Tanglish
Tanglish (Tamil: தமிங்கிலம்) refers to the code-mixing or code-switching of the Tamil and English languages, in the context of colloquial spoken language. In the context of colloquial written language, Tanglish refers to the Tamil language written in English alphabet (that is, using Roman script instead of Tamil script), with extensive usage of English vocabulary.
The name is a portmanteau of the names of the two languages and has been variously composed. The earliest form is Tamilish (dating from 1972), then Tinglish (1974), Tamglish (1991), Tamlish (1993), Thanglish (1997), and Tanglish (1999).[1]
Distribution
Tamil Nadu
The use of Tanglish has been common in Chennai, possibly due in part to the use of English in education. Also, the influx to the city of speakers of other languages (such as Telugu, Gujarati, and Kannada) has increased the importance of English as the language that people have in common.[2] In The Hindu in 2010, a student in Chennai told of the widespread use of Tanglish by teenagers in her city. She said Tanglish was "something almost every teenager in Chennai uses", but noted that her mother said Tanglish was "murdering the [Tamil] language".[3] That same year, a Tamil teacher in a matriculation school in Chennai reported that few of her students had a large enough Tamil vocabulary to be able to speak Tamil without including some words of English.[2]
Tanglish is increasingly used in advertising aimed at consumers in Tamil Nadu, particularly for promotion of international products.[4] For example, Pepsi has mixed English with Tamil in its slogan "ullam kekkuthae more".[5] In 2004, The Hindu commented on a mobile phone advertising campaign in Chennai that used slogans that combined Tamil and English, such as "Konjam Samaiyal... Konjam Serial", "Konjam Advice... Konjam Udaans", and "Konjam Kadhal... Konjam Modhal."[4] It also is common for advertising to use the Tamil language rendered in the English alphabet, a trend that leads to concern that people are losing the ability to read Tamil script.[4]
The Tanglish lyrics of the film song "Why This Kolaveri Di", which went viral on Internet social networking sites in November 2011, have been identified as a factor in the song's popularity.[6][7][8]
Tamil diasporas
Use of Tanglish has been reported among Tamil-speaking immigrant populations in Malaysia and Canada, particularly by young people.[9][10] Singaporean rapper Yung Raja is known for his extensive use of Tanglish in his lyrics.[11]
Characteristics
A study of code switching in everyday speech in Tamil Nadu found that English words are commonly inserted into sentences that otherwise follow Tamil syntax.[12]
A characteristic of Tanglish or Tamil-English code-switching is the addition of Tamil affixes to English words.[12] The sound "u" is added at the end of an English noun to create a Tamil noun form, as in "soundu" and the words "girl-u heart-u black-u" in the lyrics of "Why This Kolaveri Di".[12][13] English nouns often are combined with Tamil case markers, as in "journeyai" (accusative case), "driverkku" (dative case, used to mean "for the driver"), and "teacheroṭa" (of the teacher, genitive case). Verbs and some nouns from the English language are converted to Tamil verb forms by adding Tamil verbalizers that indicate verb tense. For example, the Tamil verb "paṇṇu" is added to the English verb "drive", resulting in "drive paṇṇu", used to mean "do the driving".[12] Another pattern that has been noted by speakers or observers of Tanglish is the addition of the syllable "fy" at the end of a Tamil word (e.g., maattify, Kalaachify).[3][14]
See also
- Indian English
- Regional differences and dialects in Indian English
- Madras Bashai, a related, but distinct, language variant, a slang form of Tamil used in Chennai that is a blend of Tamil with Indian English, Telugu and Hindustani
References
- ^ Lambert, James. 2018. A multitude of ‘lishes’: The nomenclature of hybridity. English World-wide, 39(1): 31-32. DOI: 10.1075/eww.38.3.04lam
- ^ a b Vasundara, R (21 June 2010). "Tanglish rules the roost in Tamil Nadu". The Times Of India Chennai. p. 2. Archived from the original on 16 April 2014.
- ^ a b Narayanan, Hiranmayi (21 April 2010). "Enter, Tanglish". The Hindu. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
- ^ a b c Rangarajan, Malathi (21 February 2004), "Konjam Tamil Konjam English", The Hindu, archived from the original on 16 April 2014
- ^ Hasuria Che Omar, ed. (2009). The Sustainability of the Translation Field. p. 459. ISBN 978-983-42179-6-9.
- ^ "Dhanush: Never expected 'Kolaveri di' to become such a rage", The Times of India, 29 November 2011, archived from the original on 6 October 2013
- ^ "Why this 'Why this Kolaveri'?", The Hindu, 23 November 2011
- ^ Steven Baker (26 October 2015), Ten surprising expressions in Indian English, British Council
- ^ Vinesh, Derrick (2 October 2011), "Penang's link with ocean made waves", The Star, archived from the original on 8 December 2011
- ^ Das, Sonja Neela (2008). Between text and talk: Expertise, normativity, and scales of belonging in the Montreal Tamil diasporas (Dissertation). University of Michigan. ISBN 978-0-549-98093-3.
- ^ "Yung Raja Is Bringing His Brand Of "Tanglish" Rap To America".
- ^ a b c d Kanthimathi, K. (2009). "Tamil-English Mixed Language Used in Tamilnadu" (PDF). The International Journal of Language Society and Culture (27): 48–53. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 June 2012.
