HOW FOREIGN IS 'FOREIGN'? Or, why politicians shy away from the truth over English in India (and Goa)
By Frederick Noronha [email protected] SOME TIME in 2003, the then Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar followed the footsteps of politicians like Shashikala Kakodkar (during the short-lived PDF regime of 1990) in his stand against English-language education. He said at a Marathi meet that "English cannot be the mother-tongue of Goans". Since the early 1990s, politicians of different hues have been blocking primary education in English largely on the grounds that it is a "foreign language". Such an approach overlooks the Goan reality, which has a significant section of the state continuing to migrate overseas for jobs. It also rides roughshod over the so-called 'non-Goans' (an unfair and exclusivist term) who naturally lack requisite skills in either Marathi or Konkani. Above all, it simply overlooks the reality of the English language in India today, and adopts a position based on inaccuracies if not half-truths. Today, this "foreign language" is recognized as an associate official language for the entire country, with Hindi the official language in India. It is also recognized as the official language in four states (Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Tripura) and in eight Union territories. Hindi is the official language of India, and it was given a role in official work until 1965. But the realising that Hindi alone was no substitute, specially among Dravidian language speakers of south India, led to the continued use of English. English is India's language of administration, business and commerce, the language of technical and professional education in national institutions, the language of opportunity for better-paying jobs in both the public and private sectors, and the language of the law courts and influential sections of the media in India. English is not only taught as a compulsory second language, but is also used very extensively as a medium of instruction in higher education. In the course of its spread, as has been argued, English has become India's "own" language, a language of inter-state communication, a link language, a lingua franca, a language of education and culture and the language of power and social control. In addition, English is an important window to the outside world. Professor David Crystal, an English studies specialist, points out: "During the 1980s, the usual estimate for speakers of English in India -- for example, in Braj Kachru's writing -- was between 3 and 5 per cent. But a 1997 India Today survey suggested that this was a serious underestimate, with perhaps a third of the population having some knowledge of the language. Of course, it all depends on what is meant by 'some knowledge'. But if we mean: 'capable of holding an everyday conversation on everyday subject-matters in Indian regional English' then this new figure cannot be far from the truth. To be on the safe side -- which we should always be with language statistics -- we might say that around 200 million people in India use some English regularly now. That may seem small, by Indian standards, but it immediately doubles the previous total for second-language users." Prof Crystal calls English the "world's first genuinely global language". He argues that while estimates vary greatly, 1,500 million or more people are today thought to be competent communicators in English. Even though three out of four people don't use English on the planet, it can still be considered a global language given "the areas of world influence where it has come to have a pivotal role". Says he: "The evidence suggests that English is now the dominant voice in international politics, banking, the press, the news agencies, advertising, broadcasting, the recording industry, motion pictures, travel, science and technology, knowledge management, and communications. No other language has achieved such a widespread profile -- or is likely to, in the foreseeable future." Crystal argues that English has achieved special status as a 'second' language in over 70 countries, including as India, Ghana, Nigeria, Singapore, and Vanuatu, spoken by at least another 400 million. Says he: "And in most -- perhaps now all? -- of the remaining countries, it has become the foreign language which children are most likely to learn in school. Within this last category, the number of foreign learners must now exceed a thousand million." IN INDIA -------- English has been growing in an Indian socio-cultural-linguistic setting for over 200 years, attracting with the major Indian languages. It has also been a powerful tool to expound Indian culture and philosophy. In terms of the number of people speaking or using English globally either as first or second languages, India ranks third -- next only to the US and the UK. Teaching of English in India dates back to the5B early decades of the 19th century. But the first book written to teach English was produced in India in 1797. The Constitution of India confers on English the status of an associate official language of the Union of India. English has a special role to play in a multilingual setting. The official status, the role and function of English in virtually all major walks of life have led to an ever-increasing demand for English-language education in India. The teaching of English in India has been associated, right from the beginning, with career advancement, social mobility, Western knowledge and status in society. English is one of the most dominant languages widely spoken across the country. As a medium of instruction and subject of study in most schools, and as a medium of official and informal communication. It is a compulsory subject even in primary education with the status of a second language in the urban, metropolitan cities. You can't escape English on the Internet. It's usage was 70 per cent of all Internet communications by 2000. This figure was declining as regional languages came of their own on the Net -- which also need to grow. An article