babu English

English

Proper noun

babu English (uncountable)

  1. (India) A variety of Indian English characterized by excessive formality, politeness, ornamentation, and an indirect manner of communication.
    • 2014, James Lambert, “Diachronic stability in Indian English lexis”, in World Englishes, page 116:
      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.

Alternative forms
  • Babu English
  • Baboo English, baboo English (dated)
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