- ^ Rao, Mallika (28 November 2011), "'Why This Kolaveri Di': India's Latest Viral Hit", Huffington Post
- ^ Music composed by D.Imman "Fy Fy Fy Kalaachify" by Remya Nambeesan from "Pandiya Naadu" Tamil Movie
- v
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languages
- Cameroon Pidgin+French+English Camfranglais
- Bengali+Persian+Arabic Dobhashi
- Italian+Spanish+French+Arab Sabir †
- English+Chinese+Malay+Tamil Singlish and Manglish
- Hebrew+Aramaic+German+Slavic Yiddish
- Chinese+Mongolian+Tibetan Wutun language
- Chinese+Tagalog+English Hokaglish
- Malay+Chinese+Javanese+Sundanese+Arabic+Dutch Betawi
- Arabic Arablish
- Bengali Banglish
- Czech Czenglish
- Chinese Chinglish
- Chinese+Tagalog Hokaglish
- Danish Danglish
- Dutch Dunglish
- Finnish Finglish
- French Franglais
- German Denglisch
- Greek Greeklish
- Hebrew Heblish, Yeshivish
- Hindi Hinglish
- Hong Kong
- Hungarian Hunglish
- Irish Béarlachas
- Italian Itanglese
- Japanese Engrish, Wasei-eigo, Bonin English
- Kannada Kanglish
- Korean Konglish
- Maltese Maltenglish
- Malayalam Manglish (Malayalam)
- Malaysian Manglish
- Namibia Namlish
- Polish Poglish
- Portuguese Porglish/Portuglish
- Russian Runglish, Solombala English
- Sicilian Siculish
- Singaporean Singlish
- Spanish Spanglish, Llanito
- Swedish Swenglish
- Tagalog Taglish/Englog
- Tamil Tanglish
- Telugu Tenglish
- Thai Tinglish
- Turkish Turklish
- Urdu Urdish
- Vietnamese Vinish
- Visayan Bislish
- Yiddish Yinglish, Yeshivish
- See also:
- English Arablish
- South Sudan local languages Juba Arabic
- Greek Cypriot Arabic
- Jordanian+Bengali Jordanian Bengali Pidgin Arabic
- English Chinglish, Chinese Pidgin English
- English+Malay+Tamil Singlish and Manglish
- English+Tagalog Hokaglish
- Tibetan Daohua
- Mongolian+Tibetan Wutun language
- Uyghur Hezhou language
- Russian Kyakhta
- Japanese Kyowa-go
- Inter-topolects Linghua, Shaozhou Tuhua
- Tai E language
- Hmongic Maojia dialect
- Santa Tangwang language
- Malay+Javanese Baba Malay, Betawi
- Spanish Frespañol/Fragnol
- Japanese Franponais
- Occitan Meridional French
- English Franglais
- Hebrew Zarphatic
- Gallo-Italic Franco-Italian
Language
- American Sign Language Bolivian Sign Language, Thai Sign Language, Philippine Sign Language, Malaysian Sign Language
- Russian Deutschrussisch
- Spanish Belgranodeutsch
- English Denglisch
- Portuguese Hunsrik (when Portuguese-influenced)
- Hebrew Yiddish
- Yiddish Lachoudisch
- English Greeklish
- Hebrew Judeo-Greek
- Turkish Cappadocian Greek
- Arabic languages Judeo-Arabic languages
- Aramaic languages Judeo-Aramaic languages
- Iranian languages Judaeo-Iranian languages
- Romance languages Judaeo-Romance languages
- German Yiddish
- Spanish Judaeo-Spanish, Haketia
- English Heblish, Yinglish, Yeshivish
- Georgian Judaeo-Georgian
- Malayalam Judeo-Malayalam
- Tatar Karaim, Krymchak
- Slavic Knaanic
- Greek Yevanic
- Indic Judeo-Marathi
- English Itanglese
- Spanish Cocoliche, Lunfardo
- Portuguese Macaronic Portuguese
- Croatian Fiuman dialect
- Hebrew Judeo-Italian
- English Engrish, Wasei-eigo, Bonin English
- Portuguese Dekasegi Portuguese
- French Franponais
- Chinese Kyowa-go
- Malay trade and creole languages
- English+Chinese+Tamil Singlish and Manglish
- Chinese Baba Malay
- Chinese+Javanese+Sundanese+Arabic+Dutch Betawi
- Sinhalese+Tamil Sri Lankan Malay
- Ternate Manado Malay, North Moluccan Malay, Ambonese Malay
- Dutch Petjo
- Makassarese Makassar Malay
- Spanish Portuñol/Portunhol
- English Porglish/Portuglish
- Italian languages Macaronic Portuguese
- Bengali Bengali Portuguese
- Japanese Dekasegi Portuguese
- Gallo-Italic languages Talian (when Portuguese-influenced)
- Hunsrückisch German Hunsrik (when Portuguese-influenced)
- Bantu languages Cafundó dialect (cupópia), Gira da Tabatinga, Kalunga
- Hebrew Judeo-Portuguese
- Southeast Asian languages Macanese Patois
- German Deutschrussisch
- Ukrainian Surzhyk, Balachka
- Belarusian Trasianka
- Norwegian Russenorsk
- English Runglish, Solombala English
- Chinese Kyakhta
languages
- Danish+English Danglish
- Norwegian+Russian Russenorsk
- Norwegian+Spanish Norspañol
- Norwegian+Swedish Svorsk
- Swedish+English Swenglish
- Portuguese Portuñol/Portunhol
- German Belgranodeutsch
- English Spanglish, Llanito
- Italian languages Cocoliche, Lunfardo
- Gallo-Italic languages Chipilo
- Galician Castrapo
- French Frespañol/Fragnol
- Guarani Jopará
- Norwegian Norspañol
- Belarusian West Polesian
- English Canadian Ukrainian
- Polish Balak
- Russian Surzhyk, Balachka
- English Heblish, Yinglish, Yeshivish
- Scots Scots Yiddish
- German Lachoudisch