Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Importance of the English Language
A language is a systematic means of communication by the use of sounds or conventional symbols. It is the code we all use to express ourselves and communicate to others. It is a communication by word of mouth. It is the mental faculty or power of vocal communication. It is a system for communicating ideas and feelings using sounds, gestures, signs or marks. Any means of communicating ideas, specifically, human speech, the expression of ideas by the voice and sounds articulated by the organs of the throat and mouth is a language. This is a system for communication. A language is the written and spoken methods of combining words to create meaning used by a particular group of people.
Language, so far as we know, is something specific to humans, that is to say it is the basic capacity that distinguishes humans from all other living beings. Language therefore remains potentially a communicative medium capable of expressing ideas and concepts as well as moods, feelings and attitudes.
A set of linguists who based their assumptions of language on psychology made claims that language is nothing but ‘habit formation’. According to them, language is learnt through use, through practice. In their view, ‘the more one is exposed to the use of language, the better one learns’.
Written languages use symbols (characters) to build words. The entire set of words is the language’s vocabulary. The ways in which the words can be meaningfully combined is defined by the language’s syntax and grammar. The actual meaning of words and combinations of words is defined by the language’s semantics.
The latest and the most advanced discoveries and inventions in science and technology are being made in the universities located in the United States of America where English language is the means of scientific discourse.
The historical circumstances of India (having been ruled by the British for over two centuries) have given the Indians an easy access to mastering English language, and innumerable opportunities for advancement in the field of science and technology. Many Indians have become so skilled in English language and have won many international awards for creative and comparative literatures during the last few years. Sometime ago, an Indian author, Arundhati Roy, won the prestigious booker prize for her book “The God of Small Things”. Her book sold lakhs of copies all over the globe.
Over the years, English language has become one of our principal assets in getting a global leadership for books written by Indian authors and for films made by Indians in English language. A famous Indian movie maker Shekhar Kapoor’s film “Elizabeth” has got several nominations for Oscar Awards. It does not require any further argument to establish the advantage English language has brought to us at the international level.
English language comes to our aid in our commercial transactions throughout the globe. English is the language of the latest business management in the world and Indian proficiency in English has brought laurels to many Indian business managers. English is a means not only for international commerce; it has become increasingly essential for inter-state commerce and communication.
In India, people going from North to South for education or business mostly communicate in English, which has become a link language. Keeping this in mind, the Parliament has also recognized English as an official language in addition to Hindi. All the facts of history and developments in present day India underline the continued importance of learning English in addition to vernaculars.
Some of the states of India are witnessing popular increase in public demand for teaching of English language from the primary classes. Realizing the importance, recently, the Minister of Indian Railways, Laloo Prasad Yadav, demands teaching of English language in schools. The great demand for admission in English medium schools throughout the country is a testimony to the attraction of English to the people of India. Many of the leaders, who denounce English, send their own children to English medium schools. Many of the schools in the country have English as the sole or additional medium of instruction.
A language attracts people because of the wealth of literature and knowledge enshrined in it. English poses no danger to Indian languages. The Indian languages are vibrant and are developing by the contributions of great minds using them as their vehicle of expression. English is available to us as a historical heritage in addition to our own language. We must make the best use of English to develop ourselves culturally and materially so that we can compete with the best in the world of mind and matter. English language is our window to the world.
English language is one tool to establish our viewpoint. We can learn from others experience. We can check the theories of foreigners against our experience. We can reject the untenable and accept the tenable. We can also propagate our theories among the international audience and readers.
We can make use of English to promote our worldview and spiritual heritage throughout the globe. Swami Vivekananda established the greatness of Indian view of religion at the world conference of religions in Chicago in 1893. He addressed the gathering in impressive English. Many spiritual gurus have since converted thousands of English people to our spirituality by expressing their thought and ideas in masterful English. English has thus become an effective means of promoting Indian view of life, and strengthening our cultural identity in the world.
When William Caxton set up his printing press in London (1477) the new hybrid language (vernacular English mixed with courtly French and scholarly Latin) became increasingly standardized, and by 1611, when the Authorized (King James) Version of the Bible was published, the educated English of London had become the core of what is now called Standard English. By the time of Johnson’s dictionary (1755) and the American Declaration of Independence (1776), English was international and recognizable as the language we use today. The Orthography of English was more or less established by 1650 and, in England in particular, a form of standard educated speech, known as Received Pronunciation (RP) spread from the major public schools in the 19th century. This accent was adopted in the early 20th century by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) for its announcers and readers, and is variously known as RP, BBC English, Oxford English, and the King’s or Queen’s English.
