READING SECTION
TEXT 2
Instructions: Read through the text below, answer the questions that follow.
English as a National Foreign Language
India has two national languages for central administrative purposes: Hindi and English.
Hindi is the national, official, and main link language of India. English is an associate
official language. The Indian Constitution also officially approves twenty-two regional
languages for official purposes.
Dozens of distinctly different regional languages are spoken in India, which share many
characteristics such as grammatical structure and vocabulary. Apart from these
languages, Hindi is used for communication in India. The homeland of Hindi is mainly in
the north of India, but it is spoken and widely understood in all urban centers of India. In
the southern states of India, where people speak many different languages that are not
much related to Hindi, there is more resistance to Hindi, which has allowed English to
remain a lingua franca to a greater degree.
Since the early 1600s, the English language has had a toehold on the Indian subcontinent,
when the East India Company established settlements in Chennai, Kolkata, and Mumbai,
formerly Madras, Calcutta, and Bombay respectively. The historical background of India
is never far away from everyday usage of English. India has had a longer exposure to
English than any other country which uses it as a second language, its distinctive words,
idioms, grammar and rhetoric spreading gradually to affect all places, habits and culture.
In India, English serves two purposes. First, it provides a linguistic tool for the
administrative cohesiveness of the country, causing people who speak different
languages to become united. Secondly, it serves as a language of wider communication,
including a large variety of different people covering a vast area. It overlaps with local
languages in certain spheres of influence and in public domains.
Generally, English is used among Indians as a ‘link’ language and it is the first language
for many well-educated Indians. It is also the second language for many who speak more
than one language in India. The English language is a tie that helps bind the many
segments of our society together. Also, it is a linguistic bridge between the major countries
of the world and India.
English has special national status in India. It has a special place in the parliament,
judiciary, broadcasting, journalism, and in the education system. One can see a Hindi-
speaking teacher giving their students instructions during an educational tour about where
to meet and when their bus would leave, but all in English. It means that the language
permeates daily life. It is unavoidable and is always expected, especially in the cities.
The importance of the ability to speak or write English has recently increased significantly
because English has become the de facto standard. Learning English language has
become popular for business, commerce and cultural reasons and especially for internet
communications throughout the world. English is a language that has become a standard
not because it has been approved by any ‘standards’ organization but because it is widely
used by many information and technology industries and recognized as being standard.
The call center phenomenon has stimulated a huge expansion of internet-related activity,
establishing the future of India as a cyber-technological super-power. Modern
communications, videos, journals and newspapers on the internet use English and have
made ‘knowing English’ indispensable.
The prevailing view seems to be that unless students learn English, they can only work in
limited jobs. Those who do not have basic knowledge of English cannot obtain good
quality jobs. They cannot communicate efficiently with others, and cannot have the benefit
of India’s rich social and cultural life. Men and women who cannot comprehend and
interpret instructions in English, even if educated, are unemployable. They cannot help
with their children’s school homework every day or decide their revenue options of the
future.
A positive attitude to English as a national language is essential to the integration of
people into Indian society. There would appear to be virtually no disagreement in the
community about the importance of English language skills. Using English, you will
become a citizen of the world almost naturally. English plays a dominant role in the media.
It has been used as a medium for inter-state communication and broadcasting both before
and since India’s independence. India is, without a doubt, committed to English as a
national language. The impact of English is not only continuing but increasing.
