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The local flavour of English in the Gulf

In a matter of fifty years, English has attained its own distinctive features in the Gulf

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 November 2011

Blair Fussell
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Extract

No matter where you are in the world, English seems to have its own way of cropping up, and the Gulf is no exception. Drive through the Omani–Emirati border crossing at Mazyad and a sign on the Emirati side announces, ‘Helping support AIDS’. Turn on KTV2, a state-run television channel broadcast out of Kuwait, and an English subtitle reads, ‘May God give you long life’; scan the headlines of the Gulf News and read, ‘Emiratisation is vital for the country’; eavesdrop on an expatriate Indian family ordering lunch in the food court at the Muscat City Centre mall and hear, ‘Give me the biriyani chicken’, ‘Give me the thali set’; follow a Bahraini Twitter tweeter and read, ‘say the truth don't fabricate BHR’.

Type
Original Article
Information
English Today , Volume 27 , Issue 4 , December 2011 , pp. 26 - 32
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2011

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