Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

Selling English

Hats off to Hasan Suroor for speaking some plain truth on the inclusion of some `desi' words in English dictionaries (Selling English to the "natives", Sept. 1). Of course, English has borrowed liberally from other languages and become an international language. But thus far and no more! Most of the `new' words will remain in the dictionaries, struggling to find recognition.

P.U. Krishnan,
Udhagamandalam, T.N.

* * *

No language can survive for long unless it is flexible, especially in these days of globalisation. The main reason English has remained a living and thriving language is its receptive attitude — of assimilating words from other languages as its own. However, though English has demonstrated a capacity to acknowledge outside influences, its quality over the years has declined noticeably. The situation has worsened with the advent of e-mail.

K. Mahabub Ali,
Hyderabad

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