Indlish: The role of English in India

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Indlish: The role of English in India

Introduction:

After the independence of India in 1947, with new symbols, pride, values and power there was a force to make Hindi language as official language. But looking at the multi characteristic The Indian Constitution did not speak of the national language of the Union. India has multi cultures and Indian can’t believe in oneness rather it believes in openness. After so many debates it was decided that Hindi will become the official language for Hindustanis. But even after fifteen years in 1950 English remain as one of the dominant languages. As the time passes constitution make a decision that English will be the work language in the processor of government forms.

Indlish: The role of English in India

So slowly but staidly like this English language emerged. Then soon after English language was take place in primary, secondary education. And now the English medium schools are also available. Because Indian people are native people of English, we can the face of English: Satan and Saraswati. English as Saraswati because now some Indian people are capable enough to talk in English and learn the English language, by knowing this language they in those elite groups who have the power. (E.) The Satan face of English language is that it was unknown to larger people in the India. But as the time passes it had become more and more Indian language with Indian grammar and this happened because it was used by the large number of Indians, education system, commerce and journalism. It became fit for cultural expression also as the Indian journalists and creative writers in English demonstrated. Today, India one of the stronger nations in the world and we all know that English is the world language. So communicate with other countries we need the English language and that is the fact. India has already started growing as the learned country of English language. We have very good cultural heritage, but up till now the world was not aware about this. It came to the world through English language. Yoga is basically from India and now known to the world which is the recent example. (Chinku)

The other fact of English language is that those who don’t know English for world they are actually not exist in the world. For example those who choose Indian languages as their study medium they are automatically become the small minority and are poor students scholastically and economically, because now days the English language is the dominant language in the world as well as in India. The products of the colleges and universities, being educated through English, found it convenient to do their work through the same language, whether it is administration, professions or business management. It is true that the intention of the British rulers to introduce the English language was different. They wanted the people who can help them. The other thing remains here is that all the people wanted to know English language.

The other aspect of the English language is that in India English language is taught as the second language. The term ‘second language’ is understood in two different ways-1) English is second language after one or more Indian languages, which are primary and more significantly, 2) in school education, the second language is what is introduced after the primary stage and has a pedagogical as well as a functional definition, particularly in the context of the ‘the languages formula’. As above said that India has the multi characteristic that’s why Indian people at least know two to three languages.  The interest of the British to teach the English language is dead now. Now the role of English is like this:

• English is the language of knowledge (science and technology),
• English is the language of liberal, modern thinking;
• English is our window on the world;
• English is the library language;
• English is the lingua-franca. (Kapil )

English has opened up many new aspect to us also and the world also, because English has become world language and through which we can communicate to the world. Now people know the importance of the English language and with the changing time they also start mastering in English language. If you want to share your knowledge or gain knowledge you must be capable enough to communicate. English language does this. English worked as the bridge among the people. Now it is accepted as the one of the important languages but it was the time when English was not known to all. As above said English is very much important and known as the window to the world. Here the metaphor of the ‘window’ is central in this structure, in which Indian languages are the ‘walls’ that, lets in the ‘light’ of reason and modernization. As we know that we are not the native of the English language we start our own English with the Indian grammar but it so happened that we are little expert in this language. The standers of English, the success in teaching English, have always fallen short of the ideal or even the minimum, and we know how several education commissions and committees went into the question of declining standers in English and made series of recommendations pertaining to syllabi, curriculum, weightage, teacher-training, methodology, learning-teaching theories, and what you have. But now days it is trend to call the foreign speakers. To know more about the English language and by this it opened up our views. In the education system we find that all most all the institutes frequently goes on inviting the foreign speakers. It is true that it has improved our ability and knowledge of the English language. We can convey our message through symbols also but still there is the need of this language to learn. It is expected from the first year students of B.Sc. or B.Tech course must know the basic level of the English language, because they have passed their all the exams in the English language and reaches to the intelligence and attainment above the average. He has successfully completed some courses in General English and has acquired Communicative Competence in English to a not inconsiderable extent. His English, however, requires remedial work and further improvement. He is possessed of adolescent psychology characterized by awakening ego, widening mental horizon, and desire to gain distinction in some areas. He is more eager to know things and ready to accept the challenges rather than viewing the pictures and language-games and mechanical learning, he wants to learn with understanding the things. It is important to note that at this stage curiosity and challenges act as stronger motivations than the 

desire to enjoy, or play or see attractive objects.

English in India is a potential national resource. It is important to develop tolerance and positive attitudes towards English. Practical approaches can be adopted in the areas of its teaching by making it more need based, flexible and innovative. Our national freedom fighters established English language during the after freedom struggle, and this language rooted. The intention was not for mutual communication and coexistence but also for saving the republic from small state nationalism. It established its roots in our country as a language of national resurgence, political awakening, and cultural unification, and happily, continues to grow as such in its own localized way.

We have to change our attitude towards the English language. To do this we must have to forget that this language is connected with U.K or U.S.A. So learning another language makes one bigger, gives one a wider vision, and makes one aware of the subtleties that we don’t get in one language. If we teach English as a means of communication, we should also understand the essence of communication is meaningful interaction between participants, be it in the context of speaking, listening, writing or reading. While we are teaching the English language to the students we have to give opportunities to use language in intelligent and relevant interaction; they deserve an opportunity to think, to provide information from their world of knowledge, to express their personal opinions and to disagree with other people’s, to choose among equally valid alternatives etc. The other objective relates to motivating the students to experience success, to make them believe it is possible. The negative feelings of futility of learning or teaching English have to be changed.

Teaching the language is not an easy task. For that one must be the master of the language. Every learner is born with a built-in language-learning mechanism. And teacher should also respect this built-in language-learning skill of the students. The teacher should work on the practical tasks rather than giving the bookish knowledge.    

Conclusion:

Learning and teaching is the two way process. In this process one gives something and other receives. Here encoding and decoding play a vital role and English, the much loved and hated surrogate child of the British rule in India, has managed to remain in the center-stage of controversy even after 47 years of the country's independence. To an impartial observer, it seems that it can neither be thrown away nor can it be adopted completely. It notes that the language-question is the most complicated problem that the country has faced since independence and one that has resisted a solution. It goes on to add that on account of educational, cultural and political reasons and the problem needs to be satisfactorily and urgently resolved.

Works Cited

Chinku. The Mirror. 5 August 2012. 18 october 2015 <http://chinksmirror.blogspot.in/2012/08/the-role-of-english-in-india.html>.

E., Annamalai. Satan and Saraswati: The Double Face of English in India. PhD Thesis. Mysore: Central Institute of Indian Languages, 1986.

Kapil , Kapoor. Teaching English as 'Second Language' in India. PhD Thesis. New Delhi: Jawaharlal Nehru University, 1991.

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