India and English
India and English
From 1857, when English was introduced by the Imperial Government as the only medium of education, the English language has played a significant role in the lives of Indian people. After a long struggle by national leaders, in the 1920s, the British rulers reluctantly permitted school education through the medium of Indian languages (designated as vernaculars). In 1947 when India gained independence from the British rule, English was to have been replaced by national languages. Yet, in the Indian Constitution, English found a significant place. In the last 60 years, English has continued to dominate Indian political, educational and social realities. In the present globalizing world, English has become an important ingredient in the economic development scenario. The introduction of English to the Indian linguistic landscape opened with the dawn of the British colonial era, English began to develop roots in Indian education. More than one and a half centuries later, English has overcome its status as merely the language of the colonial power and has become an integral part of the Indian linguistic variety. Contrary to the most popular pre-independence consensus, that Hindi would over power the English language after independence, English has not only continued to flourish in the educational and official network of India but has also become one of the official languages of the nation and thus continues to enjoy the support of the Indian elite. English is used extensively in education, law, government, media, science, and technology. Although it is widely spoken as a second or third language, only a tiny minority of the population has English as a first language or mother tongue. But despite all that, English is incredibly important in India and is spoken by more people here than in any other country in the world except for the USA and the UK.As in many parts of the world the English language is followed by the businessmen, soldiers and
From 1857, when English was introduced by the Imperial Government as the only medium of education, the English language has played a significant role in the lives of Indian people. After a long struggle by national leaders, in the 1920s, the British rulers reluctantly permitted school education through the medium of Indian languages (designated as vernaculars). In 1947 when India gained independence from the British rule, English was to have been replaced by national languages. Yet, in the Indian Constitution, English found a significant place. In the last 60 years, English has continued to dominate Indian political, educational and social realities. In the present globalizing world, English has become an important ingredient in the economic development scenario. The introduction of English to the Indian linguistic landscape opened with the dawn of the British colonial era, English began to develop roots in Indian education. More than one and a half centuries later, English has overcome its status as merely the language of the colonial power and has become an integral part of the Indian linguistic variety. Contrary to the most popular pre-independence consensus, that Hindi would over power the English language after independence, English has not only continued to flourish in the educational and official network of India but has also become one of the official languages of the nation and thus continues to enjoy the support of the Indian elite. English is used extensively in education, law, government, media, science, and technology. Although it is widely spoken as a second or third language, only a tiny minority of the population has English as a first language or mother tongue. But despite all that, English is incredibly important in India and is spoken by more people here than in any other country in the world except for the USA and the UK.As in many parts of the world the English language is followed by the businessmen, soldiers and