The Indian subcontinent has nearly 1.5 billion inhabitants and boasts a diverse array of languages and dialects, each possessing their own unique characteristics. It follows, then, that there are many disparate accents spoken throughout the country. Here are the top regional variations, and more.
What is an Accent?
It should first be explained what an accent is: it’s the way in which people in a certain region, country, or social group pronounce a language. It’s how people speak. In the U.S., for example, a Northeast resident may speak with a “Boston accent,” pronouncing “car” as “cahh.”
Note that while “dialect” does cover pronunciation, it also more widely refers to differences in grammar, vocabulary, and how the language is used. Because U.S. residents frequently use vocabulary, pronunciation, and grammar that differ from those of English speakers from, say, Britain, Canada, or Australia. US English is deemed a dialect of the English language.
Accents in India
Every area of India has cultural influences and rich linguistic traditions that add to the bounty of diverse accents that one can hear throughout the country. Here are some of the notable regional accents in the country:
Punjabi
Punjabis generally voice their accents loudly and boisterously throughout northern India. The region includes Delhi, Gurgaon, and Noida, where “r” sounds are clearly pronounced, “t” and “d” are retroflex, and Hindu influence is prominent. tend to emphasize syllables such as “ji” rather than “jee,” to a unique effect.
Marathi
This language is spoken in western India, an area that includes Mumbai and Pune, with their non-aspirated “p” and “b” sounds, marked distinction between “v” and “w,” and Marathi influence. Spoken particularly in Maharashtra, Marathi sounds crisp and clear, with distinctly nasally sounds.
Tamil
With its clearly pronounced “r’s,” this soft and lilting language is spoken primarily in southern India, a region that includes Bengaluru, Chennai, and Hyderabad. The accent there is influenced by Tamil as well as Telugu and Kannada. Characteristics include a stress on syllables, distinct “i” and “r” sounds, and the addition of “a” at the end of questions.
Bengali
Spoken mainly in the country’s northeast, the language’s accent is soft and melodic compared to other Indian accents. It’s also in India’s eastern regions of Kolkata and Bhubaneswar where the “t” and “d” are soft and there’s less distinction between “v” and “w,” influenced by Bengali as well as Odia.
Hindu-Urdu
One of the most widely spoken languages in the country, Hindu-Urdu possesses a distinctive accent that can vary depending upon, for example, the speaker is from Lucknow or Mumbai. Most people in Indore and Bhopal, in central India, speak Hindi as well as Urdu, Gujarati, Sindhi, and Marathi. Accent characteristics include clear “r” and “i” sounds, less nasalization, and Hindi influence.
Telugu
Telugu is a language spoken in areas including the coastal regions including Visakhapatnam and has words that generally end in vowels. The language has no contrastive stress, although most place it on the final syllable. Meanwhile, the Kochi (Kochi) people on India’s Malabar coast primarily speak Malayalam. Generally, the coastal area is known for pronounced “sh” sounds influenced by Malayalam, Telugu, and a less aspirated “p” and “b.”
Accented English Sounds of India
Natives of certain areas in India use widely varying accents when speaking English. For example, Bengali-accented English is spoken by those from Bangladesh and West Bengal who have adopted English as their main language. It’s characterized by an emphasis on the second syllable of words — “tea-sher” rather than “tea-cher.”
Then there’s Hindi-accented English, spoken by native speakers of Hindi who have learned English as a second language. Its intonation pattern is influenced by Hindi phonetics, and speakers can find it challenging to pronounce certain sounds in English, including he “th” in “thought.” While most common among Indians residing in India, the accent’s charming, exotic nature also makes it popular among expatriates who live overseas.
Marathi-accented English is spoken by native speakers of Marathi who live in Maharashtra and other portions of central and western India. Note that the “th” in words such as “thigh” and “those” are instead pronounced as “d.” In many words, the final consonant is often dropped, rendering the tone of speech more relaxed and laid back.
Tamil-accented English, spoken by people from Sri Lanka and Tamil Nadu, uses a host of consonant sounds that aren’t present in US English or standard British. The word “house” is pronounced as “hauws,” for example. Tamil-accented English also uses double negatives, meaning that a person who says they “don’t have none,” means they “have some.”
One of the official languages of India, Malayalam is spoken by those in Kerala and surrounding regions. The accent is characterized by retroflex sounds, which call for curling the tongue upward or backward to make certain letters. For instance, in many other Indian dialects, the letter “th” is pronounced as an “r” sound. In Malayalam, though, it’s pronounced as “t.”
Call Centers and Accents
People are commonly judged by how they speak. That’s just a fact. And those who have speaking patterns that are considered undesirable often find their accent an impediment to employment.
This is particularly true in roles that necessitate a significant amount of verbal communication. That includes customer call center agents. Representatives who have accents that consumers deem foreign are often subject to rudeness and impatience, their competence questioned.
With an AI linguistic filter that clarifies the voices of offshore agents in real time, Tomato.ai is ahead of the problem. Our tool turns words into those that sound to consumers like a language’s native speaker. As a result, perceived intelligibility improves, and consumer frustration levels fall.
