This time I propose to harp on a very general subject. Language. Some pronunciation and usage aspects pertaining to English, as also regional languages of India. Of course, one thing. Perhaps there is nothing like an absolute one correct way of pronunciation of any language. Regional effects are bound to be there, perhaps more so for the international lingua franca English. There are many differences in pronunciation of English words between USA and UK, the latter having been mostly adopted in India. For example, take some very common words like, semi- and anti-, half, environment etc. What in India and UK etc, the waysemi- and anti- are pronounced , with the 'i' sounding as in 'give', 'fit' etc, that same semi- and anti- here in USA are spoken as semy- and anty-, with 'my' and 'ty' as in the word 'my'. The word 'half' is spoken as 'haaf' in UK and India, whereas here in USA it is pronounced as 'haf' with 'a' as in 'cat', 'fat' etc. Next, the word 'environment', pronounced here with 'i' as in 'give', is spoken as 'envyronment' in UK and India, with 'vy' sounding as in 'my'. Well, these differences are taken for granted. Also would like to mention about pronuncia-tion of English in India, in the various linguistic states. Its pronunciation has a regional language flavor. Thus there are as many ways of it as there are the regional languages! Even the regional language itself, in its pronunciation, is often different in the different sub-regions of the same linguistic state itself !
Now, more than the above, I wish to focus on the way the many regional languages in India are spoken, even here. One very undesirable aspect is that, any regional language is often never spoken in its pure form. It is always interspersed with English. Mainly perhaps because English is the defacto lingua franca of India, tho Hindi is legally the common tongue. Whatever countries I visited, people therein used to ask me 'You Indians, why do you always mix up your regional tongue with English ? Cannot you speak without mix up ?' Perhaps we have to confess with an emphatic 'Cannot' ! Even some of the announcers in Telugu programs(and perhaps in other language programs also) of the current 'Pravasa Vani' radio broadcasts here on AM 1170, are heard to sometimes mix the regional tongue with English. We have become so much habituated to it. It will be good if an earnest effort is made to speak without mix up.
Just one example I would like to relate in this connection, concerning Telugu speaking people. Instead of neatly expressing in Telugu: "Evaroe phone* chaysaaru"**, everyone herenormally is heard to say 'Evaroe call chaysaaru', which sounds as 'Evaroe Kaalchaysaaru'**. (Unfortunately, 'kaalchaysaaru' in Telugu means 'shot/burnt' !). I would like to give here one phone conversation in Telugu between a dad and son: The son tells his friend, "Indaaka Naanna kaalchaysaaru"**. When asked what Naanna had said, the son replies: "Naanna annaaru, mee Ammatoe nuvvu maatlaadi chaala roajulayindita. Tvaraloe nuvvu Ammani kaalcheyyi" **
* Frequently used English words like 'phone, ticket, bus, station, radio etc' used in Telugu, have been absorbed and used as Telugu words. Same in other regional tongues too.
** Now for the info of non-Telugu-knowing persons, herewith are the meanings of the Telugu words in the above conversations: Evaroe = Someone. chaysaaru = did. indaaka = just a while back. Naanna = Dad. annaaru = said. mee = your. Amma = Mom Ammatoe = with your Mom. nuvvu = you. maatlaadi = having spoken. chaala = many roajulayindita = days since, I believe. Tvaraloe = As soon as possible. kaalcheyyi = shoot/burn. (Actually implies 'call cheyyi' i.e., 'call on phone' ).
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