Name: Arijit

Age: 22 years

Place: Calcutta and Delhi

right progressed transferred enjoys anyway

come grew used everything clear-cut choice
changed whoever turning environment choice
especially bugs begin these realise
miss Calcutta place great still shutting
which friends born everybody settled choice

Uh…I was _____________in Delhi in 1984 and then my father was _____________to

Calcutta—in 1994; so I left Delhi was I was ten years old and then I spent uh most of my

time in Calcutta—my schooling, and also my graduation. And for my post-graduation

when I decided to _____________back to Delhi, I found out that Delhi has

_____________a lot. Anyway, I was a ten-year old kid, so I didn’t remember most of

Delhi _____________. Uh…but I could make out that the city has _____________a lot

and ...uh… but what really _____________me _____________days is that people

_____________sees me here, the first question they tell me is _____________city do you

like better? _____________or Delhi? And as I have come to _____________over the last

one and a half years, it’s very difficult to make a very

_______________________________________and distinction between the cities. uh…

Delhi was the city I was born in uh and I am here right now. I’ve _____________friends,

and a good University and _____________is just good. But Calcutta was the place I

_____________up, and _____________for a boy, who’s eleven-twelve years old,

_____________up to his graduation: that is the point where he _____________his

1
studies, his friends a lot. And so when I first came to Delhi, I _____________to

_____________Calcutta a lot. Uh… but then I realised that what I was doing was I was

_____________myself off from the _____________of Delhi itself and then I decided to

uh open up and visit other places and make new _____________and tried to

_____________the old activities which I did in Calcutta uh… And now I’ve, I am seeing

that Delhi is a very nice _____________itself. But _____________that doesn’t go very

well to make a _____________between Calcutta and Delhi and this is a question that uh

these days I am _____________around to other people who’ve come from Calcutta or

from people from Delhi who are _____________in Calcutta. And uh I really find that

_____________is in the same situation. Nobody can make uh a clear

_____________about uh his or her city.

Comments:

This is the average Indian English accent, one most likely to be heard in many places.

The retroflex /, / are very clear in this speech, although in words as in city, the

alveolar /t/ is used. Dental /d/ is used consistently in words like then. In the word

everything, /t/ is used. It remains unaspirated. The accent is non-rhotic and has the

linking-r. Other features that mark this speech as Indian are: the use of mixed tenses, and

items such as found out for found and eleven-twelve for eleven or twelve. The preference

for the progressive is apparent in seeing. The connectives used here are but and and.

2
Name: Arijit

Age: 22 years

Place: Calcutta and Delhi

3
Uh…I was born in Delhi in 1984 and then my father was transferred to Calcutta—in

1994; so I left Delhi was I was ten years old and then I spent uh most of my time in

Calcutta—my schooling, and also my graduation. And for my post-graduation when I

decided to come back to Delhi, I found out that Delhi has changed a lot. Anyway, I was a

ten-year old kid, so I didn’t remember most of Delhi anyway. Uh…but I could make out

that the city has progressed a lot and ...uh… but what really bugs me these days is that

people whoever sees me here, the first question they tell me is which city do you like

better? Calcutta or Delhi? And as I have come to realise over the last one and a half

years, it’s very difficult to make a very clear-cut choice and distinction between the cities.

uh… Delhi was the city I was born in uh and I am here right now. I’ve great friends, and

a good University and everything is just good. But Calcutta was the place I grew up, and

especially for a boy, who’s eleven-twelve years old, right up to his graduation: that is the

point where he enjoys his studies, his friends a lot. And so when I first came to Delhi, I

used to miss Calcutta a lot. Uh… but then I realised that what I was doing was I was

shutting myself off from the environment of Delhi itself and then I decided to uh open up

and visit other places and make new friends and tried to begin the old activities which I

did in Calcutta uh… And now I’ve, I am seeing that Delhi is a very nice place itself. But

still that doesn’t go very well to make a choice between Calcutta and Delhi and this is a

question that uh these days I am turning around to other people who’ve come from

Calcutta or from people from Delhi who are settled in Calcutta. And uh I really find that

everybody is in the same situation. Nobody can make uh a clear choice about uh his or

her city.

4
Comments:

This is the average Indian English accent, one most likely to be heard in many places.

The retroflex /, / are very clear in this speech, although in words as in city, the

alveolar /t/ is used. Dental /d/ is used consistently in words like then. In the word

everything, /t/ is used. It remains unaspirated. The accent is non-rhotic and has the

linking-r. Other features that mark this speech as Indian are: the use of mixed tenses, and

items such as found out for found and eleven-twelve for eleven or twelve. The preference

for the progressive is apparent in seeing. The connectives used here are but and and.