ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING IN INDIA PROBLEMS AND STRATEGIES

Proceedings of the two-day UGC, New Delhi, sponsored National Seminar on English Language Teaching in India: Problems and Strategies held at Lyallpur Khalsa College, Jalandhar, Punjab on 25-26 Feb. 2011.

Chief Patron
Sardarni Balbir Kaur President, College Governing Council Lyallpur Khalsa College Jalandhar

Patron
Dr. Jaspal Singh Randhawa Principal Lyallpur Khalsa College Jalandhar

Editor
Dr. Charanjit Singh Department of English Lyallpur Khalsa College Jalandhar

Advisory board
Prof. Hariom Verma, Deptt. of English, Lyallpur Khalsa College, Jalandhar Prof. Ahuja Sandeep, Deptt. of English, Lyallpur Khalsa College, Jalandhar Dr. Kanchan Mehta, Deptt. of English, Lyallpur Khalsa College, Jalandhar

FOREWORD In India the need of people in general is to learn how to speak English, write it, read it
and understand it since they are exposed to a global English using world. But in our country, neither the teacher-training institutes whose job is to supply teachers to schools, nor the universities whose most of the students become college or university lecturers after obtaining an M.A. or an M.Phil or even a PhD, nor the colleges who teach English to students as a compulsory subject throughout three years in their undergraduate programmes have ever been able to devise a concrete programme aimed at teaching students how to use the language themselves and how to teach its use to their would-be students. The result is that one may not find many students in the universities or colleges who are competent to use the language fluently and perhaps none who knows how to teach others its use. In almost all the cases at the school or college level English is taught as a content subject like History or Philosophy wherein students are told the meaning of a particular poem, a story or a novel in Punjabi or some other regional language, and afterwards they are left to cram certain stuff out of the socalled help books, appear in exams and vomit that crammed stuff out on the answer sheets. And when grammar is taught, it remains more or less a theoretical exercise and seldom smuggle in the practical life of the learners. Even the so-called subject Communication Skills in English taught in some professional courses where there is a provision for viva-voce has remained a failure because herein also the students are not taught how to write English in general but only in particular in some letter or a resume or a memo, and speaking skill is only in papers. Tragedy is that the universities find faults with colleges or schools and justify themselves by saying that their departments of English are meant for dealing with literature and literary theory, while the schools or colleges blame the universities for this rot by saying that the later seldom devise a curriculum aimed at teaching English as a skill subject. In this tug of war, the actual sufferer are students, who even after studying English for more than 17 years in schools or colleges have to go to IELTS coaching-shops to show the English speaking world that they know its language. Needless to say, there is the most urgent and dire necessity to review the goals, objectives, methods and curricula of teaching English in India so that the gap between the demand of the students and the supply that the academic fraternity is giving can be plugged. It is this most urgent and dire necessity regarding plugging the gap between demand and supply that the UGC sponsored two-day national seminar on English Language Teaching in India Problems and Strategies organized by the Post-Graduate Department of English, Lyallpur Khalsa College, Jalandhar aimed to address. It was structured around the question: Why cant our students use English? The seminar was attended by around two hundred and fifty participants. Out of these, around one hundred were the outstationed and the rest were the localers. They were mainly academicians working in universities, colleges, schools and teacher training institutes. Some of them were post-graduate students and M.Phil, M.Ed and PhD researchers. In total, there were eight sessions during the two days. In these

sessions, eleven academicians acted as resource persons and about fifty papers were presented. In brief, the participants discussed a). why the ongoing English teaching programmes at board and university levels are missing the mark and the learners in English classes do not acquire the skills they are supposed to. b). what needs to be done primarily in terms of methods, curricula and time-amount to make the teaching of English result oriented. c). a viable evaluation mechanism which discourages English to be a content subject and encourages it to be a skill subject. d). the ways by which literary texts can be used fruitfully for English language teaching. Specifically speaking, to explore how literary texts can be taught as cultural texts so that the learners can feel the text as alive, a part of their daily experiences, a real life situation whose characters they are familiar with and often hear speaking around them. e). the ways by which texts of popular culture i.e. popular literature, magazines, advertisements, films etc. can be used to make learning of English an interesting stress-free, real and next-to-door experience. f). how information technology can be used to facilitate learning of English. The undersigned obtained the papers with the view to publish them in the proceedings of the seminar accompanied by an undertaking duly signed by the paperpresenter mentioning that the paper is his or her original creation and is not copied from any other source or sources. Thereafter, the undersigned after deliberations with the advisory board edited these papers focusing on the unity and coherence of argument, semantics, syntax and presentation of ideas. The papers wherein ideas were repeated and ambiguous were abridged and shortened.

Charanjit Singh

INDEX
ENGLISH IN INDIA: THE PEDAGOGICAL AND ANDRAGOGICAL ASPECTS V. Prakasam LANGUAGE LEARNING: SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION Smitha Jha Anurag Kumar LEARNING A LANGUAGE: A STRATEGY Charanjit Singh TEACHING ENGLISH Bhaskar Roy Barman BEHAVIOURIST PSYCHOLOGY AND LANGUAGE TEACHING Shikha Sharma TRANSFORMATION OF ENGLISH: FROM BRITISH RAJ TO THE PRESENT SCENARIO Ratna Prashanth ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING: EMERGING APPROACHES AND ROLE OF MEDIA Mahesh Arora Preeti Singh Ritumohan Singh THE EFFICACY OF COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH IN TEACHING OF ENGLISH Ahuja Sandeep Hariom Verma THE BUMPY ROAD TO ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING /LEARNING: SORTING SOLUTIONS IN SYSTEMIC FUNCTIONAL LINGUISTICS Divya Kalia FLOWERING OF THE ENGLISH LEXICAL BUDS THROUGH PERIPHERALS AN INTERACTIVE APPROACH Rakesh Mohan Sharma 10-16

17-23

24-30 31-37 38-44

45-48

49-55

56-60

61-71

72-77

INTERPLAY OF MODALITY IN THE INTERPRETATION OF TEXT: A SYSTEMIC FUNCTIONAL APPROACH TO ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING Arpana LITERATURE : A TOOL TO ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING Balraj Kaur A WALK WITH LOGIC AND EXAMPLES TO DEFINITIONS Mamta Rana THE POTENTIAL OF THE INTERNET TO SUPPORT STUDENTS ENGLISH LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT Dhvani B.Mehta POPULAR CULTURE AS A RESOURCE IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING Manmeet Sondhi INNOVATIONS IN ENGLISH TEACHING METHODOLOGY: PRACTICAL TECHNIQUES Savita YEARNING FOR LEARNING: NEED FOR EFFECTIVE TEACHING METHODOLOGY TO ENHANCE ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNING Ratnakar Mann Taranpreet Johal GENRE ANALYSIS AS A LANGUAGE PEDAGOGICAL STATEGY OF PARAGRAPH WRITING Dilwinder Singh WORDS AND GRAMMAR FOR DISCOURSE: THEIR ROLE AND TEACHING STRATEGIES Paramjit Kaur TEACHING POETRY IN AN INDIAN SCENARIO Shivani Vashisht ERRORS AND THEIR ROLE IN SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION Namarata Nistandra

78-81

82-83

84-87

88-93

94-99

100-103

104-106

107-113

114-117

118-122 123-126

MODERN ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING IN KASHMIR: PROBLEMS AND REMEDIES Qazi Khursheed TEACHING OF ENGLISH IN THE COLLEGES AFFILIATED WITH GURU NANAK DEV UNIVERSITY, AMRITSAR Avinash Chander TEACHING OF ENGLISH IN INDIA AT UNDERGRADUATE LEVEL: A LOOK INTO MATTER Hariom Verma Ahuja Sandeep ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS ATTITUDE TOWARDS COMMUNICATIVE LANGUAGE TEACHING: A CASE STUDY OF ENGINEERING INSTITUTES Mahesh Arora Maninder Kainth DIAGNOSING AILMENTS IN THE PREVAILING ENGLISH TEACHING PROGRAMMES Ajay Kahol DIAGNOSING AILMENTS IN THE PREVAILING ENGLISH TEACHING PROGRAMMES Dr. Navneet Kaur ENGLISH A PROBLEMATIC ISSUE AMONG ELLS AND ELTS Neha Puri Michelle Saul ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING: PROBLEMS AND STRATEGIES K. K. Prashar DIAGNOSING AILMENTS IN THE PREVAILING ENGLISH TEACHING PROGRAMMES Manju Rana ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING: SOME PROBLEMS AND REMEDIES Seema Jain

127-131

132-138

139-144

145-150

151-156

157-162

163

164-165

166

167-169

ENGLISH TEACHING AND THE NEEDS OF THE LEARNER: A REVIEW AND A PROPOSAL Jyotsna Singla Arun Bala ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING IN INDIA: NEED TO REVIEW INSTRUCTIONAL AND EVALUATION STATEGIES Hardeep Singh Mann STAUS OF ELT IN INDIAN SCHOOLS: A SURVEY AT TERRITORY LEVEL Priya Kumari TEACHING OF ENGLISH VIS A VIS THE GROUND REALITY Madhumeet ENGLISH TEACHING IN INDIA A ROLLER COASTER RIDE THAT HAS JUST BEGUN! Sudeep Singh CONTEXTUALIZATION AND LOCALIZATION IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING Vineet Mehta MULTICULTURALISM AND INCLUSIVE CURRICULUM: TEACHING STRATEGIES AND CLASS PRACTICES FOR NON-NATIVE TEACHERS WHO TEACH ENGLISH AS A FOREGIN LANGUAGE Kajalpreet ENGLISH LANGUAGE, CULTURE AND CURRICULUM: IMPEDIMENTS AND STRATEGIES IN TEACHING OF ENGLISH Navjot S. Deol FACILITATING LANGUAGE ACQUISITION THROUGH EVALUATION Neha Puri WASHBACK EFFECT OF TESTING ON ESL TEACHING AND LEARNING Rajinder Singh ENGLISH OR INGLISH Rama Shankar Shukla Anuradha Shukla

170-171

172-176

177-183

184-187 188-189

190-192

193

194-200

201-202

203-208

209-217

PRONUNCIATION AS A MALADY IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING Simrandeep Kaur EXISTING SCENARIO OF ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION Ramandeep Singh METHODS FOR TEACHING ENGLISH IN GENERAL AND FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES Neelam Bhardwaj METHODS FOR TEACHING ENGLISH IN GENERAL AND FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES Supriya Bhandari METHODS FOR TEACHING ENGLISH IN GENERAL AND FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES Manu Verma METHODS FOR TEACHING ENGLISH IN GENERAL AND FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES Nirverinder Kaur Sandhu A MULTIDISCIPLIARY APPROACH TO LANGUAGE TEACHING Tasleem A War TEACHING ENGLISH IN INDIA: A DIALOGIC AND COLLABORATIVE PEDAGOGY V.K. Tewari Seema Singh A NOTE ON THE CONTRIBUTORS

218-220

221 222-228

229-233

234-235

236-238

239-241

242-250

251-254

ENGLISH IN INDIA: THE PEDAGOGICAL AND ANDRAGOGICAL ASPECTS

V. Prakasam English in India is different from English in England, English in Wales or Ireland, English in Denmark, English in Iran, and Chinese and Japanese in India. In England it is the language of being and identity besides being the language of daily use, academic use and professional use. In Wales it is not the language of being and identity because Welsh language gives them their identity. In India it is not our language of being or identity. It has come to be the language of doing, language of academics and the language of recognition. It is learnt, not really acquired from the days of being inside the womb. English is heard everyday all around us but English does not help us socialize or mature within our experience. It helps us grow outside our inner circle. In spite of all our efforts we cannot really get many coordinate bilinguals with our academic or professional exposure to English. The point of reference will always be a native variety of English. Thats why I call English National Foreign Language. Whether it is a native language, a foreign language or a national foreign language, one has to develop skills. What we acquire as a native speaker is the basics of language which help us converse with others. But all the higher skills like reading, writing and discourse construction have to be cultivated. All the Punjabi speakers and Telugu speakers will not have equal command on their languages in diverse areas. A skill has to be identified and learnt or taught. One of the most important reasons for our children not being able to pick up adequate command of all the skills required for a good career is the dissociation we see between goals and strategies. When teachers and students do not set for themselves any goals and just drift with what is happening we cant expect any results. Debates and elocutions are treated as part of some programme but not as a goal-oriented activity good command of speech. Letter-writing and essay writing are practised for the purpose of passing an examination, where half of the time is spent on recollecting points for discussion. Instead imagine a question paper where points and relations are given and the student has to put his writing skill to good use. When points are given and their relations are stated no complaint of out of syllabus can be raised. The textbook, teaching and testing all will then be related exercises of identifying and developing skills. To achieve this we have to have a comprehensive view of teaching whether it is pedagogic or andragogic. Any teacher who is teaching a subject should develop right soft skills besides hard skills in the subject concerned. Teaching is no less of a professional career than that of an engineer or a doctor or an advocate. It is therefore appropriate that a teacher gets groomed for his profession in a full five year course after +2, which gives him a Masters degree in Educational Technology. Here the content part of a chosen subject and the bases of teaching strategies and materials preparation are all blended into a solid course of subject knowledge, pedagogic and andragogic theories and practice. What Regional Institutes of Education are doing now should be

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extended to all colleges of education. Even the lecturers of degree colleges and universities need this kind of special training. Pedagogic when contrasted with andragogic refers to teaching children whereas andragogic refers to teaching adults. The difference between children and adults will be mainly felt in the choice of materials and levels of interaction. Ceteris paribus i.e., other things being equal, children tend to learn anything. Once they are 15+, they prefer to learn what is interesting. Once they are 35+ they learn what is useful. Once they are 55+ they learn because they enjoy learning. The four assumptions of andragogic model are: 1. Learners self-concept moves from dependency to independency or selfdirectedness; 2. They accumulate a reservoir of experiences that can be used as a basis on which to build learning; 3. Their readiness to learn becomes increasingly associated with the developmental tasks of social roles; 4. Their time and curriculum perspectives change from postponed to immediacy of application and from subject-centredness to performance-centredness. We have to then make children get excited about what they are going to learn by making our materials both interesting and useful and our presentation enjoyable. Adult learners learn better if what they are presented is relatable to their experience and if they get the feeling that they are co-creators of knowledge along with the teacher and the book. We should note that 15+ group is the group where there is a tendency to be self-directed, always insisting on the need of learning something and problemsolving and task-oriented rather than mere memorization. Such materials entice them more. Here the concept of anchored instruction is important. Video-materials serve as anchors which create interesting, realistic contexts that encouraged the active construction of knowledge by learners. Self-initiated learning is the most lasting and pervasive. (Bransford et al 1990). Some students tend to be on higher level of general ability than others, in learning. Highly structured instructional environments materials and classroom practice are found to be not very exciting with high ability students. (Cronbach and Snow 1977). Whatever be the ability, it has been noted that instruction is most effective when information is presented from multiple perspectives and with the use of diverse examples. Effective construction of knowledge (not transmission of information) is said to be facilitated by context-dependent instruction. Hence recommendation of the use of interactive technology -- videodisc and internet interaction. (Spiro J et al 1992). All our efforts to achieve successful instruction is said to comprise nine instructional events: 1. gaining attention (reception) 2. informing learners of the objectives (expectancy) 3. stimulating recall of prior learning (retrieval) 4. presenting the stimulus (selective perception) 5. providing learning guidance (semantic encoding) 6. eliciting performance (responding) 7. providing feedback (reinforcement) 11

8. assessing performance (retrieval) 9. enhancing retention and transfer (generalization) Once we recognize these events we can design our instructions and selecting the appropriate materials will be easy. One very significant point made with regards progressive instruction is that it can be spirally organized, leading from known to unknown points. In other words all teaching episodes should be linked for the learners to feel that learning is a continuing process. This continuity will ensure that noting learnt is really forgotten, because forgetting is due to interference rather than the passage of time. Forgetting can be averted if the learning is fortified by conversation Actually conversation theory believes learning occurs through conversations about subject matter which serve to make knowledge explicit. Thats why many teachers divide classes into groups for them to interact and converse. (Gagne et al 1992; Pask 1975) The learner needs to develop a meaningful context into which subsequent ideas and skills can be assimilated (Reigeluth). Dual coding theory talks of logogens (verbal entities) and imagens (mental images) the former are organized in terms of associations and hierarchies while imagens are organized in terms of part-whole relationship (Paivio 1986). Keeping this in mind, it is strongly suggested that we should use visual material to teach a language. Hence the videodiscs. While preparing or presenting materials the learner should be encouraged to discover the underlying nature of a topic or problem. Any gaps, incongruities or disturbance will only strengthen their learning process. Instruction should not be just enumeration of facts but highlighting the laws of organization: proximity, closure, similarity and simplicity. These points constitute the famous Gestalt theory which focuses on the idea of grouping. More importantly it is said that (i) all learning activities should be meaningful and self-contained activities, (ii) learners should be given realistic tasks as quickly as possible, (iii) instruction should permit self-directed reasoning and improvisation by increasing the number of active learning activities and (iv) teaching materials and activities should provide for error recognition and recovery. These are the main ideas of Minimalist theory which wants us to minimize the extent to which instructional materials obstruct learning and focus the design on tasks that support learner-directed activities and accomplishments. The activities, even though related to what has been learnt, will have to be self-contained, not begging questions at all (Carroll, 1998). When new knowledge is added to existing memory it is called accretion. The formation of new conceptual structures is called structuring. The adjustment of knowledge to a specific task through practice is called tuning. These are different modes of learning a given phenomenon and its parts. Both materials and classroom practices must be designed to accommodate different modes of learning (Norman 1982). Gardner (1993) theorizes that learning/teaching should focus on the particular intelligences of each person. Similarly the assessment of abilities should measure all forms of intelligences: linguistic, musical, logical-mathematical, spatial, body-kinaesthetic

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(emotional), intrapesonal (meta-cognition) and interpersonal (social). It looks as though that both materials developer and the classroom teacher have a serious job on hand. Schanks (http://www.rogerschauk.com) script theory operates on the following principles: 1. Conceptualization is defined as an act or doing something to an object in a direction. 2. All conceptualizations can be analysed in terms of a small number of primative acts. 3. All memory is episodic and organized in terms of scripts (generalized episodes). 4. Scripts allow individuals to make inferences and hence understand verbal/written discourse. 5. Higher level expectations are created by goals and plans. These principles are useful primarily in the preparation of materials of different media and also what is presented on the blackboard in the classroom. Structural learning theory (Scandura 2004) assumes that what is learned are rules which consist of a domain, range and procedure. This theory prescribes teaching the simplest solution path for a problem and then teaching more complex paths until the entire rule has been mastered. Subsumption Theory (D Ausubel w.w.w.davidausubel.org) suggests that the most general ideas of a subject should be presented first and then progressively differentiated in terms of detail and specificity. Similarly, instructional materials should attempt to integrate new material with previously presented information through comparisons and cross-referencing of new and old ideas. This is what ensures continuity and makes a learners knowledge properly linked. Let us link the preceding paragraphs to the objectives and sub-themes of this seminar. When we teach a class, no matter what we teach, creation of meaning alone can ensure success of learning. To teach different soft skills, thinking skills and self skills, poetry, prose and drama can be fruitfully used. Poems are authentic texts, unlike constructed sentences we use while teaching grammar. It is the natural spring versus distilled water. Just imagine a short poem used to teach stress patterns and the use of weak forms. Wont it be more enticing than a few monotonous constructed sentences? Let us now see how we can use excerpts from literature for teaching different linguistic skills. Take As You Like It of Shakespeare and look at this dialogue: Rosalind Celia Rosalind Celia : : : : Not true in love? Yes, when he is in, but I think he is not in You have heard him swear down right he was Was is not is; besides, the oath of a lover is no stronger than the word of a tipster, they are both the confirmer of false reckonings; he attends here in the Forest on the Duke your father. (Act III/SC IV).

