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Language of power or “fringe language”?: English in postcolonial India, 1946–1968 ...
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Abstract:
India’s “official language controversy” spanned over two decades from 1946 to 1967, during which the proposal to replace English with Hindi met with resistance from various quarters. However, the inter-regional ethno-linguistic politics of India came together with the developmental vision for an industrialized postcolonial democracy to ensure its validation and continuance in as a co-official language of the republic. My analysis identifies a widespread perception, among supporters as well as detractors of English in India at the time, that the “international”/“foreign” credentials of the language made it an instrument of change across various regional, religious, caste, class, and ethnic communities. The language came to be reframed during this period due to the coming together of India’s colonial past and its distinct regional and community histories with the views of leading public figures. Perhaps most surprising, however, is the complex part played by a “hybrid” minority constituency in public debate: ... : International Journal of the Sociology of Language, 2017 (247) ...
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Keyword:
Anglo-Indian; English in India; language politics; minority language; politics of English
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URL: https://dx.doi.org/10.3929/ethz-b-000488878
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11850/488878
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Language of power or “fringe language”?: English in postcolonial India, 1946–1968
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In: International Journal of the Sociology of Language, 2017 (247) (2017)
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