ENGLISH LITERATURE: Role of English Literature in English Language Tea...

ENGLISH LITERATURE: Role of English Literature in English Language Tea...: Language in any human society, is an important human heritage. The significance of language in human life cannot be over-emphasized. It i...

Role of English Literature in English Language Teaching

Language in any human society, is an important human heritage. The significance of language in human life cannot be over-emphasized. It is indeed central not only to our social interactions and relationships, but also in distinguishing us and enabling others to ascertain the position in the society. This would explain why people with speech or hearing disabilities find it difficult to integrate and participate fully in their communities. What this means is that every language community has developed unique modes of using its language. At the same time, each language has been moulded in a special way to serve the needs of the community that speaks it. In this way, every language is a unique system and therefore, a resource for humankind. It is because of the many unique systems in each language that we talk of linguistic diversity. This linguistic diversity, like bio-diversity, is an important feature of our universe. The many languages spoken by the various world populations signify the communication problems, which human societies are likely to face in their day to day interactions.

Today, as a result of globalization, there has been an increasing need to interact at both official and unofficial levels. In particular, nationals of different countries have to move from one geographical region to another, needing a language of communication. In this case, some languages such as English Language, French, Spanish, German and Arabic have become what can be described as second language in many communities of the world. In order words, they have become the language of communication, interaction and relationship. For this reason, these languages mentioned above, need to be learnt if we must develop along with others.

Literature and teaching of English language: prospects and challenges: As shown in this study, language is an instrument of communication, which makes it possible for two or more persons to establish and sustain a relationship, while literature is a means of communication through which peoples’ culture is transmitted from generation to generation. That is, literature represents a written text about a culture over a period of time, which is preserved as literary heritage. The close connection between literature (cultural heritage) and language is obvious from the fact that the former is usually written in a language. Thus, because of this close link, there is no way the peoples’ culture (literature) can be separated from the language. From the foregoing, it can be seen that literature, being an aspect of language, is an important factor in the teaching and understanding of language. However, in today’s world, language learners see language as a set of transactions, which is different from literature. This belief has precluded learners from seeing language as part of literature. The implication of this is that learning of language as an enterprise is now seen as an uphill task because the literature, which is supposed to provide the rudiments of language, is given secondary role and recognition, which indeed is affecting the proficiency of learners in oral and written aspects of language.

In the light of the above, one can say that literature is language put to use and therefore, should be used in teaching language. What this means is that using literature to teach language will definitely attract some benefits for both the learner and the teacher. The use of literature often promotes motivation in the classroom. Through literature, learner’s sense of involvement is developed as the affective domain of the learner is strengthened. This domain of the educational development of the learner cannot be taken care of in the English Language course books except in the three genres of literature namely, prose, poetry and drama. According to Mcrae (1991), this emotional involvement also gives the learners the pleasure of using the language imaginatively by making the learner to free towards the target language, which is English Language in the context of this study.

Another benefit from literature is exposing the learner to the culture of the native speakers of the language. Since, literary texts often reflect practices, culture, attitudes and beliefs of the native speakers

of the language, the learner has no option other than assimilating the culture. Literature in this context enables the students to develop their own perceptions as to how people of different cultures relate to their experiences and assess them. Such perceptions help students to see the core of human situations that can occur cross-culturally. Through literature, beauty and splendor of nature are enjoyed by the student (reader) as experiences that are not possible in real life situations are gone through imaginary (Sivasubramaniam, 2006). For example, going through stories filled with images of love, adventure, war, etc., creates an outlet for emotion. This therefore, leads to sharper and deeper real life experiences. These imaginary situations enable the reader (learner) to identify with others and their experiences. It also enlarges the student’s knowledge of the world. The opportunity so created by the use of literature makes the learner to understand that human nature is multi-dimensional. Literature is of immense help in language learning through extensive reading skills. Reading is the easiest way of bringing the foreign learner into sustained contact with a substantial body of the language. If the piece read is interesting, the

language remains in the mind of the reader. The patterns of collocative and idioms are established. Extensive reading widens the horizon of the reader in terms of vocabulary and usage, which invariably promotes the thoughts. There is no doubt that poor development of vocabulary and language skills has seriously inhibited development of excellence in literary studies. It is necessary to point out here that the benefits that could be derived from using literature in a language class should not be limited to the English class. 

