This document discusses the relationship between language and culture in India. It notes that language reflects culture, and some cultural concepts cannot be directly translated. It provides examples of Indian English, including borrowing words directly from Hindi or Gujarati. While English can express the Indian ethos, overuse of "Indlish" can distort the discourse. English serves as a link language across India and is used in much Indian literature about India. When writers use English, they may borrow native words, translate semantics, or find equivalents to capture socio-cultural aspects and express the Indian reality. Overall, language and culture are deeply connected, so creativity with English should maintain this connection carefully.

1. Song 1

2. Society and Language
Prepared by
Vaidehi Hariyani
Semester – 3
Batch 2015-17
Department of English,MKBU

3. • Sociolinguistics is the
descriptive study of the
effect of any and all
aspects of society,
including cultural
norms, expectations,
and context, on the way
language is used, and
the effects of language
use on society.

4. What does it mean to
know a language?

5. Indian English
• English which is
Indianised…
• We are concerned with
the English used by
common Indian people.
• Limitations of Grammar-
Translation method.
• Errors we commit while
learning language.

6. Language and Society
• Language and
culture are
inseparably
connected.
• Language reflects
culture.
• Cultural concepts
cannot be
translated.

7. Hindi or Gujarati
• Aap to bade wo hai !
• Paid pe bethna
• Alag alag pustako vancho
• Choti Choti Batein
English
• You are that very
thing.
• Sit on a tree
• Read different
different books ( So
funny)
• Small small matters

9. Misuse of words

10. Conclusion
• Self- correction.
• Practicing language through
worksheets.
• Speaking the target language in
routine life, especially at college or
schools.
• Listening to the target language.

11. Reference
• https://sites.google.com/site/anglospital/hom
e - Devarshi Mehta (PhD Research Project)
• http://www.buzzfeed.com/tasneemnashrulla/
29-spelling-mistakes-from-india-that-will-
make-you-laugh-cry
• Google Images

12. Socio-Cultural Dimensions: English
as a Second Language
Rekha Aslam
Prepared by
Vaidehi Hariyani
(Research Scholar)
Department of English,MKBU
#Semester3 #MA

13. Overview
• There is a close connection between the form of
English Language and the social structure and the
cultural sensitivity of Indian Culture.
• The Indian reality is established at many level of
language organization from borrowing lone
creating of idioms, metaphors etc. transported to
the English Language.
• With the help of different examples this paper
describes how English is made to fulfill the
function of a second language.

14. English as L2
• Does it successfully expresses the Indian
Ethos?
• Is this relevant to the Indian Society?
• The creative writers who has a near native
control over English creatively infuses English
language codes with socio-cultural codes.
• Manipulation with English is possible since it is
a second language.

15. Christopherson
Foreign Language
• language which is not one’s
own, even though one may
have a very good
knowledge of it.
• used for the purpose of
absorbing the culture of
other nations.
• tends to produce bilinguals
with a passive and receptive
attitudes.
Second Language
• language which is one’s own
though not the first in order
to importance nor usually
the first to be learnt.
• as a second language is
used as an alternative way
of expressing a culture of
one’s own.
• produces bilinguals with
active and creative interest.

16. • There are two drawbacks also of using English
in Indian Cultural context. You cannot freely
express your cultural aspects as you can do it
in your First language. And sometimes Indlish
(Indian English) can exploit the discourse.
• Language is not an isolated entity. It is deeply
rooted in socio-cultural, religious etc..
concepts of Native speaker’s life.

17. • English serves as a link language across the
nation. It is also a language in which a lot of
Indian literature is being written – that is to
say, literature by Indians, about India but in
English.

18. • • Some basic vocabulary-clothes,
food items, flora and fauna, etc.
Words from the native language
of the writer are sometimes
absorbed directly into English
with as little phonological
variation as English permits, or
they are literally or semantically
translated or their equivalents are
found.

19. • • A writer may use a native word with the
meaning in the gloss, or within the text, or
may simply leave it to be understood in the
context. i.e. ‘sari’, the dress for the female,
and ‘dhoti’, the dress of the male are
progressively used and accepted as such.

20. In certain cases, an equivalent word is available in
English, yet the native word is used.
Markandaya retains ‘chakkli’ for cobbler,
‘zamindar’ for landlord, ‘chowkidar’ for
watchman in order to capture the socio-cultural
aspect.
Native words find their ways in English because of
the non-availability of an equivalent counter-part.
These words are deeply rooted in the Indian
culture, religion, philosophy, etc. i.e. ‘kum kum’
(red powder used as a beauty mark by women)

21. • ‘Namaskar’ (a greeting or salutation)
• ‘nani’ (mother’s mother). Other words used in
the novels are:
• ‘langur’, ‘bandaras’ (animal world)
• churail ( supernatural)
• ‘kheer’, ‘daal’(food items)…..
• Another method of expressing the Indian reality
is to use a translation on the basis of semantics.
Instances around in Narayan. ‘After food she went
to her ‘bench’ in the hall and lay down on it,’
chewing a little areca-nut and a few betel leaves.
(T.D.R.:2)”

22. • An attempt has been made to explore the
creative dimension of English, second
language in India. There are still a lot of
dimensions that need detailed work.
• This paper helps to understand socio-cultural
reality manifested at many levels of language
organization from borrowing, lone creations
to idiom, metaphor, imagery symbolism and
discourse imparts to English an Indian English.
This novels creativity – a role and function
English is made to fulfill.

23. To sum up
• Language and culture are inseparably
connected. Language reflects culture. So there
are many words which cannot be translated in
English.
• And if we do so, it will lose the essence.
Language is deeply rooted in the socio-
cultural, religious etc.
• Creativity with English should be done
carefully.

24. Work Cited
• Aslam,Rekha. “Socio-Cultural Dimensions of
English as Second Language”.English in
India.Ed.Omkar N. Koul.Creative Pub.:New
Delhi.Cha.XIII.1sted.1992.print

25. • For questions and suggestions…..
Contact – vaidehi09hariyani@gmail.com