Phonology of IndE Overview of previous studies

Work on the phonetics and phonology of Indian English can be divided into five broad categories. The first category consists of works describing the phonetic aspects of IndE (e.g. Bansal 1978). The second category comprises studies that compare the sound system of RP with an Indian language and in the process involve a variety of IndE (e.g. with Tamil - Balasubramanian 1972). In the third category occur works which contrast RP with a regional variety of IndE (Marathi English – Kelkar 1957). The fourth category consists of works that study the perception and intelligibility of IndE (e.g. Bansal 1978). The fifth category consists of scholars who focus on the study of IndE in sociolinguistic contexts (e.g. Agnihotri 1991). In this process significant phonological patterns have been highlighted by Nihalani, Tongue and Hosali (1979), Kachru (1982: 359), Trudgill and Hannah (1982: 105) and others. The view emerging from most of these studies is that IndE is largely shaped by the phonological patterns of the respective mother tongues and that this process needs to be studied in depth. The description of IndE in the present work is based on tape recordings carried out in 2003 and 2004. The elicited data consists of word lists of Wells (1982) and Foulkes and Docherty (1999), a reading passage and a stretch of free conversation by speakers of IndE from various parts of the country. Since there is a large transferring or migrating population in Delhi, the entire recording was done in this capital city. For the analysis this work will first enumerate the distinctive sounds of IndE and then go on to look at the major phonological processes, and the principles of word accentuation and intonation.