SOURCE POINT QUOTATION

M.Vijayalakshmi & Background Four language families out of twelve language families in the world are found in India (Indo-Aryan,
Dr. Manchi Sarat The Dravidian, the Munda, and the Tibeto-Burman.)
Babu (2014)
1971 Census, more than 1600 languages and dialects are spoken in India (many of them are spoken
LoI – language of by a small number of people)
instruction
Only 281 languages and dialects of the country are spoken by more than 5000 people each

One languages may be preferred in the domains of domestic and friendship groups, another for
administration and work, and a third language in religious discourse.

Historically there had not been a dominant language across the country except among the elites
and higher education. There was a language of ritual and religion, the language of court and elite,
the language of education and literature and the language of home and neighbourhood.

bilingualism has not been maintained by formal education but by informal learning.

majority of children attend Swahili-medium government schools

Contact or link languages across the country were Sanskrit in Ancient India, Persian in Medieval
India, and English in Modern age.

no direct relations between languages and religions and sub cultures

Cause of policy English – key to a better life (rich and poor)

change
Integration (communication)

Pre-colonial English language came to India in the 17th century with the East India Company

Political powers - created the British Indian provinces like Bengal, Madras and Bombay
 English traders gave more importance to English rather than to Indian languages

1830s - Raja Ram Mohan Roy to introduce western scientific education through English.

Lord Macaulay advocated English as the medium of instruction in the place of Sanskrit and Persian.

Pre-Independence

British Colony searched for Indian mediators (turned to high caste Indians to work for them esp. Brahmans)

The British policy was to create an Indian class who should think like the British, or as it was said
then in Britain “Indians in blood and colour but English in taste, in opinions and morals and
intellect”.

established in India universities based on British models with emphasis on English

The English
Christian built schools at primary level for Indians in which the language of instruction was local language.
missionaries came
built high schools with English as the language of instruction which obliged the Indians who wanted to
to India (1813) study to have a good knowledge of English.

British Rulers building their universities (English became the first language in Indian education) – Supported by ‘modern’
(1857) leaders

Many new schools were established in which the language of instruction was English. According to the
British laws the language of instruction at university level was English and therefore schools that
emphasized English were preferred by ambitious Indians

1958 The Central Institute of English was started in Hyderabad. Regional institutes were established in
Bangalore and Chandigarh. English was studied mainly for education and administration. But because of the
revolutionary developments in science, technology, travel, trade, communications and entertainment,
English got a new role as the international language of communication.

After Independence
 English remained the main language of India.

Officially it was given a status of an assistant language and was supposed to terminate officially
after 15 years of India’s independence, but it remains the important language of India

it is necessary to learn all the four skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing English.

The Language Policy 1) 1956 – Two formulae

2) 1961 – Three-language formula (approved by Conference of Chief Ministers)
- English as a compulsory subject
3) 1964 – 1966 – modification of Three-language formula

Change in language teaching

Past - English was taught from fifth standard in the non-English medium schools of Maharashtra.
Now - it is taught from the first standard even in the non-English medium schools.

Past – syllabus was literature based but now it is skill-based.

2006-2007- Earlier the evaluation system centred on the written skill only, the oral test is
introduced in the secondary and higher secondary schools.

courses are developed for teaching spoken English.

1) The use of Language Laboratory and Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL)
2) The audio cassettes and CDs are being used on a large scale
3) Various software of English teaching
4) Private institutions that run the courses of spoken English.
5) Now Television channels are also working towards improving spoken English.

Language use English also serves as the communicator among Indians who speak different languages.

English is very important in some systems – legal, financial, educational and business in India.their
parents are not native speakers of the language
 English symbolizes in Indians minds, better education, better culture and higher intellect.

UNICEF Report Issues English is perceived as a killer of native or indigenous languages.

The number of languages to be taught at various levels of school education

The introduction of second and third languages

The place and role of English

The place and role of Hindi

The teaching of Sanskrit and minor language(s) in school.

M.Vijayalakshmi & Mark Tully - “the elitist status of English in India creates problems for the economic development
Dr. Manchi Sarat because that means that the education of the mass of people will be ignored.
Babu (2014)
- He argues that the solution for the situation would be that the spread of English
throughout India would be encouraged. So that it would become a genuine link
language of the country, not just, as it is at present, the link language of the elite.