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This should be one of the most useful pieces to teach was, is, different forms of be and as such the concept of tense. Rosalinds dialogue You have heard him swear downright he was can be used for teaching tense concord too Look at these few lines from Paradise Lost: Of mans first disobedience, and the fruit Of that forbidden tree whose mortal taste Brought death into the world, and all our owe With loss of Eden I may assert Eternal providence And justify the ways of God to men The mind is its own place, and in itself Can make a Heaven of hell, a Hell of Heaven These lines can be fruitfully used to teach different uses of of. John Sinclair rightly says that of can be a candidate for a separate part of speech not just another preposition. Though mind-heaven-hell lines are about Satan, they can be used to teach self skills. Might be it would be better to choose more appropriate lines. Look at the following passage from Eugene O Neills Beyond the Horizon (act1, Scene 1). Theres something calling me Its just beauty thats calling me the beauty of far off and unknown, the mystery and spell of the East the freedom of great wide spaces, the joy of wandering on and on --- in quest of the secret which is hidden over there, beyond the horizon This passage can be fruitfully utilized to teach there and it constructions besides the use of of. This can also be used to inculcate thinking skills. It-construction is best taught with lines as follows: The man recovered of the bite. The dog it was that died. [Goldsmiths Elegy on the Death of a Mad Dog] Here both dog and dies are to be focused on, which is not possible in a simple clause like The dog died. These lines show how cleft constructions are to be understood and taught. Similarly if one wants to teach topical importance as different from informational importance we can look at the last stanza of Gerald Goulds Wander Thirst Yonder the long horizon lies and there by night and day The old ships draw to home again the young ships sail away, And come I may, but go I must and men ask you why You may put the blame on the stars and the sun and the white road and the sky

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The third line illustrates two types of importance: importance of the topic (theme) and importance of information. The poet is talking about coming and going and says that the former is a matter of probability (may) and the latter of certainty (must). Here come and go are topically important and may and must are informationally important. The use of let in lets go and let us go is very interesting. In the first instance the addressee is included in we whereas in the second one it is not. The following lines from Hamlet illustrate the use of let in passive construction. Let the doors be shut upon him, that he may play the fool nowhere but ins own house (ACT-III/Sc II: 133-4) Hamlet also gives us an interesting use of the indefinite article: A villain kills my father, and for that I, his sole son, do the same villain send to Heaven (III/II: 74-760 This indefinite article interestingly colligates with present which replaces past. The evaluation system should be a natural consequence of teaching strategies. It should never test memory. It should allow the students to use books, collect facts from them and then organize their discourse. It is the discourse construction that is crucial in learning a language, not facts and figures. I will close this note with what (Herrell and Jordan 2007) say about the strategies of Teaching English Language Learners: i. We should reduce the anxiety of learners by starting with known signals. ii. Visual images should be provided to support the teaching of language items. iii. The examples given in books or classroom should be relatable to real life of the students. iv. Interactively reading aloud supports understanding and also gets their ears tuned to their speech in English. v. Vocabulary building and concept formation should go hand in hand. vi. Lessons should be planned to focus on language. vii. Modelled talk and role play need to be built into the classroom practice. viii. Students, especially 15+ ones, should be given tasks to write prose pieces with the help of guided writing exercises and cloze exercises. ix. If visual presentation of grammar can be built into books, the students acquire grammar as part of lexicogrammar. x. Self-help skills like referring to a dictionary, a grammar book should be developed in the students right from eighth class onwards. xi. Multimedia presentation will fortify the cognition of new ideas and processes. xii. The first language should be considered a resource rather than as a hindrance in the second/foreign/NFL acquisition. xiii. Right at an early age the children should be encouraged to learn by sharing with other members of groups formed by teachers in the class. 15

References Brandsford et al 1990. Anchored Instruction: Why we need it and how technology can help in D. Nix and R. Sprio (Eds.) Cognition, Education and Multimedia Hillsdata, N. J. Erlbaum Associates. Carroll, J. M. 1998. Minimalism beyond the Nurnberg Funnel. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. Cronbach, L and Snow, R 1977. Aptitudes and Instructional Methods: A Handbook for Research on Interactions New York: Irbington. Gagne, R. Briggs and Wager 1991. Principles of instructional design (4th edition) Fort Worth, Tx: IIBJ College Publishers Gardner, H. 1993. Multiple Intelligences: The Theory in Practice: New York: Basic Books. Herrell, A.L. and Michael L. Jordan 2007. Fifty Strategies for Teaching English Language Learners, 3rd Edition. Pearson Allyn and Bacon/Merrill. Knowles, M. 1984. Andragogy in Action. Sangram and Co: Jossey-Bass. Norman, D. 1982. Learning and Memory San Francisco: Freeman. Paivio, A. 1986. Mental Representations. New York: O.U.P. Pask, G. 1975. Conversation, Cognition, and Learning. New York: Elsevier. Reigeluth C. https://profile.educ.indiana.edu/reiguluth Scandura, J. M. 2004. Structural Learning Theory: Current Status and New Perspectives available at http://www.scandura.com/ publications.htm. Schanks, R. http://www.rogerschauk.com Spiro, R. J. et al 1992. Cognitive Flexibility, Constructivism and hypertext Random access instruction for advanced knowledge acquisition in ill-structured domains in T. Dusty and D. Jonnassen (eds.) Constructivism and the Technology of Instructions. Hillsdata, N. J. Erlbaum Associates.

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LANGUAGE LEARNING: SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION

Smitha Jha Anurag Kumar The theories of Second language acquisition have traditionally been the offspring of general linguistic theory, sometimes supplemented by insights from psychology. Our interest in the language-learning process, whether it be for the first language or for the second language, is comparatively recent, and has significance both for general linguistic theory and language teaching practice. General linguistic theory may have its own importance, but it is language learning which perhaps the litmus test for the worth and value of all theories of language .The linguists as well as the psychologists are interested in discovering what is universal in language and what general laws govern our acquisition of language .The area of discussion is largely the learning of the mother tongue, but the moot point is: if there are general language learning principles involved, then they cannot also be without relevance to foreign language learning .The basic thing that requires serious and sustained consideration is whether or not languageteaching procedures be based on general theories of language acquisition. These theories, by and large, suggest that the individuals are essentially the same in their language-learning capacities; nevertheless, teachers are probably conscious of the diversity of language learning abilities that their pupils display. I General Theories of Language Acquisition: (I). Behaviorism: This is a general language learning principle which enunciates that there is no difference between the way one learns a language and the way one learns to do anything else. The behaviorists is committed to admitting as evidence only that which he can observe, so that his data are the utterances that the people make and the conditions under which they are made .This may also be viewed as the StimulusResponse phenomenon, the stimulus, to which the utterance forms a response, being physically present in the situation. Reinforcement does also play an important part in the case of behaviorism, particularly with regard to a child when he /she gets approval from his/her parents. Wilkins says about behaviorism that in this case learning is controlled by the conditions under which it takes place, that as long as individuals are subjected to the same conditions, they will learn in the same way, that a physical need in the child may be as a result of his utterance, that parental approval acts as a powerful reinforce, that the notion of repetition is therefore extremely important, and that it is the making of the response that is the learning process. (II). Mentalism: Mentalism, we find, goes against behaviorism almost wholesale, point by point. According to the mentalists, people learn a language, not because they are subjected to a similar conditioning process, but because they possess an inborn capacity which permits them to acquire a language as a normal maturational process. Language, they argue to say, is a very complex form of behavior, and perhaps can hardly be learnt 17

in terms of external stimuli. In the view of these people, a learner has to be adequately exposed to the target language. Language Environment: Language environment is something that the learner hears and sees in the new language. It may include a wide variety of situations as available in or through stories, conversation with friends, watching television, or books. There are two kinds of language environment: Macro-Environment and Macro-Environment. 1). Macro Environment: When the focus of the learner or speaker is on the form of the language, then the language environment is formal. The formal language environment focuses on a conscious learning of rules and forms.However, when the focus is on the content of communication, then the language environment is natural. The natural language environment seeks to enhance the development of communication skills in both the foreign and host situations. There are three types of communication in which the learner participates: one way; restricted two ways, and full two ways. One Way Communication: The learner listens to or reads the target language, but does not respond. The communication is one way; it is towards the learner, and not from him or her. Restricted Two-way Communication: The learner responds orally to someone, but he/she does not completely use the target language. Full Two-way Communication: The learner is both a receiver and a sender of messages. Most of the research works emphasize the usefulness of one-way and restricted two-way communication during the early periods of learning process. II). Micro-Environment: While the macro environmental factors are the broad, general characteristics of the language environment, micro-environmental factors point to the specific structure of the language the learner hears or sees: e.g., the induction of yes/no questions into the learners environment. Three micro-environmental factors have been identified from the perspective of their effect on the quality and pace of language acquisition.These, are Salience, Feedback and Frequency. Salience: It refers to the case with which a structure is heard or seen. As for example, people can hear or see the English article the more easily than the past tense ending-ed as in talked. Psychologists have defined salience by referring to those characteristics which seem to make an item visually or by hearing more prominent than others. Such characteristics, besides others, do also include phonetic substance. In the sentence, She does not want anything, does not and want receive greater salience or prominence than she or anything. Feedback: It points to the listeners or readers response to the teachers speech or writing. One kind of feedback is correction; another is approval which is also known as positive feedback. Still another kind of feedback consists in expanding or modifying the learners speech without making them unduly conscious of modification. This is known as expansion correction. Frequency: In the language-acquisition procedure frequency refers to the number of times a learner hears or sees a given structure. The typical example in this regard is the recurrence of Wh- questions involving What, Who, Which, Where, Whose and Whence. The count of such questions could be considered as the basis of generally been assumed

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that the more a learner tries to acquire a structure, the sooner would he/ she learn the language. Micro-environmental factors have their impact on second language learning only when the learners have reached a certain level in their L2 development, the level at which they are in a position to internalize a given structure, the salience or frequency of the structure may increase the probability that would closely and steadily notice the structure and acquire it. Internal Processing: Language learning, essentially speaking, occurs or materializes in the mind of the learners, where mental structure or mechanism process and organizes the language to which they are exposed. A systematic study of the discrepancies between the language that the learners produce and the language they hear or read provide the basis from which we can infer the attributes of an otherwise invisible mental structure. Researches in the concerned area suggest that three internal processing factors play a substantial role in second language acquisition: Filterorganizermonitor- the learners performance Filter: It is that part of the internal processing system which subconsciously screens incoming language based on what the psychologists call affect. It conditions the learners native needs, attitudes and emotional states. Filter is the first main hurdle that the incoming language data have to encounter before they are processed furthers. It determines. (I) which target language models will the learners select ;( ii) which part of the language will be attended to first; (iii) how fast can a learner acquire language, and (IV) when should language-acquisition efforts cease. Organizer: It subconsciously processes data which the filter lets in. It is chiefly concerned with the learners ability to organize gradually the new language system. Its subconscious functioning is cognitive in nature. The functioning of the organizer may be seen in terms of (I) the systematic progression of changes in the interim or transitional constructions the learners use before a structure is finally acquired; (ii) the errors that systematically occur in the learners speech, and (iii) the common order in which mature structures are learnt. An analysis of these aspects of the learners participation in L2 System reveals different facets of the operation of the inner processing that governs the acquisition of language. Monitor: It is that part of the learners internal system which controls conscious linguistic processing. As and when conscious linguistic processing takes place, the learners may be said to be using the monitor. When a learner performs a drill, it requires conscious attention to linguistic form; when he memorizes a dialogue, conscious processing is inevitably taking place, and monitor is being used. The degree to which monitor is used or may be used depends on at least (i) the learners age; (ii) the amount and quality of formal instruction; (iii) the focus on verbal task, and (iv) the personality of the learner.

II
Within the some language environment, the learners have mostly the same languageprocessing mechanism, and yet there are same learners who learn second language 19

better and faster than others. It is, therefore, proper to identify those individual factors that affect a learner in acquiring a language. Personality: It signifies an aggregate of traits or characteristics of a particular individual. One has to see or perceive whether an individual is an extrovert or introvert, impulsive or reflective, authoritarian or submissive, intelligent or dull. These and several other similar qualities constitute and reveal an individuals personality. The operation of personality is quite evident and crucial in second language learning. Those who have done research work on personality in relation to language learning do also include such aspects as those of the level of self-confidence, ability to emphasize, and the degree of logicality or the power to analyze. Empathy: The dictionary meaning of the word empathy is so plain and clear, and yet so telling: it is the ability to share someone elses feelings or experiences or the capacity for participating in anothers feelings or ideas. It has been painted out that one might expect a strong relationship between an individuals capacity for empathy and his or her L2 performance. It is unlikely, though, that someones capacity for participation in anothers feelings or ideas would be measured in linguistic manipulation tasks; nevertheless, if empathy is an important factor in L2 learning, then it is likely that empathy would manifest itself in the development of communication skills which enable participation in anothers feelings and ideas for more effectively than linguistic manipulation. Age: The belief that children are better at language acquisition than adults is supported by scientists. Children who acquire second language in natural environment learn better than adults. Adults may do better on this regard initially, but in the long run children do always surpass them. Children under ten experience enough natural communication in the target language and do always succeed in attaining native-like proficiency, while those over fifteen find it difficult to be able to do so. Various concerned studies confirm this very view, saying that children may not learn second language faster than adults, but they do learn better. A number of suggestions have been made regarding the nature and causes of child-adult difference in respect of second language acquisition. However, no single suggestion is adequate for explaining the difference between the child and the adult in learning the second language. The first suggestion involved in this connection is biological in problem whether or not the child and adult brains are fundamentally different, and whether or not the differences, if any, do really operate. In his book, Biological Foundations of Language, E.H.Lenneberg says that the development of specialization of functions on the left and right sides of the brain begins in childhood and is completed by puberty. Puberty marks the time when automatic acquisition from mere exposures to a given language seems to disappear. This is so because, after puberty, the left and right hemispheres of the brain develop specialized functions, and the organizer ceases to build up a new language system subconsciously. That is why,Lenneberg says that the transfer of language functions from one part of the brain to another is related to the plasticity that is required for learning a language naturally and completely. However, in his book, The Language and Thought of the Child, J. Piaget maintains that in spite of all child-adult differences in respect of language-learning operation, the adults cognitive superiority should eventually place them better than children in language-learning process.

