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 | Blogs > arjan60 > My Blog > How good is your English??? |
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Today Rasbehari mentioned that he is not very proud of his English or something similar. Sit with a dictionary and a grammar book, you can find a thousand mistakes in writings of most people. Continuous usage gives us a certain degree of ease, but does not guarantee perfection. Hence, Rasbehari, you are just one of us and should not feel alone here!! Here is something I found out for you! I remember having read this one in either the Indian Express or the Times about two decades ago. I was visiting Delhi in August last year when I decided to check out the Rail Museum. It indeed is a surprise package in Delhi and one can see many a historical iron horse tethered in their stables. Before I left from there I purchased this 48 page booklet 'A Guide to National Rail Museum', from the sales counter. The booklet is very informative and it is here that I found the text of this letter, of which I had all but a vague memory. I have reproduced the text ditto with all the funny spells and mistakes. In doing so, I need not assert that no offence is intended. The text goes as under: Dear Sir, I am arrive by passenger train at Ahmedpur Station and my belly is too much swelling with jackfruit. I am therefore went to privy. Just I doing the nuisance the guard making whistle blow for train to go off and I am running with 'lotah' in one hand and 'Dhoti' in teh next when I am fall over and expose all my shockings to man and female women on platform. I am got leaved at Ahmedpur Station This too much bad, if passenger go to make dung that dam guard not wait train five minutes for him. I am therefore pray you honour to make big fine on that guard for public sake. Otherwise I am making big report to papers. Yours faithful servant Okhil Ch. Sen Note: This letter was written in 1909 to Divisional Office, Sahebgunj, West Bengal, after which, train compartments of 'Ordinary Class' came to have attached toilet system. |
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8/14/2008 2:12 am |
I liked him writing his letter like that!! My English is OK. I can read and write reasonably well. But spoken English or ability to understand foreign accents are not good. Lack of practice. While I was in Chennai for my Masters, I picked up a little but it is still Indian English. I speak with a heavy Mallu Accent. But why should I worry? I am not an English man or an American to speak like them. More over, many of the foreigners cannot speak the Indian languages. We can try to reach out to them as they are unable to do so. VASHALAN
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8/14/2008 8:26 am |
My english is below average... as i wrote in ur blog i feel uncomfortable to write proper english i did nt say "i m nt very proud of English" both are different line!! .seems i gave much trouble to u my most of friends are here are better in english .i can talk in English with effort .and understand them well friend who are not indian know this well here. wonder why u have much interst in me.. ! firstly mail than a blog "HI alok" . now this! finally my english is below averge .LOL take care Alok
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8/14/2008 8:53 am |
HI, You are right. Our accent in English is the same as that of the languages we speak. Accent is always effected by the environment. So long as we are not going to, or working in the US or UK, or any other English (Queen's) speaking country with stress on purity, we need not bother about the same. here is something which is as per your thought. This is pertaining to VK Krishna Menon. "Once, at a press conference when a reporter (American) pointed out to him that a particular expression he had used was not grammatically correct, Mr. Menon retorted angrily, "My dear chap, please do not teach me English; it is an accident of birth with you but I have spent years of my life learning it."
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8/22/2008 4:41 am |
I like your post  My English is not perfect, but I try my best to understand people from India (if they speak slowly). But I have a big problem with some who are from Texas (USA) and those from the countryside in Australia  Would you believe that an English man from the Northern part of England, once told me that he cannot date me because my English is better than his, lol. I thought that was very funny  Why worry and have wrinkles ... When you can smile and have dimples 
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8/22/2008 7:42 am |
Thanks Kavita, It indeed is funny when someone behaves as your English friend. Language is only a medium of expression. It is the feelings that are paramount!!
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