South African Indian English (or SAIE) is one of the better-known varieties of English in the Linguistics literature. It arose out of a language shift that occurred when Indians were denied full access to the norms of standard English, partly because of the colonial and especially apartheid influences in South African society and education in the late 19th century. Language shift means that speakers no longer command their original languages, even though they often express positive sentiments towards them, especially in cultural and religious spheres.

In South Africa, SAIE is an important dialect, especially in KwaZulu-Natal, whose speakers themselves played an important part in the subsequent propagation of English – as teachers, employers, creative writers. SAIE is increasingly found in plays and novels and its potential is recognised by the advertising industry in South Africa.

See: BOOK Southern Africa