Hindi And English Essay

884 Words2 Pages

‘Why do Bollywood movies mix Hindi and English’ is a question that I have been asked by my foreigner friends over and over again. It comes to them as a surprise when I reply. ‘It is the normal way people talk in India’.
Today, English is generally accepted as being the ‘lingua franca’ of the modern world. This phrase refers to the adoption of English as the ‘bridging’ language among communities to facilitate communication amidst people who do not speak the same language or dialect- making it the front-runner in education, research, tourism and the media. However, in recent years, new competitor languages have emerged to supersede English, particularly in multilingual contexts such as the Indian subcontinent.
After independence from the
The popularization of Hinglish has caught the prying eyes of international companies such as Domino’s and Virgin Mobile and they have wasted no time in incorporating Hinglish into their ad campaigns in order to establish a connection with the consumers. These include, Domino’s ‘Hungry kya?’ (Hungry?) and Virgin Mobile's ‘Think Hatke’ (Think differently) slogans.
Hinglish also has deep roots in the Bollywood industry which has played a significant role in popularizing the language as well as introducing ‘hip’ combinations of the two vernaculars. Movie titles such as Dear Zindagi (Dear Life), Shaadi ke Side Effects (The Side Effects of Marriage), Jab We Met (When We Met) among others are evident of
Hinglish encourages freedom of expression, promotes the growth of Hindi and is a sign of globalization and cultural diversity which the Indian government endorses. Personally, I would go as far as to say that Hinglish is a major reason that has kept India relevant and pertinent in the current world. Global software, pharmaceutical and engineering firms have shown to give greater preference to Indian applicants compared to Asian applicants- Chinese, Korean, Japanese due to their better command over English, or rather Hinglish in many cases. This
Hinglish has undoubtedly succeeded in taking the top spot and being the ‘lingua franca’ to bridge the language gap between English and Hindi native speakers in the country. The hybrid language helps people become more culturally diverse, promotes globalization, and unifies people from all around the

Open Document