Hybridisation In English Essay

Being a socio-cultural construct, language undergoes changes with change in society. This change works at two levels: at the level of words and at the level of syntax. Centuries of British rule over India resulted in changes in Punjabi language, adding new words into it which were borrowed from English. Words coming from diverse areas –such as military profession, products of industrialisation, register of law and administration and things of common usage- got included in Punjabi. Quite often these inclusions accompanied changes in word structure and stress shift. Words introduced into Punjabi from English lost their English characteristics and adopted rules of Punjabi morphology, as it happened in case of pluralisation of English words in

Language hybridization is a characteristic feature of language resulting in an altered or an altogether new language. One language influences the other in different ways: by providing a new vocabulary to the other language, by affecting word formation process of the other language and / or by affecting its syntax significantly. An example that can be quoted in this regard is the influence of Arabic on Hindi resulting in Urdu and the influence of Latin and French over English. As the British ruled over India for roughly around two centuries, there took place a considerable influence of English over Indian languages. Punjabi is such an Indian language which has been influenced in its lexicon by English because of the 100 year rule of the British over Punjab, and also because of the migration of Punjabis to the

With this, the register of administration and law in English came into vogue. English now was used as the language of administration, courts and of education. The same happened in Punjab when it was annexed in 1849, ten years after the death of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. The use of English in administration and in law resulted in inclusion of lexical items borrowed from English into common Punjabi use. With changes these words were accepted into Punjabi language:

(Table B)

English Word Punjabi Word Punjabi Pronunciation

Lord Laat lɑ:t

Order Aader ɑ:dʌr

Deputy Dipti dɪptɪ:

Magistrate mujustarate mʌʤstɘrǽt

Barrack Baaruk Bɑ:rʌk

Committee Kametti kʌméťɪ:

Stamp Ashtaam ɘʧtɑ:m

Pension Pinshun pɪnʧʌn

These words were used as such because they came from the rulers’ language and also because sometimes their Punjabi translations were not available and sometimes their English words were more handy.

After this, more words entered into the Punjabi lexicon from English language. With changing times, the awareness of the people with industrialization and with science was increasing. That is why words relating to new inventions entered Punjabi. Some words got accepted as such without much change, such as, rail, bus, photo, line, press, fees, school etc. whereas some- as following- underwent change in pronunciation or spellings or both, and thus got