“Banglish”: Emergence of a new English variety
Keywords:
English variety; Banglish; Linguistic levels; Chandpur; Participatory approach.Abstract
A large number of English varieties are emerging day by day with the global expansion and use of English. Bangladeshi English, formally known as ‘Banglish’, is one of the newest English varieties in the world of ‘Variety of English’. The study is an attempt to gauge and analyse Banglish from different linguistic levels. This study was undertaken to explore the scenario of Banglish (Bangladeshi variety of English) in the Chandpur district of Bangladesh, dealing with existing pronunciation, morphology, syntax, and semantics styles through a participatory approach. The study was qualitative in nature, and the methods of data collection consisted of recording words through direct interviews, informal talks, and focus group discussions (FGDs) with educated local people from Chandpur, as well as reading related journals, articles, books, and passages. The results of the study reveal that the English variety used by Bangladeshi people exists in terms of unique pronunciation, morphology, semantics, and syntax systems and also differs from standard British English. Based on the findings, some implications have been suggested for education, foreigners, and language policymakers.
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Submission: 31 December 2021
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