I'm an Indian and i haven't noticed this at all.I don't know about the Indians living abroad but in India all Indians have good english so why do people say that our english sucks???
2007-01-23 02:45:53 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Languages
Ok this guy above is one of the many I despise..i bet you he can't understand or speak a 2nd language!
Most likely people are refering to the thick accents that Indians have due to the native tongue. Assuming you are in the Western part of the world.
I say people who are born in a country whose native language is English do not appreciate the fact that people whose native tongue is not english learn to speak english to communicate with them.
When I was new in the United States I had a thick accent and some people use to laugh at me saying certain things. All you have to do is ignore them and if it gets to you, say something in your language and that will leave them quiet.
I had to actually once say "Tho kya mein hindi mein bhaat karoon? At least I am learning your language and can make up sentences, you probably couldn't make up a word I just said. So I'd appreciate you trying to pay close attention to what I am trying to tell you despite the language barrier!"
2007-01-23 03:07:01 · answer #1 · answered by Pudge_Monsta 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Indians typically have very good, proper English. However, due to the accent and cadence, they are often extremely difficult to understand (even more difficult than Scottish accents).
In person, it takes a bit of time to adjust to the way that the language is being delivered. I can usually grasp everything being delivered after the initial "warm up" period. But, over the phone, it is really hard to hear the small details that would distinguish one word from another.
One small suggestion is SLOW DOWN. Indians typically speak way too fast. Couple that with the thick accent, and Americans will have a tough time.
Again, it's not the grammar, it's the pronunciation and cadence that provide more difficulty.
(Naturally, this doesn't cover ALL Indians. It just describes the difficulties encountered with some individuals.)
2007-01-23 14:10:18 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
I don't think it has anything to do with Indian. I work in a very international field, and have coworkers from all over the world. Some of the people have great language skills and speak English very well, and others either don't have the skills or didn't put in the time to learn English well. This is true for Indians, Russians, Germans, Chinese, Japanese, and even native speakers of English from the U.S., Great Britian, and Australia.
2007-01-23 13:28:02 · answer #3 · answered by rbwtexan 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
We can speak English alright (better than many others), but our accent is different.
Especially the South Indian English accent. I've had many south Indian friends for years, and they still make me laugh.
2007-01-25 03:14:03 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
we are probably better at English and math than any other country. I was raised in India for most of my life. So has my parents and my sister. All of us can really speak fluent English. in addition, i can read, speak, and write both Bengali and Hindi. who needs to learn English anyway? i think English is the language killer. but u still need to learn it in order to get places. and allot of people do not know that we speak a lot of languages, not just "Indian". Anybody who says we don't know English is purely uneducated.
2007-01-23 20:04:17 · answer #5 · answered by arniecee 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Because it's the truth whether you want to believe it or not. Man, listen to your accent. I mean you Indians know grammar and vocabulary but your accent stinks! Try calling customer service of American Express and you'll understand what I mean.
No offense but I'm simply answering your question as honestly as I can.
2007-01-23 11:03:50 · answer #6 · answered by Rowdy Andy 4 · 4⤊ 1⤋