Yamuna Kachru Research Articles

The Kachruvian paradigm and its range and depth of influence

AbstractWorld Englishes (WE) is at an inflexion point: first, we witnessed the recent passing of its founding father, Braj B. Kachru in 2016, his co‐founding editor of the journal World Englishes, Larry E. Smith in 2014, and his wife and collaborator, Yamuna Kachru in 2013. They formed a triumvirate influencing generations of scholars on English as a global language in a multilingual world. Second, globalization coupled with ultra‐connectivity has given rise to new modalities of English world‐wide, bringing into question the relevance of WE. My research, observing and theorizing the range and depth of scholarship arising from the WE paradigm and my thinking on bilingualism and language management issues have been influenced by Kachru's notions of plurality and inclusivity and the sociolinguistic reality of English use, especially in the Outer Circle of English‐using communities. Kachru similarly made an impact on scholars working on related theoretical paradigms regarding English as a dynamic global language. His legacy will be assessed, leading us to ponder on WE beyond the Kachruvian era.

English in South Asia: Lessons and parallels

AbstractBraj B. Kachru's work on South Asian English, part of his larger research framework of ‘World Englishes’, is recognized as a significant contribution to linguistics, especially contact linguistics. In 1979, he also dealt with the ‘Englishization of Hindi’, an issue more fully pursued by Yamuna Kachru. A first discussion of the significance of the two‐way interaction between English and South Asian languages for contact linguistics was presented in Hock (2015). This paper further explores these implications – for Language Contact in general, for the prehistoric ‘Indianization’ of Sanskrit, and for Sanskrit as pan‐Indian link language under the Guptas.

Obituary: Professor Braj B. Kachru (1932–2016)

Obituary: Professor Braj B. Kachru (1932–2016)

Pedagogy and world Englishes: The legacy of Yamuna Kachru

ABSTRACTFrom the beginning of world Englishes (WE) as a field of study, Yamuna Kachru was a strong advocate for users of English in all circles. She consistently argued for language teaching and for language acquisition research that would acknowledge the diverse bilingual and multilingual contexts in which English is learned and used. This paper considers just four of her areas of interest as they pertain to language pedagogy and world Englishes: the interlanguage hypothesis and fossilization, discourse studies, contrastive rhetoric, and the sociolinguistic realities of learners and teachers. The conclusion offers touchstones from her work to inspire future research.

A socially realistic view of world Englishes: Reflections on gendered discourse

ABSTRACTThe work of Braj Kachru and Yamuna Kachru has inspired generations of scholars to take a socially realistic view of the global spread of English. It is the work of Yamuna Kachru, however, who argues that taking an integrative sociocultural approach to the study of world Englishes to examine linguistic interaction expresses not only the bilingual's creativity but also provides valuable methodological and theoretical insights into the discoursal structure in world Englishes. Adopting the sociocultural linguistic approach, this paper examines how speakers construct gender in Indian English discourse. Using examples from naturally occurring spoken conversations, this paper shows that the interplay between language and identity is rooted in the cultural beliefs and values of speakers. The socially realistic approach contextualizes the culture of language to explain language variation in the Outer Circle.

Yamuna Kachru's contributions to South Asian discourse and convergence studies

ABSTRACTThe range of Yamuna Kachru's publications is tremendously broad, ranging from language pedagogy, to South Asian – especially Hindi – syntax and syntactic typology, to discourse in South Asian and other languages, to the broader issue of South Asia and world Englishes. This paper focuses on a number of those aspects of her work that have stimulated my own work on several facets of South Asian linguistics, and presents a personal perspective on Professor Kachru's work in this arena.

Mapping Yamunaji's scholarly tributaries: Childhood education and professional writing

ABSTRACTThis paper recognizes and celebrates Dr. Yamuna Kachru's multiple research contributions. Continuing with the metaphor of the powerful River Yamuna that the preceding paper uses, this one explores two tributaries or, more specifically, two applications of her research, namely, the value of her contributions to the field of childhood education and to professional communication. Implications and directions for future research are also outlined.