Generally, Standard English today does not depend on accent but rather on shared educational experience, mainly of the printed language. Present-day English is an immensely varied language, having absorbed material from many other tongues. It is spoken by more than 300 million native speakers, and between 400 and 800 million foreign users. It is the official language of air transport and shipping; the leading language of science, technology, computers, and commerce; and a major medium of education, publishing, and international negotiation. For this reason, scholars frequently refer to its latest phase as World English.
Language, so far as we know, is something specific to humans, that is to say it is the basic capacity that distinguishes humans from all other living beings. Language therefore remains potentially a communicative medium capable of expressing ideas and concepts as well as moods, feelings and attitudes.
A set of linguists who based their assumptions of language on psychology made claims that language is nothing but ‘habit formation’. According to them, language is learnt through use, through practice. In their view, ‘the more one is exposed to the use of language, the better one learns’.
Written languages use symbols (characters) to build words. The entire set of words is the language’s vocabulary. The ways in which the words can be meaningfully combined is defined by the language’s syntax and grammar. The actual meaning of words and combinations of words is defined by the language’s semantics.
The latest and the most advanced discoveries and inventions in science and technology are being made in the universities located in the United States of America where English language is the means of scientific discourse.
The historical circumstances of India (having been ruled by the British for over two centuries) have given the Indians an easy access to mastering English language, and innumerable opportunities for advancement in the field of science and technology. Many Indians have become so skilled in English language and have won many international awards for creative and comparative literatures during the last few years. Sometime ago, an Indian author, Arundhati Roy, won the prestigious booker prize for her book “The God of Small Things”. Her book sold lakhs of copies all over the globe.
Over the years, English language has become one of our principal assets in getting a global leadership for books written by Indian authors and for films made by Indians in English language. A famous Indian movie maker Shekhar Kapoor’s film “Elizabeth” has got several nominations for Oscar Awards. It does not require any further argument to establish the advantage English language has brought to us at the international level.
English language comes to our aid in our commercial transactions throughout the globe. English is the language of the latest business management in the world and Indian proficiency in English has brought laurels to many Indian business managers. English is a means not only for international commerce; it has become increasingly essential for inter-state commerce and communication.
In India, people going from North to South for education or business mostly communicate in English, which has become a link language. Keeping this in mind, the Parliament has also recognized English as an official language in addition to Hindi. All the facts of history and developments in present day India underline the continued importance of learning English in addition to vernaculars.
Some of the states of India are witnessing popular increase in public demand for teaching of English language from the primary classes. Realizing the importance, recently, the Minister of Indian Railways, Laloo Prasad Yadav, demands teaching of English language in schools. The great demand for admission in English medium schools throughout the country is a testimony to the attraction of English to the people of India. Many of the leaders, who denounce English, send their own children to English medium schools. Many of the schools in the country have English as the sole or additional medium of instruction.
A language attracts people because of the wealth of literature and knowledge enshrined in it. English poses no danger to Indian languages. The Indian languages are vibrant and are developing by the contributions of great minds using them as their vehicle of expression. English is available to us as a historical heritage in addition to our own language. We must make the best use of English to develop ourselves culturally and materially so that we can compete with the best in the world of mind and matter. English language is our window to the world.
English language is one tool to establish our viewpoint. We can learn from others experience. We can check the theories of foreigners against our experience. We can reject the untenable and accept the tenable. We can also propagate our theories among the international audience and readers.
We can make use of English to promote our worldview and spiritual heritage throughout the globe. Swami Vivekananda established the greatness of Indian view of religion at the world conference of religions in Chicago in 1893. He addressed the gathering in impressive English. Many spiritual gurus have since converted thousands of English people to our spirituality by expressing their thought and ideas in masterful English. English has thus become an effective means of promoting Indian view of life, and strengthening our cultural identity in the world.
When William Caxton set up his printing press in London (1477) the new hybrid language (vernacular English mixed with courtly French and scholarly Latin) became increasingly standardized, and by 1611, when the Authorized (King James) Version of the Bible was published, the educated English of London had become the core of what is now called Standard English. By the time of Johnson’s dictionary (1755) and the American Declaration of Independence (1776), English was international and recognizable as the language we use today. The Orthography of English was more or less established by 1650 and, in England in particular, a form of standard educated speech, known as Received Pronunciation (RP) spread from the major public schools in the 19th century. This accent was adopted in the early 20th century by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) for its announcers and readers, and is variously known as RP, BBC English, Oxford English, and the King’s or Queen’s English.
