Future of English Language in India
Introduction: In the present age of Globalization, English language has become an important medium of communication between India and the world. English language has bright future in Modern India. English, as a language, must be studied in Free India.
Global International Language: English language, as it stands today is not the language of a particular people or particular country; it has assumed a world-wide significance. It is a language, understood and spoken by more than half the population of the world. In a sense, English has become an International language. It is spoken, understood, read and written in many countries of the world.
Co-existence of Hindi and English languages in India: Hindi shall maintain its national significance while let us adopt English as an international language.
Unifying Link between Hindi and Non-Hindi speaking people: Even today, English Language has brought about an intellectual and cultural unification of the Indians living in north, south, east and west of the country. ‘It is the greatest unifying link between the Hindi-speaking and non-Hindi speaking people of India’.
Promotes communication with outside world: English language is a link between India and the outside world. Not only today but in the past also, the great Indian philosophers and spiritualists, like Swami Vivekananda and Swami Ram Tirath, exalted and glorified India’s name and fame in distant countries, like America and Canada by dint of their mastery of English language. The congress, during the days of its struggle for Independence, fought against the alien rulers through English language.
Rich treasure of literature: English language contains the richest treasure of literature. English literature has had an impressive and dynamically creative impact on the Indian literary tradition. Tagore was deeply inspired by Shelley and Swinburne; Prem Chand was profoundly influenced by Hardy, Bankim by Scott and Sarat by Dickens.
Indispensable for scientific and technological studies: Apart from its literary value English language is almost indispensable for higher scientific and technological studies. The University Grants Commission has aptly recommended to the Universities in India that scientific studies in the Indian colleges by conducted through English medium.
International Transactions : English language is the one of the most popular language which is employed all over the Globe for transaction of international trade. Apart from all these, we have sufficient ground for supporting the use of English for commercial and economic purposes in our country.
Conclusion: Modern age, it must be remembered, has an international or cosmopolitan out-look. We have to evolve an international cosmopolitan culture, a wider and broader horizon of human civilization. For adapting ourselves to the changed world-picture and international urge, we must have a cosmic vision of life. We should not have any narrow prejudice in the context of learning foreign languages.