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Interference and Transfer: The first language has often been considered to be the cause of major problems in the course of learning a second language. However, of late L1(First language) is not usually looked upon as an annoying interference in a learners efforts to acquire L2 (second language). According to the Contrastive Analysis Hypothesis, the automatic transfer of L1 structure to L2 performance and positive when the two structures are the same. Negative transfer results in error, while positive transfer results in correct construction. Such negative or positive results are due to the influence of L1 habits on L2 production. Foe Example: Aage Chalo-----forward go instead of Go Forward Mera naam A hai-----My name is A. This is an example of correct transfer, utterances or communication. Interference refers to a distinct linguistic phenomenon. Psychological interference refers to the influence of old habits on the new ones that are being learned. Sociolinguistic inference takes, us to language interactions, to linguistic borrowings and shifts that occur when different language communities are in contact. The behaviorists who first defined transfer say that, technically speaking, transfer is a process involving an automatic, uncontrolled and subconscious use of learned linguistic behavior in the attempt to produce new response. It is not infrequently that the term interlanguage is used to suggest the intermediate stages observable in the learners language between the native and the target language. The assumption is that there are psychological structures latent in the brain, which is activated when one attempts to learn a second language. It is this stimulus that produces interlanguage, a language system different from that of L1 and of L2. Moreover, five aspects of interlanguage performance are also mentioned, and these are (i) language transfer,(ii)transfer of training,(iii)strategies of learning, (iv)strategies of communication, and (v)over generation of target language materials. This Interlanguage Approximate System is spoken of at times also Approximate Syllabus. This term has the advantage of implying or painting to the development nature of language learning. The learners system keeps on being modified as new elements are incorporated into the learning process. This developing system of language learning becomes evident in terms of the learners errors. The errors committed by L2 learners are important for a proper understanding of the process of second language acquisition and also for planning courses. A Contrastive study of contact languages may be fragmentary and, so, inadequate, and our attention is thus necessarily drawn to those sources of error which are independent of L2.The factors responsible for or causing these errors are (i) learning strategy, (ii) teaching technique, (iii) folklore in L2, (IV) period over which L2 has been used by the speech community, and (v) the learners sociolinguistic situation. There seems to be a system in the learners error, and this system does have its own significance. It is believed that Second Language Acquisition is strongly influenced by the learners L1.The most obvious evidence in this regard is the accent of the speaker. The L1 utterance does also affect other aspects or levels, including syntax and morphology. It is believed as well that the role of L1 in second language acquisition is a negative one, i.e., L1 gets in the way of or interferes with the learning of L2 in such a way that the features of L1 are transferred to L2. Really speaking, learning L2 means overcoming the effect of L1 and steadily replacing those features of L1 that intrude into 21

L2 with the characteristic features of L2. According to the behaviorist learning theory, old habits stand in the way of acquiring new habits. The grammatical apparatus programmed into the mind for the first language interferes with the smooth acquisition of the second. The notion of interference has its own centrality in the behaviorist account of L2. Interference results in proactive inhibitions, and in order to be able to develop new linguistic habits, the learner has to overcome these inhibitions.

III
Theories of Second Language Acquisition: There are several theories relating, in particular, to second language acquisition, and these theories do have their own importance in the field of research. In fact, they reflect a variety of perspectives with regard to second language acquisition. These theories are (i) the Acculturation Model (closely associated with the Nativization model); (ii) Accommodation theory; (iii)Discourse theory; (iv)Monitor theory; (v) the Variable Competence Model, (vi) the Universal Hypothesis, and (vii) the Neurofunction theory. And though it neither possible nor perhaps desirable to discuss all these theories or models in detail, one may try to identify and understand the real aim of these theories as well the rode of the second language acquisition research: (a) Second Language Acquisition research may be described as a search for an appropriate level of description of the learners system of rules. The main goal is description, i.e., characterization of the linguistic categories which constitute the learners interlanguage at any point of development. (b) It seeks what really motivates the learner to learn and what causes him to stop learning. (c) A reference is made to two types of Second Language Acquisition--Assembly Mechanism and Power Mechanism. The difference is important because some theories focus on how, while others on why. It is only a comprehensive theory that would explain both Assembly Mechanism and Power Mechanism. (d) Two approaches to the theory of building are mentioned :(i) Theory then Research and (ii) Research then Theory. The theory-then-research approach involves four stages: (i) developing an explicit theory; (ii) describing a testable prediction from the theory; (iii) conducting research to test prediction; and (iv)testing the new prediction if the first prediction is confirmed. The research-then-theory approach has four stages: (i) selecting a phenomenon for investigation; (ii) measuring its characteristics; (iii) Collecting data to look for systematic patterns, and (iv) Formalizing significant patterns as results.

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(e) One has to look at discourse in order to be able to study how language learning evolves out of the strategies used to carry on conversation. The type of conversation depends on who the learner is: Child or Adult. Discourse (L2) Child learner Prolonged discourse is difficult

Adult learner the need of the learner here and now,i.e., to be able to make a request

Discourse analysis considers the teachers as well as the learners contribution. It describes not just the function of separate or isolated utterances but also the utterances combined for larger discourse units. A three-phase discourse consists of exchanges between the teacher and the student in the course of which the former initiates and supplies the feedback, while the latter responds. For example: Teacher: Is the clock there on the wall? Student: Yes. Teacher: Good, the clock is there on the wall. (f) It is both pertinent and useful to consider the kinds of classroom interaction. The three basic kinds of pedagogic goals are: (i) (ii) (iii) Core goal: It points to the explicit pedagogic purpose of the classroom. Framework goal: It focuses on the organization requirements of the lesson. Social goal: It involves the use of language for more than personal purposes.

Second Language acquisition follows a route in syntactical development. Native speakers adjust their speech in order to negotiate meaning with non- native speakers. The conversation strategy influences the pace and route of second language acquisition in a number of ways. Conversation, articulate conversation, is at the very centre of second language acquisition. References B.J. Skinner, Verbal Behavior (New York, 1957) D.A.Wilkins, Linguistics in Language Teaching (London, 1982) E.H.Linneberg, Biological Foundations of Language (New York, 1967) E.C.Stock & J.D.A.Widdowson, Learning About Linguistics London, 1974) P. Fletcher & M.Garman, (ed.) Language Acquisition (Cambridge, 1979) R.Lado, Linguistics Across Cultures (Ann Arbor: Michigan, 1957)

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LEARNING A LANGUAGE: A STRATEGY

Charanjit Singh In this post post-modern world where the so called Cold War has certainly grown cold and extinguished, where non-alignment is deep dead in the annals of history, there is a visible movement towards centralization and sameness. The more or less uniform political, economic and linguistic constructs are the index. Liberal economy, urbanization, the western model of democracy and English language are broadening their compasses and taking the entire world in their circles. India like any other nation in the world is fast getting into these circles. Among other imports, it is exposed to a global English using world. Everywhere efforts are being made to get adapted to this exposure. The establishment of state-of-the-art universities exclusively devoted to research in the teaching and learning of English, the initiation to teach English right from the primary level, making the study of English compulsory for all students pursuing graduation and in some professional courses even post-graduation, and the liberal and frequent grants to organize seminars, conferences and workshops to deliberate, plan and facilitate the teaching and learning of English are some of the most noticeable among these efforts. But, needless to say, these efforts are almost not getting translated into reality. This foregrounds the urgency to zero in on language acquisition process, review and rate our efforts with that process as the reference point and chalk out a concrete strategy to realize our objectives. The present paper aspires to address this urgency. I. English and the Non-Native Users This section lists up the findings of an investigation conducted over one hundred subjects in the first year of their graduation. Each of the subjects is approximately sixteen year old, comes from a middle class family where the parents are semi-educated, has studied English as a compulsory subject since nursery, and has neither proficiency nor fluency in speaking and writing English. Each of them was provided with a questionnaire containing three statements that were formulated after an in-depth and detailed discussion with another fifteen subjects with similar credentials regarding their experiences and feelings at the time of speaking or writing English. They were asked to endorse or refute these statements by writing yes or no beneath them. The statements were: 1. While speaking or writing English, you first think in Punjabi or Hindi what you want to say or write. 2. You translate what you think in Punjabi or Hindi into English. 3. During translation you always care for suitable words and grammatical correctness. 24

The investigation showed that almost all the subjects endorsed all the statements. This indicates that the non-native speakers do three things simultaneously before producing English in the spoken or written form. First, they think in their native language the thing they need to say or write. Second, they translate their thought dressed in their native language into English. And third, they undertake expression of the translated thought with a consciousness for selecting appropriate words and grammatical forms. However, this indication is not an absolute generalization and is open to further probing on a wider scale. But at the same time this indication is enough to raise doubts at the process prevalent for the teaching and learning of English. If the prevalent process is faulty, there is the need to look for an effective and ideal process. It is done in section II. II. Language Acquisition Process Understanding the nature and process of language acquisition has always been the anxiety among the linguists working worldwide. The theories of the Behaviorist school (Bloomfield 1933, Skinner 1953, 1957) and of the Nativist (Chomsky 1964, 1968), both headquartered mainly at America, are well-known in this regard. Both probe and explicate language acquisition, both say certain fundamental things that seem too relevant to deny, both are diametrically opposite to each other, and both in their theories knowingly or unknowingly raise certain questions that cannot be ignored. Today most of the linguists believe in the synthesis of behavioural and nativist insights on the acquisition of language and propose that there is an innate capacity in humans for acquiring the rules of language, however, they do not acquire the skills to use language automatically and in a vaccum, but in an environment where a languasge is used and they get ample oppertunities to interact with others who put this language to use before them (Bruner 1966a, 1981, 1983a, Vydotsky 1978, 1962 and Papert 1980, 1991). Gleitman and Newport (1995: 22) are worth quotable in this regard, While we have emphasized the biological underpinnings of language acquisition, we must also repeat that part of the normal acquisition process clearly involves learning from the environment as wellLanguage acquisition is therefore a complex interaction between the child's innate capacities and the social, cognitive, and linguistic supports provided in the environment. Whatever this nature-nurture spat and its synthesis may suggest, the general agreement is that language acquisition process begins with the very birth of a child. The first stage in this process is that of listening a language. This is what Ellis calls the silent period. He (1994: 82-83) describes, In the case of L1 acquisition, children go through a lengthy period of listening to people talk to them before they produce their first words. The silent period is necessary, for the young child needs to discover what language is and what it does. In the case of L2 acquisition, the silent period is not obligatory, as the learner already knows about language, having already acquired one. Yet many learners, especially children, opt for a silent period. During this stage, child is not the producer of language but its receiver. Whatever is spoken around, it listens. Thus, exposure to the linguistic environment supplies the child a concrete stuff in the form of sounds and syntax of language. Krashen (1985a: 2) calls this concrete stuff 25

input and claims that humans acquire language in only one way - by understanding messages, or by receiving comprehensible input. He asserts that the more comprehensible input the greater the L2 proficiency and lack of comprehensible input delays language acquisition. Yan Zhang (2009: 202) draws a similar conclusion, There is a significant correlation between students listening and speaking ability. That the input of a language results in its output, in other words, the listening of a language leads to its speaking is also evident from the fact that the Indian children brought up in the United States where their ears are fed on English, start speaking, not Punjabi or Hindi, but English. This input activates what Chomsky (1965) terms Language Acquisition Device (LAD) within the very first year of human life and the result is the production of sounds. Pinker (1995: 141-42), asserts, language acquisition begins very early in the human lifespan, and begins, logically enough, with the acquisition of a language's sound patterns. The main linguistic accomplishments during the first year of life are control of the speech musculature and sensitivity to the phonetic distinctions used in the parents' language. Interestingly, babies achieve these feats before they produce or understand words, so their learning cannot depend on correlating sound with meaning. Initially, there is cooing. Since cooing is a biological process, children throughout the world produce more or less the same sounds and at times they produce sounds not available in their environment. But between the sixth and the ninth month children start differentiating between the sounds and pronounce the sounds that they hear in their linguistic environment. Genesee (2011: 3) contends that exposure to unfamiliar speech sounds is initially registered by the brain as undifferentiated neural activity. Neural activity is diffuse, because the brain has not learned the acoustic patterns that distinguish one sound from another. As exposure continues, the listener (and the brain) learns to differentiate among different sounds and even among short sequences of sounds that correspond to words or parts of words. In the beginning, sounds are uttered in isolation, but soon they are repeated in a quick succession so much so that it seems like a pattern. Liberman (2003) observes, Repeated sequences are often produced, such as [bababa] or [nanana], as well as "variegated" sequences in which the characteristics of the consonant-like articulations are varied. The production of sounds and their repetition in a sequence gives way to the third stage in the acquisition of language called the holophrastic stage. It is the production of short isolated words by joining two or more sounds. Gleitman and Newport (1995: 2) observe, Isolated words appear at about one year of age. These are mainly nouns that describe simple objects and a few social words such as bye-bye. Similar is the observation of Ingram (1989) and Clark (1993). Scollon (1979) calls these vocalizations vertical constructions since the linguists use a new line to transcribe each of these vocalizations. Mostly these words are nouns used to name different objects, persons, animals, emotions and desires. Pinker (1995: 142) states, Children's first words are similar all over the planet. About half the words are for objects: food (juice, cookie, body parts (eye, nose), clothing (diaper, sock), vehicles (car, boat), toys (doll, block), household items (bottle, light, animals (dog, kitty), and people (dada, baby). There are words for actions, motions, and routines (up, off, open, peekaboo, eat, and go), and modifiers (hot, allgone, more, dirty, and cold). Finally, there are routines used in social interaction, like yes, no, want, bye-bye, and hi -- a few of which, like look 26

at that and what is that, are words in the sense of memorized chunks, though they are not single words for the adult. The holophrastic stage soon leads to the emergence of syntax where there is the combining of two or more words characterized by the lack of morphological and syntactic markers. Pinker (1995:142) states, Around 18 months, language changes in two ways. Vocabulary growth increases; the child begins to learn words at a rate of one every two waking hours, and will keep learning that rate or faster through adolescence. And primitive syntax begins, with two-word strings like the following: All dry. All messy. All wet. I sit. I shut. No bed. No pee. See baby. See pretty. More cereal. More hot. Hi Calico. Other pocket. Boot off. Siren by. Mail come. Airplane allgone. Bybebye car. Our car. Papa away. Dry pants. Since most of the word-strings during this time are two words long, this stage is often christened as the two-word stage. Child does not let anything go unnoticed. It asks about who, what, and where, comments on the ownership of things, talks about people doing various things, request for different objects, and announces the arrival and departure of things and people (Braine, 1976; Brown, 1973; Pinker, 1984; Ingram, 1989). The two-word stage is followed by multi-word stage which entails the use of longer word-strings bereft of determiners, modals, verbal auxiliaries, prepositions, and bound morphemes. It is a workable language which is characterized not by grammatical correctness but by communicative success. Since it resembles the language of telegraph, this stage is called the telegraphic stage (Brown and Fraser 1963). Most of the constructions at this stage are concerned with the here and now and rarely mention the absent or the imaginary (Sachs 1983). The omission of grammatical morphemes or structural words does not continue for long. Hoff (2004: 197-98) observes, Between the ages of 2 and 3 years, children fill in the parts that were missing in their early utterances, they expand the range of sentence forms they use, and they begin to use longer and structurally more complex sentences. Similar is the observation of Ingram (1989), Brown (1973), Limber (1973) and Pinker (1984). Gradually children learn to use sentences that combine two or more clauses. Bowerman (1976) finds that the first complex sentence is produced after children are regularly producing four-word utterances. By the age of 4 children start using most of the different complex sentence types (Bowerman 1979, Limber 1973). It is perhaps the final stage in language acquisition when the child is moving towards discourse or connected speech. Pinker (1995: 145) opines, A full range of sentence types flower -- questions with words like who, what and where, relative clauses, comparatives, negations, complements, conjunctions, and passives. These constructions appear to display the most, perhaps even all, of the grammatical machinery needed to account for adult grammar. Liberman (2003) voices similar idea, By age 5 or before, youngsters sound essentially adult. In this section, we charted the development of language acquisition process and showed how a child begins with listening and moves from the learning of sounds to fluency in discourse passing through holophrastic, multi-word and telegraphic stages. In the next section it has been shown how the prevalent faulty process can be overhauled in the light of the above insights and an effective strategy can be formulated to ensure the learning of English.

