Jasmine Kaur and the Revenge of “Indian English”.

This is how Jasmine Kaur, a ready-to-wear retailer in New Delhi, describes her outfits on Instagram: “Very elegant, very beautiful, wow look”. His videos have become very popular on social media, mostly because of his Indian-tinged English. If this trend initially appeared as a joke, it gradually emerged as a revenge against the strongly accented English of some Indians.

In a stance Published by the Hindu, Journalist and writer Sandeep Roy says: “This is a lesson to all of us who make fun of people whose English is a little shaky.” Before mentioning that the author mentions “Recolonization” English by some Indians.

Proficiency in English, a social marker

According to the latest census, in 2011, English was the mother tongue of 256,000 Indians, or just 0.02% of the population. However, it is the second most spoken language in India after Hindi.

“Most English speakers belong to the national elite” The media explains Mint. A in English in India “Increasing importance in the world of work”. however, “We don’t speak English like Great Britain. Over time, a regional variation of English has developed, which we call‘Indian English’”, as This article underlines that Expat Mail.

Indian English is often derided, and the fact that mastery of English is so close to Britishness is a strong social marker in India.

According to Outlook, “Learning English is seen as a way to access better job opportunities and the quality of life of their compatriots who have mastered the language”.

A non-profit organization that promotes economic, social and political inclusion in India, according to a study by Oxford University and LOK Foundation. mint, In 2019, 12% of India’s urban population spoke English, compared to only 3% of those living in rural areas. At the same time, 41% of the wealthiest Indians speak English, but less than 2% of the poorest.