This is an essay about Indian English and especially its presentaion in the novels The Inheritance of Loss and The White Tiger. The focus is on the lexical presentation in the novels. There is also a presentation of the concept Indian English.

The current dissertation is a systematic study of variation in the English spoken in multilingual and multicultural India. Three experiments were conducted to investigate the influence of two native languages (Hindi and Telugu) on English, which is spoken by almost all Indians as a second language. The first experiment indicated that Indian English (IE) is accented by the first language of its speakers, but high English proficiency and the degree of divergence between the sound patterns of the speaker's native language and his or her IE suggested that other factors might influence the preservation of a native language accent in IE. The second experiment controlled for language investigated the effect of region on IE, finding that listeners were able to distinguish speakers based on region even when they spoke the same native language. The regional variation in IE was more noticeable for native Telugu speakers than for native Hindi speakers. This difference was attributed to differences in the social and political power associated with these native languages: Hindi being the national language and the language of the capital city of India; Telugu, a regional language of Andhra Pradesh and spoken by many fewer people than Hindi. The third experiment was motivated by the idea that persistent effects of the speaker's native language might also be used to reflect a speaker's personal identity. Accordingly, the experiment investigated the effect of speaking about personal versus neutral topics on IE pronunciation. The results were that speakers' IE pronunciation was more like their native language when speakers discussed personal topics then when they discussed neutral topics. Overall, the results suggest that the pronunciation of IE is conditioned by social factors, meaning that it has entered the differentiation phase of Schneider's dynamic model of English evolution. This dissertation includes previously published co-authored material.

This doctoral dissertation focuses on Amitav Ghoshs Sea of Poppies (2008) to investigate, from a postcolonial perspective, the way in which the writer deconstructs gender in the nineteenth-century India. In Chapter I, I analyze men and women within the Indian familial space in the nineteenth century, demonstrating how both are subjected to the disempowering effects of traditional rituals (such as sati), structures of Brahminical morality and patriarchal violence. The main character pair Deeti and Kalua is an example of how the persons are sexually assaulted (rape) and then silenced by an oppressive system. Chapter II, I examine men and women within the British colonial space, indicating how they are effected by the opium cultivation in the Indian hinterland. The peripheral characters peasants, eurasian and convicts are highlighted to show how they are uprooted from homeland and forced to be taken across the seas by the colonial administration to work as indentured labour. In Chapter III, I investigate the gender roles ascribed to Indians by the British colonizers. The secondary character pair Nob Kissin and Taramony shows how Ghosh deconstructs gender with the use of Indian mythology and storytelling. In the conclusion, I point out how Indian mythology is retrieved as an instrument of resistance. / Esta tese de doutorado tem como objetivo investigar, sob a luz do questionamento póscolonial, como Amitav Ghosh em Sea of Poppies (2008) desconstrói a narrativa colonial sobre gênero na Índia colonial no século XIX. No Capítulo I, analiso homens e mulheres dentro do espaço familiar indiano, demonstrando como ambos estão sujeitos aos efeitos de desempoderamento dos rituais (como sati), da moralidade bramânica e da violência patriarcal. As personagens Deeti e Kalua exemplificam como os sujeitos, vítimas de violência sexual (estupro), são silenciados pelo sistema opressor. No Capítulo II, examino homens e mulheres dentro do espaço colonial britânico, indicando como os indivíduos são afetados pelo cultivo do ópio na Índia. As personagens periféricas camponeses, anglo-indianos e condenados servem de exemplo para destacar como essas pessoas são arrancadas de seu país e forçadas a migrar para as colônias inglesas. No Capítulo III, investigo como os ingleses inferiorizam os indianos. As personagens secundárias Nob Kissin e Taramony mostram como o conceito de gênero é desconstruído através da mitologia. Concluo argumentando que Amitav Ghosh faz uso da mitologia indiana como um instrumento de resistência.

<p>This corpus study discusses the subjunctive construction in mandative sentences in East</p><p>African and Indian English. Data taken from the East African ICE-EA corpus and the Indian</p><p>Kolhapur corpus are compared to previous studies about American English and British</p><p>English, mainly by Hundt (1998) and Johansson & Norheim (1988). Subjunctive, indicative</p><p>and modal periphrastic constructions are identified and examined.</p><p>The conclusion of this study is that the subjunctive construction in mandative sentences is</p><p>more common in Indian and East African English than in British English.</p>

Thesis (Ph. D.)--York University, 2000. Graduate Programme in English. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 232-245). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/yorku/fullcit?pNQ59155.

