Snippets from Twitter

 

The revenge of Indian English

This is such a great column by CY Gopinath . You can also see it here: https://www.mid-day.com/news/opinion/article/the-revenge-of-indian-english-23295800. 

 

My favourite lines are: 

I confess , however, that my heart did a little flutter of pure joy when I read that a certain Rahul Roy-Chowhury, American of Indian origin, had joined the elite ranks of Indian CEOs ruling the universe as the new head of a Californian-based firm called Grammarly. 

Grammarly’s language settings, I noticed with a quickening, how have a new choice….Indian English. Brought to you by the great folks who gave you chappals, stop eating my brain, do the needful, prepone and finger chips.

“You speak English so well, oh my god!” is the back - handed compliment I have heard over and over in 23 years of living outside India. 

Sweet global revenge has come in the form of thousands of call centres, whence our local lads and lasses will flay the world with technical support in immaculate Ernakulam , Patiala or Mehndipur English accents. 

More generally, we as formerly colonised by the English would fare well to appreciate that English no more belongs to the English alone. It has so many variants and and accents across the world. Liberian English is a good example and Liberians need to let go of the inferiority complex associated with speaking it. 

We are mentally colonised still

I saw the Tweet by Jairo and, truly this opinion is more common than one would think. Liberian Facebook though seems to take the cake. It 's a self contained bubble of: 

- Liberians who have served in the US Army and are still somehow Liberians

- Liberians working in the Aid/Development Sector and blindly uphold the Development framework and Western donors 

- Liberian women working in the Development Sector and blindly support American politicians like Hillary Clinton 

- Liberian feminists who mainly post photo shoots and little to none critical commentary 

- Liberian elite living in the past praising the Americo-Liberian times when a small minority had complete power

- Total capitulation to Western hegemony, capitalism

Conversations over the weekend

While we are helping my best friend unpacking 

Me to my friend's cousin : Is my friend older than you ? 

Friend's cousin : Yes 

Me: So, she is allowed to boss you around, yes ? She is your big sister.

Friend : I baby sat him. I changed his diapers! 

While visiting family 

In company of my Liberian mother and her family and, one of her twin daughters getting ready to travel for her first international assignment in Central African Republic (C. A . R.) :

My Liberian mother scolding her daughter : You have been sitting around and left packing until the last minute. Take 2 hours and practice the manual drive in case you need to use a manual vehicle on duty.