English as second language

Paper 304 English Language Teaching

Teaching English as ‘Second Language’ in India

        The term second language is understood in two different ways-    (1) English is second language after one or more Indian languages, which are primary and more significantly, (2) In school Education, the second language is what is introduced after the primary stage and has a pedagogical as well as a functional defini tion, particularly in the context of the ‘three-language formula’.

The significance of English as second language can only understood in the larger and in the historical perspective. Tne British from India, the language question naturally came to which the central issue was the role and status of English vis-à-vis Indian languages,both vernacular and classical. Interest of the ‘English knowing’ ruling class demanded  the perpetuation of English so that the vast majority of people would continue to remain outside the privilaged power-structure. To achieve this, a whole conceptual structure has been developed and manipulated. This conceptual structure has three parts: modernization, mythology and language policy. First, the concepts 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 assumed to be anti-modern and bacward looking. Once this was taken to be true, the next step in the argumentwas 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 polotics. ‘Language planning’ operated with a whole set of lexical weaponry that gradually  created a new mythology. Major Indian languages became in this discipline, ‘Regional Languages’- notice that ‘regional’ is in opposition to ‘national’- and even Hindi is a regional language which has been accorded the status of an official language of the Union and some states. English, the other official language, did not suffer from this disability! Its major strength is argued to be the fact that it cannot be identified with anyone region and therefore, English is one ‘pandian’ language that would promote ‘National Integration’, as no other language would: So while Indian languages, as regional languages, promote devisiveness and fissiparous tendencies, English, a ‘foreign’ language promotes  unity and integration. This argument for linguistic centralism had an inherent appeal for the intellectuals at a time when an impatient unitary centalism was the dominant political ideology.

      Famous three-language formula is the product of such thinking and policy. It is now recognised that three-language formula was devised to accord English a pan-indian status that no Indian language would enjoy.

English in Education:-

Three Languages recognised as L1, L2, L3. What is L1,L2 and L3?

      These terms get different definitions depending on how they are defined- chronologically, linguistically, from the point of view of language policy or padagogically.

      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 instructions at the school level and as the medium of expressions by the learner in his social communication. It is usually the mother tongue or the regional language of the child.

     The second language .i.e. L2 is that language which is introduced compulsarily either at 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 third language, L3 is introduced simulteneously or after the initiation of second language- generally in grade VII. The main objective of introducing the third language is to prepare the learner for all-india mobility leading to tertiary socialization and give the learner a working knowledge of the language so that the learner may read, comprehend and express correctly in that language.

Report of the Working Group on the study of Language (NCERT,1986) present the chronological distribution of the three languages through 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.