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Tongue and Cheek | Debating Pronunciations in English Language

The Economic Times, Education, Technology, Spoken English, Learning English, EnglishHelper, English Language, English speaking

A few weeks ago, my wife and I debated the pronunciation of the word ‘churlish’. Like most times she won; backed by Oxford English Language Dictionary. I accept her victory but am not ready to concede defeat – I quite like the way I say the word. Plus, I figure, everybody understands what I am saying, so what is the problem?

A Bollywood movie song’s lyrics lament the confusion of the English language. The question it asks (to my knowledge, without a response) relates to the riddle of English sounds. What is the reason, the lyricist queried, for ‘but’ to sound so illogically different from ‘put’?

The world wants English. There are an estimated 430 million ‘native’ English speakers (says Wikipedia), and over 1 billion people are learning the language (British Council research). In India, speaking English is a social statement. In China, those who know English are reportedly paid a wage premium of 50% or more. In some other cultures, senior corporate executives hire ‘coaches’ to help deal with the English challenge posed by a visitor from overseas. Resultantly, a large number of experts, firms, not for profits, development organizations and government agencies have immersed themselves in the pursuit of serving this hunger.

Within the next decade, it is estimated, at least half the planet will be on the internet. While it is increasingly possible to browse the world-wide-web in a preferred language, the fact that the most significant traffic (and presumably data, information, knowledge) is in English makes it difficult to ignore.

Strangely, learning English can be difficult. I am neither a student of the history of the English language nor a qualified linguist. However, it is clear, even to me, that the biggest hurdle for ‘non- native’ speakers is the difficulty posed by English phonics. Often, the sound of an English letter when used in a word can be very different to the way the alphabet is articulated on its own. These nuances may not always be guided by the logic of rules thus, making it extremely challenging for learners who do not hear English spoken in their everyday lives.

I grew up exposed to ‘British English’. My teachers, newsreaders on radio or TV and favorite cricket commentators spoke like the English. Times and influences have changed; my daughter pronounces ‘schedule’ the American way. Then, of course, there are the Australian, New Zealand and South African versions of the spoken language. To add spice to variety, catch a Texan chat with a denizen of Yorkshire, UK! These are all ‘native’ English speakers. In other words, they are all using accepted versions of the English language. Why this is so and why do we, in India, worry so much about ‘mother tongue influence’? Self-imposed cultural imperialism?

I will admit I live in a glass-house. I am still embarrassed if I ‘mispronounce’ an English word. Luckily, I am in the minority. A large number of my country women and men have not been subject to this indoctrination. They simply want to learn English. This is true, as we know, for many across the world. There must be a way we can get these aspirants to their destination unburdened by ill-conceived notions of right and wrong.

With the advent of the virtual planet, the popularity of short messaging and the increasing global footprint of English as the language that bridges, the forces of change loom on the horizon. Indian English (Hinglish? Benglish? And more?), Chinglish and Singlish will have to be equal to any other form of English. I am sorry Professor Higgins but the times, they are changing.

The original article has been published by The Economic Times