Language and literature: Two sides of a coin: If the purpose of learning a language is communication and literature is communication, then the two are two sides of a coin, which are not separable (Adesuyi, 1991). The two aspects i.e., language and literature are used by people in everyday activities. When people speak, read novels, newspapers, etc., language is being used to express their thoughts and experiences. As mentioned earlier, The Long man Dictionary of Contemporary English (2007) defines language as a system of communication by written or spoken words, which are used by the people of a particular country or area. This definition shows that the language of a people reflects their peculiarity as a country or area or society, which is reflected in their customs, culture, beliefs, traditions, norms and expectations. All these are usually expressed in the literature texts, especially in the fiction. The interpretation of this is that language does not develop in a vacuum and therefore, is part of the culture of a people and the chief means by which the members of a society communicate. A language therefore, is both a component of culture and a central network through which other components are expressed

Thus, the study did by looking closely at the relationship between literature and language. The study observed from the review of past researches in this area that language and literature are closely related and that language is the medium through, which culture, beliefs and traditions of a particular people (literature) are expressed or passed from one generation to another. Benefits of using literature to teach language, especially a second language were also highlighted. Some of these benefits include cultural assimilation, extensive reading (which widens the horizon of the reader) and development of the effective domain of the student.

Regards

K.K Singh

ENGLISH LITERATURE: THE THREE PHASES OF THE INTRODUCTION OF BILINGUALI...

ENGLISH LITERATURE: THE THREE PHASES OF THE INTRODUCTION OF BILINGUALI...: According to Kachru, there have been three phases in the introduction of bilingualism in English in India. The first one of them, the mi...

THE THREE PHASES OF THE INTRODUCTION OF BILINGUALISM IN ENGLISH IN INDIA

According to Kachru, there have been three phases in the introduction of bilingualism in English in India. The first one of them, the missionary phase, was initiated around 1614 by Christian missionaries. The second phase, the demand from the South Asian public (in the eighteenth century) was considered to come about through local demand, as some scholars were of the opinion that the spread of English was the result of the demand and willingness of local people to learn the language. There were prominent spokesmen for English. Kachru mentions two of them, Raja Rammohan Roy (1772-1833) and Rajunath Hari Navalkar (fl.1770). Roy and Navalkar, among others, were persuading the officials of the East India Company to give instruction in English, rather than in Sanskrit or Arabic. They thought that English would open the way for people to find out about scientific developments of the West. Knowledge of Sanskrit, Persian, Arabic or of Indian vernaculars would not contribute to this goal (Kachru 1983: 67-68).

A letter of Raja Rammohun Roy addressed to Lord Amherst (1773-1857) from the year 1823 is often presented as evidence of local demand for English. Roy embraced European learning, and in his opinion, English provided Indians with "the key to all knowledge -- all the really useful knowledge which the world contains" (quoted in Bailey 1991: 136). In the letter, Roy expresses his opinion that the available funds should be used for employing European gentlemen of talent and education to instruct the natives of India in mathematics, natural philosophy, chemistry, anatomy, and other useful sciences, which the natives of Europe have carried to a degree of perfection that has raised them above the inhabitants of other parts of the world (quoted in Kachru 1983: 68).

Roy's letter has been claimed to be responsible for starting the Oriental-Anglicist controversy, the controversy over which educational policy would be suitable for India. The third phase, the Government policy, begun in 1765, when the East India Company's authority was stabilized (Kachru 1983: 21-22). English was established firmly as the medium of instruction and administration. The English language became popular, because it opened paths to employment and influence (NEB 1974: 406). English of the subject Indians became gradually a widespread means of communication.

During the governor generalship Lord William Bentinck in the early nineteenth century, India saw many social reforms. English became the language of record of government and higher courts, and government support was given to the cultivation of Western learning and science through the medium of English. In this he was supported by Lord Macaulay 

India, after becoming independent in 1947, was left with a colonial language, in this case English, as the language of government. It was thought that the end of the British Raj would mean the slow but sure demise of the English language in South Asia. This, of course, has not happened. The penetration of English in these societies is greater that it has ever been (Kachru 1994: 542).

Nationalist imperative wanted that English continue to be used. Nationalist motivations were of the opinion that an indigenous Indian language should be adopted as the official language. Hindi seemed

most qualified for that, since it had more native speakers than any other Indian language and was already widely used in interethnic communication (Fasold 1984: 24).

In addition, it was thought that linguistic unity was a prerequisite for political and national unity. Thus, Hindi was designated by the constitution as the language of communication between and within the states. It was to replace English within 15 years. The plan was that Hindi would be promoted so that it might express all parts of the "composite culture of India" (Spolsky 1978: 56).

