The Significance of Idiolect in Riot: a Novel

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The Significance of Idiolects in Riot: A Novel (2001) Dr. S S Wadekar: NDA, Pune. Abstract In this paper an attempt is made to justify that the characters in Riot: A Novel by Shashi Tharoor demonstrate their varied backgrounds due to their individualized style of speaking. The manner of speaking indicate their regional, educational and economic background. The choice of words, the accuracy or inaccuracy of pronunciation, standard of dialect and the power of expression hint their social and economic status. Most of the works by Shashi Tharoor deal with India in some or the other way as he is fundamentally committed to India. One of the inevitable aspects of India is her inherent pluralism. Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India, states about Indian pluralism in his book, The Discovery of India: The diversity of India is tremendous; it is obivious; it lies on the surface and anybody can see it. It concerns itself with physical appearances as well as with certain mental habits and traits. There is little in common, to outward seeming, between the Pathan of the North-West and the Tamil in the far South. Their racial stocks are not the same, though there may be common strands running through them; they differ in face and figure, food and clothing, and, of course, language (61). As has been stated by Jawaharlal Nehru, the pluralism in India can be seen by anyone. The physical features of Indians differ radically from person to person. A north Indian who is the descendant of the light-complexioned Aryan invaders, for instance, looks entirely different from a south Indian with his dark skin. Shashi Tharoor states in his non-fiction, India: From Midnight to the Millennium: “India is fundamentally a pluralist state; its pluralism emerges from its geography, is reflected in its history, and is confirmed by its ethnography.” (6) However, to get to
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