Generally, Standard English today does not depend on accent but rather on shared educational experience, mainly of the printed language. Present-day English is an immensely varied language, having absorbed material from many other tongues. It is spoken by more than 300 million native speakers, and between 400 and 800 million foreign users. It is the official language of air transport and shipping; the leading language of science, technology, computers, and commerce; and a major medium of education, publishing, and international negotiation. For this reason, scholars frequently refer to its latest phase as World English.
English as National Foreign Language
ndia has two national languages for central administrative purposes. They are Hindi and English. Hindi is the national, official, and main link language of India. English is an associate official language. The Indian Constitution also officially approves twenty-two regional languages for official purposes.
Dozens of distinctly different regional languages are spoken in India. And these languages share many characteristics such as grammatical structure and vocabulary. Apart from these languages, Hindi is used for communication in India. The homeland of Hindi is mainly in the north of India, but it is spoken and widely understood in all urban centers of India. In the southern states of India, where people speak many different languages that are not much related to Hindi, there is more resistance to Hindi, which has allowed English to remain a lingua franca to a greater degree.
Since the early 1600s, the English has had a toehold on the Indian subcontinent, when the East India Company established settlements in Chennai, Kolkata, and Mumbai, formerly Madras, Calcutta, and Bombay respectively. The historical background of India is never far away from everyday usage of English. India has had a longer exposure to English than any other country which uses it as a second language, and its distinctive words, idioms, grammar and rhetoric spreading gradually to affect all places, habits and culture.
In India, English serves two purposes. First, it provides a linguistic tool for the administrative cohesiveness of the country, causing people who speak different languages to become united. Secondly, it serves as a language of wider communication, including a large variety of different people covering a vast area (Kachru 111). It overlaps with local languages in certain sphere of influence and in public domains.
Generally, English is used among Indians as a ‘link’ language and virtually it is the first language for many well educated Indians. It is the second language for many, who speak more than one language in India. The English language is a tie that helps bind the many segments of our society together. Also, it is a linguistic bridge between the major countries of the world and India.
English has special national status in India. It has a special place in the parliament, judiciary, broadcasting, journalism, and in the education system. One can find surrounded by English everywhere. One can see a Hindi-speaking teacher giving the students instructions during educational tour about where to meet and when their bus would leave, but all in English. It means that the language permeates daily life. It is unavoidable and is always expected, especially in the cities.
The importance of the ability to speak or write English has recently increased significantly because English has become the de facto standard. Learning English language has become popular for business, commerce and cultural reasons and especially for internet communications throughout the world. English is a language that has become a standard not because it has been approved by any ‘standards’ organization but because it is widely used by many information and technology industries and recognized as being standard. The call centre phenomenon has stimulated a huge expansion of internet-related activity making the future of India as a cyber-technological super-power. Modern communications, videos, journals and newspapers on the internet use English and have made ‘knowing English’ indispensable.
The prevailing view seems to be that unless the students learn English, they can only work in limited jobs. Those who do not have basic knowledge of English cannot obtain good quality jobs. They cannot communicate efficiently with others, and cannot have the benefit of India’s rich social and cultural life. Men and women, who cannot comprehend and interpret instructions in English, even if educated, are unemployable. They cannot make-up their children’s school home-works everyday and decide their revenue options of the future.
Students’ refusal to take responsibility for learning English does not affect only their own welfare but their family members, the dependents and others too. The highest costs of the unreceptive attitude to the learning of English fall on those who do not learn English. It imposes high costs in unemployment benefits. The lack of effort in learning English and the general feeling of not being interested in learning the English language is a plague to the system. This abuse is what the English teachers should fight against. Those who recognise that learning English is their responsibility have plenty of opportunities to do so. Radio and television are good teachers. So are magazines. Students in their young age can pick up English quickly. They are the best fast learners, provided the preference to speak English at schools, colleges, universities, and what’s more at home is made compulsory.
India is a nation without a collective, comprehensive, prescribed national language. Our nation had a tough decision when choosing a national language as English because English had an adversative language – Hindi. An attempt in 1965 to make Hindi the official national language failed when people from the southern part of India violently demonstrated against it. Because of the opposition of the south against Hindi, provision was made in the Constitution to extend the role of English as an additional language with Hindi to be used for official purposes until 1965. As a compromise, the Indian government recognized English as an associate official language, with Hindi the official language. Besides Hindi and English, twenty-two regional languages are recognized as official languages. At present, English is recognized as the official language in four states: Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Tripura and in eight Union territories: Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, Lakshadweep, Pondicherry, National Capital Territory, and Delhi (Languages of India). However, these states and territories are not united. Linguistic and religious differences are two main reasons for the divisions among the people of India. The English language is one of the means to preserving the diversity of the nation while bringing all of us together as a nation. English is an important unifying linguistic medium between the northern and southern states of India.
