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Towards Nepalese English Literature

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© 2012, Nepal English Language Teachers’ Association (NELTA), ISSN: 2091-0487 This is How I Can Write: Towards Nepalese English Literature Sajan Kumar Karn Abstract Nepalese English is arguably making its presence felt in virtually all domains in Nepal and English literature from Nepal is no exception. The study of creative writings in English by Nepalese literary authors exhibit typical Nepaleseness in such an amplitude that a distinctive English literature can be inferred to be in the making. This paper studies nativization in various genres of literature written in English in Nepal and also contends with the evidences that we have leapt towards Nepalese English literature considered from World Englishes literature perspective. Key words: Nepalese English, Bilinguals’ Creativity, Nativization, World Englishes, Nepalese English Literature Backdrop mother tongue merely but extends beyond. I speak three languages, write in two, dream This is why people have been able to create in one literary texts in whatever language/s they Do not write in English, they said use. I myself write in Maithili-my mother English is not your mother tongue………….. tongue, in Nepali- mother tongue like The language I speak becomes mine, its language and also in English -another distortions, its queerness second language as I began learning both All mine, mine alone, it is half English, half English and Nepali simultaneously. As a Indian, funny perhaps user of three languages, I have cultivated but it is honest, it is as human as I am profound compassion for all and pick human…. whatever language I feel comfortable to It voices my joys, my longings my hopes articulate my feelings and thoughts with at particular times. Many people remark that (Kamala Das, 1965, p. 10). my Nepali is Englishized and my English It feels as if Kamala Das, an Indian poet is Nepalized and my Maithili is both composed the above poem for me and Nepalized and Englishized but I say this perhaps for you also if you share the is how I can write; this is how I can speak same sentiment I have. She wrote as she or use languages as poet Das inferred in experienced- nothing more, nothing the above verse. Neither nativization nor less. In the multilingual milieu, literary Englishization is weird today. They are so creativity cannot be confined to one’s own natural and spontaneous. My assumption 26 Journal of NELTA, Vol. 17 No. 1-2, December 2012 leads me to envisage that most non-native used in diverse sociolinguistic contexts” writers of English are probably sailing the (p.528). Also known as New Englishes, same boat in the course of their voyage World Englishes is said to have developed with English literature. However, inward through education system; has developed I could not satiate myself utterly with in an area where a native variety of English this supposition and a passion soared was not the language spoken by most of the inside and led me to investigate into the population; is used for a range of functions theories and practices both behind such a among those who speak or write it in the faculty, that is, literary creativity of non- region where it is used and has become native users of English. Chiefly, I wished localized or nativised by adopting some to discern: What is bilinguals’ creativity in language features of its own (Plat et al., actuality? Why is the English of bilingual/ 1984, pp 2-3, cited in Jenkins, 2009, p. 25- multilingual authors said to be nativized? 26). The plural phrase Englishes represents Is this nativization in literature deliberate? the formal and functional variations, the What strategies do such non native writers divergent sociolinguistic contexts, the of English employ in creating literary texts? linguistic, sociolinguistic and literary What is the status of English literature in creativity and the various identities English Nepal? How far is English literature from has accrued as a result of its acculturation Nepal nativized? What implications does in new sociolinguistic ecology (Kachru, such nativization have in ELT in Nepal? and 1965;, Stevens, 1992). so forth. An attempt here has been made to In Kachru’s (1992) three concentric seek answers of these questions with study circles, Nepal falls into expanding circle and insights both. which suggested that Nepal is an English Nonetheless, before I jump into such as a Foreign Language (EFL) country but discourses, I would like to recapitulate because of its massive use in all domains Nepalese English discourses and theoretical today, the status of English in Nepal is said to bases for World Englishes literature, have debatably shifted to a second language without which it perhaps will not make any (Bhattarai & Gautam, 2005; Sharma, 2006; sense to discuss Nepalese English literature, Karn, 2011). In fact, the tag Nepal as an EFL the very heart of this paper. country is not justifiable for by doing so we would not be seeing any difference between World Englishes