BIRLA PUBLIC SCHOOL – DOHA, QATAR

Grade XII English Project 2023-24

Title :

Name of the Student :

Class & Div. :

Admission No. :

Date of Submission :
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I, __________________ of class XII of Birla Public School - Doha, do hereby declare

that this project is my original work. I extend my appreciation and gratitude to my

English teacher, for his wholehearted support and guidance for the successful

completion of the project.

Name of the Student: ____________________

 CERTIFICATE OF APPRECIATION

This is to certify that the project entitled, ‘<Topic of Project>’ is the authentic work

carried out under my supervision as part of the CBSE curriculum of class XII ENGLISH

CORE and that it is as per the guidelines issued by CBSE for the Academic year 2023-

24. The project is original and a bona fide work undertaken by <Name of the Student>

of XII – Div. to the best of knowledge and it is submitted successfully as per the timeline

provided.

Name of the English Teacher: Stanley M Eapen

Signature:
 OBJECTIVES

This project is based on linguistic chauvinism inspired by the theme of "the last lesson" -

by Alphonse Daudet.

The objectives of selecting this topic are:

· Explaining linguistic chauvinism

· Highlighting the importance of language

· Describe the concept of freedom of speech and expression

· Relationship between language and culture

· Historical events when freedom of speech and expression were threatened

 ACTION PLAN

During the first term we were informed about the project and were provided with

detailed information regarding the outline and format. Different topics based on

which project can be prepared were also provided and finalised, which gave ample

time to plan about how to proceed with the project. After that further research

regarding the topic was done. A questionnaire was made and responses were

received. All the information collected either from internet or questionnaire

responses were combined and a draft was prepared and submitted. After making

some adjustments, approval from the teacher was received and this project was

completed.
 INDEX

• ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

• CERTIFICATE

• OBJECTIVE

• ACTION PLAN

• INTRODUCTION

• CONCEPT OF LINGUISTIC CHAUVINISM

• IMPORTANCE OF LANGUAGE

• QUESTIONNAIRE

• HISTORICAL EVENTS WHEN LINGUISTIC IDENTITY WAS THREATENED

• FRANCO - PRUSSIAN WAR (1870)

• JAPANESE INVASION OF KOREA (1900-1945)

• ANNEXATION OF TIBET BY PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA (1951)

• CONCLUSION

• STUDENT REFLECTION

• BIBLIOGRAPHY
 INTRODUCTION

Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a

community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship,

or legal sanction. The right to freedom of expression has been recognised as a human

right in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and international human rights law

by the United Nations. Many countries have constitutional law that protects free speech.

The freedom of expression includes any activity of seeking, receiving, and imparting

information or ideas, regardless of the medium used. Linguistic chauvinism is a dire

threat to freedom of speech and expression as it restricts a particular group/community

from communicating in their language and forcefully imposing a foreign language on

them. Incidents of linguistic chauvinism have been witnessed many a time in history in

different areas of the world which will be discussed in a later part of this project.
 CONCEPT OF LINGUISTIC CHAUVINISM

"Chauvinism" is a devotion for or against something, just based on what you feel (not

necessarily what you may know). Linguistic Chauvinism is the inordinate love for one's

language. This love is so much strong that one considers one's language superior to all

the other languages of the world and imposes one language on others. This theme is

effectively brought out by the writer, Alphonse Daudet who teaches people to hold on

fast and guard their language which is the key to their freedom and symbolizes their

identity. This happens generally when the language imposed is that of the ruling class.

But it could be something as simple as Tamil speakers who start talking in Tamils soon

as they see non-Tamilians around or Japanese colonizers in the early 20th century who

banned the Koreans from using their language and even forced them to use Japanese

names. Also, sometimes it can lead to partition as in the case of Pakistan and

Bangladesh which lead to the BENGALI LANGUAGE MOVEMENT which resulted in the

partition.
 IMPORTANCE OF LANGUAGE

A language matters a great deal as this is what helps to distinguish the sayings of one

individual from the other. If used efficiently, it is a powerful and strong weapon that will

leave memorable impressions on the listener. The importance of language in our

society is clear as it has helped to smooth social contacts, preserve our culture and

convey our thoughts to individuals and people in groups effectively. Language is

considered as an important tool that helps to create cultural ties, friendships and

relationships. It is a medium used to offer shape to the thoughts, ideas and emotions

depending upon the perception of reality and portray it to others in a manner that the

people listening can understand and relate to them. A common language is a symbol of

social solidarity and gives the impression of cultural kinship. The importance of

language is that it shapes the thought process and perception of how an individual

views the world. It also helps to define the concept of culture in society because culture

and language are closely connected. It is the language that helps others to understand

the culture of a place. It conserves our culture and helps to spread it as a culture carrier.

When you know the language, it signifies that you are aware of the culture and can

connect with people in that language.

 RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LANGUAG AND CULTURE

Learning about different cultures helps us approach languages with new insight. It

allows to dive deeper into the meaning of words and expressions and helps us feel

more connected to each other. To fully appreciate a language, one needs to understand

the culture of the people who speak it as they're intrinsically connected. One won't fully

master a language unless they understand the culture, just like they will never fully

understand a culture until they have immersed themselves in a study of that language.

This is because language is constantly in flux and largely dependent on the ever-

evolving views, values and customs of its speakers. The differences between the two

cultures are reflected perfectly in their language. Mastering the nuances of a language

means being able to understand people who up with an entirely different set of values

and beliefs. Language affects the way we perceive the world and therefore, it affects

how we choose to interact with it.

 HISTORICAL EVENTS WHEN LINGUISTIC IDENTITY WAS THREATENED

· FRANCO-PRUSSIAN WAR (1870)

After the defeat in the war Prussia gained the control of French districts Alsace and

Lorraine which served as the centres for the Prussian army during the war. Due to the

large presence of Prussian soldiers and gaining control of these districts Prussian

empire started imposing its culture and German language on the people living here.

Orders regarding teaching of only the German language in schools were passed and

those who knew how to read and write French were forced to flee. This was done to

demean the French language and to crush the spirits of the native people so they can't

revolt in future against the Prussian hegemony because when the people are enslaved,

as long as they hold fast to their language it is as if they had the key to their prison.

· JAPANESE INVASION OF KOREA (1910-1945)

After the annexation of Korea many changes were seen in the education system of

Korea. By 1939 Japan's focus had shifted towards cultural assimilation of the Korean

people. Imperial Decree 19 and 20 on Korean Civil Affairs went into effect, whereby

ethnic Koreans were forced to surrender their traditional use of the clan-based Korean

family name system and many Koreans received a Japanese surname. Integration of

Korean students in Japanese language schools steadily increased over time. While

before this, schools in Korea had used mostly Hanja script, during this time Korean

came to be written in a script introduced by the Japanese. In 1928, Hangul Day (9

October) was inaugurated, which was meant to celebrate the accelerating Japanisation

of Korean Culture. The Japanese administrative policy shifted more aggressively

towards cultural assimilation after 1939. This left less room for Korean language studies

and by 1943 all Korean language courses had been phased out. As a result of which

teaching and speaking Korean was prohibited and whomsoever disobeyed these orders

were forced to migrate to China.

· ANNEXATION OF TIBET BY PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA (1951)

After the annexation of Tibet by China (PRC) a lot of efforts are made to suppress

Tibetan culture and language. China initially implemented a policy of dual-language

education in Tibetan areas but soon phased it out and started imposing Mandarin

Chinese. Nowadays Tibetans' devastating lack of economic opportunity is inextricably

related to language. Tibetans who do note speak Chinese have no access to well-

paying jobs and on opposing these policies, the Tibetans are sent to concentration

camps located in the Xinjiang region. The loss of the Tibetan language can be linked to

the loss of Tibetan Buddhism, a treasure of Tibetan culture. People had previously

remembered Tibetan by reciting religious chants, but once the chants were banned,

they inevitably lost the language. The loss of language ability has led to the loss of

cultural and social ties within Tibetan villages.

 CONCLUSION

From the few examples mentioned previously it is clear that whenever a new territory is

conquered by a nation, the leaders of that nation try to suppress any future uprising by

separating the people from their culture and language as they both play a vital role in

creating a feeling of nationalism. By imposing a foreign language directly or indirectly,

an inferiority complex can be created among the people regarding their language and

culture which can be experienced even after that country is liberated and freed. This

can be seen in case of India as even after 74 years of independence, English language

is seen as a status symbol among Indian citizens and given a superior status in

comparison to other Indian languages such as Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam,

Hindi etc. Which has resulted in Indian youth not feeling connected to their roots and

culture. This same pattern can be seen in other British and American colonies such as

South Korea, japan, Africa and Vietnam. Thus, it is very important for a

colonised/enslaved county to preserve its culture because as quoted by Alphonse

Daudet, "When the people are enslaved, as long as they hold fast to their language it is

as if they had the key to their prison"

 STUDENT REFLECTION

This topic has been chosen for the project as the effects of linguistic chauvinism can be

seen in many parts of the world which developed a curiosity to explore more about this

topic. Although it was very difficult to find any information relating to the incidents of

linguistic chauvinism in past and present because no nation wants to admit the

atrocities, they had committed toward the residents of different territories they had

annexed in the past this project provided a whole new experience because, while

working on this project, i came to know about the relationship between the language

and the culture of a region, the various impacts on the culture of a region if a foreign

language is imposed there. It also helped me to understand the importance of language

and the right to communicate in that language for the people of a particular region.
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

· Wikipedia

· Fluentu.com

· Mycbseguide.com

· Class 12 English textbook Flamingo

· Ucla Asia Pacific Centre