Creating a national language is intended to help all Indians understand, and work together in peaceful existence. Speaking one language enhances the ability of groups of all backgrounds to communicate with one another. With a world that is becoming more connected, speaking a language that is used by the world will help all Indians. English is a language, which could broadly provide the fundamental elements, the important qualities and features of life. The purpose to promote to use English is to enhance competitiveness. There is a successful example using English as national language. As of 2000 the Chinese constitute 76.8% of Singapore’s population and English is the national language. English related background and foundation offers Singapore to boaster things in order and is successful. English is increasingly becoming the international language as well. Our current society is developing multi-dimension. India needs to designate, without the slightest hesitation, its national language as English. Let review history, up to now, no language like English could dominate India so wide. Not only India but also worldwide more than two centuries. An appeal to every citizen of India is to think about the power of language and communication when we use English as national language. Definitely, a change will be remarkable in the future. In the English speaking world, India has a unique position. A decade ago, the United States of America was the country with the largest English speaking population. Today, India has taken over that status. In 1997, when the population of India was 97 crores, an India Today survey suggested that about a third of the population of India, that is around 32 crores, had the ability to carry on a conversation in English. And given the steady increase in English learning since 1997 in schools and among the upwardly mobile, (the tinker, tailor, soldier, and sailor are also connected) today it is at least 36 crores (Crystal 101). As per the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) report in July 2005, the population of India passed above 108 crores (Worldfactbook). With roughly a third of its population, possessing English language capability, India has more people speaking the language than the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand combined. India currently has a special place in the English language record books, as the country with the largest English speaking population in the world.
A positive attitude to English as a national language is essential to the integration of people into Indian society. There would appear to be virtually no disagreement in the community about the importance of English language skills. Using English thereby you will almost be the worldwide citizen naturally. English plays a dominant role in the media. It has been used as a medium for inter-state communication and broadcasting both before and since India’s independence. India is, without a doubt, committed to English as a national language. The impact of English is not only continuing but increasing.
Dozens of distinctly different regional languages are spoken in India. And these languages share many characteristics such as grammatical structure and vocabulary. Apart from these languages, Hindi is used for communication in India. The homeland of Hindi is mainly in the north of India, but it is spoken and widely understood in all urban centers of India. In the southern states of India, where people speak many different languages that are not much related to Hindi, there is more resistance to Hindi, which has allowed English to remain a lingua franca to a greater degree.
Since the early 1600s, the English has had a toehold on the Indian subcontinent, when the East India Company established settlements in Chennai, Kolkata, and Mumbai, formerly Madras, Calcutta, and Bombay respectively. The historical background of India is never far away from everyday usage of English. India has had a longer exposure to English than any other country which uses it as a second language, and its distinctive words, idioms, grammar and rhetoric spreading gradually to affect all places, habits and culture.
In India, English serves two purposes. First, it provides a linguistic tool for the administrative cohesiveness of the country, causing people who speak different languages to become united. Secondly, it serves as a language of wider communication, including a large variety of different people covering a vast area (Kachru 111). It overlaps with local languages in certain sphere of influence and in public domains.
Generally, English is used among Indians as a ‘link’ language and virtually it is the first language for many well educated Indians. It is the second language for many, who speak more than one language in India. The English language is a tie that helps bind the many segments of our society together. Also, it is a linguistic bridge between the major countries of the world and India.
English has special national status in India. It has a special place in the parliament, judiciary, broadcasting, journalism, and in the education system. One can find surrounded by English everywhere. One can see a Hindi-speaking teacher giving the students instructions during educational tour about where to meet and when their bus would leave, but all in English. It means that the language permeates daily life. It is unavoidable and is always expected, especially in the cities.
The importance of the ability to speak or write English has recently increased significantly because English has become the de facto standard. Learning English language has become popular for business, commerce and cultural reasons and especially for internet communications throughout the world. English is a language that has become a standard not because it has been approved by any ‘standards’ organization but because it is widely used by many information and technology industries and recognized as being standard. The call centre phenomenon has stimulated a huge expansion of internet-related activity making the future of India as a cyber-technological super-power. Modern communications, videos, journals and newspapers on the internet use English and have made ‘knowing English’ indispensable.
