English is not our first language. But, that has not stopped Indians from taking over the language and making it our own – whether that is by mixing Hindi words to develop “Hinglish” or the other extreme, using words that even native English speakers don’t use regularly.
Yes, Twitter user Inika talked about how she experienced the biggest “culture shock” when she realized that “thrice” is actually not a word people commonly use outside of India.
and it turns out i use the word thrice way more than i should
— inika⛓ (@inika__) May 4, 2021
it has come to my attention that some people think i’m LYING (?!) here is proof from 2 WHITE PEOPLE guys i was made fun of for this it’s trauma why WOULD I LIE pic.twitter.com/koYNwibDmd
— inika⛓ (@inika__) May 4, 2021
*I’m thrice as shocked as you are!*
Pretty soon, people were responding to the tweet with other words that are far too common in India. But don’t find a place in everyday conversations between native English speakers.
This contains my entire American childhood and teenage years convincing my parents (especially dad, ma’s an English teacher) that certain Indian English words did NOT translate to American English usage
— নীলাঞ্জনা (@Ni1anj0na) May 4, 2021
My favorite: PREPONE 😂
I love India … where auto rickshaws ‘ply’ the streets, meetings are ‘pre-poned’, nothing is ‘grouped’ but everything is ‘clubbed’ and there’s nothing better than getting together with ‘batch mates’.
— Brett Matthews (@bretthmatthews) May 6, 2021
Thrice as much Indian in our English would not be too much …
It is an interesting phenomenon. English in India hasn’t moved forward much since the Brits left, while British English keeps changing. Similar story from a friend: a part of his family moved from India to S Africa a century ago. 1/
— Wesley Mouch (@WesleyMouch3) May 5, 2021
Try saying day after tomorrow
— Kabier Garg (@KabierGarg) May 4, 2021
Use of ‘only’ at the end of the sentence…
— Breadfan (@garf_art) May 5, 2021
Where I’m from in Alabama it’s “devil box,” “spittoon” and “tree rags.”
— Sam Arnold (@s4m4rn0ld) May 6, 2021
Tiple yes, double any number is totally useless since you save absolutely no time or effort.
— Renzo Ciafardone (@rciafardone) May 5, 2021
Relax Shakespeare
— Jibran (@jibran_6) May 4, 2021
*Kya karun main marr jaun, meri koi feelings nahi hain? Tumhari English, English, meri English archaic?*
In fact, this Quora thread actually provides a pretty extensive list of all the English words and phrases Indians seem to have a monopoly on:
Though this answer certainly takes the cake:
Just to clarify, these words are not incorrect, but most of these are considered archaic. And at times, used incorrectly by non-native speakers.
For example, you don’t “revert back”, you simply revert or respond. And there is no such thing as a “good name” because well, all names are good, right? (Except perhaps your ex’s).
Anyway now you know! So is there a word you’ll add to the list? Let us know in the comments section below.