The Quiet Imposition of English: How india’s Service Culture is Silencing Mother Tongues
By Lucas Fernandez, World-Today-News.com
A simple trip to McDonald’s or Domino’s in India frequently enough reveals a peculiar phenomenon: the almost mandatory English greeting. It begs the question – whose idea was this, and at what cost? In regions like Ranchi and Lucknow, were Hindi dominates daily life, why is English prioritized? This isn’t a global trend. In Southeast Asian nations like Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam, basic English proficiency isn’t even expected, let alone a default greeting.
The practise extends across India, from Bangalore to Kochi to Hyderabad. Even when a customer is clearly more comfortable in their native language, English remains the standard.A recent anecdote highlights the absurdity: an elderly man ordering a conventional “filter kaapi” at a Bangalore airport Starbucks was met with subtle disapproval – a palpable sense that he didn’t “belong” because he didn’t order in English.
This isn’t simply about convenience; it’s about a deeply ingrained societal bias. India’s English speakers don’t speak English – they speak English with an accent. A Tamil-accented English, a Bengali-inflected delivery, a Punjabi cadence - these are all beatiful expressions of linguistic identity. Yet, a disturbing hierarchy exists within that spectrum.
The prejudice leveled against those with Bihari-accented English is notably troubling. Why is a regional inflection deemed “unpolished” and unsuitable for professional spaces? The pressure to conform is real. I’ve witnessed friends from Bihar actively suppress their natural speech patterns during job interviews, meticulously neutralizing their pronunciation of “I am from Patna” to avoid perceived judgment. Affluent individuals can now seemingly pinpoint someone’s origins based on their pronunciation of a single word – “contemplate.”
Let me be clear: English is a valuable skill, offering opportunities and access. But why the expectation to conduct even the most basic transactions – ordering food, buying a coffee – in a foreign language within our own country? This expectation permeates various sectors, from showrooms to salons, reinforcing a hazardous equation: English equals elitism.
we are raising a generation that equates fluency in English with intelligence, and tragically, learning to be ashamed of how they speak it.Every accent carries a story, every mispronunciation a connection to a mother tongue, and every hesitant order a history of being told they aren’t “polished enough.”
We’ve inadvertently constructed a linguistic class system, and most of us are both victims and unwitting enforcers of it. It’s time to challenge this norm and embrace the rich tapestry of languages that define India,allowing people to interact comfortably in the tongues they know best.
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