Toasted English: NBSE class 9 English notes, questions, answers

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Get notes, questions, answers, and pdf of NBSE chapter 5 class 9 English Toasted English by R.K. Narayan. However, these solutions/answers are only for reference and should be modified or changed according to needs.

toasted english class 9 NBSE

INTRODUCTION: In the chapter Toasted English, writer R.K. Narayan demonstrates in a humorous manner how English is not the same all over the world. In this chapter, he brings about the contrast of the English language between American English and the British language and advocates towards the end for a Bharat brand of English.

I. Read and write

1. What does ‘toasted English’ refer to in American restaurants?

Answer: According to the author R.K. Narayan, ‘toasted English’ refers to English muffins which, though being made in America, now retain ‘English’ as a sort of concession to their origin.

2. What has happened as a result of the ‘toasting’ of English in America?

Answer: The result of ‘toasting’ of English in America has led to the abandonment of formalism surrounding the use of the English language.

3. How have the Americans simplified the language? Give examples.

Answer: The Americans prefer using shorter sentences that are to the point, leaving no room for ambiguity. Some examples of this are, instead of using passive voice on signboards, direct instructions are given like ‘Don’t enter’, ‘Newly painted’, ‘Don’t walk’, ‘Go’, etc.

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7. How does the author visualize Bharat English?

Answer: The author, R.K. Narayan, envisions that Bharat English would respect the rule of law and maintain the dignity of grammar. He said that the Bharat brand would have to come to the dusty street, to the marketplace, under the banyan tree and have a swadeshi stamp on it unmistakably, like the Madras handloom check shirt or the Tirupati doll.

II. Think and Write

1. Humour is the quality of a literary or informative work that makes the characters and/or situations seem funny, amusing, or ridiculous. Do you appreciate the humour in this piece? Support your answer with examples.

Answer: Yes, I appreciate the humour in the essay. The author quite skillfully made his points clear to the readers in an amusing narrative that would have been completely the opposite in any other case. Several examples can be cited to show the humour in the piece, like Narayan referring to the American version of English as ‘toasted’ English, because though the Americans retained the English language after ousting the British, they modified it over time and made it their own. His exaggeration that one can safely say ‘check’ in any situation and believe that it would fit in is also a hilarious way of making the readers understand the wide use of the word to mean different things in different situations.

2. Do you agree with Narayan that we need a ‘Bharat’ brand of English? Why?

Answer: Yes, I do think we need a Bharat brand of English because English in India so far has had a comparatively confined existence in the countryβ€”chiefly in the halls of learning, justice, or administration. Now the time is ripe for it to come to the dusty street, to the marketplace, under the banyan tree. The English must adopt the complexion of our life and assimilate its idiom. Bharat English will respect the rule of law and maintain the dignity of grammar, but still have a swadeshi stamp on it unmistakably.

3. Give examples of Indian words that have been incorporated into the English dictionary.

Answer: Some of the English words that have been incorporated into the English dictionary are dhoti, hartal, guru, samosa, etc.

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