LINGUISTIC SITUATION AS THE DEVELOPMENT FACTOR OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEXICOGRAPHY IN INDIA: THE BRITISH RAJ PERIOD

Abstract

The given paper features the second part of the extended research focused on the investigation of the linguistic situation as a development factor of the English language lexicography in India. Thus, in this article the main parameters of the linguistic situation during the British Raj period, with English being the case study, are scanned. The diachronic approach used towards the analysis of the linguistic situation constituencies elicits certain stability of quantitative, qualitative and evaluative parameters as regards local languages in India and the pivotal changes as regards English. The English language quantitative parameter mirrors the fluctuation in demographic rate, national identity and professional occupancy of English speaking population in India during the Raj period. The qualitative parameter of linguistic situation being enriched by another Indo-European language, maintains its multilingual, heterogeneous and unbalanced features. The English language evaluative parameter reveals the main stages of the colonial language incorporation into the linguistic situation in the country. English in India goes through the perception as the language of traders and missionaries into its adoption as а means of education obtainment, social stability access and interaction mechanisms both with foreigners and citizenry of other multilingual country regions. Such position of English in colonial India prompts the alteration of its functional characteristics with political, pedagogical and lingua franca functions being the most essential. Their actualization is only feasible due to the flourish of lexicographic practice in colonial India. Thus, the English language serves the base for a number of glossaries, bilingual and explanatory dictionaries describing various lexical layers of English in India.