The prevailing view seems to be that unless the students learn English, they can only work in limited jobs. Those who do not have basic knowledge of English cannot obtain good quality jobs. They cannot communicate efficiently with others, and cannot have the benefit of India’s rich social and cultural life. Men and women, who cannot comprehend and interpret instructions in English, even if educated, are unemployable. They cannot make-up their children’s school home-works everyday and decide their revenue options of the future.
Students’ refusal to take responsibility for learning English does not affect only their own welfare but their family members, the dependents and others too. The highest costs of the unreceptive attitude to the learning of English fall on those who do not learn English. It imposes high costs in unemployment benefits. The lack of effort in learning English and the general feeling of not being interested in learning the English language is a plague to the system. This abuse is what the English teachers should fight against. Those who recognise that learning English is their responsibility have plenty of opportunities to do so. Radio and television are good teachers. So are magazines. Students in their young age can pick up English quickly. They are the best fast learners, provided the preference to speak English at schools, colleges, universities, and what’s more at home is made compulsory.
India is a nation without a collective, comprehensive, prescribed national language. Our nation had a tough decision when choosing a national language as English because English had an adversative language – Hindi. An attempt in 1965 to make Hindi the official national language failed when people from the southern part of India violently demonstrated against it. Because of the opposition of the south against Hindi, provision was made in the Constitution to extend the role of English as an additional language with Hindi to be used for official purposes until 1965. As a compromise, the Indian government recognized English as an associate official language, with Hindi the official language. Besides Hindi and English, twenty-two regional languages are recognized as official languages. At present, English is recognized as the official language in four states: Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Tripura and in eight Union territories: Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, Lakshadweep, Pondicherry, National Capital Territory, and Delhi (Languages of India). However, these states and territories are not united. Linguistic and religious differences are two main reasons for the divisions among the people of India. The English language is one of the means to preserving the diversity of the nation while bringing all of us together as a nation. English is an important unifying linguistic medium between the northern and southern states of India.
Creating a national language is intended to help all Indians understand, and work together in peaceful existence. Speaking one language enhances the ability of groups of all backgrounds to communicate with one another. With a world that is becoming more connected, speaking a language that is used by the world will help all Indians. English is a language, which could broadly provide the fundamental elements, the important qualities and features of life. The purpose to promote to use English is to enhance competitiveness. There is a successful example using English as national language. As of 2000 the Chinese constitute 76.8% of Singapore’s population and English is the national language. English related background and foundation offers Singapore to boaster things in order and is successful. English is increasingly becoming the international language as well. Our current society is developing multi-dimension. India needs to designate, without the slightest hesitation, its national language as English. Let review history, up to now, no language like English could dominate India so wide. Not only India but also worldwide more than two centuries. An appeal to every citizen of India is to think about the power of language and communication when we use English as national language. Definitely, a change will be remarkable in the future. In the English speaking world, India has a unique position. A decade ago, the United States of America was the country with the largest English speaking population. Today, India has taken over that status. In 1997, when the population of India was 97 crores, an India Today survey suggested that about a third of the population of India, that is around 32 crores, had the ability to carry on a conversation in English. And given the steady increase in English learning since 1997 in schools and among the upwardly mobile, (the tinker, tailor, soldier, and sailor are also connected) today it is at least 36 crores (Crystal 101). As per the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) report in July 2005, the population of India passed above 108 crores (Worldfactbook). With roughly a third of its population, possessing English language capability, India has more people speaking the language than the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand combined. India currently has a special place in the English language record books, as the country with the largest English speaking population in the world.
A positive attitude to English as a national language is essential to the integration of people into Indian society. There would appear to be virtually no disagreement in the community about the importance of English language skills. Using English thereby you will almost be the worldwide citizen naturally. English plays a dominant role in the media. It has been used as a medium for inter-state communication and broadcasting both before and since India’s independence. India is, without a doubt, committed to English as a national language. The impact of English is not only continuing but increasing.
Why does my teacher make me learn English grammar words?
Many students find learning words like "noun", "Present Perfect", "prediction" and "indirect question" difficult and wonder if these kinds of words that are not part of day to day conversation are worth learning. The answer is -sometimes. There are good and bad reasons for introducing words like these into class, and it is possible for a teacher to use them too much, too little or just the right amount. If you think one of the "good reasons" below are true for your class and your school, then you should probably trust your teacher and learn the words whenever they come up. If more of the "bad reasons" below are true, however, you might want to ask your teacher some questions or think about changing classes.
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