Paper no 12 English Teaching Language
Name : Vadher Arti
Hareshbhai
Roll no : 5
Year: 2016-18
M.A. semester :3
Paper no : 12
English Language Teaching
Assignment topic
: Teaching English as ‘second Language’ in
India Kapil kapoor’s essay
Submitted to :
smt.S.B.Gardi, Department of English.
Introduction
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”.
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