Yamuna Kachru's contribution to linguacultural studies

ABSTRACTThis paper summarizes the major theses Professor Yamuna Kachru developed in the field of linguaculture: the relations between language and culture, role of English diversity in enriching speaker's worldview, dependence of language dynamics on the change of the sociocultural context; cultural specifics of text types; the culture's effects on cognition; impact of social conventions and linguistic strategies on intercultural communication, and role of contact literature in enriching English user's background knowledge. All these arguments serve as a solid basis for the world Englishes paradigm closely associated with intercultural communication studies.

Grammar and culture in the work of Yamuna Kachru

ABSTRACTThis paper examines Professor Yamuna Kachru's construction of grammar in the context of work that adopted a number of different approaches to linguistics, each with its proper data, methodology, and theoretical concerns. These approaches are the standard theory of generative grammar, relational grammar, and grammar from the perspectives of discourse analysis, sociolinguistics, and systemic functional (Hallidayan) linguistics. Throughout her research and publications on grammar and culture, Professor Kachru's work challenges and extends traditional linguistics in a creative and innovative fashion, providing a unique contribution to our understanding of Hindi and English, and to that of grammar and of culture.

Plurality and world Englishes: The social realities of language use

ABSTRACTIn spite of decades of scholarship on plurality and in particular Englishes, discussion in some academic quarters in recent years has questioned this fundamental aspect of language/English use, with some coming to view plurality (of Englishes) in fact as marginalizing and segregating (cf. Bruthiaux 2003; Pennycook 2003, 2008; Saraceni 2010; Ur 2010). In light of now nearly four decades of scholarship on world Englishes (WE), by Yamuna Kachru as well as innumerable other scholars, this paper revisits the core concepts that form the foundation for plurality and consequently WE, concepts that must be addressed if plurality (of Englishes) is to be challenged. The discussion revisits the numerous foundational concepts in (socio)linguistics for WE, and gives particular consideration to the notion of the speech community in light of the higher degree of mobility and virtual interaction in the contemporary era.

With admiration, gratitude, and deep respect: In honor of Professor Yamuna Kachru (1933–2013)

ABSTRACTProfessor Yamuna Kachru spent her early years in India, where she completed her BA and MA studies in Hindi language and literature, as well as a Diploma in Linguistics. She went to the UK in 1959, where she taught at SOAS, and completed her PhD. In 1965 she moved to the University of Illinois at Urbana‐Champaign to join her husband Professor Braj B. Kachru in the Linguistics Department. Over the course of her career she published an impressive body of work that included research on South Asian linguistics, Hindi language studies, applied linguistics, Asian Englishes, contrastive rhetoric, discourse analysis, and cross‐cultural communication. Her many awards include the Presidential Award for her research and publications on Hindi linguistics, which she received from the President of India in 2006. The collection of papers in this special issue pays tribute to her life and work, with much admiration, gratitude and deep respect.

English as a plural language: The significance of Yamuna Kachru

ABSTRACTIn a distinguished career spanning five decades Professor Yamuna Kachru enriched several areas of linguistics and applied language studies. This initial appreciation attempts to show how her family background, education, and experience on three continents shaped her interests and perspectives. The evolution of her research is structured as a series of concentric circles, each informed by the previous ones. The inner circle is her monumental work on Hindi grammar and sociolinguistics. The second circle concerns contrastive analysis, second language acquisition and teaching, and multilingualism. The third circle involves pragmatics, discourse structure, and world Englishes. The salient features of her scholarship are outlined, along with her vital role in bringing about world‐wide recognition of the new paradigm of world Englishes through original research, teaching, and building the academic infrastructure for the field through texts, reference works, the journal World Englishes, and the professional society IAWE.

Mapping Yamunaji's linguistic landscape research: Cartographies in context, culture and class

ABSTRACTThe current paper pays intellectual homage to a prolific scholar whose contributions to world Englishes need formal acknowledgement. Current linguistic landscape research it is argued stands to gain from Yamuna Kachru's timely theorizations. This paper situates Kachru's forty‐six year‐research within the chronoscope of her own evolving scholarly career to demonstrate the provocative implications of her brand of research. Her theorizations stand poised to re‐revolutionize the field's acknowledgement of linguistic rights particularly in regard to peripherally acknowledged, yet semiotically salient variables of pertinence to current research namely, context, culture and class which her research assiduously, indeed, meticulously sought to study.

