South Asian English, informallyDesi English,[1] refers toEnglish dialects spoken in most modern-daySouth Asian countries, inherited fromBritish English dialect. Also known asAnglo-Indian English during theBritish Raj, the English language was introduced to theIndian subcontinent in the early 17th century. Today it is spoken as asecond language by about 350 million people, 20% of the total population.[2]
Although it is fairly homogeneous across the subcontinent, sharing "linguistic features and tendencies at virtually all linguistic levels", there are some differences based on various regional factors.[3]
South Asian English is sometimes just called "Indian English", asBritish India included most of modern-daySouth Asia (exceptAfghanistan); but today, the varieties of English are officially divided according to the modern states:
English-language public instruction began in the subcontinent in the 1830s during therule of the British East India Company. In 1835, EnglishreplacedPersian as the official language of the East India Company.Lord Macaulay played a major role in introducing English and Western concepts into educational institutions in British-India. He supported the replacement of Persian by English as the official language, the use of English as the medium of instruction in all schools, and the training of English-speaking Indians as teachers.[4] Throughout the 1840s and 1850s, primary, middle, and high schools were opened in many districts ofBritish India, with most high schools offering English language instruction in some subjects. In 1857, just before the end of East India Company rule, universities that were modeled on theUniversity of London and used English as the medium of instruction were established in Bombay, Calcutta and Madras. During theBritish Raj (1858 to 1947), English-language penetration increased throughout the subcontinent. This was driven in part by the gradually increasing hiring of Indians in thecivil services. At the time ofIndian independence in 1947, English was the only functionallingua franca in the region.
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