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Meaning of babuism | Babel Free

Noun CEFR B1

Definitions

A malapropism or other erroneous form produced by an Indian speaking English.

countable, uncountable

Examples

“They altered the idiom, but they could say whatever they wanted to say quickly; there were none of the babuisms ascribed to them up at the Club.”
“Abandoning its original application, then, let us use "babu English," or "babuism," as a general term to mean discourse in which the speaker (or writer) throws around learned words he does not understand in order to create a favorable impression. Babuism probably has existed and will continue to exist in every culture in which there is a learned class of magicians, shamans, priests, teachers, and other professional verbalizers with big vocabularies.”
“This book, written 'with love' and based on Goffin's considerable experience as manager of first the Bombay Branch and then the whole India operation, was a spirited defence of Indian English as a legitimate form of the language, which, once it had thrown off its thrall to babuism, would take its place on the international stage.”

CEFR level

B1
Intermediate
This word is part of the CEFR B1 vocabulary — intermediate level.

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