in mainstream newspaper The Hindu says: "English, the much loved and hated surrogate child of the British rule in India, has managed to remain in the centre-stage of controversy even (so many years after) the country's independence. To an impartial observer, it seems that it can neither be thrown away nor can it be adopted completely." It notes, quite accurately in our case too: "In most cases, the statements for or against English are either an integral part of the political stratagem or mere emotional outbursts of their protagonists." It also notes that the controversy always hangs around the favourite 'English Hatao' slogan given every now and then by a politician who has exhausted all the other repertoire or by a 'Sabha' who would like to be seen as fighting for Indian culture and values. However, a personal investigation into the education of the children of these politicians or the affairs of these sabhas and societies who raise the bogey of English would reveal quite another face. Some facts pointed out: * English, today, is a utility language across India and across the globe. For instance, Poland was talking in terms of needing 20,000 new teachers of English. Eastern Germany was estimated to have nearly 17 million `new' learners of English. In Japan, English is today an "optionally compulsory" subject, being virtually the only language for all the 800 hours of foreign language slot in junior and senior secondary schools. In Austrian primary schools, since 1983 English is being taught as a "compulsory exercise". It is so in Switzerland and the rest of Central and Eastern Europe too. Former French, Portuguese and Spanish colonies like Argentina, Brazil, Venezuela, Vietnam, Ivory Coast, Gabon, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Mozambique, Mauritius, etc. have now taken the view that proficiency in English is important for success in international competition. Goa fits in here too. * English is the language in which nearly all contemporary knowledge is accessible. It has been called 'the language of development'. It is also seen as a 'window on the world'. * In India, it is the language favoured by the industrial houses, legal and banking systems, trade and commerce and the military. English continues to be the medium of instruction at many post-graduate institutions, all-India institutes, and even for the overwhelming majority of educational institutions from middle-school upwards in Goa. * English is also considered a 'library language'. * English is essential for the purposes of translating the relevant texts from and into modern Indian languages. * English is required to exchange views on and gain from various international schools of thought, diverse cultures and world literature as well as also to interpret Indian thought abroad. * Only a minimal fraction of the English-using Indian population has any interaction with native speakers of English. In other words, they're using it largely among themselves. * In India, the English language serves two purposes. First, it provides a linguistic tool for the administrative cohesiveness of a country. Second, it serves as a language of wider communication, it is argued. * Some scholars have argued that while English lacks the symbolic power required to be chosen as the sole official language in India, although it does have a high communicativity necessary for the successful function of a nationalist language! * English plays a dominant role in the media; it has been used as a medium for inter-state communication, the pan-Indian press and broadcasting both before and since India's independence. The impact of English is not only continuing but increasing. * The English press in India initiated serious journalism in the country. The number of English newspapers, journals and magazines is on the increase. Estimates say there are 3,582 Indian newspapers in English. English-language newspapers are published in practically all states. Of a total of 19,144 newspapers registered in India in 1982, those in English accounted for 18.7 percent, whereas the newspapers in Hindi accounted for 27.8 percent. * English plays a key role in building and maintaining educational and administrative networks in India. It is not "replacive" -- often, it overlaps with local languages in certain domains. It's the language of administration and the press. (The question for us in Goa is how to seamlessly build multi-lingual skills, to cope in a multi-cultural world, and not to provide divides based on greed and fear. If politicians would like to primarily control vote-banks or grants garnered from state-funded schools, then language is not really the issue.) "Love for our mother tongue should not prejudice us against other languages," it has been argued. Said the Hindu's article titled 'A Window On The World': "English is not the cause of cultural insecurity or ethnic prejudices in India. It is no longer the foreign oppressor's language, nor is it the exclusive possession of the elitist; it has become the common property of millions of ordinary citizens." Rajaditya Banerjee accepts that after the national language Hindi, English is the "most commonly spoken language in India, probably the most read and written language in the country". Banerjee is a communications consultant who's based in Helsinki and trains leading Finnish companies like Nokia on business English and cross-cultural business communication. Says he: "Even in quite remote villages, it is not unlikely to run into someone who speaks at least a little English. Today, English is widely used in some major systems -- like the educational, legal, financial and business in India. English also serves as a link language among Indians, particularly between the North and the South." "The significant role of English in all major walks of life in India has led to an ever-increasing demand for English education in India. This probably explains why Indian parents are keen on sending their children to private schools where the medium of instruction is strictly English," says he. (This is true in