Approximation of Indian English towards British RP due to increased language contact

Exemplified by actress Aishwarya Rai Bacchan

Term Paper (Advanced seminar) , 2014 , 28 Pages , Grade: 1,0

English Language and Literature Studies - Linguistics

Even though language proficiency improves over time naturally, this term paper will try to analyze whether an individual’s Indian English (IndE) will approximate towards the British English Standard due to increased language contact in an international context, especially with regard to the change of pronunciation towards RP. As the person of interest, actress Aishwarya Rai Bacchan, is a native Indian woman who became famous very quickly all over the world, it might be possible to observe a certain development in her language due to the sudden increased contact with English. Due to India’s postcolonial status, the British English variety seems to serve as a model for learners of English in this country, so that this seems to be the right variety to base the analysis on.

Table of Contents

I. Introduction

II. Analysis of Aishwarya Rai's use of English with regard to a possible development towards Received Pronunciation
1. Introduction of actress Aishwarya Rai Bacchan
2. Use of Indian English in India
3. Characteristic features of Indian English (vs. Standard English)
4. Setting and register of the interviews
5. Methodology
6. Discussion of results
6.1. Analysis of the interviews
6.2. Comparison with A-rated features in the eWave Atlas

III. Conclusion

IV. References

V. Sources

VI. Statement of Plagiarism

VII. Appendix
1. First Interview
2. Second Interview
3. List of A-rated features in Indian English in eWave atlas

• College: LMU Munich
• Course: World Englishes
• Grade: 1,0
• Author: Olga Schäfer (Author)
• Publication Year: 2014
• Pages: 28
• Catalog Number: V283221
• ISBN (eBook): 9783656831877
• ISBN (Book): 9783656828938
• Language: English
• Tags: approximation, indian, english, british, exemplified, aishwarya, bacchan