by liz scully | Jan 13, 2013 | English usage, Fear of electricity, Food, Grammar, India, Quirks, Signs
So this sign is on a little food stall I walk past sometimes. Here you can see it in it’s regular pitch, in front of a wedding hall. Just behind the cart, you can see the micro temple for blessing the happy couple. This was taken a month or so back when...
by liz scully | Dec 30, 2012 | English usage, India, Quirks, Signs
Just a quick Signage Sunday for you this week. And we’re actually going to be talking about the usage of Indian English too – you know, like this blog is supposed to do. The original blog plan was to always be doing this sort of post and not simply ‘fessing up...
by liz scully | Apr 11, 2012 | Cultural Differences, English usage, India, Quirks, Signs
I am a big fan of the Ladies queue. Not the queue for the toilets, oh no, this is a special line for ladies, so they’re not rubbing up against (and more importantly jostled) by uncouth men. Indians are generally very polite people and they are particularly careful and...
by liz scully | Feb 15, 2012 | English usage, India, Quirks
This succinct question is lovely in its directness and clarity. In standard English we’d probably ask if you’ve arrived, or are you here yet? But the simple, ‘have you reached?’ or ‘I have reached’ – seems more straight forward and somehow...
by liz scully | Feb 12, 2012 | English usage, India, Quirks
Now, this is the secret to the universe. Well, lets not carried away – perhaps only the secret to the Indian business universe. This phrase added at the bottom of your email will result in magical things; people will actually reply. Promptly. And with...
by liz scully | Jan 4, 2012 | Cultural Differences, English usage, India, Quirks
Now I love this phrase, it epitomises Indian fatalism. Or the appearance of Indian fatalism, to be more accurate. It’s used so much – often after some apparent small disaster; the car’s not arrived, the floors flooded, people can’t come to your party. And as news of...
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