What is India speaking: The "Hinglish" invasion

While language competition models of diachronic language shift are increasingly sophisticated, drawing on sociolinguistic components like variable language prestige, distance from language centers and intermediate bilingual transitionary populations, in one significant way they fall short. They fail to consider contact-based outcomes resulting in mixed language practices, e.g. outcome scenarios such as creoles or unmarked code switching as an emergent communicative norm. On these lines something very interesting is uncovered in India, where traditionally there have been monolingual Hindi speakers and Hindi/English bilinguals, but virtually no monolingual English speakers. While the Indian census data reports a sharp increase in the proportion of Hindi/English bilinguals, we argue that the number of Hindi/English bilinguals in India is inaccurate, given a new class of urban individuals speaking a mixed lect of Hindi and English, popularly known as "Hinglish". Based on predator-prey, sociolinguistic theories, salient local ecological factors and the rural-urban divide in India, we propose a new mathematical model of interacting monolingual Hindi speakers, Hindi/English bilinguals and Hinglish speakers. The model yields globally asymptotic stable states of coexistence, as well as bilingual extinction. To validate our model, sociolinguistic data from different Indian classes are contrasted with census reports: We see that purported urban Hindi/English bilinguals are unable to maintain fluent Hindi speech and instead produce Hinglish, whereas rural speakers evidence monolingual Hindi. Thus we present evidence for the first time where an unrecognized mixed lect involving English but not "English", has possibly taken over a sizeable faction of a large global population.Comment: This paper has been withdrawan as the model has now been modified and the existing model has some error

Postvocalic (r) in urban Indian English

Native varieties of World Englishes can shed light on competing local and international language ideologies and alignments with different standards, while quantitative variationist methods permit dialect internal analysis of structural variation without direct reference to external standards, by focusing on internal linguistic and social constraints. Contributing to these endeavors, this study examines variation in postvocalic (r)-deletion in Indian English (IndE), uncovering rhotic patterns which are significantly influenced by, and illuminate, distinct urban Indian sociolinguistic alignments. The results also demonstrate that IndE is diverging from both its British colonially influenced past, and from modern internationally prestigious English varieties, through real and apparent time analysis. This analysis focuses on the larger sociolinguistic milieu of IndE emergence and evolution, offering a nuanced response to superficial and oftentimes categorical IndE grammars. Further, studying native speakers offers a counterpoint to L1 contact explanations for IndE stabilization and evolution in the postcolonial context.</jats:p

[v]at is going on? Local and global ideologies about Indian English

ABSTRACTThis article examines local and global language ideologies surrounding a particular phonetic feature in Indian English, the pronunciation of /v/ as [w]. By focusing on how local and global participants – both individuals and institutions – imagine language variation through disparate framings of “neutral” and “standard,” it highlights how processes of globalization and localization are interconnected, dialogic, and symbiotic. Compared are (i) sociolinguistic constructions of Indian cartoon characters, (ii) American “accent training” institutes, (iii) Indian call center and language improvement books, (iv) American speakers’ interpretations of merged IE speech, and, (v) IE speakers’ attitudes about IE, “neutral,” and ”standard” language. The relative social capital of these populations mediates both how each constructs its respective ideology about language variation, and how these ideologies dialogically interact with each other. (Language variation, language ideologies, dialogic, standard language)1</jats:p

SCREENING FOR SHEATH BLIGHT RESISTANT GENOTYPES AMONG MUTATED POPULATION OF RICE CV. PUSA BASMATI-1

The present investigation was undertaken to identify the resistant genotypes amongst mutated rice population of the variety Pusa Basmati-1 induced by the gamma radiation (15kr). The variability in disease reaction was observed among mutated rice genotypes. Out of the total 8345 mutant lines, 23 lines belong to same class depicting 0 to 20 AULPC value and 3052 mutant lines come under the class having more than 200 AULPC. Out of 8345 mutated rice population 298 resistant genotypes were identified after screening under field conditions. Significant variation was observed in the disease reaction among the selected mutant population with respect to control (nonmutated). The selected genotypes depicting very low AULPC (Area Under Lesion Progress Curve) value have been advanced to M2 generation and screened with non-significant deviation for disease score. Nonsignificant variation in morphological expression and in yield attributes among the selected mutants was also reported. Thus, these genotypes could be considered a potential source for disease resistance against the sheath blight of rice and could be used further in the crossing programme for development of sheath blight resistant rice variety

VIRULENCE DIVERSITY OF RHIZOCTONIA SOLANI CAUSING SHEATH BLIGHT DISEASE IN RICE AND ITS HOST PATHOGEN INTERACTION

The present investigation is carried out for the identification of resistant genotypes of rice against sheath blight disease and virulence diversity among the isolates of pathogen. This disease is caused by Rhizoctonia solani Kuhn (Teleomorph: Thanatephorus cucumeris) is one of the most ubiquitous and destructive soil borne disease. The 12 R. solani isolates were collected and characterized based on morphological and sclerotial characters and virulence diversity on 10 different rice varieties. The disease progress and severities were analysed using AUDPC value on the basis of lesion length recorded on 4, 8, 12 and 16 DAI. Evaluation on the basis of AUDPC value, out of 10 varieties of rice, Sarju-52 depicted highly resistant (19.91) while Jaya (21.87), UPR-2005-38 (23.97) and IET-15182 (23.16) showed moderately resistant disease reaction with most of the isolates tested; where as the variety Pusa Basmati-1 (46.57) depicted highly susceptible disease reaction. Among these some isolates were highly and moderately virulent whereas most of the isolates were less virulent. The identified resistant (Sarju-52) and susceptible (Pusa Basumati-1) is the potential source for the breeding programmes for further development of resistant varieties in rice

Technique for crossing and advancing multiple generations for mungbean (Vigna radiata L.)

Mungbean (Vigna radiata L.) Wilczek (2n=2×=22) is an important grain legume cultivated in South-east Asia, Africa, South America and Australia (Shanmugasundram 2007). About 90% of mungbean production occurs in South Asia, where India is the largest producer. It is consumed in various forms like, seed as a good source of easily digested dietary proteins and amino acids. Young pods and sprouts are consumed as vegetable for vitamin and mineral supplement (Engel 1977). Its plant parts are used as fodder for animal and green manure to improve soil health in rice-wheat cropping system (Sharma et al. 1995; Bhuiyan et al. 2009; Yaqub et al. 2010). It is grown as a sole crop as well as a major component in various cropping systems owing to its ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen, rapid growth, and early maturity. Mungbean being a photo insensitive crop is grown in a wide range of climatic variations (Tiwari and Ramanujam 1976) and ideal for catch, inter and relay cropping in many countries (Ali et al. 2000). Because of wide adoptability at various temperature ranges, this crop is likely to be most suitable under currently rising global temperatur

[v]at is going on? Local and global ideologies about Indian English

ABSTRACTThis article examines local and global language ideologies surrounding a particular phonetic feature in Indian English, the pronunciation of /v/ as [w]. By focusing on how local and global participants – both individuals and institutions – imagine language variation through disparate framings of “neutral” and “standard,” it highlights how processes of globalization and localization are interconnected, dialogic, and symbiotic. Compared are (i) sociolinguistic constructions of Indian cartoon characters, (ii) American “accent training” institutes, (iii) Indian call center and language improvement books, (iv) American speakers’ interpretations of merged IE speech, and, (v) IE speakers’ attitudes about IE, “neutral,” and ”standard” language. The relative social capital of these populations mediates both how each constructs its respective ideology about language variation, and how these ideologies dialogically interact with each other. (Language variation, language ideologies, dialogic, standard language)1</jats:p