Imposition of English in India and Its Complexities

Abstract

Abstract: Owing to Britain’s colonization and American globalization, English has become the most common medium of communication among most Indians. Since India’s independence in 1947, English has been staying as the language of an elite class, a medium of higher education especially legal terms, and technical terminology. English acts as a lingua franca in the Indian multilingual society. Since India’s Independence, British English has had a perennial effect on the Indian education system. Moreover, international pop culture has exerted an American influence on youngsters’ English accents tremendously. By incorporating the information regarding the differences and similarities between British and Indian English; American and Indian English from distinctive research papers, a few books, and a Qualitative method has been used aiming at the thorough investigation of the intricacies of Indian English as well as the in-depth variations of accents and influences. Above all, the paper concentrates on the characteristics of Indian English and its evolution by discussing the influences of British and American accents and a comparative study of various phonemes in three distinct accents (Indian, British, and American phonetics). Subsequently, the main focus is how English has upsurged in India over the years. To recapitulate, the research has resulted in emphasizing that British English is far more pragmatic than American English.