Research Paper

Teaching English as a Second Language in India

Abstract: - English is teaching as a second language by many countries such as India,
Pakistan, Bangladesh, Shri Lanka, Nigeria and Tanzania. In These countries English is
teaching as a non-native or second language and used for various purposes official,
educational, social and interpersonal. The teaching of English in India has been text-oriented
since the beginning (colonial times) because the British Government’s policy was to create a
class of Indians who would act as a buffer between the British and the Indians. A number of
other relevant problems have also emerged in the process English language learning i.e. the
comprehensive assessment of students who are actually interested in learning English as a language
has never been done, there have been lesser or very few seminars or workshops organized for the
assessment and selection of properly trained and qualified ELT experts. Adding to these problems,
the most important challenge faced by the English language teachers in India is that of a proper
teaching methodology that needs to be applied during the language learning process. Indian schools
and colleges lack well-equipped language laboratories with access to latest ELT techniques and
world class materials; the establishment, management and most prominently the usage of these
technologies for language learning is vital. The inner circle embraces places where the British
travelled the made English their first language like America, New Zealand, Australia, etc. The outer
circle included other nations and colonies set up by the British people where it become the language
that acted as a bridge between the English and the natives such as in India and parts of Asia and
Africa. Lastly, the expanding circle emerged as a phase of globalization with countries like Japan,
Russia, China, Korea, etc. started teaching and learning the language. Therefore, elementary
knowledge of English was needed for a class of Indians.
Introduction:- In a country like India, classes of mixed ability groups are a feature of every
small town or villages and most of the rural parts of India, learning-teaching process done in
the vernacular (local) language. The size of the classes everywhere is considerably large.
This is one of the reasons why individual attention is not possible to the students. The ability
to connect with others may be termed as one of the greatest gifts natures have attributed to the
humans, and language is the most vital skill that provides us the opportunity to do so in a more
meaningful manner. Having multiple and good language skills give individuals an upper hand on
their monolingual peers. English is one such language. Braj Kachru in his “Model of World
English” has divided the spread and development of the English language into three spheres namely,
the inner, the outer, and the expanding circle. The inner circle embraces places where the British
travelled the made English their first language like America, New Zealand, Australia, etc. The outer
circle included other nations and colonies set up by the British people where it become the language
that acted as a bridge between the English and the natives such as in India and parts of Asia and
Africa. Lastly, the expanding circle emerged as a phase of globalization with countries like Japan,
Russia, China, Korea, etc. started teaching and learning the language. Also with the expansion of
the world market what started as an era of linguistic imperialism has now changed into an age of
linguistic globalization. For a multi-cultural and multi-lingual country like India, English has now
become a linking language and a universal negotiator. Over the higher education and of competitive
examination has always been in English. Lack of adequate number of teachers who are well trained
to teach English is another major hindrance in the development of the language learning process.
The student to teacher ratio is high and ineffective. The large size of the classroom makes it very
challenging for the teachers to provide individual attention to all the students. In many rural and
semi-urban localities, English is not even the second language. The language pattern keeps
fluctuating with the change in the Topography of the country. It is interesting to note that about one
half of mankind has chosen English to communicate with those who do not speak their own
language. It is in the way that English helps in establishing international relations. It is a source of
understanding among different nations of the world.
In a developing country like India, a constant touch with the outside world is absolutely necessary to
bring about the revolutionary changes in the fields of agriculture, medicine, industry,
telecommunications, transport and basic research systems. Without the adequate knowledge of
English, we cannot train our young engineers, doctors, technocrats and researchers to come to grip
with modern technology in their respective fields. We need it badly to feed, to clothe and to
transport the teeming millions in India. If we know English, we can bring in the wonders of
scientific discoveries at our door- steps.
Present Scenario of English in India
India is a multilingual country. The constitution of India recognizes not one but a number of
languages in its constitution. There are at least 845 languages, including non Indian languages
spoken in the country. Different states of India are linguistic states. Language is the base in the
formation of each state. In any multi-lingual country, the spread of literacy is possible only through
the mother tongue or some language belonging to the region. But it is all the more important to have
a national language. Reconciling the use of the national language and the regional language would
seem to constitute the major linguistic problem for a multi lingual country like India. In India
English is the only language which is understood in all states, from Kerala to Kashmir, and from
Gujarat to Assam. English is learned everywhere because people have found out that knowledge of
English is a must for better career and for communication with the entire world. If we think over the
above facts, learning of English has become an integral part of our life and education. It cannot be
left at any cost. But the pity is that a majority of Indians still feel uneasiness in using English in
terms of writing or speaking.
