The book gives a fascinating account of how the Anglo-Indians of Hyderabad maintain their ethnic identity through the use of proper names and slang. The data on slang and names has been elicited through a combination of interview, survey and ethnographic methods.
The relationship between ethnicity and language has been by explored by comparing the usage of slang across three age groups, and also by comparing the usage of proper names across three decades. The status of slang and names as ethnic markers has been examined through the use of statistics.
The book gives new directions in the field of socio-onomastics by discussing the various strategies by which Christian names have adapted according to their ecology in the Indian context.
Full of new insights, the book is a recommended reading for students and researchers in the area of linguistics, history and anthropology. It would also appeal to the Anglo-Indians, and the Syrian Christians of Kerala whose names were compared with the Anglo-Indians of Hyderabad. Since the author has avoided jargons and technical terms, the book would also appeal to the general population.
