What is India speaking: The "Hinglish" invasion

While language competition models of diachronic language shift are increasingly sophisticated, drawing on sociolinguistic components like variable language prestige, distance from language centers and intermediate bilingual transitionary populations, in one significant way they fall short. They fail to consider contact-based outcomes resulting in mixed language practices, e.g. outcome scenarios such as creoles or unmarked code switching as an emergent communicative norm. On these lines something very interesting is uncovered in India, where traditionally there have been monolingual Hindi speakers and Hindi/English bilinguals, but virtually no monolingual English speakers. While the Indian census data reports a sharp increase in the proportion of Hindi/English bilinguals, we argue that the number of Hindi/English bilinguals in India is inaccurate, given a new class of urban individuals speaking a mixed lect of Hindi and English, popularly known as "Hinglish". Based on predator-prey, sociolinguistic theories, salient local ecological factors and the rural-urban divide in India, we propose a new mathematical model of interacting monolingual Hindi speakers, Hindi/English bilinguals and Hinglish speakers. The model yields globally asymptotic stable states of coexistence, as well as bilingual extinction. To validate our model, sociolinguistic data from different Indian classes are contrasted with census reports: We see that purported urban Hindi/English bilinguals are unable to maintain fluent Hindi speech and instead produce Hinglish, whereas rural speakers evidence monolingual Hindi. Thus we present evidence for the first time where an unrecognized mixed lect involving English but not "English", has possibly taken over a sizeable faction of a large global population.Comment: This paper has been withdrawan as the model has now been modified and the existing model has some error

Decolonial Research Methods: Resisting Coloniality in Academic Knowledge Production (Webinar 1)

This is the first webinar in a six-part series from NCRM called Decolonial Research Methods: Resisting Coloniality in Academic Knowledge Production. The speaker is Professor Vineeta Sinha, from the National University of Singapore. Her presentation is titled Annihilating the "savage slot" from anthropology: Materializing reflexive practices. The webinar took place on 26 October 2021

Haemoglobinopathies- thalassaemias and abnormal haemoglobins in Eastern Uttar Pradesh and adjoining districts of neighbouring states

The haemoglobinopathies- thalassaemias and abnormal haemoglobins- constitute a major burden of genetic diseases in India. Our study, based on index cases from 120 families detected between May 1999 and May 2003, highlights the ethnic distribution of haemoglobinopathies in regions in and around Varanasi comprising 8-10 districts of eastern Uttar Pradesh and adjoining districts of Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. Homozygous and heterozygous β-thalassaemia was the most common (66.9%), with thalassaemic haemoglobinopathies HbE-β-thalassaemia (15.9%) and HbS-β-thalasseamia (7.8%) contributing to almost a quarter of the cases. Along with HbSS disease (4.3%), the results indicate a confluence of β-thalassaemia, HbS and HbE in this region. IVS1-5 nt was the most common mutation in the few carriers analysed for mutation detection. The significance of the study lies in the demonstration of wide prevalence of β-thalassaemia across all castes and communities of this region, with migrant population groups of Sindhis and Punjabis comprising only 5.8% of the index cases. Also, HbE seems to have a much higher presence in this region than so far believed and HbS has a significant presence in general castes as well

Forecasting United States Presidential election 2016 using multiple regression models

The paper analyses economic and non-economic factors in order to develop a forecasting model for 2016 US Presidential election and predict it. The discussions on forthcoming US Presidential election mention that campaign fund amount and unemployment will be a deciding factor in the election, but our research indicates that campaign fund amount and unemployment are not significant factors for predicting the vote share of the incumbent party. But in case of non–incumbent major opposition party (challenger party) campaign fund amount does play a role. Apart from unemployment other economic factors such as inflation, exchange rate, interest rate, deficit/surplus, gold prices are also found to be insignificant. Growth of economy is found to be significant factor for non-incumbent major opposition party and not for incumbent party. The study also finds that non-economic factors such as June Gallup rating, Gallup index, average Gallup, power of period factor, military intervention, president running, percentage of white voters and youth voters voting for the party are significant factors for forecasting the vote share of either incumbent party or non-incumbent major opposition party/challenger party. The proposed models forecasts with 95% confidence interval that Democratic party is likely to get vote share of 48.11% with a standard error of ±2.18% and the non-incumbent Republican party is likely to get vote share of 40.26% with a standard error ±2.35%

