Politics of Indians' English

The story of English in India is a fascinating one. Inextricably entangled in the politics of empire and the struggle for identity, it has it roots in the colonial past but its branches flourish in the modern world of mass communications and globalization. his fascinating and lively study,Krishnaswamy and Burde examine how the English used by Indians has changed and is still changing over the last two centuries, evolving into the complex and highly diverse of different examples, the authors challenge hegemonic constructions of both proper English as well as Indian English. The bookincludes examples of Indian English, from newspaper advertisements and official letters to fiction and poetry, which are examined in the wide context of the politics of language. Access to English is often equated to greater social mobility, better education and job opportunities and theramifications of what the authors call the ever-expanding English Empire on the so-called Third World run wide and deep. Without obscuring their argument with arcane linguistic terminology, Krishnaswamy and Burde s lively and accessible book will be welcomed by all those interested in how languageaffects the lives we lead in today s multicultural India.