There were, however, several problems with selecting Hindi, and since the protests were often violent (e.g. the riots in Tamil Nadu in May 1963, protesting against the imposition of Hindi), the government wanted to adapt a policy which would help to maintain the status quo. Firstly, Hindi is not evenly distributed throughout the country; e.g. in Tamil Nadu, in the south, only 0.0002 per cent of the people claimed knowledge of Hindi or Urdu, whereas in the northern states this figure can rise up to 96.7 per cent. Secondly, it was thought that the speakers of other languages would be offended by its selection; other Indian languages, for example Tamil and Bengali, had as much right to be national languages as Hindi. The other Indian communities felt they would be professionally, politically and socially disadvantaged were Hindi given the central role. Thirdly, Hindi was thought to need vocabulary development before it could be used efficiently as a language of government. In spite of these problems, Hindi was chosen as the national language in the constitution, and English was to be replaced by Hindi in fifteen years' time. However, due to the continuous opposition in the south, this replacement was not politically possible. In 1967 a law was passed which allowed the use of both Hindi and English for all official purposes - and that situation still exists (Fasold 1984: 24).

The controversy between Hindi, Urdu and Hindustani made the case for Hindi even worse. Support for Hindustani almost ended with independence; Hindi's supporters' enthusiasm was not, also, channeled in a constructive direction. As a result, English continues to be a language of both power and prestige

3. 5. THE POWER OF ENGLISH: THE CASE OF INDIA

The British were given a lot of political stature due to their political power, and they were required to adopt a pose that would fit their status. Language became a marker of the white man's power. Kachru quotes E. M. Forster in A Passage to India (Kachru 1986: 5): "India likes gods. And Englishmen like posing as gods". The English language was part of the pose and power. Indians accepted it, too (ibid).

English was used in India and elsewhere in the colonies as a tool of power to cultivate a group of people who identify with the cultural and other norms of the political elite. European values were, naturally, considered somehow inherently better whereas the indigenous culture was often considered somehow barbaric. English was considered as a "road to the light", a tool of "civilization". The Europeans thought that they can bring emancipation to the souls; they considered this as their duty. They sincerely thought they would contribute to the well-being of the native people in the colonies, and their language was elevated into being almost divine (6).

English provided a medium for understanding technology and scientific development. Non-western intellectuals admired accomplishments of the west. European literature was made available in colonies. Macaulay shows his ignorance towards the native languages in India by saying

I have never found one amongst them (the Orientalists) who would deny that a single shelf of a good European library was worth the whole native literature of India and Arabia.

In India, English gradually acquired socially and administratively the most dominant roles: the power and prestige of language was defined by the domains of language use. Ultimately the legal system, the national media and important professions were conducted in English (Kachru 1986a: 7). In the words of Kachru, skilled professional Indian became the symbol of Westernization and modernization. Raja Rammohan Roy was committed to the idea that the "European gentlemen of talent and education" should be appointed to instruct the natives of India. English came to be used by Indians, as well. (Kachru 1986a:7).

By the 1920s English had become the language of political discourse, intra-national administration, and law, a language associated with liberal thinking. Even after the colonial period ended, English maintained its power over local languages

English was eventually used against Englishmen, their roles and intentions as it became the language of resurgence of nationalism and political awakening: the medium, ironically, was the alien language. Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869-1948), for instance, although struggled to create consensus for an acceptable native variety as the national language, expressed his message to the elite in English

Hindi descends directly from Sanskrit. More than 180 million people in India regard Hindi as their mother tongue. It belongs to the Indo-Aryan group of languages (Hindi. 1998). It is, according to the Article 343 (1) of the Constitution, the Official Language of the Union (India Constitution. 1998.)

The position of Hindi as the Official Language of the Union becomes problematic the souther in India one gets: while it is the predominant language in the north, in the south very few people speak it. The most ferocious opposition toward the adoption of Hindi comes from the south; along with the strongest support for the retention of English 

DOMAIN ANALYSIS

The survey included statements related to domains such as family, friendship, neighborhood, transactions, education, government and employment. The informants' duty was to fill in the language he/she most often uses for each occasion (grading the frequency of use from one to four, four indicating the highest frequency). The aim was to analyze the use of English in India in different domains.

The domains used in the study could be divided into formal and informal domains: education, employment and government are formal; family, friendship, neighborhood and transactions more informal domains.

Conclusion

Thus we can say that English has got more attention as an official language in correspondence than Hindi

Regards

K.K.Singh

ENGLISH LITERATURE: Introduction of English in India

ENGLISH LITERATURE: Introduction of English in India: Lord Macaulay (Thomas Babington Macaulay) was born on October 25, 1800, and died on December 28, 1859. He arrived in India (Madras) on 10...