This doctoral dissertation focuses on Amitav Ghoshs Sea of Poppies (2008) to investigate, from a postcolonial perspective, the way in which the writer deconstructs gender in the nineteenth-century India. In Chapter I, I analyze men and women within the Indian familial space in the nineteenth century, demonstrating how both are subjected to the disempowering effects of traditional rituals (such as sati), structures of Brahminical morality and patriarchal violence. The main character pair Deeti and Kalua is an example of how the persons are sexually assaulted (rape) and then silenced by an oppressive system. Chapter II, I examine men and women within the British colonial space, indicating how they are effected by the opium cultivation in the Indian hinterland. The peripheral characters peasants, eurasian and convicts are highlighted to show how they are uprooted from homeland and forced to be taken across the seas by the colonial administration to work as indentured labour. In Chapter III, I investigate the gender roles ascribed to Indians by the British colonizers. The secondary character pair Nob Kissin and Taramony shows how Ghosh deconstructs gender with the use of Indian mythology and storytelling. In the conclusion, I point out how Indian mythology is retrieved as an instrument of resistance. / Esta tese de doutorado tem como objetivo investigar, sob a luz do questionamento póscolonial, como Amitav Ghosh em Sea of Poppies (2008) desconstrói a narrativa colonial sobre gênero na Índia colonial no século XIX. No Capítulo I, analiso homens e mulheres dentro do espaço familiar indiano, demonstrando como ambos estão sujeitos aos efeitos de desempoderamento dos rituais (como sati), da moralidade bramânica e da violência patriarcal. As personagens Deeti e Kalua exemplificam como os sujeitos, vítimas de violência sexual (estupro), são silenciados pelo sistema opressor. No Capítulo II, examino homens e mulheres dentro do espaço colonial britânico, indicando como os indivíduos são afetados pelo cultivo do ópio na Índia. As personagens periféricas camponeses, anglo-indianos e condenados servem de exemplo para destacar como essas pessoas são arrancadas de seu país e forçadas a migrar para as colônias inglesas. No Capítulo III, investigo como os ingleses inferiorizam os indianos. As personagens secundárias Nob Kissin e Taramony mostram como o conceito de gênero é desconstruído através da mitologia. Concluo argumentando que Amitav Ghosh faz uso da mitologia indiana como um instrumento de resistência.

This pilot study addresses the distribution of nonstandard syntactic and lexical features in Indian English (IE) across a homogeneous group of highly educated IE speakers. It is found that nonstandard syntactic features of article use, number agreement and assignment of verb argument structure do not display uniform intragroup distribution. Instead, a relationship is found between nonstandard syntactic features and the sociolinguistic variables of lower levels of exposure to and use of English found within the group. While nonstandard syntactic features show unequal distribution, nonstandard lexical features of semantic reassignment, and mass nouns treated as count nouns display a more uniform intragroup distribution.

