Jharkhandi English Dialect: Phonology, Vocabulary, and Grammar

English Language Subtopic: Jharkhandi Dialect

The English language has been widely adopted across many regions of India since British rule, leading to various regional dialects emerging. One such dialect is spoken in Jharkhand state, which was previously known as Bihar before being separated into two distinct states. This dialect is often referred to as 'Jhalkariya' or 'Chhotanagpuria Hindustani', with its origins stemming from the Austroasiatic Munda language family found in southern Chotanagpur. It has been influenced by surrounding languages, particularly Oriya and Bengali. Here are some key aspects of this Jharkhandi English dialect:

Phonology

Jhalkariya English pronunciations can vary significantly from standard Indian English due to phonetic similarities between it and local tribal languages. For example, instead of saying "cat", one might say "/kæt'", where the apostrophe indicates glottalization—a feature common among speakers of certain Eastern Indian languages. Some other notable features include retroflex initial /ṭ/, pronounced much like the letter 'T' in English, and monophthongized vowels, resulting in pronunciations like "fanko" (frank) instead of "frakno" (from knocks).

Vocabulary

While the usage of Dakhni Urdu vocabularies in Jharkhandi English would decline over time, regional terms derived from Santhal, Ho, Oraon, Kharia, and Kuduk have become part of everyday life there. These borrowings reflect cultural practices, social interactions, natural surroundings, and traditional knowledge systems within the region.

Grammar and Syntax

In general, grammatical structures of Jhalkariya English resemble those of both Modern Standard English and Hindustani. However, certain peculiarities exist:

• Articles are used less frequently compared to General American English; they may appear only occasionally before nouns to signal specificity and definiteness.
• Prepositions tend to be omitted more often in Jhalkariya English than in Standard American English.
• Tense markers, especially future time and past perfect continuous, seem to be absent in some Jharkhandi varieties.
• While the basic order of subject - verb - object remains intact, there is evidence of word-order variation, suggesting the influence of different substrate languages like Dravidian ones.

Literature and Culture

Despite these differences in pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar, literature in Jharkhandi English flourishes, mainly characterized by poetry and songs adapted from tribal traditions and oral histories. Various writers have contributed works using the Jharkhand English variant, including Naresh Prasad Singh who authored several novels in the dialect during his career.

Jhalkariya English represents a fascinating linguistic phenomenon where speakers adapt their command of the global lingua franca to fit their unique local culture and heritage. As English continues to spread globally, understanding and appreciating its multiple forms will help us better comprehend human communication across diverse contexts.