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    The English Pronunciation and The Native Indian English Speaker

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    Shweta kashyap
    This document discusses the differences between Indian English pronunciation and British Received Pronunciation (RP). It finds that while Indian English grammar and vocabulary are similar to other forms of English, the pronunciation differs, particularly with vowels and consonants like plosives. Specifically, Indian English has fewer vowel phonemes than RP and does not aspirate initial plosives. However, the author argues Indian English speakers should aim to modify their pronunciation toward RP to improve international intelligibility, while not completely imitating the British accent due to their Indian identity.

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    The English Pronunciation and The Native Indian English Speaker

    Uploaded by

    Shweta kashyap
    111 views4 pages
    This document discusses the differences between Indian English pronunciation and British Received Pronunciation (RP). It finds that while Indian English grammar and vocabulary are similar to other forms of English, the pronunciation differs, particularly with vowels and consonants like plosives. Specifically, Indian English has fewer vowel phonemes than RP and does not aspirate initial plosives. However, the author argues Indian English speakers should aim to modify their pronunciation toward RP to improve international intelligibility, while not completely imitating the British accent due to their Indian identity.

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    This document discusses the differences between Indian English pronunciation and British Received Pronunciation (RP). It finds that while Indian English grammar and vocabulary are similar to other forms of English, the pronunciation differs, particularly with vowels and consonants like plosives. Specifically, Indian English has fewer vowel phonemes than RP and does not aspirate initial plosives. However, the author argues Indian English speakers should aim to modify their pronunciation toward RP to improve international intelligibility, while not completely imitating the British accent due to their Indian identity.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    111 views4 pages

    The English Pronunciation and The Native Indian English Speaker

    Uploaded by

    Shweta kashyap
    This document discusses the differences between Indian English pronunciation and British Received Pronunciation (RP). It finds that while Indian English grammar and vocabulary are similar to other forms of English, the pronunciation differs, particularly with vowels and consonants like plosives. Specifically, Indian English has fewer vowel phonemes than RP and does not aspirate initial plosives. However, the author argues Indian English speakers should aim to modify their pronunciation toward RP to improve international intelligibility, while not completely imitating the British accent due to their Indian identity.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
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    of 4

    THE ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION AND THE NATIVE

    INDIAN ENGLISH SPEAKER


    Dr. Reena Singh
    KIET Group of Institution, Ghaziabad
    ABSTRACT
    In this paper I have tried to work on the English pronunciation of Indian Natives and also how it differs with
    British Received Pronunciation. The standard of pronunciation aimed is based on accepted Indian usage
    modified in the direction of British Received pronunciation to attain International intelligibility. English is
    spoken all over such a large part of the world that a number of slightly different accents are used by native
    speakers of the language – in the USA, the UK, Canada and Australia. English is also spoken by educated
    people all over the Commonwealth, and a number of ‘foreign accents’ have therefore come into existence, each
    showing certain features of the speakers’ mother tongue. English as spoken by educated people in India does
    not differ radically from native English in grammar and vocabulary, but in pronunciation it is different from
    both British and American English. Even within India there are a large number of regional varieties, each
    different from the other in certain ways, and retaining to some extent the phonetic patterns of the Indian
    Language spoken in that particular region. These regional varieties of English are sometimes not even mutually
    intelligible. In many regions, however, there are people who have shaken off the gross features of regional
    accent and speak a more ‘neutral’ form of Indian English .

    I. INTRODUCTION
    In this paper I have tried to work on the English pronunciation of Indian Natives and also how it differs with
    British Received Pronunciation. The standard of pronunciation aimed is based on accepted Indian usage
    modified in the direction of British Received pronunciation to attain International intelligibility. English as
    spoken by educated people in India does not differ radically from native English in grammar and vocabulary,
    but in pronunciation it is different from both British and American English. In many regions, however, there are
    people who have shaken off the gross features of regional accent and speak a more ‘neutral’ form of Indian
    English.
    As there is such a wide range of variation in the accent (both native and non-native), it is essential that for
    teaching spoken English we follow a standard. One native regional accent that has gained social prestige is the
    Received Pronunciation of England (R.P. for short). It is the pronunciation of South-east England and is used by
    educated English Speakers.
    II. MODEL IN A NON-NATIVE SITUATION
    In many non-English-speaking countries R.P. is chosen as a model mainly for historical reasons. It is also well-
    documented in dictionaries and books. R.P. is generally used by BBC news readers and serves as a model for
    Indian news readers too.