Teaching of English in India is in a chaotic state today. If we mirror the whole situation, we are
shocked to see the sorry state of affairs. English is taught in India under conditions which are far
from satisfactory. The teaching-learning in our schools and colleges is so much defective that only a
complete overhaul will set it right. The fundamental principles of language acquisition do not
change with the language, however, the political economy of English in India is quite a different
matter. The teaching of English therefore has to be planned far more carefully. It is on the one hand
the language of opportunity, social status and increasing social elasticity and on the other hand, in
glove with the developments that constantly expand the distance between the elite and the
ostracized. We therefore need to guarantee that children achieve a respectable level of competence
in English without misplacing their mother tongue.
Teaching of English in the Pre-Independent of India: -
“Since the days of the British Raj, English remained the language of domination, status and
privilege in India. The hegemonic colonial project in India was to create and maintain a class of
administrative officers, clerks and compliant civil servants to carry out the task of ruling the vast
and expansive subcontinent” —Timothy J. Scrase.
Britishers felt, that western education would empower Indians to challenge the foreign rule and due
to political prerequisite, they started encouraging Indians to continue with their native culture and
education. They adopted orientalism or encouragement of classical learning for their educational
policy, which was opposed by the missionaries like Charles Grant (1746-1823) whose plan was to
teach English to the people of India.
Raja Ram Mohan Roy desired English for academic, scientific and other international reasons for
Indians. He along with other thinkers not only felt the superiority of English education, they even
expressed the view that “the teaching of mere Hindu or Mohammedan literature meant the teaching
of a great deal of what was frivolous, not a little of what was purely mischievous and a small
reminder indeed in which utility was in any way concerned”.
Macaulay’s motives in spreading teaching of English in India were just to create a group of Indians
who would be the interpreters between their rulers and the ruled. An official resolution endorsing
Macaulay’s policy of modern education through English medium was passed. But the teaching of
English in systematic way started from the declaration of Wood’s Dispatch of 1854, which has been
called the ‘Magna Carta’ of Indian education. In Wood’s Dispatch it was declared: “The English
language is to be the medium of instruction in the higher branches, and the vernacular in the lower.
English is to be taught where there is demand for it, but it is not to be substituted for the vernacular
languages of the country.’’
English then gradually spread wider in India and gained roots in the educational system. In 1857
and just after, five universities at Bombay, Calcutta and Madras Punjab and at Allahabad were
setup. The foundation of these universities marked a new era in the history of Indian education. This
resulted into the spread of schools and colleges, which ultimately resulted in the increase of more
number of Indians who achieved mastery in English language.
In the pre independence era Gandhi ji expressed his views mentioning the effects of English
education.
“…English today is studied because of its commercial and so called political values. Our boys and
girls think that without English they cannot get government services. Girls are taught English as a
passport to marriage…I know husbands who are sorry that their wives cannot talk to them and their
friends in English. I know families in which English is being made the mother tongue. All these are
for me signs of our slavery and degradation.”
But at the same time Gandhiji also appreciated the importance of a foreign language especially
English. He says: “I don’t want my house to be walled in all sides and my windows to be stuffed. I
want the cultures of all the lands to be blown about my house as freely as possible. I would have our
young men and women with literary tastes to learn as much of English and other world languages as
they like and expect them to give the benefits of their learning to India and to the world”.
Post-Independent Period: -
Foreign language status of English in India thus appears to have remained for a shorter period
initially, and it gradually seems to have acquired the status of a second language. Prof. V.V. Yardi
gives clear distinction between a ‘foreign’ and a ‘second’ language status as: “English as a foreign
language refers to a situation where it is taught for certain specific purposes viz… reading scientific
works, translation, communication at certain levels and for certain purpose only. English as a
‘second’ language refers to a situation where English is used widely for purposes of administration,
education and as a common link-language”. Prof. Yardi further asserts: “in India until recently,
English was a ‘second’ language. It is now in the process of acquiring the status of a compulsory
‘third’ language”.
Observing the rapid change in the place of English in post independent India Scrase remarked:
“English is recognized as an important global or international language, essential for professional
employment and significantly, a key component of the cultural capital of middle-class Indians”.
Agarwal points out the status of English in the post-independence period as: “a link language among
the educated people and the few elites. In spite of the introduction of the Hindi as the official
language English still played an important role. But in this way, it did not bring about any
significant change in the status of English on the contrary, it resulted in the creation of a class of
vernacular-educated native to occupy lower position both in education and administration”.
Increased English language proficiency was considered instrumental in fetching well- paid job
opportunities. The language, thus, got recognized as an important link language for national and
international purposes. Despite the hard and sincere efforts of the central and the state governments,
Hindi could not yet become the link language in India. In view of the strong opposition to Hindi in
the southern states, Hindi in ‘Devnagari’ script was declared as the official language of the Union
and English also was given the status of the ‘subsidiary’ official language of India in the Official
Language Act 1965. It was also decided that either Hindi or English could be used for proceedings
of the parliament.
