babu English

alternative Babu English · alternative dated Baboo English · alternative dated baboo English

1. IndiauncountableA variety of Indian English characterized by excessive formality, politeness, ornamentation, and an indirect manner of communication.

   1 more example

   Despite the innocuous-sounding claim that the purpose of his article was ‘to provide a few notes on the characteristics of English used to-day by the educated Indian’ (Goffin 1934: 20), Goffin’s text is very much in the ‘Babu English’ tradition, that is, it derides the way in which Indians used English.

   2014, James Lambert, “Diachronic stability in Indian English lexis”, in World Englishes, page 116