Idiomaticity and the Idiosyncrasies of Indian English: A Reappraisal.

Abstract

With Indian English being recognized and acknowledged worldwide and with some indigenous words infiltrating English language, it is time for linguists to analyze the concept of "idiomatic English". In the same direction, this paper evaluates the concept of idiomaticity and the degree of tolerance most proficient speakers of English have developed when we come across English that does not sound so "idiomatic". Some of the common errors where Indian English deviates the norms of Standard English are presented to help understand the concept better. The final part of the article raises some pertinent issues related to this concept and the challenges we would be facing in our pedagogic journey with respect to ingraining the idea of idiomaticity in our learners.