Teaching English as Second Language in India,Ec 304,ELT

Name              -     Bhatt. Dhara. J 

Roll no:          -      02

M.A.Part-2    -      Sem-3

Paper               -    04, Ec-304

Paper name    -      ELT-             

"English Teaching Language" 

Topic for Assignment      -

“Teaching English as ‘Second Language’ in India-Kapil Kapoor” 

Submitted To: Mr. Devershi Mehta

  Department of English,

  Bhavnagar university,

  Bhavnagar.                

* Abstract:

                        This paper argues that the concept of English as a second language is not a purely pedagogic construct and has to be properly understood in the larger historical, social and education context. The concept is designed to give English a Pre-eminent position relative to the Indian language in the educational and, Consequently the Socio-political set up. It has also been employed to the Indian languages in the educational, and Consequently the Sociopolitical set up. It has been employed to discourage the study and learning of classical languages, particularly Sanskrit which has contributed to the rootless ness of the young Indian minds. English as a second language along with other Indian minds. It is then argued that there is a fundamental illegality in treating English as a second language along with other Indian languages, and it is this illegality which accounts for the poor ‘Standards’ of English in spite of the tremendous investment in ELT. The situation can only be reminded by recognizing and refining the role and goals of English as a foreign language and by choosing the right language teaching theories and parties. Else, no amount of methodology and technology would succeed.

Teaching English as ‘Second Language’ in India

* Introduction: ->

The term second language is in two different ways-

(I)English is second language after one or more Indian languages, which are primary and more significantly,

(ii) 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 ‘three-language formula’.

                   The significance of English as Second language can only be understood in the larger and in the historical perspective. It is to be noted that English in India is a symbol of linguistic Centolalism whereas the numerous Indian language are seen to represent linguistic regionalism from Macaulay to Murayama Singh, we have seen now in Indian the movement from one to the other. Following the withdrawal of the British from India, the language question naturally came to the fare, in which the central issue was the role and status to English vis-à-vis Indian language, both were vernacular and classical. This Conceptual structure has three parts:

          1 Modernization

          2 Mythologies

          3 Language Policies

1)  Modernization :-> 

              First, the concepts of modernization and internationalism were invoked and English became the language of both modernization and internationalism and by implication the Indian languages became associated with’ tradition’ which by definition was assumed to be anti-modern and backward looking.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

2)   Mythology :->

              Once this was taken to be true, the next step in the argument was to define the role and relationship of English vis-à-vis the Indian languages. This need gave birth to ‘language-planning’ which was in fact the linguistic analogue of a particular politics.’ Language planning’ operated with a whole set of lexical weaponry that gradually created a new mythology. Major Indian languages become in this discipline,’ Regional Languages’-and even Hindi is a regional language which has been accorded the status of an official language of the Union and some status.

3) Language Policy :->

            English, the other official language did not suffer from this disability. Its major strength is argued to be the fact that is cannot be identified with anyone region and therefore, English is one pan-Indian’ language that would promote National Integration, as regional would. So while the Indian languages, as regional languages, English a ‘foreign’ language, promote unity and integration. Centralism has an inherent appeal for the intellectuals at a time when an impatient unitary centralism was the dominant political ideology.

          To further buttress this argument, a whole mythology got built up around the role of English in which the central metaphor is the metaphor of the’ window’:

1) English is the language of knowledge (science and technology),

2) English is the language of liberal, modern thinking;

3) English is our window on the world;

4) English is the link language;

5) English is the library language; English is the language of reason;

6) English is the lingua-franca.

          The Education Commission, 1964-66 has this to say about the teaching of English (a Paraphrase): Because for years to come English will continue to be necessary in higher education as a library language, so a solid foundation in English must be laid at the School Stage. We have recommended that study must begins from class V, though we feel that for many students, particularly those in the rural areas, it cannot begin before class VIII. English for a very large number of students will remain only the second or the third language…..

          The elite-mass-rural divide, are projected in this report itself and the indecisiveness about English L2 or L3 is also so much evident. What is L2? What is L3? And what is the first language? These terms get different definitions depending on how they are defined chronologically, linguistically, from the point of view of language policy or pedagogically.

1)   The First Language broadly is the language introduced in the School as a subject from grade I to X and it is commonly used as the medium of instruction at the school level and as the medium of expression by the Lerner in his social Communication. It is usually the mother-tongue or the regional language of the child.

2)   The Second Language, i-e, L2 is that language which is introduced compulsorily either of the end of primary stage or in the beginning of the lower secondary stage after the attainment of sufficient proficiency in the first language by the learner. The main objective of the second language is to enable the speaker for wider participation in society, and the nation leading to Secondary socialization.

3)   The Third Language: L3 is introduced simultaneously or after the initiation of second language. Generally in grade VIII.The main objective of introducing the third language is to prepare the learner for all-India mobility leading to ternary socialization and give the learner  a working knowledge of the language so that the learner may read, comprehend and express correctly in that language.

4)   Notice that as defined above, English functionally, is L3; the third language-it cannot be L2.But English is allowed to be introduced and studies as the second language.

5)   Here is how the report of the working Group on the study of Language (NCERT, 1986) presents the chronological distribution of the three languages, through the school system in the context of the three language formula:

1) Primary Stage :->

           Only Mother Tongue /Regional Language both subject and media from class I to V.

2) Post Primary /Secondary :->

           English and modern Indian language. Three languages to be taught-state language, one modern Indian language and English.

3) Secondary Stage :-> The same pattern as in post primary.

4) Senior Secondary :->

                                    State language and optionally, English for specific purposes.

The picture is like this,

      Stage                                        Class                            Language

1) Lower primary                         I to V                             Mother tongue/state language.

2) Upper Primary                        VI to VIII                       State language/modern Indian                                                                                                                               language English.

