The Use of Slang as a Linguistic Resource in the Creation of an Anglo-Indian Identity: The Case of Hyderabad Anglo-Indians

Abstract

This study investigates how the Anglo-Indian community in Hyderabad uses slang, an ethno-linguistic artifact, to express their unique identity. A combination of interview and survey techniques was employed to elicit the data on slang. The data on slang were obtained through interviews, but the application of a t test (p < .001) on data collected from Anglo-Indians and their neighboring community, obtained through a survey, validated the usage of slang as an Anglo-Indian code. English-based slang (such as, plug, rubbermouth, fire off) and contact-induced borrowing from colloquial Telugu and Tamil (including, jao, pulling the jao, catching crows) combine to form Anglo-Indian slang. The study suggests that one of the strategies by which the community conveys its distinctive identity vis-à-vis English, and the regional second-language users of English, is through the integration of linguistic material from various sources into Anglo-Indian English. The study suggests that the Anglo-Indian community maintains distinct identities through the usage of slang or hybrid English.