[BITList] Goanet Reader: How foreign is foreign... the truth about English in India (and Goa) :: FN

[John Feltham]

HOW FOREIGN IS 'FOREIGN'?

Or, why politicians shy away from the truth over English in India (and Goa)

By Frederick Noronha
fn at goa-india.org

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?

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