ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the colonial origins of the discourse of English as an International Language. The early policies of the British in India encouraged the colonial officers and administrators to develop a better understanding of Indian political structure, language and culture in order to establish a sound basis for British rule and administration. Towards the middle of the nineteenth century, however, there were a number of important shifts in colonial policy, resulting not so much from an improvement in methods of colonial administration as from a major shift in the ideological climate in Britain. The British first started to exert their influence in the region in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, establishing a series of colonial settlements along the coast in order to secure a greater hold over the lucrative spice trade, growing tin markets and the key trade route between India and China.