    110 | P a g e
    III. BRITISH RECEIVED PRONUNCIATION (RP.)
    In twenty vowels there are 12 Pure Vowels and 8 Diphthongs.
    IV. VOWELS IN GENERAL INDIAN ENGLISH
    Corresponding to the twenty-vowel system of British R.P., General Indian English generally
    has a system of 11 pure vowels and 6 vowel glides. These are:
    V. DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE VOWEL SYSTEMS OF BRITISH R.P. AND
    GENERAL INDIAN ENGLISH
    The important differences between the vowel systems of British RPand General Indian
    English are as follows:
    (i) Indian English has only one phoneme /ə /corresponding to R.P. / ʌ /, /3:/ and / ə /
    (ii) Indian English has one phoneme / ɒ /corresponding to RP. / ɒ / and /ɔ :/
    (iii) Indian English has monophthongs /e:/ and /0:/in place of RP. diphthongs /eɪ / and / ə U/
    (iv) The qualities of some of the Indian English vowels are different from those in R.P.
    (v) The distribution of vowels in Indian English sometimes differs from that in R.P. For
    example, in R.P. generally a weak vowel - / ə /, /ɪ / or /U/- is used in an unaccented syllable.
    This is not the case in Indian English, where the tendency is to use the vowel indicated by the
    spelling.
    The various spellings1 for this vowel are:
    i) e, accented, generally e+consonant+mute e.
    British R.P Indian English Variant Recommended Form
    Immediate: /i’mi:dj ə t/ /immi:dɪ et/2 [I’mi:djet]3
    ei
    receive : /r I’si:v/ /rIsi:υ/ /rI’si:v/
    Some Assamese, Bengali, Bihari, Hindi, Gujarati, Marathi, and Oriya speakers in India do
    not always maintain the distinction between / i: / and / I /. They replace / i: / by / I /
    and thus cannot distinguish between pairs like the following:
    /i:/ /I/
    eat it
    feel fill
    field filled
    sleep slip
    It is necessary to keep the two phenomes separate and maintain the difference of quality. It is

    111 | P a g e
    also necessary to give /i:/ adequate length, except when it is followed by a voiceless
    consonant.
    In British R.P. / ɪ / is a very common vowel in unaccented syllables, but the tendency in
    Indian English is to use the vowel suggested by spelling.
    VI. SPELLINGS
    British R.P. Indian English Variant Recommended Form
    i). i
    bit /bɪ t/
    thick /ϴɪ k/ /th ɪ k/ /ϴɪ k/
    ii) e,
    begin /bɪ ’gɪ n/ /bɪ gɪ n/ /bɪ ’gɪ n/
    iii) a, unaccented(Indian English has [e] instead of /ɪ /).
    village /vɪ lɪ dƺ / /vɪ ledƺ / [vɪ ledƺ ]
    private /´praɪ vɪ t/ /´praɪ υet [´praɪ vet]
    iv) ie (Indian English has /i:/ instead of /ɪ /
    carries /´kærɪ z/ /'kæri:z/ [´kariz]

    Some Assamese, Bengali, Bihari, Hindi and Oriya speakers in India tend to replace /ɪ / by a closer vowel [i],
    particularly in accented syllables. The result is that the distinction between pairs like the following is not always
    maintained:
    /ɪ / /i:/
    bid bead
    hills heels
    live leave
    Similarly, in the case of vowel-
    Indian English /e:/
    British R.P. /eɪ / as in gate
    Some Bengali, Bihari, Hindi and Punjabi speakers in India tend to replace /e:/ by/ɛ / or /ɛ :/ and thus the
    distinction between pairs like the following is lost:
    /e:/ /ɛ /
    gate get
    later letter
    main men
    It is necessary to maintain this distinction and to give the monophthong /e:/ adequate length.
    VII. CONSONANTS
    The distinction of Consonants between British R.P. and Indian English. I have done the research mainly on
    Plosives which is a significant feature of consonant.

    112 | P a g e
    Indian English differs from British R.P. in respect of the following:
    VIII. BRITISH R.P. HAS THREE PAIRS OF PLOSIVE PHONEMES
    /p,b/ bilabial
    /t,d/ alveolar (In Indian English these are often retroflex [t, ɖ ]).
    /k,g/ velar
    /p,t,k/ are voiceless and comparatively strong called fortis; /b,d, g/ are voiced and comparatively weak- lenis
    In British R.P. /p,t,k/ at the beginning of accented syllables are aspirated, that is a strong puff of breath after the
    release of the plosive before the next vowel begins, e.g.,
    Pack [phӕk], table [ ʹ ʈ heɪ b], cage [kheɪ dʒ ]
    This aspiration is absent in Indian English, and lack of aspiration is a frequent cause of Indian English being
    unintelligible to native speakers4. It is desirable to have some aspiration in /p,t,k/ when they occur initially in
    accented syllables.
    In Indian English /k/ is unaspirated in all positions. It is necessary to aspirate it at the beginning of accented
    syllables, when talking to native English speakers; otherwise there is a possibility of confusion between pairs
    like cold and gold, cot and got.
    IX. CONCLUSION
    Thus, I believe that we need not worry about imitating the British accent completely for we are Indians and are
    dialect will predominate. Also its not awkward for that’s are identity but should take care to pronounce the word
    correctly to the extent that it does not create confusion in the mind of the listener and different letter in the word
    can be distinguished.
    REFERENCES
    1. Bansal, R.K. and J. B. Harrison, Spoken English, (Orient Longman India, 2001), p. 18.
    2. Ibid, p. 18.
    3. Ibid, p. 18
    4. Bansal, R. K., The Intelligibility of Indian English, Monograph No. 4, Second(abridged) edition, CIEFL,
    Hyderabad, 1976

    113 | P a g e

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