This paper examines the evolution of Thanglish, the code-mixing phenomenon involving Tamil and English, from a sociolinguistic perspective. Drawing on linguistic research, historical accounts, and observable patterns in urban Tamil Nadu, it traces Tamil-English bilingualism from colonial times to the digital era. Thanglish has shifted from marginal practice among colonial elites to a widespread urban communication strategy, especially after economic liberalization in the 1990s and the growth of digital communication since the 2000s. Rather than language corruption, Thanglish is argued to be a natural response to bilingualism, meeting communicative needs where Tamil equivalents are absent or English terms are conventionalized. English medium education, IT sector expansion, and social media have normalized code mixing across broader social segments, though usage still varies by education, age, and urban–rural location.
Shanlax Journals (Thu,) studied this question.