The English Bug

People look at me suspiciously whenever I tell somebody that I don't watch an English film without its subtitles. And I do this despite watching the Hollywood stuff for almost 8 years. However, in last three years, if not fewer, I have watched more than 200 movies. I have also learnt several accents and have gone into rigorous practises to train myself better not because the kind of job I was working demanded me to do that but because I had sort of passion for learning different accents. I have got so close now that I can tell whether a foreigner is pretending to accentuate English or he is going natural with his articulation. In a small stint at a call centre in Noida, I used to come across different accents as a routine. So much so I could distinguish where the speaker is from by the way s/he speaks. I am good at it.

Boston English isn't the same as Yankee English. Finns speak English differently than Danes. Chinese and Japanese might look similar in appearance but their approach to English is as stark as their foreign policies. An Aussie speaks English with careless attitude while a Scot speaks the same language with a hidden disdain. Despite all these vagaries, I still prefer to use subtitles while watching Hollywood films (British and Australian films as well). Simply because I can't pretend to understand something I don't. And if I miss a dialogue since I’m more verbally inclined than visually, then it bugs me. However, if I’m in line with the words spoken in a film, then I’m at peace. So, it's a personal reason. But what I’ve noticed among my friends and colleagues is they avoid subtitles because they don't like to read while watching a movie. That's also their excuse for overlooking non-English gems that come from the world of cinema. They'd rather pretend to act like they understood everything that they heard in an English film (when they haven't) than take the effort to read in sync with the movie.

English is one of the beautiful languages in the world –Yes my favourite. Though the British have lost their ability to speak correct English over time in last a few years, countries such as India, China and Japan, including few European countries, have honed their English skills very well. I am not at all saying that a country should be judged over its language. However, what all I am trying to say is that irrespective of the country you belong to some languages really take your heart away and for me English is one of them. I love Urdu as well but since my surrounding contains Hindi and English I am not that good in Urdu. Yes, Sanskrit had been my craze when I was a child. Mahatma Gandhi said “One who wishes to learn English well must learn Latin”. My inspiration has something do with Him as well. So, you can never (ever) beat me in the love towards English and I can tell it to anyone’s face. It’s a long story how it all happened. But yes, people must learn the essence of English. And for this, you can read books from Shakespeare, Drummond Allison , Kenneth Allott , Kenneth Allsop , E. M. Almedingen , John Almon , David Almond , Vincent Alsop , Al Alvarez , Moniza Alvi , Eric Ambler. I am sure you won’t forget thanking me later.