Report Abuse

How many people in India can speak ENGLISH ?

Post a Comment
India is known as the second largest English Speaking country after United States. 10%  of Indian population can speak English compared to just 45% who can speak Hindi, which is not a national language of India but official language. Actual percentage of English speaking people is just 2% as remaining 8% can't do it up to the mark. Most of them speak just few words of English or speak broken English with grammatical errors. Almost every school in India teaches English as a language, but still this percentage is very low. Why ?

English means Success in India !

At least in North India, people believe that good command over English can make you successful in life. Up to some level this thinking is correct. Even if a person have no other technical skills, the English speaking skill can get him/her a job in International BPOs, Customer Service, Tourism Industry and Hospitality. Today English in India is not just a passport to white collar jobs, but it is also linked to your personality, self esteem and confidence, which are essential quality to be successful. A well educated English speaking person in India feels himself superior than others (however he may not be be in terms of IQ), but this feeling gives boost to his confidence and self esteem, which later leads him to success. Reverse of this happens with those who can't communicate in English.

Today Multinational Companies are entering the market of India and demanding more English speaking employees to fulfill the demands of customers sitting abroad. It has increased the number of English Speaking Institutes in India is past few decades. Personality development and grooming classes are earning enough by teaching spoken English and a number of people have made it a way for their success.

English or Hinglish !

When we say that 10% of Indians can speak English, we count around 125 million people. Truth is that 80% of these English speakers are not fluent. They either speak grammatically incorrect English or their own broken version with local accent. Only 2% population of Indian population can actually speak English fluently. Majority of these fluent English speakers are living in metro cities and working in Multi National Companies. Apart from that "Hinglish" is another language used by majority of people that suits their needs and is modified by adding their local language Hindi to it. An English person will either laugh or can never understand that. Some examples given below can make you laugh too.
EnglishHinglish
HeadacheHead is paining
Mother is very illMother Serious
You Know !You Know Na !

The Part Hindi- Part English trend is also a new trend that has gained popularity. But this trend is harmful for both Hindi and English. Those who are speaking such language can't even speak their own mother tongue fluently as they don't have the words in their Hindi vocabulary. Some tag lines of some popular brands in India are perfect example of part-Hindi part-English (Hinglish) trend.

  • Ye Dil maange MORE !
  • LIFE ho to aisi !
  • Maggi - TASTE bhi HEALTH bhi !
  • Yehi hai RIGHT CHOICE BABY !
  • SHOCK laga kya 
  • Thanda Thanda COOL COOL
  • Isko laga dala to LIFE zinga lala
  • Likhte likhte LOVE ho jaaye

By using such Hinglish tag lines brands try to connect with common people.
Other common Examples of this Hinglish or Part-Hindi Par-English trend are:

  • Bahut TENSION hai !
  • Pukka IDIOT 
  • Ek CHANCE milega !
  • CUTTING Chai
  • ADJUST kijiye !

English gone Wrong !

However Hinglish is not a good trend for both Hindi and English, but it shows our inclination towards English and negligence of mother tongue. It is happening not just with Hindi but with all languages spoken in India. It might suit our daily needs, sometimes it is also making us use incorrect English. You must have seen banners and posters where English words and sentences have gone seriously wrong. Here is a collection of some of such pictures collected from Indian Subcontinent. These pictures might make you laugh it it shows the condition of English as a language in these areas.


Conclusion: Teach you kids both, the local language and English. Local language connects you to the roots while English give you access to higher education and communicating with the world. No language is superior but both have their own usage. Considering English as a language of those whole ruled us for centuries, don't make that language wrong. Whatever you learn, learn it from a good teacher with correct usage, else you will make a fool of yourself in the end.

Note: One of the most important thing to learn a subject is your dedication and respect for the teacher. Some of you might find this point useless, but it is a truth. All knowledge can't be attained by spending money, sometimes the respect given by you to your teacher gives you something precious.

Related Posts

Post a Comment