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III. Suggestions and Recommendations First of all, as input is necessary for the output of language, the first thing needs to be done is to ensure more and more exposure to English. Ellis (1994: 26) suggests, It is self- evident that L2 acquisition can only take place when the learner has access to input in the L2. This input may come in written or spoken form. In the case of spoken input, it may occur in the context of interaction (i.e. the learners attempts to converse with a native speaker, a teacher or another learner) or in the context of non-reciprocal discourse (for example, listening to a radio or watching a film). Initially, the learners must get ample opportunities to listen English without getting burdened with the fear of producing it as is the case with children during the silent period discussed in section II. However, in the prevailing system there is the mandatory provision of evaluating the learning since the very beginning. IPEK (2009: 161) repents, The teaching conditions and the grading legislations may force the teacher to ask students for immature production. Knowing the need for such a period but not being able to allow for it should at least make the teacher understand erroneous production, inhibited students, or high anxiety in the classroom. Here it is to be considered that the purpose of evaluation is to facilitate the leaning of English and not to be a hurdle in it, and if it tends to be a hurdle, it is suggested that it must be abolished at the preliminary level so that learners may get practice in listening without being forced by their teachers to deliver production. It is bound to be fruitful since it will make them undergo the first stage in the acquisition of language. A course in listening English for a year or two should be followed by training in the pronunciation of sounds of English since it has been commonly observed that the English of non-native speakers sounds like their native languages as they have not learnt the English sounds and pronounce English words and sentences using sounds of their native languages. A specific test should be designed to assess the young learners learning of sounds in English. As is discussed in section II, the learners of a language begin by producing not sentences but words, more specifically, words in isolation by joining two or more sounds. Bit in the prevalent system, the young learners of English are expected to express themselves in sentences. This results in the practice of doing three things at one time as discussed in section I i.e. thinking in native language, translation in English and expression selecting suitable words and syntactic forms. Undoubtedly, there is the necessity to be anti-foundationalist by discouraging this practice and encouraging the learners to speak as many words as and when come in their minds. The stress needs to be on spontaneous and carefree expression. For instance, the teacher should plan such activities as to encourage the learners to name in English as many things as they can available in their immediate environment, let us say, in their kitchens or bedrooms or bathrooms or schools or colleges or on the roads they travel by and the grounds they play in. It is because this world is made of participants, processes and circumstances and all communication is about them (Halliday 2004), and because initially nouns outnumber others in the linguistic output of children (Liberman: 2003). Another activity that can be immensely fruitful and imitate the young learners to discourse or connected speech is to encourage them to express themselves in isolated words without any 28

consideration to fill in the gaps with verbal auxiliaries, determiners, modals and prepositions. For instance, if a learner needs to describe an accident that he or she witnessed on the road, there are two options. One is the traditional one, that of speaking in complete sentences doing three things at one time, and the other is using isolated words for description such as home, coming, college, road, outside, accident, one bus, one truck, blood, two dead bodies, crowd, ambulance, hospital, doctors, nurses, ICU, serious. Here it is stated that language is for communication and the index of success in communication is the exchange of message. There is little doubt that the receiver of the message transmitted though the second option will easily decode it and that the giver of the message will experience a satisfaction in expressing himself or herself successfully that will hardly come his or her way if he or she goes for the first option. This satisfaction will work as a positive feedback for him or her. The second option is advisable on this ground also that in the beginning children express themselves this way and the same is done by foreigners to converse with natives on alien lands. It is expected that subsequently isolated words will be replaced by word-strings and word-strings by short and grammatically incorrect sentences, and if such a production is not discouraged and is continued, it will certainly go correct and fluent, the ultimate aim of language learning, and, of course, teaching. References Bloomfield, L. (1933). Language. New York: Henry Holt. Bowerman, M. (1976). Semantic factors in the acquisition of rules for word use and sentence construction. In D. Morehead, & A. Morehead (Eds.), Directions in normal and deficient language development (pp. 99-179). Baltimore: University Park Press. Bowerman, M. (1979). The acquisition of complex sentences. In M. Garman, & P. Fletcher (Eds.), Studies in language acquisition (pp. 285-305). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Braine, M. D. S. and M. Bowerman. (1976) Children's first word combinations. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 41. Brown, R. (1973) A First Language: the Early Stages. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press. Brown, R. and C. Fraser. (1963). The acquisition of syntax. In C. N. Cofer and B. S. Musgrave (eds.) Verbal behavior and learning: problems and processes. New York: McGraw-Hill. p. 158-97. Bruner, J. (1966a). Toward a theory of instruction. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Bruner, J. (1983a) Child's Talk: Learning to Use Language, New York: Norton Bruner, J. (1981). The social context of language acquisition. Language and Communication, 1(2/3),155-178. Chomsky, Noam. (1964). Current issues in linguistic theory. The Hague: Mouton. Chomsky, Noam. (1968). Language and mind. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World. Chomsky, Noam (1965). Aspects of the Theory of Syntax. MIT Press. Clark, E. V. (1993) The lexicon in acquisition. New York: Cambridge University Press. Ellis, R. (1994). Second Language Acquisition. Oxford: OUP. 29

Erika Hoff (2004). Language Development. Wadsworth Publishing Co Inc. Ingram, D. (1989) First language acquisition: Method, description, and explanation. New York: Cambridge University Press. Krashen, S.D. (1982). Principles and Practice in Second Language Acquisition. Oxford: Pergamon Krashen, S. (1985a). The Input Hypothesis: Issues and Implications. London and New York: Longman. Krashen, S. (1985b). Language Acquisition and Language Education. Hayward, California: Alemany Press. Krashen, S.D. (2003). Explorations in Language Acquisition and Use. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. Limber, J. (1973) The genesis of complex sentences. In T. E. Moore., Cognitive Development and the Acquisition of Language. New York: Academic Press. Gleitman, L. R. & M. Liberman (eds.) (1995). An Invitation to Cognitive Science, 2nd Ed. Volume 1. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. Gleitman, L.R., & Newport, E.L. (1995). The invention of language by children: Environmental and biological influences on the acquisition of language. In L.R. Gleitman and M. Liberman (Eds.), An Invitation to Cognitive Science, Vol. 1: Language. 2nd edition. Cambridge: MIT Press. Papert, S. & Harel, I. (eds). (1991) Constructionism: research reports and essays 1985 - 1990 by the Epistemology and Learning Research Group, the Media Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Ablex Pub. Corp, Norwood, NJ. Papert, S. (1980) Mindstorms: Children, Computers, and Powerful Ideas,. Cambridge, MA: Basic Books. Pinker, S. (1984). Language learnability and language development. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press Pinker, S. (1995). Language Acquisition. In L. R. Gleitman and M. Liberman (Eds.), An Invitation to Cognitive Science, Vol. 1: Language. 2nd edition. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. Sachs, J. (1983). Talking about the there and then: the emergence of displaced reference in parent-child discourse. In K. E. Nelson (Ed.), Children's language, Volume 4. Hillsdale. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Scollon, R. (1979). A real early stage: An unzippered condensation of a dissertation on child language. In E. Ochs & B. Schieffelin (Eds.) Developmental pragmatics (pp. 215-228). New York: Academic Press. Skinner, B.F. (1953). Science and Human Behavior. New York: Macmillan. Skinner, B.F. (1957). Verbal Learning. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts. Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in Society. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Vygotsky, L. S. (1962). Thoight and Language. Translated and edited by Eugenia Hanfmann and Gertrude Vakar. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press

30

TEACHING ENGLISH
Bhaskar Roy Barman Even today we cannot deny the necessity of English as a medium of teaching and communication and the growing importance of English, as is evident in the growing number of writers and poets having resorted to English in writing their works. Besides, many writers and poets are intent on getting their works translated into English to gain for their works a wider readership. Hence the importance of teaching English at different learning stages, at schools and colleges. At Universities students start specializing in particular branches of English as language and as literature they choose. Emphasis is given to teaching of English at the learning stage at schools where the students just start learning literature and poetry. The main problem English teachers generally face is how to inculcate into their students interest in literature and poetry. This anxiety English teachers feel reveals itself in keeping the attention of their students riveted on their teaching. To camouflage their anxiety they often have to have recourse to the tactic they have inherited from the predecessors of frightening their students of English as a language and telling them to their faces they are poor in English. To bring home this maxim to the students. majority of the teachers are relying upon note books presented to them by their publishers for recommendation to teach literature and poetry. Majority of the note-book writers are not regrettably proficient in English as a language. I cite an example in this connexion to illustrate this point. In question papers students are asked to give a antonym for the word poor in the oft-quoted sentence, The poor children had no where to play (from The Selfish Giant). The note-books say that the antonym for the poor is rich and the teachers go on telling their students, parrotfashion the antonym for the word poor is rich; but the true answer is fortunate. Its synonym being unfortunate. You cant bring them round to the fact that they are teaching incorrect English or, rather, incorrect answer; rather than admitting to their ignorance or going to the trouble of verifying it, they will show you their muscle strength. They are not educated enough, nay, learned enough to own up to their ignorance, which has led me to think that the problem of teaching English often lies with teachers themselves. But I humbly admit that all teachers are not the type of teachers I have mentioned. I shall try to elucidate the anxiety I have just referred to in my paper. As teachers of English as a foreign or second language (EFL/ESL), all English teachers deem or should deem themselves members of a worldwide profession. We are often reminded, while teaching English, that the current status of English turns a significant percentage of the worlds population into part-time users or learners of English. Wherever we work we share and share alike many assumptions as concerns what we do; we prepare teaching materials and classroom materials and techniques based more or less on similar principles and test them on the perceptibility of the students. But allowing for this commonality English teachers of one country feel themselves isolated from his colleagues of other countries. Even in their own countries teachers have to cope with hostile situations, working in geographical isolation. It so 31

happens that teachers, geographically isolated, do not have access to channels of professional communication such as, among others, journals, conferences and in-service training courses. The fact that different countries have widely different educational systems and philosophies accounts for the geographical isolation and subjects teachers to different expectations and pressures. This fact calls forth the necessity of organizing international conferences on English teaching to familiarize teachers with different educational systems and philosophies of different countries. But the question is: can the anxiety or, rather angst all teachers feel no matter which countries they live in be removed through conferencing? Why should there be angst in a profession that is always considered noble and rewarding? Every teacher, particularly English teacher feels this angst when entering a classroom to face a roomful of students. It is worth quoting in this connexion Elaine Showalter saying, reference Teaching Literature, published by Blackwell Publishing, USA, We literature teachers have heard the familiar words of Chaucers Clerke of Oxford - Gladly wolde he lerne and gladly teche- intoned at a hundred retirement dinners, and may even declaimed them ourselves. But Chaucers clerk did not have to face student or peer course evaluations, a tickling tenure clock, CD-ROMs, or grade inflation. Lets face it, confronting a skeptical roomful of students every morning is not always a glad pursuit. (PP 3-4) Nowadays, a literary study has becomie a profession subject to intellectual expansion and economical contraction which reminds one of some Spenserian snake. Teachers have, to cope with the expansion of this profession, to grapple with a vast number of books within a short time and need to participate in conferences even school teachers are not exempted from participating in conferences meant to re-orient them to handling the students slipping out of the classes - Jobs are very few. Those who do not have jobs feel angry and those who do feel angst and often dream of anxiety. The anxiety dogs them around, so to say. They are often found to release their anxiety on hapless students, particularly those who cannot afford private tuition and who are socalled poor students. These dreams are often about the existential sense of quest and vocation; they are scenarios that dramatize the questions which those teachers who have really devoted themselves to teaching cannot avoid asking themselves: Do I deserve to be called a teacher in the true sense? Am I learning something through teaching or am I teaching, parrot-fashion? In order to be a good teacher that commands the respect of the students you teach you should think of yourself as a student. It is regrettably a fact that most of us, teachers, think it beneath our dignity to consider ourselves students after we have done our master degree in English Another question that keeps haunting those teachers is: What will happen to me when I can no longer teach? These fundamental questions I have mentioned just a few are central to identity and purpose and they lie at the heart of literature, too. I shall address myself to dealing with just a few types of anxiety which are relevant to the present discussion. The first type of anxiety in case of the teacher teaching at schools is nonapplicability of what they have learned at teachers training. It is incumbent on every teacher to go through the in-service teachers training. Ironically, many teachers have to take the teachers training when they are nearing their retirement and have no patience to apply the techniques and methods of teaching in their classes, returning from the 32

training. The angst they suffer is their awareness of their losing patience on the verge of retirement to apply them in their classes to make their students interested in the topics they are teaching. They tend to make this awareness up as they go along. Besides, the infrastructure of a general school does not permit of the application of these techniques and methods in classes. It is common knowledge that many teachers take up teaching as a job, not as a noble profession and wait an opportunity to opt out for a non-teaching profession with similar or higher salaries and very few talented graduate or post-graduate students enter into this profession. The myths of the born teacher and the mystiques of good teaching scare many talented graduate and post-graduate students of this profession and weaken the morale of many teachers. There are no departmental commitments worth mentioning here to preparing particularly graduate students for teaching careers. The second type of angst is a sense of isolation. One of the best aspects of the work of teaching is that teachers need not have the trouble of being original. They borrow ideas and methods from their colleagues and their predecessors and apply them in their own way in the confidence that their students will benefit from the methods and techniques, cheap note-books supplying the gaps. In producing before the students what they have borrowed from their colleagues and predecessors, teachers willingly or unwillingly isolate themselves from one another. Though they do not close their classrooms, they dont want their colleagues to interfere in their reproductions. Alaine Showalter quotes on page 9 Parker J. Palmer, reference his book Courage to Teach: Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teachers Life (Sans Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1998 : P 142)) as saying, Teaching is perhaps the most privatized of all the public professions. Though we teach in front of students we almost always teach solo, out of collegial sight as contrasted with surgeons or lawyers, who work in the presence of others who know their crafts wellWhen we walk into our workplace, the classroom, we close our doors on the colleagues. When we emerge, we rarely talk about what happened or what needs to happen next, for we have no shared experience to talk about. As for me. I would keep the doors of my classrooms closed, not to privatize my teaching but to keep the attention of the students riveted on my teaching and to be able to talk to them in an uninterrupted atmosphere about the problems they were facing in keeping their attention on listening. One daredevil boy he was then a student of class XI - confessed that he fell in love with a girl he wanted to marry by force, for he didnt know whether the girl loved him. Her parents, he added, stopped her mixing with him and even threatened him with dire consequences if he dared to keep contact with their daughter any more.. He sought my advice as to what to do A horrible silence descended upon the whole class at the audacity of the boy. I knew all my colleagues avoided him and behaved as if he were non-existent. He was believed to be suffering from an acute psychogenic problem which led him to harass teachers and fist his class mates on the slightest provocation. His class-mates were feared him. No technique, no method came forward to help solve the problem that was flung upon me and challenged my prestige as a teacher. The whole class was waiting in tense silence to see how I would stage-manage the situation. I somehow snowballed the anger I felt rising in me and suggested to him to equip himself with a requisite qualification which would entitle him to a job with such salary as would guarantee a smooth living, and then approach her parents with the proposal that you want to marry her. To my surprise he heeded my suggestion.( A few 33

years late I met that boy on the road. He made obeisance to me and said. Sir, you are my god; you have saved me from being spoiled. I have embarked into a small business and married that girl I loved.) But I could not share this experience with my colleagues. No other teacher known to me faced such embarrassing situation. No colleague of mine would approve of the way I was dealing with my students in the name of teaching English. I always felt myself isolated from my colleagues, when it came to teaching English. Another type of anxiety emanates from performance. Majority of teachers at schools are not supposed to suffer the performance angst. They often get exhausted, struggling with textual triage, with deciding what is essential to teach and what is inessential, keeping in view what sorts of questions are likely to set in the public examinations. Teaching requires performance skill. In case of all teachers it requires nerves to face the reality of standing up in front of a roomful of students to teach, and its symptoms of stage-fright and performance anxiety. Whether they acknowledge it or not, every teacher feels their anxiety level rise particularly in their early years of their career. The anxiety level rises as the time to walk into the class approaches. They are apt to feel the terrifying responsibility of maintaining control over themselves, their words, their words, Their bodies and their classes. To subdue this anxiety level majority of us, teachers, resort to dictating notes in form of answers, already prepared at home by consulting different note-books presented to us by their publishers as specimen copies. The students are themselves satisfied, getting the ready-made answers, for they need not have the trouble of reading through the texts. The last type of anxiety on my list relates to evaluation. At schools we do not evaluate the performance of students in terms of their oral performances, but in terms of how they fare in their answer papers. This process of evaluation contributes to a great extent to the overshadowing of teaching at school by private tuition. I should not linger on this topic any further, for everyone associated with teaching profession is aware of it. I think the teachers who are really keen to instill into their students interest in learning English as a language and as a literature should discuss English philosophically, I mean, from a philosophical point of view. This necessitates a short discussion on the philosophy of language. No English teacher, I think, concerns himself or herself with the philosophy of language, particularly because it is less less-defined and less in possession of a clear principle of unity than most other branches of philosophy. Very few teachers teach English from a philosophical point of view. The problems associated with language that are typically dealt with by philosophers comprises loosely knit collection, because of which it is difficult to find a real criterion separating it from the problems concerning language dealt with by grammarians, psychologists and anthropologists. We can obtain an initial sense of the range of this collection through surveying some of the various points within philosophy at which emerges a concern with language. Now let us consider the ways in which crop up in various branches of philosophy problems related to language. Metaphysics is part of philosophy that can roughly be characterized as an attempt to particularize the most general and pervasive facts about the world, encompassing, as it does, an enumeration of the most basic categories to which entities belong and some depiction of their interrelations. There happen to be some philosophers who have made it a point to get at these fundamental facts by considering the 34

fundamental features of the language we use to talk about the world. In Book X of Platos Republic, he says, Whenever a number of individuals have a common name we assume them to have also corresponding idea or thought. To spell out this rather cryptic remark, Plato is drawing our attention to a pervasive feature of language, that a given common noun or adjective, for example, tree or sharp can be truly applied in the same sense to a large number of different individual things, his position being that this is possible only if there exists some one entity named by the general term in question treeness and sharpness of which each of individuals partake. if this were not the case then it would be impossible, so to say, to apply the general term in the same sense to a number of different individuals. Now let us hear what Aristotle says in his Metaphysics, one might even raise the question whether the words to walk, to be healthy, to sit Imply that each of these things is existent, and similarly in other cases of this sort; for none of them is either self-subsistent or capable of being separated from substance, but, rather, if anything, it is that which walks, or sits or is healthy that is an existent thing. Now these are seen to be more real because there is something definite which underlies them (i.e., the substance or individual) which is implied in such a predicate, for we never see the word good or sitting without implying this. (Book Zeta, Ch. I) What Aristotle means to say in the passage quoted is that we do not use verbs except in connexion with subjects and that we cant express ourselves by saying Sits, Walks etc. we can make ourselves clearly understood if we say, She is walking. he is sitting..From this fact Aristotle concludes that substances, things have an independent kind of existence in a way that actions do not, that substances are ontologically more fundamental than actions. The nineteenth century German philosopher, Meinong provided a more outr example by assuming that every meaningful expression in a sentence (at least any meaningful expression having the function of referring to something) must have a referent; otherwise there would be nothing for it to mean. When we get hold on an obvious meaningful expression that refers to nothing real in the world, such as, for instance the Fountain of Youth, as in the sentence, Mr X is searching for the Fountain of Youth, we must take it for granted that it refers to a subsistent entity which does not exist, but has some other mode of being. This doctrine, as does the Platonic position presented above, is based upon a confused assimilation of meaning and referent. The assumption that governs the formation of these patters of metaphysical argumentation finds itself explicated in the twentieth-century philosophical movement known as logical atomism and the most distinguished exponents of this philosophical movement have been Bertrand Russell and Ludwig Wittgenstein. In Russells series of articles The Philosophy Logical Atomism, he makes quite clear the principle, as in the following passage, reference Logic and Knowledge, edited by R. C. Marsh ( London, George Allen & Unwin, Ltd, 1995),in a logically correct symbolism, there will always be a certain fundamental identity of structure between a fact and the symbol for it; andthe complexity of the very symbol corresponds very loosely with the complexity of the facts symbolized by it. It is seen in the above passage that this identity of structure is hypothesized to operate not between any existing language and the basic metaphysical structure of the 35

world, but only between a logically perfect language and the metaphysical structure. What we are required to do in such situation is to ascertain what different types of structures we have at our disposal in that language for asserting facts, for example simple subject-predicate sentences like This book is heavy and existential sentences like There is a cat on the porch. By ascertaining the facts we shall be able to see how these various types of sentences are logically related. Another branch of philosophy is logic in which concern with language becomes prominent. Logic is often interpreted as an attempt at devising criteria for separating valid from invalid inferences Since reasoning is carried on in language, the analysis of inferences depends on an analysis of the statements that figure as premises and conclusions. A study of logic takes us into the fact that the validity or invalidity of an inference depends upon the forms of the statements which formulate premises and conclusion where by form is meant the kinds of terms contained in the statement and the way in which these forms are combined in the statement. Of two inferences looking superficially alike, one may be valid and the other invalid owing to a difference in the form of one or more of the statements involved. Let us consider the following pair of inferences. Mr X sells insurance in our town. Mr X belongs to the religious group Y. Therefore, Mr X both sells insurance in our town and belongs to the religious group Y. Someone sells insurance in our town. Someone belongs to the religious group Y. Therefore, someone both sells insurance in our town and belongs to the religious group Y. Now I is clearly valid and 2 clearly invalid, Provided with the facts that someone sells insurance in our town and someone belongs to the religious group Y, it does not at all follow that there is anyone of whom both these things are true. Since one of the sentences is valid and the other invalid, it must be that despite superficial grammatical similarities, a statement like (a) Mr X sells insurance in our town is of a different logical form from a sentence like (b) someone sells insurance in our town. There are, too, other indications of this. Sentence (b) sounds equivalent to There is someone who sells insurance in our town and to The class of persons who sell insurance is empty, but we cannot find any equivalent for someone (c). When premises and conclusion of sentence 2 get put into one of these forms, the argument is apt to lose its superficial resemblance to inference 1 and does not look valid at all. There is someone who sells insurance in our town. There is someone who belongs to the religious group Y . Therefore ,there is someone who both sells insurance in our town and belongs to the religious group Y. It has become clear to us from the examples that an important part of logic consists in a classification of statements in terms of their logical form, that is, aspects of form which are relevant to the evaluation of inference, this classification requiring a classification of the types of terms that sneaks into statements, inasmuch as, a difference in form quite often rests upon a difference in the types of terms involved.

