Talk English, Walk English

cant we compare learning english as something like improving one's productivity in an industry by introducing better technology, skills, markiting etc etc. if we do that this english verses vernacular will disappear. both will stay.

Samar,

cant we compare learning english as something like improving one's productivity in an industry by introducing better technology, skills, markiting etc etc.

As it is India has had a tough time teaching any sort skills to its citizens. Why burden the people with yet another skill to learn and a redundant one at that?

English was the language of power in the subcontinent. Anyone who wanted to be upwardly mobile needed it. Add to that the fact that Hindus wanted to rid themselves of persian and Muslims would be damned if they would take on the devnagri scripted sanskritised hindi. So English was the logical choice. Besides the English is a global language argument is not to be taken lightly. We are development wannabes - us Indians and Pakistanis - and we need that tool. Comparing us with Japan and France is a bit too harsh and quite unreasonable.

English was the language of power in the subcontinent. Anyone who wanted to be upwardly mobile needed it. Add to that the fact that Hindus wanted to rid themselves of persian and Muslims would be damned if they would take on the devnagri scripted sanskritised hindi. So English was the logical choice. Besides the English is a global language argument is not to be taken lightly. We are development wannabes - us Indians and Pakistanis - and we need that tool. Comparing us with Japan and France is a bit too harsh and quite unreasonable.

English was the language of power in the subcontinent. Anyone who wanted to be upwardly mobile needed it. Add to that the fact that Hindus wanted to rid themselves of persian and Muslims would be damned if they would take on the devnagri scripted sanskritised hindi. So English was the logical choice. Besides the English is a global language argument is not to be taken lightly. We are development wannabes - us Indians and Pakistanis - and we need that tool. Comparing us with Japan and France is a bit too harsh and quite unreasonable.

English was the language of power in the subcontinent. Anyone who wanted to be upwardly mobile needed it. Add to that the fact that Hindus wanted to rid themselves of persian and Muslims would be damned if they would take on the devnagri scripted sanskritised hindi. So English was the logical choice. Besides the English is a global language argument is not to be taken lightly. We are development wannabes - us Indians and Pakistanis - and we need that tool. Comparing us with Japan and France is a bit too harsh and quite unreasonable.

sorry for the multiple posts guys. this submit button was being unduly late :)

shoaib ji, within next 50 odd years most of the people on earth will know english. we should feel lucky that we are early learner for whatsoever reason. we should try to shrug off the colonial baggage and treat english like any other language and provide english education to as many people as possible and as early as possible.

Samar,

See para 8.

we should try to shrug off the colonial baggage and treat english like any other language ...

Amen.

Concerning the "imperialist" nature of English.

I live in London and if anyone says to me “everyone speaks English� my answer is “Listen and look around you�. If people in London do not speak English then the whole question of a global language is completely open.

The promulgation of English as the world’s “lingua franca� is unethical and linguistically undemocratic. I say this as a native English speaker!

Unethical because communication should be for all and not only for an educational or political elite. That is how English is used internationally at the moment.

Undemocratic because minority languages are under attack worldwide due to the encroachment of majority ethnic languages. Even Mandarin Chinese is attempting to dominate as well. The long-term solution must be found and a non-national language, which places all ethnic languages on an equal footing is long overdue.

An interesting video can be seen at http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=_YHALnLV9XU Professor Piron was a former translator with the United Nations

A glimpse of Esperanto can be seen at http://www.lernu.net

Re: # 9 so you do advocate dynamism and evolution of the language....as seen necessary for communication of ideas and views.

Dash,

so you do advocate dynamism and evolution of the language...

Umm...actually, FYI, this article talks about replacing one language (English) with the respective native tongues of the peoples of India, not "dynamism and evolution" of any language.

I hope you get the difference

Brian,

Unethical because communication should be for all and not only for an educational or political elite. That is how English is used internationally at the moment.

I think that's pretty much sums up the situation in India too.

I'd still go for English...What kind of output we see in the Indian languages (intellectual)...theres been nothing...

what percentage of Indians interact with the world...interactions, i mean all, cant be face to face...we need/needed English to understand/know ideas...for example we would not have known what liberty and freedom is but for Pandits in English...

english? i thought "malayalam" will dominate soon as keralites are everywhere, no matter where you go !!! well it's another thing that when they speak english, it sounds like malayalam !!! cause in english I don't think you got a word which requires bubbling your head!!! but this is a common expression among all indians.

you guys gotta get hold of russel peters DVDs, he is a canadian but from indian parents, guy is awesome!!!

on serious note,

Indians do prefer speaking in english, and they have a good accent as well (we are not talking about accent outside india) don't get me wrong here but it's better than us,influence of the british I guess & it kept carrying on & I do not think it's a bad thing at all, it's a global language. take bollywood's entrance into hollywood, the actors have a perfect accent even though they were not born in the west!!!

Look man,wather we like it or not, indians are progressing,whatever good or bad is happening in india, it's not stopping thier progress, and we (pakistanis) need to point ourselves towards the progress & with positive frame of mind only then we will achieve something good.

Peace.

vengatramanan,

What kind of output we see in the Indian languages (intellectual)...theres been nothing...

That might be because everybody who's anybody uses only English as medium of serious discourse.

...for example we would not have known what liberty and freedom is but for Pandits in English...

Yup, I'm sure the French are severely handicapped when it comes to "liberty and freedom" because they don't know too much English. Pshaw!