Characteristics of Indian English

The most significant characteristic of Indian English is the lack of distinction between voiced and voiceless sounds. 

In addition to this, there are several other features:

① The [i] sound tends to be pronounced as [i:] at the end of words, such as in "army."

② The sounds [p], [t], [k], and [tʃ] are pronounced as [p], [t], [k], [g] respectively.

③ The /t/ sound is pronounced further back in the mouth, closer to the /d/ sound, with a slight "rhotic" quality, producing a sound like /də/ where the /ə/ is not elongated.

④ The /θ/ and /ð/ sounds are pronounced more like /d/, so "think" sounds like /diŋk/.

⑤ The /r/ sound at the end of words has a slight "trill" quality, and the /r/ in the middle of words leans towards /l/, such as "very" pronounced as /veli/ and "sorry" pronounced as /sɒli/.

⑥ The /w/ sound is closer to /v/ (when pronouncing /w/, the lips are protruded outward without touching the teeth, while for /v/, the upper teeth touch the lower lip).

⑦ The diphthong /əʊ/ is pronounced closer to /ɒ/, for example, the pronunciation of "phone" changes from /fəʊn/ to /fɒn/; the diphthong /ei/ is pronounced closer to /ie/, so "Monday" sounds like "man-day."

⑧ The [ʒ] sound is pronounced as [z], such as in "measure."

⑨ The /∫/ sound is pronounced as /s/, so the pronunciation of "shoe" changes from /∫u:/ to /su:/.

⑩ There is a shift in word stress, for example, in "alternative," the stress in British English is on "ter," while in Indian English, it is on "na"; the stress in "number" shifts from "num" to "ber."

In summary, /t/ is pronounced as /d/, /k/ as /g/, /p/ as /b/, /θ/ as /d/, and /r/ as /l/, with almost every word having a "third tone" pronunciation.

Additionally, there are differences in the stress and unstress of syllables. In normal stressed "combination," Indian English does not strengthen the intonation but changes the stressed syllable to a third tone, like "combinaMtion." However, sometimes, words like "also" at the beginning of a sentence become "aMlso." Sometimes, stress is pronounced very heavily, such as in "senâtence."

In terms of rhythm, Indian English prefers to speak in long sentences and only pause at the definite article "the," unlike other English varieties that pause based on semantics.

The most challenging aspect for native English speakers to understand and get used to is the frequent use of the present continuous tense in conversations, such as "she is knowing the answer."

The most noticeable difference is the significant ups and downs in intonation, with some words being pronounced normally in isolation but having consonants elongated and "intoned" when placed in sentences, for example, "I want some riccccce" (please imagine the elongation).

Speaking of intonation, Japanese English also has a distinct intonation, and some Japanese words are essentially Japanese English, such as "hambergeràhabaga"; Japanese English also likes to add a sound at the end, like "hardàhado."

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