36

Every word, as is evident in the above discussion, is possessed of different shades of meaning, when used in different sentences, many of them lying outside the dictionary. Students should be asked to find out the meaning of a particular word with reference to the context of the sentence in which it is used, without consulting the dictionary. Before doing so, the teachers should explain to them different shades of meaning of a word used in different sentences and expressions. Let me elaborate upon this proposition from a linguistic point of view. Here we shall concern ourselves with the nature of linguistic meaning. We shall take up, for example, the word mean. Many of us, teachers, stick to one or two meanings of the word that we know. But there are many other uses of the word, mean some of which are likely to be confused with our sense. I give below a few examples: 1. This is no mean accomplishment. (Here mean is used as an adjective meaning insignificant) 2. He was so mean to me. (Here mean is used as an adjective meaning cruel.) 3. I mean to help him. (Here mean is used as an intransitive verb meaning intend.) 4. The passage of the bill will mean the end of second class citizenship (Here mean is used as a transitive verb meaning result in. 5. Once again life has meaning for me. (Here meaning is used as a noun meaning significance.) 6. What is the meaning of this? (Here meaning used as a noun means explanation) 7. He just lost his job. That means that he will have to start writing letters of application all over again. {Here mean is used as an transitive verb, meaning imply) The meaning of the word mean, as we have seen, changes in the above seven sentences. In these cases, we are talking about people, actions, events or situations rather than about words, phrases or sentences. Rare are the cases in which we generally apply means to a linguistic expression, but where mean does not have sense that we are examining. When the teachers explain to the students different shades of meaning used in different sentences, the latter will get easily involved in the process of learning different shades of meaning. I did myself experiment with this method and succeeded to some extent in rousing in my students interest in literature, poetry and drama. Besides, instead of teaching them the dramatic piece prescribed, I involved them in playing the roles of the characters and directing the play themselves. Thus the students delved deep into the text with my assistance and now and then consulted the dictionary to find out the meanings of the words unknown to them. In doing this, I helped many students to overcome their fear of English and two or three students to do their master degrees in English. References Jo MacDonough and Christopher Shaw: Materrials and Methods in ELT; Blackwell Publishing, USA; Indian Reprint 2004 by Atlantic Publishers & Distributors, New Delhi Elaine Showalter: Teaching of Literature, Blackwell Publishing, USA, Indian Edition, 2003 By Atlantic Publishers & Distributors, New Delhi William P. Alston: Philosophy of Language; Prentice- Hall of India Pvt. Ltd, New Delhi 37

BEHAVIOURIST PSYCHOLOGY AND LANGUAGE TEACHING

Shikha Sharma At the beginning of this century psychology as an experimental discipline was just getting under way. Psychologists of Germany and United States described psychology as a "science of mind" and were interested in investigating the state of humanconsciousness. This worthy-goal was reduced in the laboratory to a study of the details of perception of color, form auditory signals, and so on. The method of study was introspection. This introspection was meant to concentrate very hard on some stimulus and certain images that are elicited by the stimulus. Psychology had its fast sway. But there was a big problem among highly trained psychologists that was the problem of internal sensations associated with particular stimuli. The behaviorist revolution came in the 1920s, led by United States. The behaviorists assumed that the only way of knowing anything was by experiencing it physically. Thus "behaviorist psychology allowed psychology to become a scientific discipline."' Under this kind of study gross behaviors were analyzed as chains of smaller units of behavior, linked by general principles of association. Motor sequences provide a perfect, if simple example of this sort of association "the old horse pulling the milk wagon follows a habitual path unerringly, not because it has a mental map of its route, but because units of walking, stopping, turning have been associated in a particular sequence over the years." (2) From certain experiments they deducted that associations can be formed between unpaired units of behaviors through a process known as conditioning. There are two kinds of conditioning i) Classical Conditioning. ii) Operant or instrumental conditioning. Here we discuss how conditioning - or "learning" - theory has been applied to the analysis of linguistic behavior. i). Classical Conditioning : Classical conditioning is associated with the twentieth century Russian psychologist Paltlok PaXot conducted an experiment on dogs. He rang a bell and then squirted meat powder in the mouths of dogs, making then salivate. He then conducted that dogs would salivate upon hearing the bell even before the powder was introduced. Thus he created an association between the hearing of the bell and salivation. The bell is called the "conditioned stimulus", while the meat powder is called the "unconditioned stimulus". The classical conditioning paradigm has provided behaviorist psychology with its basic orientation as "stimulus - response ( S-R) psychology. ii) Operant Conditioning : Operant conditioning was developed in the first 38

half of the twentieth century by B.F. Skinner. He states that if an organism produces a type of behavior and is rewarded, it wil1 tend to produce that behavior with great intensity. He conducted an experiment on the rats. He too a hungry rat and caged it in a small Steel bar. He also kept out there two leaves. If the rat would press the first lever it will get the food. But if it would press the second lever, it gets the itch powder. He found that that the rat kept on pressing the first lever. In this way, we came to know that reward will increase the intensity and frequency of the response and this is known as Reinforcement.Reinforcement is of two kinds: i) Positive Reinforcement . ii) Negative Reinforcement In the above example the food Pallet the source of positive reinforcement. On the other hand a, noxious stimulus that an animal will learn to avoid is the negative reinforcement. Punishment leads to the negative reinforcement. In order to extinguish the response. the painful shock is given to the rat and it causes a negative reinforcement for the rat. Thus conditioning procedures lead to the development of behaviour. A response that has been rewarded will take longer to extinguish than one that has been reinforced each time and emitted. Selected Reward : It means that reward is always selective. If you want to condition the behavior of a rat. You give it food only 11"0 presses the first lever. not for pressing The second lever. Thus a combination of punishment for negative response and reward for positive ones produces fast learning. Mediation: Mediation is a transitive principal which says that two things associated with a third will tend to be in association with each other. There would be a common element which causes medalist people learn various kinds of a nonsense syllabus, digits through paired associate list of mediation. The empirical approach has assumed that the learning process include segmentation,. Classification, associated. In conditioning or by drill the habits of uttering an experience in a certain kind of situation and also, perhaps. Through having ones utterance of the experience in that kind of situation regularly reward. They say that meaning relationship is wholly in behavior and language is based solely on experience. A behaviorist approach to language was primarily concerned with fubction The kind of a behaviourist would ask would be : what is being accomplished with the use of particular word in specific circumstances?(3) A popular account of his view of language would propose that as children learn to respond in an appropriate way. Because any noise attempts we make which sound anything like real words are reinforced, i.e we gain pleasurable reward through the positive responses which others direct to us on hearing these noises. 39

Language is a certain kind of physical event. It comes out as a response to stimuli from our outer environment. Thus language and its articulation are also behavioural practices. Psycholinguists -and linguists `-alike were concerned with language use, i.e. regarding utterances as holistic stimuli or responses in their own right. We can also have a behavioural account through the story of Jack and Jill : "Suppose that Jack and Jill are walking down a lane. Jill is hungry. She sees an apple in a tree. She makes a noise with the larynx, tongue and lips. Jack vaults the fence, climbs the tree, takes the apple, brings it to Jill, and places it in her hand. Jill eats the apple. Bloomfield presents an analysis of the chain of verbal stimuli and responses by which Jill succeeds in getting the apple. The analysis is followed by this(italicized) conclusion : "Language enables one person to make a Reaction when another person has the stimulus (s)". Language enables one person to make a Reaction when another person has the stimulus (S). B.F skinner developed a small set of categories of verbal responses: i) Demand response was said to be a sort of request emitted under the stimulus of deprivation. Skinner gives the example of the thirsty person demanding water. i) Tact:- A tact is a labeling response to things in the environment, such as saying cow if one is stimulated by the sight of cow. (iii) Echoic,or initiative , responses, like echoing cow if one is stimulated by someone else saying cow (iv) Textual operant, reading the world cow (v) Interverbal operant says how are you? Language learning is known as one of the important function of human life. We interact with people only with the help of language. Thus our life is determined ,by our language and linguistic competence. Human life is very much unpredictable. The main reason for the unpredictable behavior of man is language. Human speech alone enable the speaker to talk about his experience without actually living them, to discuss hunger when well-fed and rest when fatigued. Thorndike proposed two fundamental laws: i) The Law of exercise : The more, often a given situation is followed by a particular response, the stronger will be the associative bond between them. Exercises, repetition, practice lead to perfection. ii) The law of effect: If a response produces a good effect and leads to a satisfying state of affairs, it will tend to be repeated when the situation arises again. Mother Adam Did you see the truck ? Sea Truck. mummy. No. you did,nt see it I see truck. Put the truck where Put truck window. Two Shoes Two shoe. Gas a gas. 40

Daddy briefcase. Daddy briefcase Adam make tower. Adam make tower There go one. There go one. We find that Adam is unable to use complex and compound sentences. He does not make any distinction between countable and uncountable. These mistakes' shows the child's search for the regularities of English syntax. Behavioural Approaches to Language Learning There are many approaches to teach and learn the language. One of the important approaches of language learning is the structural approach. The different arrangements, pattern of words are called structures. Structures may be complete utterances, or they may be part of a large pattern. Consider the sentence : "you are there": Consider two other sentences made of the same words but put in different order : (iii) "Are you there?" 1. Sentence Patterns : I bought this. Did he play? There are two books on the table. 2. Formulas : They are the groups of words used regularly on certain occasions. Good morning, How are you? 3. Phrase patterns : In the school, on the desk, with a knife. 4. Idioms : These are the groups of words that must be taught as a whole and not as separate words. In the teeth of, at the eleventh hour, heaven and earth. We have a formula of subject, verb, object, i.e. SVO and we can frame Countless sentences of this pattern. What is meant by structural approach to English is teaching the pupil certain selected structure, in a certain order : 1. Prepositions: such as [in, atom from] 2. Pronouns : such as [I, you, them] 3. Helping verbs: such as [a, can, shall, could] 4. Structural adjectives: such as [a, the this] 5. Structural adverbs : such as [ ago, even, ever, again] Structural approach is linked with the oral approach the drill method and the situational approach. Since language learning is a process of habit formation, the importance of the drill method cannot be ignored. It is repetition It is repetition ensures retention and helps the learner to cultivate a fresh set of habits. Selection of Structures : Selection of structure is to be dependent on the ability of the average student, his age, capacity of the teachers and the availability of the equipment. For example, the verb have has more than one meaning: Have: I have two hands. (Permanent possession) Have2: I have a daughter. (Relation) Have3: I have done my work (auxiliary) Have4: I have a walk in the moll (Habitual) (Principles to be followed id selecting structures) 41

I) Usefulness: We should teach only those structures which occur more frequently than others. 2) Productivity: 1) Mr. Johnson is here 2) Here is Mr. Johnson. Her the former pattern is more productive because we have many sentences out of this structure. 3) Simplicity: The structure I am playing is simple than the structure The patient had died before the doctor reached? 4) Teachability: I am using can be easily taught because the action on the other hand I play out every day is difficult to learn. Another is the Audiolingual Method. This method was enunciated by the Coleman Report in 1929. It started as a reading based approach to foreign language teaching for use in American schools and colleges. They drew on the earlier experiences of the army programs and the Aural - Oral or-structural approach developed by Fries and-his colleagues adding insights taken from behaviorist psychology. Audiolingual Method is a combination of linguistic theory, contrastive analysis, aural-oral procedures and behaviorist psychology. The term Audio- lingualism was first coined by Professor Nelson Brooks in 1964. This approach implies that "Learning a language entrails mastering the elements or building blocks of the language and learning the rules by which these elements are combined, from phoneme to morpheme to word to phrase to sentence.(pg ,49) This method assumed that a method cannot be based simply-on a theory of language. It also needs to refer to the psychology of learning and to learning theory.
Reinforcement (behaviour likely to occur again and becomes a habit)

Stimulus - Organism - Response Behavior

No Reinforcement Negative reinforcement (Beh. Not likely to occur again)

To the behaviorist, the human being is an organism capable of a wide repertoire of behaviors. The occurrence of this behavior is dependent upon three crucial elements in learning a stimulus, which serves to elicit behavior: a (ii) Response triggered by a stimulus: and Reinforcement, which-serves to mark the response ' as being appropriate and encourages the repetition of the response in the future. Some implications of this methods are given below: 1. 2. Foreign language learning is basically a process of mechanical habit formation. Good habits are formed by correct responses rather than by committing mistakes. Drills are required to memorize sentence patterns and repetition leads to 42

3. 4. 5. 6.

effective learning and firm retention. Language is verbal behaviour, i.e.- utterances are automatically structured and comprehended. Analogy provides firm foundation for learning. Analogy involves the process of generalization and discrimination0rills can enable learners to form correct analogies. Under this method the approach of teaching grammar is essentially inductive. Teaching should be context oriented because language cannot be taught in isolation.

Under behavioral methodology the teaching material tends to be teacher oriented. The teacher will have access to a teacher's book that contains the structured patterns and sequences of lessons to be followed and the dialogues drills are conducted. Except this tape recorders and audiovisual equipment have central roles in audiolingual course. A language laboratory is also essential. A taped lesson may be first present a dialogue for listening practice and then student repeat the sentences in the dialogue' line by line, and provided to follow-up fluency drills on grammar and pronunciation. Teacher Roles: In Audiolingualism, The role of the teacher is central and active. This method is Completely teacher-oriented. The teacher controls the direction and monitors and corrects the learner's performance. The teacher must keep the learners attentive by drills and practice exercises. The teacher organizes 'the whole process systematically, Teacher communicates with the students in the dialogue form. She teaches the use of structure through pattern practice which conditions the behaviour of the students. Teacher guides the students in choosing and learning vocabulary. Teacher gives rewards to the students and reinforces the learning vocabulary. Teachers gives rewards to the students and reinforces the learning process. Thus teacher acts We a role model to the students and activates learning process. References Psycholinguistic a cognitive view of Language, Helen S.Cairns and Charles E.Call'11s (Queens College of the City. University of New York). Psychology of Language - A critical introduction by Michael A.Forrestcr. SAGE Publications, London. Thousand Oaks. New Delhi, first published 1996. An introduction to the :Psychology of Language Peter Herriot, Methuen .l Co.Ltd. II.new Fetter Lane London EC4 Techniques of Teaching of English by A.L.Kohli , Dhanpat Rai and Sons. Semantics- Seconds edt. By F.R.Palmer, "Contest and Reference" PPg. 56,Cambridge University. Skinner's Verbal Behaviour 1957. Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching: A Description and Analysis Jack 43

C.Richards and Theodore S.Rodgees, Published by University of Cambridge first published in 1986. Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching Verbal Behavioural (Skinner) Psychology of Language (Forrestee) An Introduction to Linguistics for Language Teachers by N.Krishnaswamy. Central Institute of English, Hyderabad.

