Cross- cultural Communication This page intentionally left blank

Varieties of English
The dominance of English as a lingua franca masks the existence of many 
varieties of English in use around the world, for example, in the Indian 
subcontinent (and particularly in India itself), West Africa, the USA, 
Australia and Singapore, as well as in parts of the UK. In many countries, 
such as Sierra Leone, the Caribbean and Papua New Guinea, creole versions 
of English, or patois, have developed, a few of which have been recognized 
as indigenous languages in their own right. The Krio language of Sierra 
Leone is such an example.
Of greater significance is the variety of English spoken by
non- native 
speakers. The term ‘variety of English’ was coined by the Indian linguist 
Professor Braj Kachru, who identified two circles of English usage, namely 
•
•
•
•

---

70 Cross-Cultural Communication
‘native speaker varieties of English’, the so- called inner circle, and a ‘ non-
native speaker varieties of English’, the outer circle. Native speaker varieties 
of English are those spoken by citizens where English is the mother tongue. 
The outer circle of non- native speakers includes speakers of English in India 
and China, as well as speakers of English in countries such as Germany, 
France, Italy or Spain (Kachru, 1992).
The varieties of English mainly use words in the local language which 
have been assimilated into the English used in these countries. The follow-
ing are some examples of this.
Hinglish
This consists of many English words used in Hindi. It is estimated that 
Indian English is spoken by 350 million people and has acquired a new, dis-
tinct vocabulary of words and usage. It is also influenced by Bollywood, the 
world’s largest film industry. It is spoken mainly in urban areas in India, par-
ticularly among the young middle class and on college campuses. Hinglish 
includes many English- sounding words which have been specially adapted 
for use in Indian culture, such as those given in Figure 4.5.