Owing to the increasing importance of English, in the changing times, various states in India gave
the language a respectable place by making it a compulsory language in their educational setup.
“…English in India is what it is because of its functions which are controlled by its sociocultural
setting and by its interaction with the major Indian languages. This approach to English in India is
designed to show how the lexica-grammatical systems of a language get shaped and reshaped by its
functions. There is, therefore, no feel that English in India is or will be less effective or less efficient
as a system of communication, but there is every reason to say that it has and will continue to have a
marked Indian flavor”.
Problems for TESL in India: -
Very large population does not use English in daily life. Those who come through the RL medium
find it difficult to cope with English medium at higher levels. There is a need for creating effective
intermediate language courses so that the shift in medium at any stage doesn’t remain a major
hindrance
Need to perceive English as a functional language rather than as an elite language that creates socio-
political conflict.
Benefits: -
It is quite interesting to note that India, a multilingual nation, is the third largest English-speaking
country after the US and UK. In India, it is increasingly being perceived as a ‘must-know’ language.
The University Education Commission headed by S. Radhakrishnan in 1950-51 reported: “…the
English language has been one of the potent factors in the development of unity in the country. In
fact, the concept of nationality and the sentiment of nationalism are largely the gift of English
language and literature to India”. The commission further observed: “English should be the most
useful ‘library’ language in higher education and our most significant window on the world.’’
English is a highly developed language and is at present best suited for the country’s industrial and
scientific progress
English is less divisive because of its neutral character
English enables the educated Indian to move about inside and outside the country
English brightens the students’ prospects of getting prestigious jobs
English is still the language of administration at the Center and in many States.
Beneficial for good effective education
Helps the country in maintaining a competitive edge in the production technical manpower.
Conclusion: -
The aim of teaching English in India is to help students to acquire practical command of English. In
other words, it means that students should be able to understand and speak English, read and write
English. These are the basic aims of teaching English. These aims can further be elaborated as:
 To enable the learners to speak English correctly. It means that producing sounds with the
proper stress and intonation.
 To enable the students to read English and comprehend and interpret the text.
 To enable the students to write English correctly and meaningfully, i.e. for example writing
letters, applications, description and accounts of day-to-day events.
 To enable the learners to acquire knowledge of the elements of English.
 To enable the learners to develop interest in English
 To increase student’s ability to use planning, drafting and editing to improve their work.
English occupies a special place in the domains of education, law and administration. It is widely
believed that one cannot become an engineer, doctor, lawyer, scientist, pilot etc. without proven
proficiency in English. It has been absorbed in the multilingual fabric of India. Creative writings
reveal that English in India is undergoing a process of decolonization.
The main educational goal is to minimize social and economic disparities and to create a positive
discrimination in favor of the weak by giving each person an opportunity to learn this language.
Intermediate programs of English need to be created which may enable students to smoothly
switchover from a regional language to English as a medium of instruction in higher education.
People are aware of the importance of English. They are interested in learning the spoken English.
As a result, various courses are developed for teaching spoken English. The use of Language
Laboratory and Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) has created new changes in the
teaching of English. The audio cassettes and CDs are being used on a large scale to learn the spoken
language. Various software of English teaching is developed and used by a growing number of
people. There are many private institutions that run the courses of spoken English. Especially in big
cities the language trainers are helping the learners to acquire the required proficiency over the
communicative skills in general and the spoken skills in particular. Now Television channels are
also working towards improving spoken English. NDTV Imagine is running a program me ‘Angrezi
Mein Kehte Hain’. All of them cannot be termed as cheap. Dr. Deepti Gupta rightly says: The irony
of situation is that while academicians label these learning centers ‘shops’ or ‘commercial institutes’
it is these establishments that are a major influence behind the changing face of the ELT paradigm
in India.
References : -
1) Bisht, Abha Rani. 2011.
2) Crystal, David. 1997.
3) Dhanavel, S.P. 2012. Krishnaswamy,
4) N. Krishna Swamy, Lalitha. 2006.
5) Varghese, C. Paul. 1989.
6) Boyle, J.P. (1986). Testing Language with student of Literature in ESL Situations. In (eds)
Brumfit, C. J & Carter R. A. Literature and Language Teaching. Oxford University Press.
7) Colley, H. Hodkinson, P., & Malcolm, J. (2003). Informality and Formality in Learning: A
Report for the learning and Skills Research Centre. Learning and Skills Research Centre.
8) National Research Council. (2009). Learning Science in Informal Environments: People,
Places and Pursuits. National Academic Press.

Prepared by- Shazli

M.A 3rd Semester
Gandhi Faiz-E-Aam PG College
Shahjahanpur