44

TRANSFORMATION OF ENGLISH: FROM BRITISH RAJ TO THE PRESENT SCENARIO

RATNA English speaking is a very fascinating thing in India .Not only in India, throughout the world, the language which begun as a modest language, has become the global language. More than 400 million people in the world speak English. It has no competitor in the race to become the language of the world. People have realized the importance of a globally accessible language. English is perhaps the only language that can be called a World language. It is being stretched to all new directions. English is often used as a lingua franca, the language of communication among two people who do not share a common native language. The present paper traces the development of English in India and its present state. English in India A Historical Survey India is a nation of grass root bilingualism. It is important to understand the historical, sociological, psychological and educational aspects of bilingualism. In 1595 The Dutch came first to India in search of trade. Then British came through the Charter of December 31, 1600, granted by Queen Elizabeth I. It granted a monopoly on trade with India and the East to some merchants of London .They formed the East India Company. The company's main objective was the spices of Indonesia, but because of Dutch opposition, they changed plans and went to India instead. When the East India Company established its settlements in Chennai, Kolkata, and Mumbai, The East India Company stabilized English as the medium of instruction and administration. The English language became popular, because it opened paths to employment and influence .The English won victory over some Portuguese territories in India .The Mughals who hated the Portuguese, granted the English the right to trade and to establish factories .The English trade became more profitable than that of the Dutch, and the region gradually fell under British contact and domination. In 1818, the British Empire became the British Empire of India, instead of the British Empire in India. This remained in force until 1947 .For the Indians the neighbors were more unwelcome than outsiders; and the outsiders could actually help in defeating the neighbor. The outsiders were accepted as masters, this was the most important reason for the success of English in India, according to Kachru. This historical role of England as a colonial power became the symbol of the political power. During the time of the Governor Generalship of Lord William Bentinck in the early nineteenth century, India saw many social reforms. English became the language of record of government and higher courts .The British Government supported Western learning and science through the medium of English. In this he was supported by Lord Macaulay. The views expressed in the Minute of Macaulay, they say, are the mark of 45

"the real beginnings of bilingualism in India". Lord Curzon, in 1902, formed Indian University Commission. The objective was quite evident - to introduce the study of English at school. By 1920 English gradually became the language of the government, education and so many other things. English provided a medium for understanding technology and scientific development. In the beginning of the 17th century, when the British started ruling India, they wanted Indian mediators who could help them to administer India. The British turned to high caste Indians to work for them. In 1857, the British also established universities in India based on British models giving more emphasis on English. The Christian English missionaries came to India and built schools at primary level for Indians. English became the first language in Indian education.. Many new English schools were established. Indians realized that English language is the main key towards success and therefore schools that emphasized English were preferred. Even before Raj Ram Mohan Roys plea for introducing English in India, there was a small group of Indians, especially in Bengal, wanted to study English in addition to Persian and Bengali. Organizations like the Brahma Samaj (1828),Arya Samaj (1875),Satya Shodak Samaj(1873) among others were really landmarks in the growth of social reformations. All these organizations realized that they needed a common medium to reach wider sections of society. Kashiprasad Ghosh is considered as the first Indian poet who wrote in English. Sochee Chunder Dutt was the first writer of fiction. The ever-burgeoning national movement in India had its effect on the growth of Education and English in India. Surprisingly, a movement that took the standpoint of ousting the British from the country was itself divided over the question of English in India. Leaders of the Freedom Movement-Gandhi, Nehru, Tilak, Gokhale and Bose among others-used it extensively in their discussions and writings. When Nehru assured the house of the continued use of English, both Govind and Hiren was unhappy but Frank Antony was very happy to withdraw his 1959 non-official resolution for the inclusion of English in the eight schedule. Mahatma Gandhi, most of the time, expressed his message to the elite in English. English is still the language of exclusive social elite. It is also very much a part of the educated middle and upper class especially of the youth in India. By the time India became independent, English had already consolidated its position in the school and university education. The language acts of 1963 and 1967 reinforced the position of English in India. The language has blended itself with the cultural and social life of the country. Even after Indias independence, English remained the main language of India. Officially it was given a status of an assistant language and was supposed to terminate officially after 15 years of Indias independence, but it still remains the important language of India. India is a peace-loving country and wants to spread the same message to all countries of the world. There was a need to explain and convince the friendly nations of the world. . India was trying to maintain a good foreign policy. And it is a vast country with different languages in different parts of the country. These regional languages differ from each other so much that it is not possible to communicate with people of other regions without a common language. Further, India is growing on all fronts. All this was and is possible only through a common medium of exchange of ideas and views. There was an urgent need of such a common language .English became the best 46

common medium then and is the medium now. It is a 'neutral' language for wider communication and the language of technology, modernity and development. Pandit Nehru said, English is our major window on the modern world." English has special national status in India. It has a special place in the parliament, judiciary, broadcasting, journalism, and in the education system. It is unavoidable and is always expected, especially in the cities. After Hindi it is the most commonly spoken language in India and probably the most read and written language in India. Teaching English in India The Present state Teaching English in India is a very challenging task. A study was undertaken with the help of a questionnaire administered to the students, professors and lecturers. The aim was to study the importance of English language in the life of these people who live in and around Mysore. This study is based on the answers of some intellectuals and students, on the basis of their age, gender, class and profession. When asked English to you is. a lecturer very interestingly said that it is worlds local language. 99% of the students and all the professors and lecturers said Knowledge of English is very essential to have a successful career. It is the universal medium of understanding and internationally accepted language. It is a linguistic bridge between the countries of the world. English Teaching Programmes at Board and University levels are inadequate, they said. Students and lecturers felt that English should be taught from the kindergarten level itself. Syllabus framing must be very helpful and productive. A professor pointed out that all teaching is confined only to syllabus. It is a very rare scene that a teacher would take the trouble of going out of the syllabus to teach. The present teaching concentrates only on syllabus completion and not on the importance of learning. And lastly about the Evaluation system, many professors and lecturers think that the present evaluative system is satisfactory. But no teacher is alike in evaluating papers. Some teachers are liberal. Some are strict. So they say instead of sticking to the conventional modes which concentrates on promoting the students for the sake of statistics, the assessment of the student must be made continuous. Not all the students who study in city colleges could communicate in English successfully. Only in metros the percentage is more compared to the small town colleges. There also we have varied groups. Some have acquired the least basic knowledge of the English language. Some can speak English but when it comes to writing they fail. The point to be noted here is that some students, even though they have passed in English, are not confident of their English. Only 60% of the students were confident of their English. Percentage of Arts students who are confident of their English is considerably less. Only 15% of them were confident of their language. That too students, who would have studied in the Kannada medium, which is the native language of Karnataka, for them English is a hard nut to crack. They feel very inferior to commerce and science students. The pressure on rural teachers to teach English is very high. All the professors and lecturers said that the present situation of English teaching and learning in rural colleges is really pathetic. Teaching in rural colleges is very difficult and challenging..The percentage of students who fail in English is considerably more in rural colleges. There are many suggestions for that. Some opined that the syllabus for 47

the students of the rural colleges must be different and framed separately. Teachers must be well trained to teach it effectively. The students of the rural colleges must be encouraged to speak in English. To start with they can be interviewed. If they cannot answer properly, through translation we can make them understand and then make them repeat it in English. There are several other ways of using translation as a tool to develop speaking skill. It may help the student to overcome the fear of speaking English in public. References Bailey, Richard W. 1991. Images of English. A Cultural History of the Language. Cambridge. Crystal, David. 1988. The English Language. London: Penguin Books. Ltd. Kachru, Braj B. 1986a. The Alchemy of English. The Spread, Functions and Models of Non-Native Englishes. Oxford: Pergamon Press Ltd. Kachru, Braj B. 1997. "World Englishes and English-using communities." In Annual Review of Applied Linguistics. Kachru, Braj B.1983. Indianisation of English: The English language in India. Delhi:Oxford University press. Agnihothri, R k. and A.L.Khanna,1997. Problematizing English in India. New Delhi:Sage Publications. Sanyal, S.C. 1987. English Language in India & Indo-Anglian Prose Style. London: TEFL. Srivastava, A.K. 1990. "Multilingualism and school education in India: special features, problems and prospects." Tully, Mark. 1997. "English: an advantage to India?" In ELT Journal vol. 51 Allen, Virginia French. 1983. Techniques in Teaching Vocabulary. New York: Oxford University Press. Celce-Murcia, Marianne, and Janet M. Goodwin. 1991. Teaching Pronunciation. In Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language. Ed. Marianne CelceMurcia. Boston: Heinle & Heinle.

48

English Language Teaching: Emerging Approaches and Role of Media

Mahesh Arora Preeti Singh Ritumohan Singh At some point during their teaching career many educators will face the challenge of teaching a student whose native language is other than English. This educational challenge is not exclusive, and can be encountered on any level of the educational environment. Because of the current demographic background within todays classrooms that are already over crowded, under funded, and laced with learning distracters, the feeling of being overwhelmed is only natural. To resolve these issues there are several steps educators can use to create a classroom environment that is conducive to learning for all students. Having explored some of the possibilities of using multimedia resources for effective teaching of English language and literature, it is necessary to have an objective analysis at the prevailing scenario of English language and literature teaching in our colleges and universities. An unbiased observation will reveal that much has been discussed; resolutions passed and promises made but more remain unimplemented. Many governments though they do not openly acknowledge the truth, have nurtured a hated for English language, resulting in false promises for betterment of teaching the language resulting in non- implementation of even the easyto-implement schemes. With the development of modern science and technology, education and gradually expand the range of media. The use of modern media technology assisted language education, education, and social development is a necessary requirement. The proper use of modern media technology, help improve the efficiency of language education, contribute to activation of the classroom, help to promote reform of university language teaching. Social and economic development, making the media more and more diversified language and education has become an important kind of teaching aids, to provide opportunities for independent learning language, to create conditions to facilitate classroom teaching. Educational media is to improve the quality of learning to play the role of a catalyst. Educational media diversity situation has been formed. Teachers first reaction is books, chalk, and blackboard. Teachers are accustomed to traditional teaching methods: a piece of chalk, a book, a blackboard, the teacher reading, analysis, writing on the blackboard and student will become means of communication. Blackboard writing teachers, language is the traditional educational media. Clear to the people of modern science education in the traditional media has greatly affected the quality of learning. The rapid development of modern science and technology to gradually expand the scope of media education, supporting the use of modern media technology teaching has become a community education requirement. 49

Problems in Present English Language Teaching System: The conventional system of English language system uses the text book as the basic material to teach English. Most college students expect their English courses to be something different from their high school English classes. So when we give them course books that are similarly designed as their past learning materials, the students may quickly lose their interest and motivation to study. This is because the similarities in the course books may cause the students to feel bored due to the sameness or repetitiveness of the lessons and activities. This is a major problem because the English courses are designed around using a single course book for the whole academic year. It may be relatively easy for students to be extrinsically motivated; however, the challenge is sustaining that motivation. Although motivation can be sustained through varied class activities, if the content of the course book is uninteresting and repetitive, then sustaining the motivation will be problematic for the teacher no matter how hard they try. The other drawbacks are: Old pattern, Unrevised syllabus and texts, Bulky methods, Division of literature and linguistics, Exam based teaching instead of content based, Supremacy of literature, Lack of learner motivation, Insufficient time, resources and materials and Overcrowded English classes. Moreover English learners who lack the appropriate pragmatic awareness quite often find themselves in difficulty when interacting in English-speaking social contexts, as they are often unable to interpret the hidden meanings embedded in the language of their interlocutors. For example, it is not uncommon for learners, even advanced ones, to fail to understand when English speakers are being ironic or sarcastic towards them. Generally speaking, this is possibly due to the fact that a great deal of classroom activities in published materials is mainly designed to increase pragmatic awareness of topics which are safe and mainstream. Possible solutions The following suggestions are proposed to make any English program that relies on English course books more effective. This would greatly increase and develop the students language ability. In language learning, reading is considered one of the most important lessons for the learner. Researches in extensive reading have shown many beneficial effects on students and claimed that when learners read, they not only learn new words, but they can also develop their syntactic knowledge as well as general knowledge of the world. Other recent studies have also shown that students who participated in extensive reading increased gains in the areas of vocabulary as well as in reading comprehension and reading fluency. One possible explanation for the increase is that students acquire new words incidentally through reading thousands and thousands of words every day. Learning vocabulary this way may be considered more effective than rote memorization because through reading interesting texts, students learn new vocabulary and review old ones. By increasing the amount of reading, especially reading for pleasure, it can increase both vocabulary knowledge and reading rate, both of which are an important part of reading comprehensions. For example, if the class is reading a short story, the teacher can use class discussions as a form of conversation practice. Teachers can also have students do different kinds of presentations based on their readings. 50

Emerging Approaches in English Language Teaching In present hour its needed to explore some more effective ways to make an understanding and fluency among students. Using various kinds of media in the class room has always been a challenge, and how to bring these media in the classroom is more than a challenge. Students and teachers should be able to use in their classrooms different media through different technologies. Media provide teachers and students with creative and practical ideas. They enable teachers to meet various needs and interests of their students. They also provide students with a lot of language practice through activities using newspapers, magazines, radio, TV, movies, books, Internet, etc, and tasks which develop reading, writing, speaking and listening skills. They entertain students and encourage reading English in general, both inside and outside the classroom, promoting extensive reading by giving the students the confidence, the motivation and the ability to continue their reading outside the classroom. Media provide huge information, they motivate students to speak and help them integrate listening, reading, talking and writing. Media inform, amuse, startle, anger, entertain, thrill, but very seldom leave anyone untouched. Bearing in mind all these features and positive input of Media in Education to undertake this study to give a modest contribution to the enhancement of teaching and learning English. As classroom teachers it is necessary to bring mass media in our classrooms exactly for all these reasons mentioned above. Newspapers are easy to be brought in the class in different subjects and courses, especially in geography, history, literature, language classes, etc. Some of them have valuable information for these subjects, but it should be know how to find this information. Many libraries have systems of classification according to the topics and issues and we can easily find our way in searching this information. It is often said that academic success starts at the library. Some newspapers are easy to read, easy to use. The committed teachers can design exercises to develop reading comprehension, critical thinking skills, writing skills. The teacher should take into consideration that: Will the students find the materials interesting? If yes, they will raise students motivation. If no, the students will be frustrated. Are the materials appropriate for their level of knowledge? If they are too difficult to be understood, students will be discouraged. Radio also plays an important part in developing peoples imagination, in creating pictures in the mind through the power of words; it stimulates the imagination to fill in the visuals, etc. The listeners see the drama in their heads. Thus, when radio is used in the classroom it helps students to promote their imagination, to voice their creativity. A lot of radio programs contribute to language learning. Besides getting new information and entertainment, in language classes radio helps the pronunciation, the intonation, the pitch of voice, etc. Students gain a feeling of satisfaction from having understood something of an authentic broadcast. They develop greater confidence in their ability to cope with English as its spoken outside the classroom. Students may use BBC World Service news bulletin, Voice of America or other foreign radio stations. In case students have no possibilities, the teacher may record the news bulletin, transcribe it and prepare to explain any difficult vocabulary that may come out. Then the teacher may ask the students if they have listened to the news in Albanian the day before, 51

because nearly all the news, especially international news, is almost the same. So if the content is somewhat known to the students, they will be more motivated and the success of the task will be easier. Using Movies to Teach English Today films and media are naturally part of young peoples lives. Young people between 15 -24 are the most active media consumers. They spend on average about seven hours each day using the internet, watching TV, watching movies, reading newspapers, listening to the radio. More than 50% of young people aged 9 24 state that they watch videos clips on the internet, for example, on youtube, every day. Multimedia uses combinations of text, graphics, sound, video and animation controlled, coordinated, and delivered on the computer screen. Multimedia encourages interactivity involving the user to get actively engaged in the presentation of information but not to remain a passive observer. As classroom teachers it is necessary to bring mass media in our classrooms exactly for all these reasons mentioned above. We should understand the media, the messages they give and their influence upon us, how to explore this abundant information and create a continuum of the liveliness media create in the life of people and why not in the classrooms where students spend a lot of their time. It goes without saying that the ideas presented in this article by no means exhaust the various possibilities of using films in the English language classroom. Films can be an excellent framework for language work and skills practice. They also provide both learners and teachers with real-life texts which can be used to scaffold pragmatic awareness. We should encourage the students to see as many films as possible outside the classroom or parts of films in the classroom. Watching films is very important as it increases their visual and critical awareness. Watching films in the classroom can be realized through recording them. Another ways that if a teacher wants to teach a long novel he can first ask the students to watch the film based on it. For example if he is teaching Macbeth he can ask to students to watch the film Macbeth (the film). One more example is that in Indian Writing in English class the film Guide can be seen before reading the novel The Guide. This can be done in a variety ways as setting questions about the film, promoting discussions in small groups, asking the students to comment on various things, inviting criticism, etc. He may also stop the film from time to time and ask the students what has happened so far or guess what might happen next. Another way might be turning the sound down and asking the students to imagine or make up dialogues. Sometimes they are difficult to understand but Western Films for example are easy to understand because there is a lot of action in them. Some other films are easy to understand because there is a clear conventional story line, as love stories, epics and science-fiction drama which have simple plots. Of great importance are the subtitles and dubbing which might be in English. They help a lot the aim of helping learning English through films, depending on the procedure the teachers decide to follow. Sometimes the teachers recommend students to see a film dubbed into or subtitled in Albanian, if possible, before seeing it in English. It would be great to find English films with English subtitles. They make understanding the language easier as listening to authentic language is more difficult than seeing the expressions written, thus matching the words with pictures and voice. 52

