Adapting to living in another country isn't always easy. Language can be a huge barrier/challenge, particularly for folks such as me who find learning another language difficult. Thankfully in India it's a bit easier, since English is its second most popular language, with over 125 million speakers. Even the auto rickshaw drivers often speak at least a little English - particularly if money is involved or if your local language skills are nonexistent. In fact, the number of English-speaking Indians is more than double that of the entire population of the UK and more than all European English speakers combined! It's also the second top English speaking country after the US. Of course, a huge difference is that a large percentage of Indians are at least bi-lingual: Over 255 million speak at least two languages and 87.5 million speak three or more languages. By contrast, only about 10% (according to the 2000 census) of Americans were fluent in more than one language.
This photo shows a sign advertising one of the major English newspapers in India. Like a high percentage of signage/text, this one is dual-posted, both in English and in Tamil, the dominant language for Tamil Nadu.
1 comment:
I remember the English newspapers we got at some of our hotels in Tamil Nadu. I also remember and have photos of some GREAT signs with inadvertent misspellings! :)
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