spoken as a second language by about 350 million people, 20% of the total population.[1]

Although it is fairly homogeneous across the subcontinent, sharing "linguistic features and tendencies at virtually all linguistic levels", there are some differences based on various regional factors.[2]

South Asian English is sometimes just called "Indian English", as

British India included most of modern-day South Asia (except Afghanistan
). But today, the varieties of English are officially divided according to the modern states:

History

British India

English-language public instruction began in the subcontinent in the 1830s during the
civil services. At the time of Indian independence in 1947, English was the only functional lingua franca
in the region.

Notes

  1. ^ Baumgardner, p. 1
  2. ^ MacKenzie, John (January 2013). "A family empire", BBC History Magazine.

References