STATUS AND SIGNIFICANCE OF ENGLISH
TODAY
INTRODUCTION:
ENGLISH is a popular language, known
all around the world. It is a West Germanic language of Indo-European family.
It was originally spoken by the inhabitants of early medieval England and named
after the Angles, one of the ancient Germanic peoples who were migrated to the
area of Great Britain. English is the most spoken language in the world and the
third-most spoken native language in the world. It is the most widely learned
second language and it is official language of more than 67 countries. Now, it
is considered to be the “World’s Official Language” (common official language
of world) and it is the Co-Official language of the United States, European
Union and many other international organizations.
✒ " THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE IS SO ELASTIC THAT YOU CAN FIND ANOTHER WORD TO SAY THE SAME THING" - Mahatma Gandhi
STATUS
& SIGNIFICANCE OF ENGLISH:
English plays a very important role
all over the world. In India, it plays a supreme role since before
independence. English was introduced in India by the East India Company and
later widely spread when the power gone into the hands of British. In
pre-independent India, English was the Official language of the administration, medium of
instruction, subject of study in Indian schools and Universities. Knowledge of
English became a fashion of the day. English is an important foreign language
that has attained the status of the link language in different countries. It
still occupies a significant role in our educational system and in our national
life.
✒ " THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE IS NOBODY'S SPECIAL PROPERTY. IT IS THE PROPERTY OF THE IMAGINATION. IT IS THE PROPERTY OF THE LANGUAGE ITSELF."- Derek Walcott
SIGNIFICANCE
OF ENGLISH IN TODAY’S INDIA:
AS AN OFFICIAL LANGUAGE OF ADMINISTRATION: English
is one of the official languages in every states of India. It has been
recognized as official language for more than 300 years in pre-independent India. In Republic India, English became the official language of administration in 1963. All the administrative
works of the country are done in the language of English.
AS A LANGUAGE OF COURT: English still continues to
be the language of court in our country India. There is no other suitable
language for legal transactions in both high courts and supreme courts.
AS A LANGUAGE OF LINK: English has been used as a
link language for International communication, agreements, settlements etc.
AS A LANGUAGE OF INTERNATIONAL TRADE AND INDUSTRY: As we know English is a
major link language of our nation to other countries, it also dominates in the
field of international trade and industry in India. Most of the works in this
field are done in English.
AS A WINDOW ON THE MODERN WORLD: Jawaharlal Nehru, the former Prime Minister of India has rightly said,
“ENGLISH IS OUR MAJOR WINDOW ON THE MODERN WORLD”. English is a window through
which we can see and understand the developments of Science, Technology,
Agriculture, Commerce, etc., around the world. English is the only language
through which we have distilled the essence of modern knowledge in all fields
of human activity.
AS A LIBRARY LANGUAGE: English is the key to the store-house of scientific, technological and
computer knowledge. Most of this
knowledge is not yet available in Indian languages. It is in this context that the role of
English as a library language becomes important in India.
ON THE INTERNET: English
is the only language which dominates on the Internet. Websites are created mostly in English. People send emails using the Internet and in
that many official mails are sent in English. Social interactions in many
social media can be done only in English.
SIGNIFICANT
IN THE FIELD OF EDUCATION:
English, in India, is mainly taught as a second
language. English plays a very major role in our educational system. It is
taught as a compulsory subject in almost all the states in the country. Many
students find it difficult in getting pass mark in English. Still English is
persistently made a compulsory subject in India. It is the medium of
instruction in technical, medical and law colleges. All PG courses are done
through English only. The Kothari Commission (1966) said, “Mother tongue has a
pre-eminent claim as the medium of instruction at the school and college
stages. Moreover, the medium of
instruction at the school and higher education should generally be the
same. The regional language should,
therefore, be adopted as the medium of instruction at the higher stage”. Though, there have been many voices to give
importance to promote regional languages in place of English, the importance of
English in India is not getting reduced.
Considering the importance of English, many Regional Institutes of
English have been started to train English teachers.
English is the most important language in the
country’s national life and educational system. The contribution of English in
the growth of knowledge in Medicine, Science and Technology is so great that we
are able to live up to the international standards in these fields. English has brought home to us the different
developments in the international scene and helped us in properly understanding
the world situations. The importance of
English in India is felt stronger today than it was during the ruling of the
British.
✒" TO HAVE ANOTHER LANGUAGE IS TO POSSESS A SECOND SOUL"
RATIONALE FOR LEARNING ENGLISH
The
entire world has become a village with the advent of computer and
internet. People go from one place to
other place, frequently, for many purposes.
This facilitates to know about the cultures of other countries. All the people are not privileged to enjoy
this facility. A second language is
necessary for this purpose. English is
the tool through which we can learn many things that are existing in the
world.
There are many reasons for which the learners
learn English as a second language. The
various rationales for learning English are listed below.
·
Learn the culture of different countries by direct experience.
·
The nuances of other cultures
that include festivals and family functions
·
Learning the fashion and the
life style from the films of other countries
·
Knowledge about the working of
the language.
·
Communicating with family
members
·
Communicating with friends
·
Participating in exchanging cultural and sports events
·
Learning
English facilitates to travel and study in other countries
·
Making it easier to communicate with other countries‟ people
·
Developing the skills of working with different cultures
·
New ideas and knowledge are got
·
The skills in our mother tongue
is developed by contribution from English
So, learning English as a second language can bring
a great amount of benefit socially and personally. It paves way to enjoy different opportunities
that can contribute individually and to the country. While learning English opens up opportunities
for work and travel and it also ensures the personal finding of oneself. Learning the other cultures help us
understand and appreciate our own culture.
By all means, the rationale for learning English as a second language is
to understand social, cultural, economic and environmental well-being of our
country better.
CONCLUSION:
Thus, in today's world it is very significant to learn the global language English. From this essay, we known the status and the significance of the English in the present world.
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