Madras Bashai - Evolution

Evolution

Madras Bashai evolved largely during the past three centuries. Madras was founded in 1640 by the British East India Company, and with its emergence as an important city in the British Empire and as the capital of Madras Presidency, contact with the western world increased and a number of English words crept into the idiom. Many of these words were introduced by educated, middle class Tamil Brahmin migrants to the city who borrowed freely from English for their daily usage. Due to the presence of a considerable population of Hindusthani-speakers, especially, the Gujarathis, Marwaris and some Muslim communities, some Hindi words, too, became a part of Madras Bashai. At the turn of the 20th century, the Tamil spoken by the Brahmins of Madras city was considered to be standard spoken Tamil. Though preferences have since shifted in favor of the Central and Madurai Tamil dialects, the English words introduced during the early 20th century have been retained.