the rest of India. In the rest of India, this is true. But in Goa, we are now going about creating elitist divides where few existed.) For instance, the Marxist Government of West Bengal in Eastern India had once decided that English would only be taught from fifth grade onwards. It was a move that had angered many a Kolkatan. Eventually the Government of West Bengal had to partially repeal the law. Students are being given a choice to study different languages. The process of Indianization of English is underway. We talk about Hinglish and Konklish. Sometimes this is deliberate (as on some private TV news channels) and otherwise unintentional. Banerjee also argues: "Though purists might have reservations about Indian English, yet without India, English would not have words like the colour khaki, bazaar or bandanas. The Indian English that has evolved over the years in the diverse and rich socio cultural linguistic context differs to a large extent from the language accepted in its native societies in the US or UK. Cultural, linguistic and other social factors have actively contributed to this difference." Indo-Anglian literature, as it has been sometimes called, has flourished over the years. Today, it still is a tool for a vast subcontinent-sized country to share its ideas. Rabindranath Tagore became the first Asian to win the Nobel in 1913 thanks to English. Nationalists like Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Mahatma Gandhi, Nehru and many others used English as a vehicle to express themselves. Salman Rushdie, Kushwant Singh, R K Narayan, Anita Desai, Nirad C Chaudhuri, Arundhati Roy, Vikram Seth, Jhumpa Lahiri and a series of others have redefined what it means to write in English. Is Ruskin Bond a "foreign" writer using a "foreign" language anymore? That's a bit like arguing that since man originated in Africa millions of years ago, we're probably all African. IMPACT RESEARCHED ----------------- In Finland too, Annika Hohenthal of the University of Turku's department of English, had studied the impact of English in India. Says she: "In terms of numbers of English speakers, the Indian subcontinent ranks third in the world, after the USA and UK. An estimated four per cent of the Indian population use English. Although the number might seem small, out of the total population that is about 35 million people (in 1994). Although the number of speakers of English in India is somewhat limited (as compared to the total population), that small segment of the population controls domains that have professional prestige." Hohenthal says: "English is virtually the first language for many educated Indians, and for many, who speak more than one language, English is the second one. Indian speakers of English are primarily bi- or multilingual Indians who use English as a second language in contexts in which English is used among Indians as a 'link' or an 'official' language." Says Hohenthal: "Various political and nationalistic pressures continue to push for the choice of Hindi as a national language. However, it is hard to remove English from its place as a language of wider communication, lingua franca, especially among the educated elite, or to replace the regional languages in mass communication by Hindi." Comments Alok Rai, the grandson of Munshi Premchand and author of the book 'Hindi Nationalism': Back in the 1960s, in the heyday of Lohia's 'Angrezi Hatao' agitation, English sign-boards and nameplates were a prime target. But today even the international situation seems to have turned in favour of the English-knowing, so that even those in States which had gone some distance towards reducing the importance of English and empowering the vernacular -- West Bengal, Bihar and UP -- there has been a retreat, and English has made a comeback both in the state, and where the state is laggard, in the non-state sectors." Rai argues that English is "too much the language of privilege", perhaps more so in the rest of India than compared to Goa. But, he says, Hindi has "developed a siege mentality". Besides, officially-constructed language called Hindi is "burdened with its own repressed history, its own suspect legitimacy, confined to its own upper-caste elite with its divisive and lethal national design" and thus it "cannot challenge English". If politicians play ostrich, the market thinks otherwise. In 2002, Heinmann published an 'English Dictionary for India'. It lists a whole number of words that are "used frequently as part of everyday English by speakers in India" and often in newspapers too. Starting from 'acharya' (learned teacher), to 'achkan' (tight-fitting knee-length coat with upstanding collar), 'adivasi' (original inhabitant), 'agarbatti' (stick with slow-burning incense), 'ahimsa' (non-violence and compassion), 'alap' (prelude in classical music), 'almira' (cupboard or wardrobe), 'ashram' (residential religious centre), 'ata' (wheat flour), 'ayah' (nursemaid, female servant), 'ayurveda' (ancient Hindu system of medicine), to 'azadi' (freedom). So have terms like 'zamindar' (major land owner) entered the realm of English in India. There are, of course, many others listed. Contrary to what our politicians argue, a few thousand Goans have, during the Census, said that their mother-tongue is English. Legally, it's possibly to accept any language as one's mother tongue. Influenced by migration -- both out-migration and in-migration -- a significant section of Goans have opted to use English as the language in which they shape their ideas, converse and write-in. But that's not all. Others have chosen the English language for other purposes. One need to only look at newspaper circulations in Goa to appreciate this reality. Together with the Tarun Bharats and the Gomantaks, there are also the Navhind Times and the Heralds. Or look at the way regional language protagonists have pushed their children into English language schools; opportunity, for them, is not to be sacrificed at the altar of sentiment. If this is the case, doesn't the same hold true for the less-priviledged? (ENDS)