3) Secondary                                 IX to X                         State language/modern Indian

Language English.

4) Senior Secondary XI to XII state language C+ ESP, Optical:

                                   

                                   Notice, the relative’ Constancy’ of English: also how to the concept of ‘Second language’ became diffuse. The same report: says this role of English.

                                   “Knowledge is growing at a breath taking pace. English should primarily be taught so that at the end of a four /five year.

(a) It can be used as a library language to enable the learner to keep abreast of the latest accretions to the different fields of knowledge, and.

(b) It can enable the learner to pursue higher/Professional education.

                                    The basic Competencies in the four years should be that of reading, writing, listening and speaking (and) these should be developed with reference to a specific corpus of language material and communication needs.”

                                    This is early recognition of the purely ancillary role of English. Elsewhere, however, English is treated at par with Hindi as a second language, and this is evident: from the ’Constancy’ of English in School stages.

                                    “The three language formula should be effectively implemented. The first language should be the mother tongue/regional language. The second language may be Hindi or English in case of a non Hindi speaking state and one of the modern Indian languages or English in the Hindi speaking states. The third language in non Hindi speaking states should be Hindi or English whichever have not been studies as a second language. Similarly, in the Hindi speaking state, the third language should be English or modern Indian language whichever has not been taught as a second language.”

                                  The provision in effect has made English the second language pedagogically and chronologically all over the country. What is the function of a second language? One NCERT report on Teaching of Hindi as a second language says that

                                 “The purpose on Teaching of Hindi as a second language in relation to the first (language) may be as follows:

1) To help the individual in maintaining his personal relations with the people beyond his linguistic.

2) To help the individual to carry on his business purposes beyond linguistic group.

3) To help the individual to carry on his social and cultural activities beyond his linguistic group

4) To help the individual to feel his identities with a large group, may be the nation.”

                                  In this perspective while Hindi is truly a second language functionally English is certainly not-no Indian uses English for the purposes set but above.

                                  The competence that is required to be attained in a second language, if it is to serve it purpose of secondary socialization, end its’ national and cultural purposes, ’It just a note less than the competence in the first language. Such level of competence obtusely unattainable in a foreign language.

                                  Finally, a review of the problem that has been faced and formulated in the teaching of English as a second language, will exemplify and reinforce what we have said above: lack of clarify about basic concepts, wide gap between facts of the situation, and the assumptions of the recommendation made to improve English.

Teaching, shifting theoretical inputs, wide disparity of practices in different parts of the country, and lack of agreement about the desirable principles and methods are some of major problems that the English teaching has faced all along First, there has been little agreement in attitudes to language –learning, on question such as.

I)  Extent and use of language drills.

ii)  The use of simplified texts or specifically prepared texts or specially compiled texts.

iii)  Amount and range of required reading to be prescribed

iv) Role of grammar in language learning and whether grammar should be at all taught, and lastly.

v) The error-approach the whole philosophy of ‘errors’ and teaching as essentially a re-medical process.

                                 There is also considerable confusion about instructional objectives. Basically it is difficult really to distinguish clearly the differing levels of for the first language and second language, uniformly. That is, the expected levels of attainment in the case of an Indian second language and English as second language cannot be the same.

*        Again, even for English, one can order the skills in different orders of priority! Should it be ‘listening – reading – speaking – writing or ‘reading – listening – speaking? Even when the efforts have been made to delimit the second language objective, one is not convinced by the recommendation, because the reasoning behind them it is not very clear. Also, sometimes the discrete categories get up are not really discrete language. Consider for example the competence in comprehension.

Three levels of competence may be distinguished:

a) Gathering only information about the facts.

b) Developing crucial understanding of the ideas, the learner comes across when he listens or reads.

c) Creative understanding of ideas and values and their creative interpretation.

          Similarly in expression the three levels of competence :->

a) Communicating information in daily conversation or correspondence

b) Communicating the ideas.

c) Communicating abstract ideas , concepts and value with originality .

Conclusion:-

It is the absence of grammar centered teaching that accounts for so much stress on methodology, ‘Method” and ‘methodology’ are dharma in western tradition it is assumed that it the method is right , the god will be automatically achieved , if the facts are correct , with the right method , we are bound to reach the right conclusion. This assumption has created a widespread concern for selecting and refining the right methods. The classical simplicity and democracy of learning / teaching in which the black board the wooden slate , the ink-pen , the ink pot , and a primer or book were all that was needed , is now perhaps instrievably lost  may be it  is not right to abandon technology , may be technological gadgets have a proper use, but surely a country with a huge body of learners needs to examine all these rather closely for , there is no doubt that just as rituals or karma kanda  killed – before it itself was disastrously killed = the sprite of a whole way of life, the rituals of  language teaching takes the enthusiasm and the intellectual challenge out of language teaching , which is reduced to a mechanical routine and process in which “How” become more important the both “What” and “Why”.

Reference  

·       Brown, G., and G. rule. 1983. Discourse Analysis, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

·       Corded, S.P. 1967. “The Significance of learner’s Errors” IRAL, V14.

…1973, Introducing Applied Linguistics. Harmonds-worth,           Middlesex: Penguin.

     

·       Jain, M.P. 1974. “Errors: Source, cause and Significance”, Journal of the school of Languages, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Monsoon Issue.

·       Leech, G. and Svartvik, J. 1973. A Communicative Grammar of English, London: Longman.

·       Mumby, J. 1978. Communicative Syllabus Design, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

·       Mussen, P.H.1963. The psychological development of the child, Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall.

·       Rivers, W. 1968. Teaching Foreign Language Skills, Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

·       Saunders, P.A. 1967. Introductory English, London: FLBS.

·       Wilkins, D.A. 1976. National Syllabuses, London: Oxford University Press.