Role of Media in English Language Teaching Media have a crucial role to play in teaching English effectively and in more interesting way. Media provide huge information, they motivate students to speak and help them integrate listening, reading, talking and writing skills, through various kinds of activities. A clear example are Power Point presentations which help students speak freely, eye contact, organize ideas. Through Media Presentations there is more communication and collaboration among students, while working with the pages of a book is more individual, less collaborative and less interactive. There is so much information available at the click of a mouse. The teachers can exploit a piece of learning materials offered by various Media in several different ways through: analyzing a text in the book, reading and generating ideas from a text in the newspaper or magazine, watching and discussing a TV program or a movie, classroom presentations, exercises and activities using various kinds of Media, pair and group work, reconstructing the text based on the above information brought from different Media, engaging students in useful writing and revision activities. Media Education is important because it develops students creative powers for those images, words and sounds that come to the students from various Media. Thus, creating more active and critical media users, who will always be more demanding in the future? Media Education has to do with film and television, press and radio, their impact on the students progress. It has to do with what to teach through media, when and how. Its aim is to enable students to develop critical thinking, analyzing and reflecting on their experiences while using various means of Media. Media today have an enormous impact. They have become so important that it is rarely that we can live without them. Every morning we may wake up with the radio music in the background, or we play a tape while having shower or being dressed. Someone may run to the PC or laptop to check the mail or the news. On the way to school or work we may grab a newspaper and have a look at the headlines. At school we may go to the library and consult a lot of books and magazines for our research project. At home we may watch television for a while, etc, etc. Each of these experiences puts us in contact with a medium, or channel of Communication. Radio, books, records and tapes, newspapers, magazines, movies, television, on-line media, new media, all these are called mass media, they reach many people at one time. In the years to come, media will become more pervasive. Understanding them and their influence will be crucial to wise use. So, as said above, everyday, everyone is affected by the Mass Media in some way or another, when you study a textbook for school, when you turn on the radio in your car, when you see a movie on TV, etc. The collective effects on society of all these media choices are tremendous; some times we are not aware of. Despite the criticism of the mass media, most thoughtful persons agree that mass media do a superior job in reporting the news and informing the public. Its our task as teachers to help students and pupils understand this information, transmit it to the coming generations and try to use it for education purposes. Mass media provide students with a lot of language practice through activities using newspapers, magazines, radio, TV, movies, books, Internet, etc, and tasks which develop reading, writing, speaking and listening skills. They also provide students with lots of inside and outside classroom activities, 53

promoting extensive reading by giving the students the confidence and the ability to continue their reading outside the classroom and above all they enhance motivation. Media keep us informed about what is happening in the world, they extend our knowledge and deepen our understanding. Nowadays the information is abundant, it comes through different sources, but we should try how to benefit from this information, how to learn about specific issues, how to become aware of problems, opportunities and resources, how to find issues we are interested in, how to identify the issues that have impact on us, etc. So, it is easy to get this information but it is difficult to choose and more difficult to bring it to the classroom. Conclusion After going through the mentioned problems and their suggested solutions it can be said that there are a lot of errors in present English Language Teaching system. It is still unrevised and so must be refined. With the help of new approaches like using media and films in the classrooms can help both teachers and students. These practical problems for teaching/ learning of English language and literature and effective ways to encounter and overcome such problems with also have to be discussed and write answers elicited to make the process of teaching/ learning English language and literature a pleasant experience for the stake holders. A picture not only tells a thousand words but it also helps students improve their thinking and observation skills, it promotes imagination. Playing the video with or without the subtitles enhances visual learners. Radio (playing the audio) helps auditory learners learn better. Listening to the tape and then having the script is a clear combination that helps visual and auditory learners. By using various kinds of Media in the classroom we can enhance students understanding and promote it where necessary. Films, in particular, constitute a stimulating and appealing activity in our everyday life, and books should also be part of it. Films can be an excellent framework for language work and skills practice. They also provide both learners and teachers with real-life texts which can be used to scaffold pragmatic awareness, especially as films do not discriminate against language, making the text of film ideal for awareness-raising activities on appropriacy and less conventional language models. An attempt to present the existing conditions in our colleges and universities for teaching English language and literature has been made with the earnest hope that it will ring bells in the thought process of powers that be. The role of media and films can not be underestimated and therefore should be used at a high rate frequently. References: Agnew, P.W., Kellerman, A.S. & Meyer, J (1996). Multimedia in the Classroom, Boston: Allyn and Bacon. Angell, J., DuBravac, S. & Gonglewski, M. (2008). Thinking globally, acting locally: Selecting textbooks for college-level language programs. Foreign Language Annals, 41, 562 572. Brynes, H. (1988). Whither foreign language pedagogy: Reflections in textbooks reflections on textbooks. Unterrichtsspraxis/Teaching German, 21(1), 29 36.

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Cheng, D. & Wong, H.W. (2002). Measuring teacher beliefs about alternative curriculum designs. The Curriculum Journal, 13(2), 225 248. Davis, Lloyd, Teaching Literature through Flexible Learning. Flexible Delivery Initiatives, Teaching & Learning at the University of Queensland. (Internet) Harmer, J. (2007). How to Teach English. Essex, England: Pearson Education Limited. Hirsch, E. D. Jr. (2003). Reading comprehension requires knowledge of words and the world. American Educator. Retrieved from http://www.aft.org/pubsreports/ american_educator/spring2003/AE_SPRNG.pdf Horst, M. (2005). Learning L2 vocabulary through extensive reading: A measurement study. The Canadian Modern Language Review, 61, 355382. Iwahori, Y. (2008). Developing reading fluency: A study of extensive reading in EFL. Reading in a Foreign Language, 20(01), 70 91.

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The Efficacy of Communicative Approach in Teaching of English

Ahuja Sandeep Hariom Verma This paper makes a modest attempt to study the basic theoretical principles of communicative language teaching and to underline the basic techniques and strategies used in this approach that make teaching of English more effective and relevant in the present setting in India, where the primary aim of learning English language is to acquire communicative competence. English in India is primarily taught as a foreign or a second language. Recent researches have considerably changed our understanding of the processes of second language acquisition and necessitated a change in the teaching methodology, so as to make learning of English more effective and relevant. Moreover, there has been a shift in our aims and objectives of learning English, the primary aim being to communicate effectively. In the wake of these developments, there is an urgent need to replace the existing methods with the ones that can help us meet the desired goal. Survey of Teaching of English in India English in India occupies a prestigious position. It is an official language of republic of India. More than one billion people in the world speak or understand this language. It has become lingua-franca in India and is used by Indians as a link language to communicate with people from India and all over the world. Being taught in schools and colleges as a second or foreign language, it is considered as a pre-requisite for success and advancement in career. The rising importance of English in India has created an enormous demand for quality language teaching and development of resource material. The teaching of English in India is as old as one and a half century and can be attributed to Macualays Act. A variety of methods like Grammar Translation Method , Direct Method , Audio- Lingual Method are being used in schools and colleges to teach English to non-native speakers. Though the most prevalent method, specifically in government schools, is the grammar-translation method. The off-shoot of this is that we have people who have mastered the structures of English sentence formation but are not to able use language for meaningful communication. As a result, there is an increased dissatisfaction with the existing methods, and educators and linguists are constantly in search of new methodology that may enable the learners to meet their desired goals. The present paper undertakes to explore the origins, evolution and theoretical foundations of an approach to teaching of language known as Communicative Language Teaching. It examines the theories of language and learning that provide this model with its basic assumptions and techniques. It also underlines the advantages this

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method has over other method such as grammar-translation method and audio-lingual method that are currently being used in India. What is Communicative Language Teaching? Communicative Language Teaching or CLT can be understood as a set of principles about the goals of language teaching, how learners acquire language, the role of teacher and learner in a language classroom, the strategies and activities that can facilitate learning, the syllabus that can engender communicative competence. History of the method Communicative language teaching is considered to have begun in Britain in the 1960s as a replacement to the earlier method known as structural method which was also referred to as Situational Language Teaching. This method emerged partly as a response to Chomsky's critique of structural theories of language and partly to the theories of British functional linguists Firth and Halliday. Other linguists who influenced the growth of this method are Austin and Searle who propounded the theory of Speech Act. The basic goal of this method is to acquire communicative competence rather than grammatical competence. Grammatical Competence involves the mastery of rules related to tense, phrases, clauses, rules of sentence formation which account for our ability to form sentences. Most of the courses in India that use grammar books foster grammatical competence. However, it is increasingly being realized that knowledge of rules of grammar does not necessarily lead to the fluent use of language in real life situations. It is the communicative competence that is the ultimate purpose of the learner who undertakes any course in English language instruction. Communicative Competence refers to the ability to use language for a variety of functions and in a range of settings such as formal and informal , spoken and written and in a wide range of contexts such as interviews, group discussions, interactions etc. CLT has a rich theoretical base. Some of the most prominent features of this communicative approach are as follows: 1. The basic function of language is to interact and communicate. 2. Language is primarily a system of systems that is used to express meaning. 3. The building blocks of language are not merely its grammatical and structural features, but categories of functional and communicative meaning. Objectives of CLT Communicative approach aims at creating communicative competence in foreign language. The term Communicative competence coined by Hymes is defined by Canale and Swain (1980) as: 1. grammatical competence: words and rules 2. sociolinguistic competence: appropriateness 3. strategic competence: appropriate use of communication strategies1 Bachman (1990) divides communicative competence into the broad headings of "organizational competence," which includes both grammatical and discourse (or

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textual) competence, and "pragmatic competence," which includes both sociolinguistic and "illocutionary" competence.2 This method aims at developing techniques and strategies for the teaching of the four skills i.e. listening, speaking reading writing, that acknowledge the interdependence of language and communication. It aims to make learners become communicatively competent. Communicative competence requires being able to use the language appropriately in a different real-life situations. This requires the knowledge of the linguistic forms, their meanings and functional use. Principles The principles of this method are: 1. Socially contextualized Practical Language use pertaining to real life situations, should be taught, through role playing, employing the medium of target language. 2. The target language should remain the medium of classroom communication. 3. Learners should be given opportunity to express themselves, laying more stress on fluency than on accuracy 4. Different linguistic forms may be used to perform one function. 5. Errors should be accepted as the natural outcome of the development of communication skills. 6. The role of the teacher is of an advisor, a facilitator during communicative activity, of students learning, a manager of classroom activity, or a cocommunicator. 7. Students should be given opportunities to develop strategies for interpreting language as it is actually seen by native speakers. 8. Communicative activities have three features: information gap, choice and feedback. Syllabus for CLT In Communicative approach notional-functional syllabus is adopted as a way of organizing a language-learning curriculum. In a notional-functional syllabus, instruction is organized not in terms of grammatical structure, but in terms of notions and functions. Here, notions mean a particular context for communication whereas function means a specific purpose for a speaker in a given context. Techniques The techniques derived from the principles of this method are: 1. Before presenting the material, a discussion of the function and situation is made between students and teacher. 2. The teacher asks students to re-order sentences within a dialogue or a passage. 3. Students are involved, in groups, in language games and role-play. 4. A problem solving task is used as a communicative technique. 5. Questions and answers are of two types: those based on the material given and those related to the students personal experiences

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As the students do most of the speaking and actively participate in communicative exercises , they gain confidence in using the target language in general. Basic Principles for Learners Learners are encouraged to speak and communicate from day one. Learners practice the target language aiming at accuracy Language is created by the individual, often through trial and error Learners interaction takes place in pairs or groups, to encourage a flow of language and to maximize the percentage of talking time Initially, learners are corrected at the end of an activity so as not to ensure continuity. Basic Principles for Teachers. A teacher is to act as a facilitator not as the leader of the class. Lessons are usually topic or theme based, with a contextualized and implicit target grammar. Lessons are built around situations/functions- practical and authentic in the real world Activities set by the teachers are to be relevant to real life situations Communicative functions centred dialogues should be used with communicative competence as the desired goal. Emphasis is put on the appropriateness of language tone for a particular situation, correct pronunciation and choral (group) and individual drilling is used. Authentic listening and reading texts are used more often, rather than artificial texts simply produced to feature the target language Feedback and correction is usually given by the teacher after tasks have been completed, rather than at the point of error, thus interrupting the flow. CLT approach has become widely accepted in a broad range of traditions. It has advantages over other methods of language teaching. In practical terms, it can help the EFL teacher a lot in mixed-ability classes, and also in leading the students from a focus on form to one of fluency. Being pupil-orientated, and dictated by pupils' needs and interests. References Littlewood, W. 1981. Communicative Language Teaching. New York: Cambridge University Press. Richards, Jack C and Theodore Rodgers. 2001. Approaches and Methods in Second Language Teaching. Second Edition .New York: Cambridge University Press. Lin, G. H. C. (2010) Book Review of Strategies in Interlanguage Communication, C. Faerch and G. Kasper. (Eds.). New York: Longman. 1983., Pp. xxiv +248. Foreign Language Studies. Vol. 11. Cohen, A. D. (1990). Language learning: Insights for learners, teachers, and researchers. New York: Newbury House/Harper and Row. 59

Cohen, A. D., & Drnyei, Z. (2002). Focus on the language learner: Motivation, styles, and strategies. In N. Schmitt (Ed.), An introduction to applied linguistics (pp. 170-190). London: Arnold. Hymes, D. 1972. On Communicative Competence. In JB Pride and J Holmes (eds.), Sociolinguistics. Hammondsport : Penguin. Canale, M. and Swain, M. (1980). Theoretical bases of communicative approaches to second language teaching and testing. Applied Linguistics 1, 1-47. Bachman, L. (1990). Fundamental considerations in language testing. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-437003-8

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The Bumpy Road to English Language Teaching/Learning: Sorting Solutions in Systemic Functional Linguistics
Divya Kalia In the past two decades, much research has been done on the methods of English Language Teaching (ELT) but few studies have concentrated to explore the relationship of SFL notions of Context, Register and Genre to actual English language learning practices. The aim of the research paper is to point out some practical implications derived from the use of SFL principles in academic writing/teaching. In the first section of the paper, there are reflections on the different layers of context, register and genre and their implications for language teaching/learning, in particular English language; the second section focuses on the analysis of an advertisement, where the analysis of register choices and the schematic structure of an advertisement is done to explain the efficacy of the theory to enable the students to create and unpack different genres with reasonable accuracy. Thirdly, pedagogical implications of context, register and genre in English language learning/teaching which tries to combine the SFL notions of context of situation, register and genre in terms of their implications of English language teaching/learning. SFL takes a functional approach to language and views functions as being 'built into language as the fundamental organising principle of the linguistic system' (Halliday, 1981, p. 33). SFL theory interprets language as interrelated sets of options for making meaning and seeks to provide a clear relationship between functions and grammatical systems (Halliday, 1994). The theory does not strongly classify the boundaries between form and content, or form and function. Instead, SFL has conceptualised such a relation as a dialectic, whereby content (i.e. meaning) activates form (i.e. lexicogrammar), while form construes meaning. Halliday (1978, p.16, 21, 27 29, 109) makes four central claims about language: 1. Language is functional in terms of what it can do or what can be done with it. 2. Language is semantic in that it is used to make meanings. 3. Language is semiotic in that it is a process of making meanings by selecting from the total set of options that constitute what can be meant (p. 53). 4. The meanings generated and exchanged are motivated by their social and cultural contexts. Language is seen as Systemic because it consists of a set of choice system, in which each system provides the speaker/writer with a variety of ways to express their intended meanings, and it is functional because it serves functional purposes. According to Halliday there are three functions or meanings of language, namely, Ideational function, Interpersonal function and Textual function. The ideational, the interpersonal and the textual function are related to the grammatical functions and are realized by clauses. Ideational meaning refers to the way we represent reality, the way we construe the world as processes, participants and circumstances. Interpersonal meaning refers to the ways in which we exchange vales with each other and construct relationships of 61

power and of solidarity. Textual meaning refers to the ways in which we make sense in the context within which we interact, how we organise and package ideational and interpersonal meanings to make ourselves understood. All three 'strands' of meaning are seen as contributing simultaneously to the structure of clauses. Ultimately, however, these choices in meaning contribute to the overall meaning of discourse (Martin, 1992). Following the line that language is a social phenomenon employed by the speakers to interact and communicate in certain context of situation and context of culture and that language is a symbol that represents the social realities taking place in the context of situation and context of culture, the next section discusses the notion of context and its role in the foreign language teaching/learning. Language is required to be learnt not only in terms of usage, i.e. the manipulation of grammar, but also in terms of use, i.e. the appropriate use of language in a variety of situations and circumstances. So, foreign language pedagogy has been getting increasingly aware of the need to teach language in context for example by contextualizing grammatical exercises and situating them in socially appropriate verbal exchanges. According to Halliday (1978, 1994), and Vygotsky (1986): as learners come to realize the social arrangements of their environment, they develop reflexivity upon the rules of grammatical operation and text structures. Learners need to reflect on context and text, on how texts contribute to context dynamics. So, one may ask: what is really the need to teach language in its social context? Consider the following classroom exchange between the English language learners at beginners level and their teacher. The students are preparing a role play based on the Grimms fairy tales Hansel and Gratel. One student turns to the teacher and asks: Student : How do you say Chhod aao? Teacher : It depends; it could be leave, quit, desert or withdraw . What is the context? Student : Jungle mein chhod aao. Teacher : Well leave, but it depends upon the rest of the sentence. Students : Bachon ko jungle mein chhod aao Teacher : Ah.. then it might be leave, but who says to whom? Students : Im the mother and I say to the father : you should leave the children in the woods. Teacher : So, you would use the modality also. Student : Should, Must or Can ? Teacher : Ah, Well that again would depend on the context Constructing a language event means not only having a choice of grammatical and lexical features, but also deciding which one to choose from, depending on ones assessment of the whole situation of communication, and on the expectations raised in the speaker and the listener by that situation. The fact that the beginner students rarely consider all these factors, but just use whatever forms they know best, does not relieve the teacher from the responsibility, whatever possible and appropriate, to make them realize what meanings they convey by choosing one form over the other. The choice of 62

