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British diplomats in India to learn 'Hinglish'
British diplomats posted to India will first need to learn Hindi as 'Hinglish' – a blend of Hindi and English – becomes the country's most important language.
British diplomats in India to learn 'Hinglish'
Bollywood film titles increasingly use Hinglish while television commercials routinely blend the two languages Photo: Jewel Samad/AFP
Dean Nelson
By Dean Nelson, New Delhi
2:46PM BST 10 Oct 2012
The move marks both a return to colonial practice when young East India Company officers first learned to speak Hindustani, Urdu and Persian ahead of their postings, as well as recognition that English is no longer the favoured language of India's political and business elites.
Recent years have seen the rise of powerful politicians and new billionaires in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and other states who either do not speak English or pepper it with Hindi phrases they feel better capture their meaning.
British officials believe diplomats fluent in Hindi will develop a better understanding of India and be quicker to spot business opportunities for British firms.
The rise of Hinglish has frustrated British diplomats as it has become more widely used on India's English language television news channels and in the country's English press.
The move comes as the unique nature of Indian English is celebrated in the hit Bollywood film English Vinglish, starring veteran actress Sri Devi, about an Indian middle-class housewife who decides to learn English because she is ridiculed by her husband and child who is ashamed to introduce her to her friends. While English is no longer the exclusive language of choice for India's business elites, it is still a badge of status and a passport to better jobs.
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Bollywood film titles increasingly use Hinglish – in the hit film Jab We Met (When we Met) for example – while television commercials routinely blend the two languages. A shampoo ad featuring Bollywood star Priyanka Chopra urged female viewers: "Come on girls, waqt hai shine karne ka!" – it's time to shine.
Hindi and English words have moved freely into the other's language over the past 200 years and have been celebrated in dedicated dictionaries like the 'Hobson Jobson'. Words like cummerbund, pyjama, shampoo, bungalow and doolally are all of Indian origin.
But the increasing mash of the two languages in India has forced a policy move away from English alone being regarded as sufficient for diplomats to communicate with those who matter.
"The Foreign Office under William Hague is placing increasing importance on the ability to transact business in foreign languages. In India we're looking to build a stronger, deeper relationship and having diplomats able to speak Hindi and other local languages has become increasingly important," said a British High Commission spokesman.
"English news channels often have a portion where people choose to express themselves in Hindi because it captures what they're trying to say better than the English equivalent, so it's increasingly important for British diplomats to be able to appreciate the nuances," he added.
The move was welcomed by Gillian Wright, the Delhi-based author and Hindi and Urdu scholar, who said she believed it was impossible for anyone to understand India without grasping its languages.
"It adds another degree of understanding when you can converse with people in a language closer to them," she said.
British diplomats in India to learn 'Hinglish'
British diplomats posted to India will first need to learn Hindi as 'Hinglish' – a blend of Hindi and English – becomes the country's most important language.
British diplomats in India to learn 'Hinglish'
Bollywood film titles increasingly use Hinglish while television commercials routinely blend the two languages Photo: Jewel Samad/AFP
Dean Nelson
By Dean Nelson, New Delhi
2:46PM BST 10 Oct 2012
The move marks both a return to colonial practice when young East India Company officers first learned to speak Hindustani, Urdu and Persian ahead of their postings, as well as recognition that English is no longer the favoured language of India's political and business elites.
Recent years have seen the rise of powerful politicians and new billionaires in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and other states who either do not speak English or pepper it with Hindi phrases they feel better capture their meaning.
British officials believe diplomats fluent in Hindi will develop a better understanding of India and be quicker to spot business opportunities for British firms.
The rise of Hinglish has frustrated British diplomats as it has become more widely used on India's English language television news channels and in the country's English press.
The move comes as the unique nature of Indian English is celebrated in the hit Bollywood film English Vinglish, starring veteran actress Sri Devi, about an Indian middle-class housewife who decides to learn English because she is ridiculed by her husband and child who is ashamed to introduce her to her friends. While English is no longer the exclusive language of choice for India's business elites, it is still a badge of status and a passport to better jobs.
Related Articles
Bollywood film titles increasingly use Hinglish – in the hit film Jab We Met (When we Met) for example – while television commercials routinely blend the two languages. A shampoo ad featuring Bollywood star Priyanka Chopra urged female viewers: "Come on girls, waqt hai shine karne ka!" – it's time to shine.
Hindi and English words have moved freely into the other's language over the past 200 years and have been celebrated in dedicated dictionaries like the 'Hobson Jobson'. Words like cummerbund, pyjama, shampoo, bungalow and doolally are all of Indian origin.
But the increasing mash of the two languages in India has forced a policy move away from English alone being regarded as sufficient for diplomats to communicate with those who matter.
"The Foreign Office under William Hague is placing increasing importance on the ability to transact business in foreign languages. In India we're looking to build a stronger, deeper relationship and having diplomats able to speak Hindi and other local languages has become increasingly important," said a British High Commission spokesman.
"English news channels often have a portion where people choose to express themselves in Hindi because it captures what they're trying to say better than the English equivalent, so it's increasingly important for British diplomats to be able to appreciate the nuances," he added.
The move was welcomed by Gillian Wright, the Delhi-based author and Hindi and Urdu scholar, who said she believed it was impossible for anyone to understand India without grasping its languages.
"It adds another degree of understanding when you can converse with people in a language closer to them," she said.
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