Madras Bashai

Madras Bashai (Tamil: மெட்ராஸ் பாஷை) or Madras Tamil, is a colloquial slang of Tamil language spoken in the city of Chennai, India (previously known as Madras). It is famous around the world .The word bashai derives from the Sanskrit bhasha (language). Like Bambaiya Hindi used in Mumbai, Madras Bashai is a loose polyglot blend of Tamil with Indian English, Telugu and Hindustani. Madras bashai has been largely popularized by autorickshaw drivers and fishermen from the northern parts of the city.

Madras Bashai evolved largely during the past three centuries. It grew in parallel with the growth of cosmpolitan Madras. After Madras Bashai became somewhat common in Madras, it became a source of satire for early Kollywood movies from the 1950s, in the form of puns and double entendres. Subsequent generations in Chennai identified with it and absorbed English constructs into the dialect, making it what it is today.

Due to immigration and cultural exchange, terms from Madras Bashai are also used sometimes in other cities and towns of South India.

Evolution

Madras Bashai evolved largely during the past three centuries. When the city of Madras was founded in 1640 by the British East India Company, most of its inhabitants were Telugu people due to it proximity to the Telugu country. As the city gradually expanded to include the predominantly Tamil-speaking areas to its south, a cosmopolitan culture evolved. The Tamil spoken by Telugu settlers was heavily-laced with Telugu words. Gradually, with the emergence of Madras 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. 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.

Grammar

Madras bashai helps Tamil syntactic structures, with heavy use of English words..

Vocabulary

A few words unique to Madras Bashai are given below:

Standard Tamil	Madras bashai	Meaning
Appuram (அப்புறம்)	Appālikā,appāllē,appa (அப்பாலிகா, அப்பாலே,அப்ப)	Then
Ankae (அங்கே)	Annanṇṭa (அந்தாண்ட)	There
Kōpam (கோபம்)	Kāndu (காண்டு)	Anger
Bhayam (பயம்), Achcham (அச்சம்)	Mersu (மெர்ச)	Fear
Mokka (Waste)
Thadavai (தடவை)	Dhabā (தபா-taken from urdu word dafa)	twofold
Ematrukirathu (ஏமாற்றுகிறது)	Dabaikirathu (டபாய்க்கிறது)	Swindling
poi(lie)	oalu	Used by youngsters
kiṇṭal Sēipathu (கிண்டல் செய்பது)	Kalāikirathu (கலாய்க்கிறது)	To tease

Words borrowed from other languages

Madras bashai	Meaning	Source
Dūpākūr	Fraudster	From the English word dubash which, itself, is a derivative of the Hindusthani word "Do bhasha", usually, used to refer to interpreters and middlemen who worked for the British East India Company. As in the early 19th century, dubashes such as Avadhanum Paupiah were notorious for their corrupt practices, the term "dubash" gradually got to mean "fraud"[1]
Naināh	Dude	From the Telugu word Nāyanāh meaning "Father"
Bēmānī	Swearword; meaning unclear	Derived from the Hindusthani word Bē Imāni meaning "a dishonest person"
Bīscōthū	Sub-standard	Derived from the English word "biscuit"
Kūnthū, Kūchū	Sit down	Derived from Telugu
Dhūddū , Dappū	Money	Derived from Telugu
Egīrī	To jump	Derived from Telugu[2]
Bējār	Problem	Derived from Hindusthani
" Kaida"	Donkey	delivered from Tamil
Figure	A beautiful girl	From English. Used by youngsters

Madras Bashai in Movies

Madras Bashai is used in majority of the Tamil movies after 1950s. Though many have tried to use Madras bashai in their movies, very few like Chandrababu, Manorama, Loose Mohan, Thengai Srinivasan, Kamal Hassan, Cho Ramaswamy have really managed to bring out the real flavor. The best movies to watch and feel the real Madras bashai are Maharasan, Aboorva Sagodharargal, Michael Madana Kama Rajan, Vasool Raja MBBS, Pammal K. Sambandam, Chennai 600028 & Kasethan Kadavulada.

Madras Bashai has also been used in Tamil movie songs. To quote some examples, 'Vaa Vadhyare Voottanda' (வா வாத்தியாரே ஊட்டாண்ட) song by Manorama in the movie 'Bommalaatam' (பொம்மலாட்டம்), 'Elandha Payam' (எளந்த பயம்) song by L. R. Easwari for the movie 'Panamaa Paasama' (பணமா பாசமா) and a few Gaana songs by Deva, Sabesh & Murali, Gaana Ulaganadhan have used Madras bashai

See also

• Madrassi

Notes

1. ^ Guy, Randor (June 15, 2003). "Inspiration from Madras". The Hindu. http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/mag/2003/06/15/stories/2003061500340500.htm. 
2. ^ Randor Guy (August 31, 2010). "Jagathalaprathapan 1944". The Hindu. http://www.hindu.com/cp/2010/08/13/stories/2010081350472000.htm.