Forecasting United States Presidential election 2016 using multiple regression models

The paper analyses economic and non-economic factors in order to develop a forecasting model for 2016 US Presidential election and predict it. The discussions on forthcoming US Presidential election mention that campaign fund amount and unemployment will be a deciding factor in the election, but our research indicates that campaign fund amount and unemployment are not significant factors for predicting the vote share of the incumbent party. But in case of non–incumbent major opposition party (challenger party) campaign fund amount does play a role. Apart from unemployment other economic factors such as inflation, exchange rate, interest rate, deficit/surplus, gold prices are also found to be insignificant. Growth of economy is found to be significant factor for non-incumbent major opposition party and not for incumbent party. The study also finds that non-economic factors such as June Gallup rating, Gallup index, average Gallup, power of period factor, military intervention, president running, percentage of white voters and youth voters voting for the party are significant factors for forecasting the vote share of either incumbent party or non-incumbent major opposition party/challenger party. The proposed models forecasts with 95% confidence interval that Democratic party is likely to get vote share of 48.11% with a standard error of ±2.18% and the non-incumbent Republican party is likely to get vote share of 40.26% with a standard error ±2.35%

Religions and Social Progress:Critical Assessments and Creative Partnerships

This chapter engages with three important themes of the larger report: the meaning of progress, its uneven nature, and obstacles to future progress. It also considers a number of political and economic alternatives aimed to overcome these obstacles, emphasizing the need for diverse strategies, open-minded experimentation, and scientific assessment. While it may be impossible to ever reach agreement, the effort to calibrate different interpretations of progress remains an important exercise for political deliberation about how to make the world a better place. The very hope of moving forward implies some agreement on a destination. All of us must take responsibility for the future. Our discussion emphasizes the complexity and multidimensionality of the interpretive debate, but also calls attention to its ideological character. Social actors-individuals, groups, and even academic disciplines-tend to define progress in ways that serve their own interests. In a way, distributional conflict undermines our very efforts to better understand and mediate such conflict. The uneven character of progress is manifest in many different domains. Increases in the global reach of formally democratic institutions have been accompanied by growing concerns about their stability, efficacy, and consistency with democratic ideals

Annihilating the “savage slot” from anthropology: Materializing reflexive practices

Calls to “decolonize” the social sciences have reverberated in academia since at least the 1950s. Anthropology, in particular, has been marked as the “child of colonialism” and “handmaiden of imperialism” (Gough ). Over the course of eight decades now, critics have highlighted the unequal power structures which have framed ethnographic practices and anthropological knowledge production. Yet, anthropology’s “savage slot” (and its manifestation in newer iterations) along with its epistemological and political logic have yet to be dislodged, persisting in contemporary disciplinary practices. This short essay argues for the need to address this crucial gap between anthropological theory and disciplinary practices, to act urgently to acknowledge and then resoundingly reject the haunting legacy of anthropology’s “savage/primitive/native slot.” Given that decolonization is ultimately about dismantling global hierarchies, I suggest that this can only be achieved through materializing progressive and deeply reflexive practices in the work of doing, writing, and teaching ethnography

MODERN INDIAN MOVEMENTS: RELIGIOUS AND COUNTER-RELIGIOUS, SINGAPORE 1984

Bachelor'sBACHELOR OF SOCIAL SCIENCES (HONOURS

A New God in the Diaspora?: Muneeswaran Worship in Contemporary Singapore

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