At the center of this study are three Indian novels with an urban setting and dealing with political and social issues of the 1990s: Githa Hariharan’s In Times of Siege (2003), Vikram Chandra’s Love and Longing in Bombay (1997) and Amit Chaudhuri’s Freedom Song (1998). The Delhi of In Times of Siege is portrayed as a city infused with power but haunted by a troubled past that is brought to the present by a dissenting professor of history. The Bombay of Love and Longing in Bombay is also a haunted city, but is primarily imagined as a narrative locality in which storytelling is central to both the narrative and the city. The Calcutta of Freedom Song is explored through a resident family, blurring the distinctions between the home and the city. The three novels all negotiate an increasingly sectarian environment. The three cities of the novels are explored through the framework of anthropologist Arjun Appadurai’s concept of the production of locality, which sees place as a value and a dimension of social life. By approaching the cities in the novels through locality, it is possible to discern how the authors construct place as meaningful. This study thus extends the anthropological concept of locality into literature, addressing the specific strategies through which the authors portray and create their respective cities. Key concepts explored in the novels include agency, haunting, storytelling, and memory. / Baksidestext At the center of this study are three Indian novels with an urban setting and dealing with political and social issues of the 1990s: Githa Hariharan’s In Times of Siege (2003), Vikram Chandra’s Love and Longing in Bombay (1997) and Amit Chaudhuri’s Freedom Song (1998). The Delhi of In Times of Siege is portrayed as a city infused with power but also haunted by a troubled past. The Bombay of Love and Longing in Bombay is primarily imagined as a narrative locality in which storytelling is central. The Calcutta of Freedom Song is explored through a resident family, blurring the distinctions between the home and the city. The three novels all negotiate an increasingly sectarian environment. The three cities of the novels are explored through the framework of anthropologist Arjun Appadurai’s concept of the production of locality, which sees place as a value and a dimension of social life. By approaching the cities through locality, it is possible to discern how the authors construct place as meaningful. This study thus extends the anthropological concept of locality into literature, addressing the specific strategies through which the authors portray and create their respective cities. Key concepts explored in the novels include agency, haunting, storytelling, and memory. / Denna avhandling behandlar tre indiska romaner vilka utspelar sig i städer och fokuserar på de politiska och sociala konflikterna under 1990-talet: Githa Hariharans In Times of Siege (2003), Vikram Chandras Love and Longing in Bombay (1997) och Amit Chaudhuris Freedom Song (1998). Delhi i In Times of Siege porträtteras som en politisk stad hemsökt av det förflutna vilket påverkar nutiden. Bombay i Love and Longing in Bombay är också delvis hemsökt, men framförallt framställt som en stad i vilken berättandet är centralt. I Freedom Song blir gränsen mellan hem och stad diffus genom det sätt på vilket en familj gestaltar Calcutta. De tre romanerna behandlar alla en alltmer sekteristisk tid. Avhandlingens analys bygger på antropologen Arjun Appadurais begrepp the production of locality, dvs. hur känslan av plats skapas. ”Locality” är ett begrepp som täcker in en plats kapacitet att också ha ett värde och vara en social konstruktion. Genom att använda the production of locality är det möjligt att utforska hur författarna konstruerar plats som något meningsbärande. Denna avhandling vidgar det antropologiska begreppets användningsområde till att innefatta litteratur och används för att identifiera de strategier genom vilka författarna porträtterar och skapar sina respektive städer. Dessa strategier bygger på nyckelbegreppen agens, hemsökelse, berättande och minne.

This corpus study discusses the subjunctive construction in mandative sentences in East African and Indian English. Data taken from the East African ICE-EA corpus and the Indian Kolhapur corpus are compared to previous studies about American English and British English, mainly by Hundt (1998) and Johansson &amp; Norheim (1988). Subjunctive, indicative and modal periphrastic constructions are identified and examined. The conclusion of this study is that the subjunctive construction in mandative sentences is more common in Indian and East African English than in British English.

The emergence of grammatical norms in postcolonial varieties of English has been argued to manifest itself in quantitative preferences rather than in categorical distinctions (cf. Schneider 2007: 46). Several studies on Indian English, however, have shown that this South Asian variety has developed innovative uses, i.e. marked qualitative differences, for the additive focus marker also and the restrictive focus markers only and itself as presentational focus markers (Bhatt 2000, Lange 2007, Balasubramanian 2009), e.g. Since 7 am itself, schoolchildren started to reach the venue smartly dressed and armed with their queries and waited patiently for more than two hours for the programme to begin. (IN_TI_38032) Number-related mismatches in agreement between the antecedent in plural and the focus marker in singular have also been attested. This structural phenomenon may be indicative of a grammaticalization process of the focus marker itself to an invariant focus particle as illustrated in the following example. He said the temporary peace achieved by leaders of the country was a victory for the Sri Lankan Security Forces itself as it was gained by the Security Forces at the expense of their lives. (LK_DN_2004-07-02) The present study is concerned with variation and convergence in the use of focus marking with itself in South Asian Englishes, i.e. Bangladeshi English, Indian English, Maldivian English, Nepali English, Pakistani English and Sri Lankan English. On the basis of the South Asian varieties of English (SAVE) corpus, an 18-million word web-based newspaper corpus featuring acrolectal language use of the varieties under scrutiny (cf. Bernaisch et al. 2011), we report on the pervasiveness of (presentational) focus marking with itself. Although the novel usage of itself as illustrated above certainly represents a feature of South Asian English, there is a clear pattern characterised by unity and diversity with regard to the individual varieties of English in South Asia.Despite the pan-South Asian presence of presentational itself, quantity, grammaticalization processes and structural combinability provide grounds to argue that presentational itself is more firmly rooted in some South Asian varieties of English (e.g. Indian English and Sri Lankan English) than in others (Bangladeshi English or Maldivian English).