Abstract

ABSTRACTThe use of English in rituals in the Hindu diaspora in the US is a major change for the religion, since English is excluded from Hindu rituals in India. This paper demonstrates that: (a) this change has impacted the structure of English and the system of Hinduism; (b) Hindu saints, the ‘authority’ in Hinduism, sanction this change; (c) the media further promotes it; and (d) it impacts the degree of functional load and transparency for the languages of rituals while creating di‐systems, or mixed codes with two systems of thought. The implications of this discussion for the theory of language change, maintenance and loss of language will be presented.

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