English is a funny language-VRK100-23Sep2011

Hyderabad, July 23, 2011

“I can talk English, I can walk English, I can laugh English because English is a very funny language,” thus spoke Amitabh Bachchan, veteran Bollywood actor, in his 1982-film ‘Namak Halaal.’ Such dialogues endeared him to millions of Indians in his hey days. No wonder his dialogues remain eternal!

This famous dialogue of Amitabh can be watched on YouTube at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSrMb8IBsTQ

There are several versions of English the world over. Two main types are American English and British English. In India, we have our own Indian English. If we don’t use our language properly, we can also find ourselves in such funny situations. Language defines a person. With increasing globalisation, businessmen, travellers and students are exposed to several hues of English. A week ago, Infosys founder and chief mentor, N R Narayana Murthy, had exhorted the youngsters to improve their written and spoken English.

Foreigners would find it amusing if we use the word ‘prepone’ instead of ‘advance,’ because there is no such word as ‘prepone’ in English language. However, this word ‘prepone’ as the opposite of postpone is widely/wrongly used by Indians. In India, we have been mostly using British English even though, of late, we have been veering towards American English.

George Bernard Shaw once said: "England and America are two countries separated by a common language." However, we need to be aware of the main differences among the different flavours of English language. The important differences are in spelling, pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary and usage.

More and more people, including the Brits, are now being influenced by American English due to the overwhelming use of social media, like, Facebook, Twitter, and others in our daily lives. All the social media are from the US. The world’s most popular computer software MS Office also follows mostly American English. American English is racy, vibrant and more flexible. Whereas, British English is considered conservative.

In India, we love Good Day biscuits, but in the US we need to say Good Day cookies. We say ground floor whereas Americans start with first floor. In India, if we write 11/7/2011 it means July 11, 2011. But, in the US it means November 7, 2011. Americans can’t walk on ‘pavements.’

In British English r is pronounced before a vowel only, whereas in American English, r is pronounced in all positions in a word. For example, in British English, first r only is pronounced in ‘river,’ whereas in American English both the first r and the last r are pronounced. News is pronounced like ‘nyooz’ in British English, whereas in American English it can be pronounced like ‘noose.’ Watching television channels, BBC or CNN, may help in improving our knowledge of English.

Spelling differences:

British/Indian English *	American English		British/Indian English *	American English
Noun	Noun		Noun	Noun
aeroplane	airplane		nappies	diapers
aluminium	aluminum		notice board	bulletin board
autumn	fall		number plate	license plate
bank cheque	bank check		parcel	package
behaviour	behavior		pavement	sidewalk
biscuits	cookies		petrol	gasoline or gas
bonnet	hood		plough	plow
catalogue	catalog		pram	baby carriage
cemetery	memorial park		programme	program
centre	center		pyjamas	pajamas
chemist	druggist		race-course	race-track
clamour	clamor		railway	railroad
colour	color		right-angled triangle	right triangle
cutting (newspaper)	clipping		rubbish	junk
dynamo	generator		sceptic	skeptic
flat	apartment		silencer (of a car)	muffler
flavour	flavor		single ticket	one way ticket
glamour	glamor		speciality	specialty
hairdresser	beautician		sulphur	sulfur
honour	honor		sweets	candy
interval	intermission		tap	faucet
jewellery	jewelry		theatre	theater
leader	editorial		torch	flashlight
lift	elevator		tram	street car
lorry	truck		traveller	traveler
maths	math		trunk	boot
metre	meter		tyre (of a car)	tire (of a car)
motor car	automobile		waste paper basket	waste basket
motorway	highway		windscreen	windshield
mould	mold		woollen	woolen
moustache	mustache		* At times, Indians follow American words

British/Indian English	American English
Verb/sentence	Verb/sentence
	to meet with someone
to meet someone
got (past participle of get)	got or gotten (past participle)
to stay at home	to stay home
programmed	programed
to analyse	to analyze
I'll write to her	I'll write her
I'll talk to him	I'll talk with him
to black shoes	to shine shoes
to protest against something	to protest something
signalled	signaled
travelling	traveling
worshipped	worshiped
Have you got children?	Do you have children?
levelled	leveled

There have been many more divergences between them. Currency notes are called bills, in the US, for example, one dollar-bill. In Britain, it is one-dollar note. English is a universal language. It is a sponge language. It has absorbed many words from other languages. Appreciating such nuances in the language will make us a better person.

Finally…

Famous British author Oscar Wilde wrote: "We have really everything in common with America nowadays except, of course, language."

References:

1. “A University Grammar of English” by R Quirk and S Greenbaum

2. The Hindu

Personal note:

The author is a prolific writer with interests spanning from financial markets, book-reading, English and wildlife. This article on English is inspired by N R Narayana Murthy, who, a week back, exhorted youngsters to improve their written and spoken English.