[EDLING:371] India: English: Is it the language of success?

[Francis M. Hult]

MeriNews

English: Is it the language of success? 

INDIA HAS INHERITED a multicultural and multilingual society where bilingualism 
and multilingualism have become the order of the day to be a part of the main-
stream. While mother tongues and regional languages were part of the curriculum 
from the beginning, English made inroads into our educational system as a 
second language. Slowly, realising the importance of English as an 
international language, many schools upgraded it as first language in the 
curriculum. Little information is available, however, on the number of people 
who "know" English and the extent of their knowledge or even on how many people 
study English at school. According to the 1981 census, 202,400 persons (0.3 
percent of the population) admitted to English being their first language. Less 
than 1 percent admitted to English being their second language while 14 percent 
admitted to being bilingual (in two of India’s many languages).

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