Click to play videoChennai: Tanglish is in!
A combination of Tamil and English, the language is not just fast catching up with the youth in Tamil Nadu but trend is heard even on the radio stations of the city.
"When college students are standing at a tea shop, they speak a certain language. When they're listening to your show, you have to speak that lingo to connect with them. So a fully Tamil vocabulary won't work. Decent, indecent, oru cup tea, strong coffee - these are all English words. But they've become part of Tamil,” says radio jockey, BIG FM, Speed Dheena.
Tamil Nadu is probably the only state in the country where English is understood and spoken by most residents.
A fact reiterated by foreigners like New Zealander Tan Ngaronga, Chief Operating Officer of Satyam Cinemas, the largest multiplex in the state.
“I have lived and worked in many states in India. But it's only in Tamil Nadu that I have never had a problem with English and communication. Everybody understands English, all over the state,” says COO, Satyam Cinemas.
So how did a state so passionate about its own language become fluent in English?
The answer lies in priorities. During the 1960's, the Dravidian movement swept Tamil Nadu and saying a resounding no to Hindi was its consequence. And English assumed importance since Hindi was out.
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