English Language Day 2017 — Indian English

2017 Indian English
Recognising that this year marks the 70th anniversary of Indian independence, the English Project has adopted 'Indian English' as its annual theme. IE is a rich and fascinating variety of English with a history dating back over 200yrs during which English and many native Indian languages closely coexisted and modified one another. Today IE is one of the most widely spoken and characterful varieties of English with distinct sounds, grammar, vocabulary and culture.

The English Project and Indian English

In November 2016 the UK government announced that 2017 would be 'UK-India Year of Culture' and unveiled a number of cultural activities and exchanges to celebrate the 70th anniversary of India's indendence. As part of this cultural activity the English Project has seen a welcome opportunity to explore one of the most interesting varieties of English; that spoken (to some extent) by perhaps 300M people in India and its surrounding countries. A population which dwarfs that of the UK and rivals the number of English speakers in the US. The close proximity of English with many local indian languages since the days of the East India Company has resulted in both a unique variety of English (some see IE as more than a single variety) and it has also had a marked effect on the vocabulary of English as it is spoken in the UK.

Throughout the course of the year we aim to explore several linguistic, cultural and sociological aspects of Indian English, the 'Indianisation' of English and the role that English plays in the society of India today. We shall publish occasional articles through this website and will organise events and lectures including our flagship annual lecture which will happen on or around English Language Day (13th October).

If you have any suggestions or wish to express an interest in Indian English, do contact us at info@englishproject.org .