Status of English in India

               Introduction


Officially English has a status of assistant language, but in fact it is the important language of India. After Hindi it is the most commonly spoken language in India and probably the most read and written language in India. Indians who know English will always try to show that they know English. English symbolises in Indians minds, better education, better culture and higher intellect. Indians who know English often mingle it with Indian languages in their conversations. It is also usual among Indians to abruptly move to speak fluent English in the middle of their conversations. English also serves as the communicator among Indians who speak different languages. English is very important in some systems - legal, financial educational, business - in India. Until the beginning of 1990s, foreign movies in India weren't translated order in Indian languages, but were broadcast in English and were meant for English speakers only. The reason Indians give such important to English is related to the fact that India was a British Colony.

    Pre - Independence Period


When the British started ruling India, they searched for Indian meditators who could help them to administer India. The British turned to high caste Indians to work for them. Many high caste Indians, especially the brahmins worked for them. The British policy was to create an Indian class who should think like the British, or as it was said then in Britain "Indians in blood and colour but English in taste, in opinions and morals and intellect". The British also established in India universities based on British models with emphasis on English. This Indians also got their education in British universities. The English Christian missionaries came to India from 1813 and they also built schools at primary level for Indians in which the language of instruction was local language. Leter on the missionaries built high schools with English as the language of instruction which obliged the Indians who wanted to study to have a good knowledge of English. The British rulers began building the universities in India from 1857. English became the first language in Indian education. The modern leaders of that era in India also supported English language and claimed it to be the main key towards success. Indians who knew good English were seen as the new elite of India. Many schools was established in which the language of instruction was English. According to the British laws the language of instruction at university level was English and therefore school that emphasised English were preferred by ambitious Indians . Even after India's Independence, English remained the main language of India. Officially it was given a status of an assistant language and was supposed to terminate officially after 15 years of India's Independence, but it still remains the important language of India.

   The Post- Independence Period


English, the language mostly of the colonisers during the British Raj became accepted to the highest strata, educationally, economically and socially progressive class of the Indian society during the post independence period. 
English is the language of industrialisation and modernisation and now it is the language of globalisation. Observing the change in the place of English in India Scrase remarked: 
    " English is recognised as an important Global or international language, essential for Professional Employment and significantly, key component of the cultural capital of middle class Indians."
There are many acronyms in use amongst English teaching professionals and the list seems to be growing daily. 'ESL' is usually taught to immigrants to the country of the target language or to natives of a country such as India where English is an officially recognised second language.
Prof. V. V. Hardik gives clear distinction between a 'foreign' and a 'second' language status as: 
    " English as a foreign language refers to a situation where it is taught for certain specific purposes viz... reading scientific works, translation, communication at certain purpose only. English as a 'second' language refers to a situation where English is used widely for purposes of administration, education and as a common link language."
In our country English is needed for a number of reasons. India is a land of diversity. Different people speak different languages. A person of Tamil Nadu does not speak Hindi. So he can't understand Hindi of a person from North India. However he can understand in English.

               Link language


English is a link language. Different people can communicate with one another with the help of English. Secondly, all advance knowledge in science, technology and medicine is available in English. The results of the latest researches come to India through the medium of English. If we give up English, we will lag behind in the higher fields of study. Today the world has become one family.

            Medium of instruction


English continuous to be the medium of instruction at many post graduate institutions. All India institutes and other professional and technical institutions of higher learning. The role of English as a "library language" cannot be undermined even where the medium of instruction is other than English. At the individual level English serves as the "language of opportunity". Any individual seeking socio-economic development would find in English an asset. 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. As far as English is concerned it is indisputably national and international language for our country.

              Constitution


Our constitution is written in English. Parliamentary business according to our constitution may be conducted either in Hindi or in English. The constitution requires the authoritative text of all laws including parliamentary enactments and statutory instruments in English. The constitution also provides that all the proceedings in the Supreme Court of India, the country's highest court and the High Court shall be in English.

          Media and Entertainment


The media and the entertainment industry at the highest person use the English language. With the advancement in technology, many apps, in mobile phones, emails and internets are elaborated in the English language. The wide publication of newspapers, periodicals and magazines in English clearly indicates its increasing use in India. 

         Conclusion


Just like the Americans, Australians or even the British who have their unique English words and phrases, the Indians also have their own unique English. The Indians and the Indian English language press used as many words derived from Indian languages, especially from Hindi. Other than that, the Indian accent is sometimes difficult for non Indian to understand. There are some Indian pronunciations that don't exist in non Indian languages. The British also had problems with that and they caused some changes in Indian words so that they could pronounce them. Even the Indian started using these changed words and made them part of their English. Two examples of such changed words are curry and sari. So, in India, the status of English is very high.

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