The quirks of Indian English

Bigzero

- please do the needful
- your obedient servant ( yes, i have actually seen these in letters!)
- Your good name please?
- co-brother
- first-cousin, second-cousin, third-cousin etc
- "hot drinks"
- cooling glasses
- liberal use of "cum" as in workshop-cum-training program, conference-cum-exhibition etc

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sgeneris

Bigzero,
What is 'co-brother' anyway?
'Hot drinks' is universal -although just like 'cum' it may be abused in India a little more..

Bigzero

hi sgeneris,

you become my co-brother when you marry my wife's sister! ( i hope i got it right! )

hot drinks in quotes was not tea, coffee etc, but stuff like whiskey etc

Apana

Intimate = to provide intimation, did come from the bureaucracy of the Raj, as did 'I remain, Sir, your most obedient servant.'

The problem is rooted in that kids/teenagers no longer read ANYTHING. They're glued to the television - to use that wretched term - 24/7.

OT: An interesting article by Lynne Truss You pour thing, if you don't see the point of spelling correctly

Apana

Nick-H

from English, was in use up to 1950s, maybe later, more often than not at the end of letters from petty officials telling people they have do do something (like repay their overdraft), not at all being their servants!
What? I'm realtively confused by that one!
Perfectly good english, but I wonder if it means the same?
Isn't it latin? I think it is with in Latin. Which, come to think of it, adds another dimension to it's more common Western usage

snowcrab

Co-brother=brother-in-law maybe?

beach

An incident happened a few years back. After the office hours the phone rings. I picked up the receiver says hello.

A sweet voice asks “Can I speak to Ms.****** please…. ”
Myself says, “May I know who is on the line please”
Silence for a few seconds. Then repeats “Can I speak to Ms.****** please…. ”
Me again, “She has left for the day. May I know who is on the line please?”
Silence…confusion…fumbling for words…. on the other side.
I repeat, “W-H-O I-S S-P-E-A-K-I-N-G?. MS.****** I-S N-O-W A-T H-E-R H-O-M-E”
There was a surprise and laughter.
“Oh, (trying to suppress a giggle) I’m Lisa calling from Dusseldorf. I met MS****** last week at Singapore………….. ”



Our style of speaking (more than the phrases), particularly the machinegun firing like speed, makes it difficult for the western English speakers to follow easily.

markhyd

haha, and visa versa. i've had conversations very similar to this whenever i answer the phones in the office. It's always more difficult to understand people over the phone.

nedhopkins

'Eve teasing' = harassment (sexual) of a female.

Bigzero

yes, i guess. I've heard this co-brother term used mostly in Kerala. dont know if it exists in other areas as well.

raos

"people are majorly loaded" (translation: people have a lot of money); general use of the word "majorly";
calling a guy's significant other, the "missus".

markhyd

As someone else has pointed out, its not just the use of unusual phrases, it's the overemphisis of slightly odd ones. [offtopic] Like Indian taste in western music, they tend to overemphise certain bands, Pink Floyd and Bryan Adams off the top of my head (and of course, no western music set in India is complete unless Hotel California has been played at least twice)

Apana

"backside" for behind or reverse: "It is situated at the backside of the building." "Look on the backside of the ticket for the telephaone number."

Use of "would" instead of "will."

"Students would have to attend 85% of classes."

Apana

Layman

Bigzero, snowcrab:
For men: Your wife's sister's husband is your co-brother.
For women: Your husband's brother's wife is your co-sister.
There are specific words for these relationships in most Indian languages.

Note that co-brother is different from brother-in-law, which is merely your spouse's brother, or your sister's husband. Similarly, sister-in-law is either your spouse's sister, or your brother's wife. In Indian languages, there are different words to distinguish between the different types of brothers-in-law (different words for your spouse's brother and your sister's husband; also different words for your husband's elder brother versus your husband's younger brother). Traditionally, people are more respectful to their sister's husband, than their wife's brother; and expect more respect from their wife's brother than from their sister's husband.

In general, I think Indian languages have more words to denote relationships than the English language. For example, while there is one word 'uncle' in English, we distinguish between maternal uncles and paternal uncles, and in the case of paternal uncles, between uncles older and younger to your father.

Alan D

Those "miscreants" who are not "nabbed" are usually "absconding".

Words seldom currently heard in everyday use in UK.