This issue of World Englishes is dedicated to celebrating the life and work of Yamuna Kachru

World EnglishesVolume 34, Issue 1 p. 1-1 Miscellaneous This issue of World Englishes is dedicated to celebrating the life and work of Yamuna Kachru First published: 18 February 2015 https://doi.org/10.1111/weng.12130Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume34, Issue1Special Issue: SPECIAL ISSUE CELEBRATING THE LIFE AND WORK OF YAMUNA KACHRUMarch 2015Pages 1-1 RelatedInformation

Speech act, politeness, the Yamuna Kachru model

ABSTRACTYamuna Kachru's work on politeness (2003a, 2008b) and the various forms it takes in different cultures is foundational and should be studied by everyone researching any aspect of cross‐cultural communication. Her personal and professional life demonstrated her profound understanding of the phenomena of politeness. She was, for me, politeness personified but that in no way prevented her from correcting errors in her students’ work or challenging her colleagues when she disagreed with them. Using the title of this paper as something she would not have readily accepted, I review her understanding of speech act theory (1991a, 1991b,1992b, 1994a, 1995d, 1998b) and principles of politeness.

Professor Yamuna Kachru's scholarly work: A bibliography

ABSTRACTThis article comprises an extensive bibliography that maps the arc of Professor Yamuna Kachru's publications over a period of forty‐six years, from 1965–2011. This bibliography not only reflects the productivity of Professor Kachru's scholarly endeavors, but also provides a testament to the breadth and diversity of her academic and research interests, which is also the focus of the substantive articles contributed to this special issue. It is our intention that this bibliography should not only stand as a record of a remarkable and inspiring academic leader, but also as a point of reference for future generations of scholars, who, in their turn, will be inspired by her research.

Yamuna Kachru and world Englishes

ABSTRACTProfessor Yamuna Kachru brought an enormous energy and commitment to the world Englishes (WE) enterprise over three decades. Her research and publications were characterized by a unique intelligence, informed by her expert knowledge of South Asian linguistics, as well as a lively and curious intellect fascinated by many other aspects of language studies. Her contribution to world Englishes was lucidly informed by her own experiences of India and by her deep and comprehensive research on South Asian languages. The arc of her research career can be traced from South Asian linguistics through contrastive discourse analysis to a wide variety of research and publications on world Englishes, about which she co‐authored three volumes, and published more than forty research papers. Her work continues to serve as an inspiration for WE scholars and students throughout the world.

Creativity and ‘expanding noetics’ in world Englishes

ABSTRACTThe title of Professor Yamuna Kachru's paper, ‘Culture, Style, and Discourse: Expanding Noetics of English’ (1992a) immediately raises an intriguing aspect of the spread and functions of world Englishes. The code, with all its potential variations in forms, may well serve as a window into and a means of approaching the ‘cultures, styles, and discourses’ of groups and people who are outside our own first‐hand and comfortable experiences. Excerpts from some culturally relevant texts, including some cited by Kachru, may serve to explicate and further substantiate this approach.

Professor Yamuna Kachru and creativity in Hindi linguistics

ABSTRACTThe aim of this paper is to identify the salient features of Professor Yamuna Kachru's contributions to Hindi linguistics. The paper begins by identifying the seven research areas of her contributions and then goes on to focus on her pioneering work on Hindi syntax and her final work on Hindi grammar. The seven areas embody a wide range of topics. Although a detailed treatment of the topics is beyond the scope of an article such as this, it suffices to say the papers offer state‐of‐the art treatments of these topics within the latest theoretical framework of that time. The specific aspects of her theoretical and methodological contributions are underscored in the conclusion after noting the wide‐ranging impact of her scholarship on succeeding generations of Hindi linguists. Simply put, she was the Chomsky of Hindi linguistics – a pioneer, a visionary, a teacher and a scholar.

In Memoriam: Dr Yamuna Kachru (1933–2013)

On 19 April 2013, Dr. Yamuna Kachru, Professor Emerita of Linguistics and English as an International Language at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), USA, passed away after a sho...