and Nepalese English the status of English and Chinese, English The English language has spread far and and Spanish or English and Japanese which wide. This spread has led it towards such are more alien for us. McArthur’s circle diversifications that today English has been of World Englishes employs the phrase nativized in most of the places it is used. ‘Nepalese English’ as a sub-variety of South Owing to the expansion and nativization, Asian English (McArthur, 1998, p. 97). This a number of varieties of English have is perhaps the biggest recognition of the sprung which has been labeled World Nepalese socio-cultural facets in English Englishes. In words of Bhatt (2001), World in Nepal. Nevertheless, Nepalese English Englishes refers to “varieties of English discourse augmented only after Rai (2006) Journal of NELTA, Vol. 17 No. 1-2, December 2012 27 presented a paper and then converted is the reason Mid-Western University, it into an journal article titled ‘English, a newly established university in Nepal Hinglish and Nenglish’. His thesis truly has proposed a course, namely ‘Nepalese created a sensation amongst academicians English and Nepalese ELT’ for Master of that English spoken in Nepal does not Educational Science (M.ES.). This is truly only differ from standard Englishes such a historical leap in the study of World as British English, American English Englishes discourse in Nepal in general but also from the neighboring variety of and also a milestone to help authenticate Indian English. His study was based on Nepalese English in particular. The data taken from newspapers, classroom proposed course expects the students to discourses, English literature from Nepal study the typical Nepalese expressions and etc. Rai called the new variety of English in cultural elements in English used in the Nepal, Nenglish considering the influence fields such as education, media, social life, of Nepali upon English. Brett (1996) had work places and also in English literature also implicitly hinted at more or less the created here in Nepal. identical phenomenon. She had used Having established that Nepalese English Nepali English to differentiate it from is creating space in academic dialogues in other varieties of English. Most of her Nepal, I would like to move towards the data come from classroom-students and discourses of World Englishes literature in teachers and interactions between them. order to pave the way for the discussion of Likewise, Daniloff-Merril (2010) studied Nepalese English literature. how Nenglish reflects the identity of Nepalese students. Her analysis was based World Englishes literature and literary on the compositions of Nepalese students creativity pursuing their studies in an American There are various phrases used for English university. Her attempt was to furnish literature created in the ESL and EFL evidence and justify Nepalese English as countries. Whereas some use World an established variety. In their talk, Phyak Englishes literature, others favor the use and Karn (2010) argued that it was the call of ‘contact literatures’ ‘new Englishes of time to construct a corpus for Nepalese literatures’ or ‘new literatures in English’ English in order to authenticate it. Of late, and yet others go for ‘bilingual literature’. Karn (2011) reviewed the discourses (Brett, Whatever the phrases may be, the 1996; Rai, 2006; Daniloff-Merril, 2010; connotation is virtually the same. In other Phyak & Karn, 2010) on Nepalese English words, World Englishes literature refers to and argued strongly that it is important to English literature from outer and expanding build a corpus of the proliferating variety circles of English after Kachru(1998). I of English in Nepal to help establish would like to quote Dawson (2001) who our own distinctive variety of English. gives a very comprehensive definition These academic discussions have brought of the term: “World Englishes literature considerable changes in the mindset of explores the culture(s) of the country and Nepalese academicians and perhaps this people from which it is written (these 28 Journal of NELTA, Vol. 17 No. 1-2, December 2012 countries belong to Kachru’s Outer and altered context of situation for language, it Expanding circles); usually the literature emerges from configuration of two or more employs the English of that place (to a languages and it must not be seen from lesser or greater degree); and, moreover, the perspective of formal combination of the writer chooses to write in that English two or more languages but also a creation over other languages in which she could of cultural, aesthetic, societal and literary alternatively write” (p.4). I follow Boehmer canons. Likewise, in connection to literary (2005) and Dawson (2011) and reject the creativity in English, Bhatt (2001) maintains interpretation of world Englishes literature “the nativization and alteration of English as exclusively post-colonial which is how ensured its use as a medium for indigenous many people earlier understood the term.
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