Pidgin Bangla?

Bengalis are often made fun of (by other Bengalis usually) because of their heavily accented English which may make them say 'hot ij this' and 'hu-air ij eyore rechhidench'. But if you really think about it there is no reason why we should make fun of ourselves for not speaking Queen's English, having a distinctive accent or even having our own versions of English words. This is how languages evolve right? And why is it that we cringe when we hear English spoken with a heavy South Asian accent but drool with adulation when it is French or even Spanish?
There may be many political/economical/racial reasons behind the discrimination but let's not go there.
Rather, we should be focusing our attention to a brand new phenomenon – the Americanisation of spoken Bangla – it's a bit like a pidgin Bangla but spoken by natives of a special kind. Although it may resemble the Bangla spoken by visiting Americans who are struggling with the proper pronunciations of words, there is something quite exclusive about this newly concocted language.

It all started with the radio jockey rage that gripped the country several years ago. Suddenly all these exciting new radio stations had hosts known as RJ's (Arrr Jays) who spoke Bangla with what sounded like an American accent: “So, llistenurrs, akhon akta fatafati gaan dibo, only furr you. Amrra jante chai, whad you think of arr songs- so pllease sms korrben amake ey numburre.” It apparently denoted smartness. Soon the curse of RJ Bangla spread all over the young population and you had many a youngster using the weird lingo in everyday conversation.

Critics of this hybrid language point out to the over exposure of American culture that many young people from English Medium schools go through in their early years and then well into adulthood – American television series, sitcoms, films and of course, music. This may explain why most young Bangladeshis who can speak English have an American accent – it just comes naturally to them.

But why the adulteration of Bangla, supposedly their mother tongue? Take a TV show that highlights celebrities with hosts interviewing an actor. The particular episode aired a few months ago, was devoted to one of the most popular topics in the world – namely 'Love'. The young woman who was co-hosting the show announced that this particular episode was to be devoted to finding ways to express one's love for someone: “Amrra ajke amader viewerrsderr theke jante chai – 'allav u' (I love you) na bollayy ki bhabe kauke bhallobasharr kotha bolla jai”. Throughout the show during which she asked awkward questions like: what is your favourite part of your wife?, the exuberant host kept talking in that special Bangla that keeps rolling the r (s) and thickening the l (s) to create that unique 'marbles in the mouth' sound. Funnily enough many directors depict rich, spoilt, young women by having actresses speak in this strange pidgin Bangla. Even some deluded musicians have adopted this irritating trend thinking they sound more seductive if they pronounce Bangla words in a foreign accent.

To add to all the confusion is the rise of a new language that professes to be English but sounds completely alien. Aside from a rare few, most readers of the English news, particularly in the state channel, pronounce English words in their own way, placing emphasis on the wrong syllable and assuming 'a' to be an 'e'. Like the ever popular RJs these people also use a strange intonation while reading the news just to keep things interesting: “The gervement has decided to take spacial stayps to andsheur that political perties do not herber criminales” (translated: The government has decided to take special steps to ensure that political parties do not harbour criminals). Unlike the RJ lingo however, these news readers take great pains to mince their words, making sure they open their mouths as little as possible so they almost look like amateur ventriloquists, without the puppets of course.

Readers of the English news could easily be trained to read in an English that is understandable rather than the current bizarre, tight-lipped version. But let's not make fun of people whose first language is not English and who were born long after the British rule. Rather, we should focus on the awful distortion of our mother tongue that is jarring to the ears and an insult to our identity.