English speakers in India outnumber those in western Europe. Speak Up probes if the lingo’s preponderance has become a barrier for others.
Regional literature is still relevant
For a professional, it is a practical thing to learn English, since we live in a global world where it is the only language that connects with everyone. People prefer to converse in English even if they have poor command over the language. Youngsters are exposed to the language because of proliferation of English medium schools, which are coming up.
Also, it unites people from different regional backgrounds. It is mainly in the metros that one will see people conversing in the language. If we go to the interiors, people still talk in their native language. It will be wrong to say that popularity of regional literature has reduced. There are still many people who read regional literature and watch regional dramas or films. That’s because one can connect well with them. I'm sure, English literature, apart from schools and colleges, has few takers in India.
Jabbar Patel, Marathi theatre and film director
Learning language is imbibing culture
During the time, I did my schooling; parents didn’t hesitate to enroll their children in a vernacular medium school. I studied in a Gujarati medium school. My siblings studied in an English medium school, they were well versed in Gujarati, since it was the spoken language at home. So we weren’t too good in all languages, but could converse and understand Gujarati, English, Marathi and Hindi. But I believe that learning a language is like imbibing a culture. So, it’s important that people know their mother tongue fluently.
Today, because of my Gujarati background, I can express myself fluently in the language. Even during my decade long teaching career, we were particularly asked to converse in English with pre-primary students, but we need to understand that even they take time to adapt to the language as many still converse in their mother tongue at home.
Alpa Nirmal, media person and educator
Learning one’s tongue brings us closer to roots
Today, one has to be conversant in English. During the time I did my schooling, there were good Gujarati-medium schools in the vicinity. Studying in one’s own language, gives us the opportunity to know the language and culture. But today studying in a vernacular medium institution is looked down upon. Since my higher studies were in English, I can converse fluently in the language and can teach my children the nuances without any hassle.
Sheetal Agarwal, housewife
Initially I found it tough to interact in English
People who have studied in vernacular medium find it difficult to interact initially in cities where English is widely spoken. I can say this with conviction, as I have gone through a similar ordeal when I came to Mumbai after doing my schooling in a Malayalam medium school in Kerala. But, that shouldn’t be an excuse for not speaking English. While you should continue to respect and speak your mother tongue, English shouldn’t be ignored as it can open new avenues.
Binesh Panicker, writer
Sometimes one feels left out from discussions
I would feel uncomfortable earlier since most youngsters and teenagers started speaking in English. I faced few problems and had to work hard on pronunciation of certain words, also I couldn’t speak as fast and fluently like others. Persons from a vernacular background or those who are not so good in English, sometimes feel left out. We live in the age of convergence and to be a global citizen you need to necessarily know the global language.
Nita Pillai, teacher
May impair ability to talk in mother tongue in long run
Sometimes it becomes difficult for a person who has studied in a regional medium to converse fluently in English. Though I studied in a Hindi medium school, I gained the confidence to talk in English at a later stage. Somehow, I don’t like people and organisations where it is necessary to talk in the language. I surely think and prefer that people should be given the choice of speaking in the language since they are comfortable. So although English has become an all-pervasive language today. In the longer run, children probably won’t be able to develop proficiency in their mother tongue, if they are always pressurised to speak in English.
Ranjit Singh, senior accounts executive
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