lexico-grammar is also determined by the internal context of utterance, constitute by the assumptions, presuppositions and intentions of the participants in the language event. For example, the fact that the fairy tale reveals later on that the mother had the intention of getting rid of her step children Hansel and Gratel, could retroactively justify the students choice of the verb leave (chhod do) over quit (chhod do). The training to understand the intended meaning both that precedes as well as follows the linguistic event would help the students to understand the environment of language. It will bridges a gap between language as medium of learning and language as the substance of what is being taught/learned, as in the process of teaching/learning English language, or even the mother tongue, the skills of reading and writing in language, the grammar, etc. The wider context in which the text occurs is the context of culture, composed of social processes mediated by language. Context of Culture (Halliday, 1989: 6), is defined as the actions and the meanings (and the values attached to them) produced by the members of a social group, genres are these members inter subjective representations of the types of situations and texts that recurrently co-occur in that social group and thus distinguish it from other social groups and their respective cultures. The students need to understand that at the same time that the text instantiates the register, which realizes the context of situation, the potential that lies behind each text a discursive potential built by the teacher and students for exploring language realizes and construes a context of culture for language learning (Halliday, 2004). We have just seen that, in the SFL approach, language is determined by context, both of culture and of situation. Now we would discuss the notion of Register and its implication in English Language learning. The ESL learners/teachers have to be conscious about the need to use certain words in the appropriate register in the written language. According to Eggins and Martin (1997: 234), the concept of register should be perceived as a theoretical explanation of the observation that we always adjust our language to different situations, or to be more precise, to the particular context in which we utter or write a given text. More technically, contextual dimensions can be seen to impact language by making certain meanings, and their linguistic expressions, more likely than other (Eggins and Martin 1997: 234). The field is the social action in which the text is embedded, in other words, what is going on, in a particular setting of space and time. It also includes what the interaction is about (the subject-matter) and what the participants know about it (shared knowledge). We therefore have legal scientific or technical registers, the language of sports and so on. The tenor is the relation between the participants involved, along a continuum of formality levels (from the least formal to the most formal). The social situation heavily affects the level of formality: acceptability and appropriateness vary according to the different situations. The translator/interpreter have to be aware of the peculiar conventions in the different cultures. The mode concerns the role played by language: what exactly the language is achieving or being used to achieve. The mode includes the channel employed (spoken or written). Such opposition actually embraces a number of different possible situations; written texts can be read in silence or aloud, spoken texts can be spontaneous or prepared, and so on. For example, situations of written communication tend to give rise 63

to a text having high lexical density, many lexical elements grouped together, embedded within a well-defined grammatical structure with main and subordinate clauses, etc. Oral texts, on the contrary, are characterized by tangled grammar, consisting of juxtapositions, repetitions, hesitations, reformulations. The identification of register is crucial when it comes to the processing of a text: we can retrieve the context by looking at what has happened (field), who has taken part (tenor) and what channel has been chosen (mode). The knowledge of Register variables (Field, Tenor and Mode) enables the students to understand how these variables influence, and are influenced, by the context, and they learn to create context in their written texts. When students understand context, they are much more likely to write effectively. Alongwith, it enables the learners to know the different linguistic choices which construct degrees of formality in written texts and the different patterns of sequencing. In this way students get to know the structure, the social purpose and lexico-grammatical features of different text types. Genre Pedagogy In the ELT classrooms, spoken and written genres need to be explicitly taught to language learners so that it gives them training to talk, write and act in both creative and conventionally approved ways. Genres are relevant in teaching at any level because learners also have intuitions and experiences about how some texts and events resemble or differ from others. In schools, learners' experiences and uses of language often differ across subjects. Exploring similarities and differences between communicative events is a concern that genre analysis shares with language teaching and learning. Christie (1999) suggests four advantages of genre in teaching ESL students: 1. It offers a principled way to identify and focus upon different English text types, providing a framework in which to learn features of grammar and discourse. 2. It offers students a sense both of the generic models regularly employed in English cultures, and ways in which those models are adapted in longer bodies of text which may employ multiple distinct genres. 3. It facilitates the introduction of students to the various means of expressing meaning that are valued in English-speaking communities. 4. Therefore, they provide for the student a foundational framework for evaluating the ways in which knowledge and information are organized and presented in English. (Christie, 1999, p. 762) The genre-based approach is concerned not simply with teaching vocabulary or grammar in isolation, but with real language used by real people (Derewianka, 1990, p. 4) to demonstrate how to get things done through language (Paltridge, 2004, p. 1). Kim (2006) concludes the genre approach is beneficial because it brings together formal and functional properties of a language (p. 37). An analysis of an Advertisement As a way of demonstrating genre analysis and of suggesting ways of applying it to the teaching/ learning of English, I have selected an advertisement. Advertisements constitute texts which aim at manipulation and persuading the readers. Figure no. 3 below shows the semantic and lexico-grammatical realization of the register variables in this advertisement: 64

Fig.3. Advertisement of Gillette Satin Care for women

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Context of Situation Contextual Features

Semantics Linguistics Metafunction

LexicoGrammar Clause Level

Field of Discourse
The text is about advertising a product, the Gillette satin care for women readyshaver, printed in one of the English magazines printed in India in 2002-2003. The marketing approach used in this advertisements, at the competitive stage describes the features of the product as well as puts the product in competition with the similar products

Transitivity The semantic properties comprise Structure

nuclear and elaborative semantic repertoires. There is a positive appreciation of the Gillette satin care for women readyshaver. The text producer aims to inform about the characteristics of the product, to influence reader/ listener attitudes (to purchase the promoted product), and to attract and sustain reader/ listener attention in systemic ways. Material Processes: Beautiful women the world over are opting for the Gillette Satin Care Readyshaver. It contains Vitamin E and Aloe Vera to leave your skin soft and smooth Fits securely in your hand to give you more control while shaving. Lets your hand rest comfortably. Even as you shave hard to reach areas. Say hello to soft, satin smooth skin with the Gillette Satin Care readyshaver. Relational Processes Since its an international razor designed exclusively for women Its special features include: special moisturizing strip It contain Vitamin E and Aloe Vera to leave your skin soft and smooth Mental Process: Women around the world dont hesitate

Ideational Meaning

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Tenor
The assessment of the product is positive. This is due to the fact that exposition is the genre of the text. The positive evaluation is chosen to prove that the product Gillette Satin Care for Women Readyshaver is an excellent and competitive product. The assessment of readers is also positive. The exposition genre, the propositions in clauses do not assess the reader negatively. The advertiser invites the readers to use the product and get soft, satin smooth skin Mode Descriptive/ persuasion to create a positive picture of the Product Graphic channel; written medium, produced to viewed/read silently.

Interpersonal Meanings structures

Positive evaluation of the product through a number of attitudinal lexis: Beautiful (clause3), smart, international, exclusively (clause 4), soft, smooth, (clause 5 a-2) soft, satin smooth (clause 6) More emphasis on the features of the product and the positive evaluation of the features. Less authority on the reader. Maintaining equality with the reader and left it for the readers/viewers to let them decide for themselves.

Modality
Absence of Modal Markers : Women around the world dont hesitate Beautiful women the world over are opting for the Gillette Satin Care Readyshaver. (This means that the advertiser provides good information and experiential description, which lets readers decide for themselves).

Textual Meaning Logical organization of piece helps in the positive assessment of the product and the readers, the equal status of the advertiser and the readers, the high level of familiarity of language (congruency), the be involvement of the advertiser and the readers (I, your, you), and the use of a tend to be spoken style simultaneously by result in the efficiency and the appropriateness of the medium.

Thematic Structure The text of the advertisement shows that the reader/viewer who may begin with the attractive image or look at the visual will be immediately exposed to the name of the product, attributive addresses Beautiful women, personal pronouns you your, it in terms of the Given and the result after the usage as the New information.

The above example can be used to teach the language learner/ teacher that the textproducers of the advertising genre choose specific persuasive arguments to present a 67

problem, arouse readers reaction or strong emotional wave, create a need for the product and present the product as a solution. Study of the linguistic traps is therefore necessary in this genre for the understanding of these text types. It can be argued therefore, that the genre analysis of the advertisements may contribute to a better understanding of the mechanisms which intend to produce responses in the target customers as well as the linguistic choices available with the text producers to accomplish the communicative purpose of the texts. In the step of genre analysis, we shall examine how social practice is constructed in generic structure of the advertisements. We propose to rank the independent clause as the basic unit of analysis. Further, on the basis of the speech act of the given clause, we propose to relate one or more clauses to different stages in the generic structure. Table : Activity Sequence in Advertisements Clause Activity sequence Rhetorical function 1-2 Women around the world dont Introducing the purpose of hesitate to do it, why should I? the text 3 Beautiful women the world over Describing what the writer are opting for the Gillette satin knows care readyshaver 4 A smart choice since its an Describing what the writer international razor designed knows and the result exclusively for women 5-6 Its special features include: Describing the Gillette S. special moisturizing strip: It Care Readyshaver contains Vit. E and Aloe Vera to leave your skin soft and smooth 7-8 Unique teardrop shaped handle: Describing the Gillette Fits securely in your hand to sating care readyshaver give you more control while shaving 8-9 Unique finger rest: Lets your Describing the product hand rest comfortably even as you shave hard to reach areas. 10 Say hello to soft, satin smooth Suggestion the readers to skin with the Gillette satin care use Gillette S.C.R Readyshaver

Staging Thesis Argumen tI Argumen t2 Argumen t3

Argumen t4 Argumen t5 Suggesti ons

Table: Activity Sequence/Schematic structure of the newspaper/magazine Advertisement

The study of schematic structure of an advertisement illustrated above can be applied in the English language classroom as a way of exploring and practicing this particular genres linguistic and rhetorical traits. After discussing the context, register and genre as a social activity of the advertisement, the students would select a genre of their choice (each student would make their own selection) from different sources to analyze and reshape one of the similar text type.

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Also, in a group, student can select, edit and organize, from the texts produced by his/her fellow students, six or seven different genres which would compose the groups work and see the progress themselves. The selected genres can be discussed by teacher and students in terms of both form and content, including the lexicogrammatical choices made by the different text producers within the register variables and their appropriateness to the context of situation, as well as the schematic organization of the advertisement and its effectiveness to achieve the texts producers communicative purpose. Genre pedagogy involves a debate over the production, distribution and consumption of texts. It is important that learners and teachers get to know (or learn to explore) the social situation of the relevant genres of each targetcommunity, by asking questions to each other. In addition, the students need to learn how lexico-grammatical choices made in the text are motivated by the social needs of people who are communicating. One advantage of using this framework for text analysis is that textual choice is always interpreted in reference to contextual framing. Regarding text analysis, Halliday claims: When we analyze a text linguistically, we usually have one of two possible goals. One is to explain why the text means what it does: why it is understood the way it isby the analyst, or by anyone else. That is the lower of the two goals, the one that is easier to attain. The higher goal is to explain why the text is valued as it isagain, by anyone who may be evaluating it: this might be the case of a literary or religious text, by a general consensus within the culture. (Halliday, 2001: 13). Systemic functional grammar and genre analysis offer the possibility of looking at texts in their social context so that ideational, interpersonal and textual meanings are connected to features of context such as the overall function of the text and the relationship between reader and writer (Wallace, 1999). In other words, SFL can help students to understand the relationships between language use, culture and society. Moreover, students observe that language use is crucial in shaping the different types of context in which it is used. Having SFL as a framework, the ESL learners get the opportunity of learning and analyzing texts and judging their appropriateness and adequacy according to the text type they belong to and to the context in which they are written. References Allen, E.D. and Valette, R.M. (1977). Classroom Techniques: Foreign Languages and English as Second Language. U.S.A.: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc. Burns, R. B. (1995). Introduction to research methods in education (2nd ed.). Melbourne: Longman Cheshire. Butt, D. (2004) How our meanings change: school contexts and semantic evolution In G. Williams and A. Lukin (eds.) The Development of Language: Functional Perspectives on Species and Individuals, London and NY: Continuum. 217-240.

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Butt, D., Fahey, R., Feez, S., Spinks, S., & Yallop, C. (2000). Using functional grammar: An explorers guide (2nd ed.). Sydney: NCELTR. Derewianka, B. (1990) Exploring How Texts Work. Sydney: Primary English Teaching Association Eggins, S. (1994). An Introduction to Systemic Functional Grammar. London: Pinter. Frisby, A. W. (1957). Teaching English: Notes and Comments on Teaching English Overseas. London: Longman. Gerot, L., & Wignell, P. (1994). Making Sense of Functional Grammar. Sydney: Antipodean Educational Enterprises. Halliday, M. A. K., Macintosh, A. & Strevens, P. (1964). The Linguistic Sciences and Language Teaching. Shanghai: Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press. Halliday, M.A.K. (1973). Explorations in the Functions of Language. London: Edward Arnold. Halliday, M.A.K. (1975). Learning How to Mean: Explorations in the Development of Language. (Explorations in Language Study Series). London: Edward Arnold. Halliday, M.A.K. (1978a). 'Is Learning a Second Language like Learning a First Language all Over Again?'. D.E. Ingram and T.J. Quinn (eds.) Language Learning in Australian Society: Proceedings of the 1976 Congress of the Applied Linguistics Associations of Australia. Melbourne: Australian International Press & Publications. pp.3-19. Halliday, M. A. K. (1978b). Language as Social Semiotic. London: Edward Arnold. Halliday, M. A. K. (1985a). An Introduction to Functional Grammar. London: Edward Arnold Halliday, M.A.K. (1985b). Spoken and Written Language. Deakin University Press. Halliday, M. A. K. (1993). Towards a Language Based Theory of Learning. Linguistics and Education (5), 93 116. Halliday, M.A.K. (1994). Functional Grammar. 2nd Edition. London: Edward Arnold Halliday, M.A.K. (2004). An Introduction to Functional Grammar. London: Edward Arnold. Halliday, M.A.K & Hasan, R. (1989). Language, Context and Text: Aspects of Language in a Socialsemiotic Perspective. London: Oxford University Press. Halliday, M. A. K., & Mauhiessen, C. M. (1999). Constuing Experience Through Language: A Language-Based Approach to Cognition. London: Cassell. Hammond, J. (1987). An overview of the genre-based approach to the teaching of English writing in Australia. Australian Review of Applied Linguistics, 10(2), 163181. Hammond, J., Burns, A., Joyce, H., Brosnan, D., & Gerot, L. (1992). English for specific purposes: A handbook for teachers of adult literacy. Sydney: NCELTR. Hasan R. (1996). What kind of a resource is language. In C. Cloran, D. Butt & G. Williams (Eds), Ways of saying, ways of meaning. London: Cassell, pp. 13 37. Hornby, A.S. (1954). Oxford progressive English for Adult Learners. Teachers Handbook. Book One. London: Oxford University Press. Knapp, P., & Watkins, M. (1994). Context, text, grammar: Teaching the genres and grammar of school writing in infants and primary classrooms. Broadway, NSW: Text Productions 70

Labov, W. & Waletsky, J. (1967). Narrative Analysis: Oral Versions of Personal Experience. Reprinted in The Journal of Narrative and Life History, 7, 3-39. Lock, G. (1996). Functional English Grammar: An Introduction for Second Language Teachers. New York: Cambridge University Press. Martin, J. R. (1992). English Text: Systems and Structure. Philadelphia; Amsterdam: John Benjamins. Martin, J.R. (1997). Analysing genre: Functional Parameter In F. Christie & J.R. Martin (Eds.), Genres and institutions: Social processes in the workplace and school (pp. 3-39). London: Cassell. Martin, J. R. (2001). Language, Register and Genre In A. Burns & C. Cofn (Eds.), Analysing English in a global context: A reader (pp. 149-166). London: Routlege/Macquarie University/The Open University. Matthiessen, C.M.I.M. ( 1 9 9 3 ). Register in the Round: Diversity in a Unified Theory of Register Analysis. In M. Ghadessy (Ed.), Register analysis: Theory and Practice.London: Pinter. 221-292 Nunan, D. (1998). Language Teaching Methodology. London: Prentice Hall International. Painter, C. (1989). Learning language: A Functional View of Language Development. In R. Hasan & J. Martin (Eds), Language development: Learning language, learning culture. Norwood: Ablex, 18 65 Painter, C. (2001). Understanding Genre and Register: Implications for Language Teaching. In A. Burns & C. Coffin (Eds.), Analysing English in a global context: A reader (pp. 167-180). London: Routlege/Macquarie University/The Open University. Painter, C. (2004).The Interpersonal First Principle in Child Language Development. In G. Williams and A. Lukin (eds.) The Development of Language: Functional Perspectives on Species and Individuals, 137- 157. London and NY: Continuum. Paltridge, B. (2002) Genre, text type, and the English for Academic Purposes (EAP) Classroom. In A.M. Johns (Ed.) Genre in the Classroom. Multiple Perspectives, 73-90. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum. Ragan, P. H. (1989) Applying functional grammar to teaching the writing of ESL. Word 40/1-2: 117-127 Stern, H.H. (1983). Fundamental Concepts of Language Teaching. Oxford: OUP. Swales, J. M. (1990). Genre analysis: English in academic and research settings. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Torr, J. (1993). Classroom discourse: children from English-speaking and non-English speaking backgrounds. Australian Review of Applied Linguistics 16(1), 37 56. Vygotsky, L. S. (1986). Thought and Language (Rev. ed., A. Kozulin, Ed.). Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press Wallace, C. (1999). Critical language awareness: Key principles for a course in critical reading in Language awareness, 8(2), 98-110. Willis, J. (1982). Teaching English through English. London: Longman

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FLOWERING OF THE ENGLISH LEXICAL BUDS THROUGH PERIPHERALS AN INTERACTIVE APPROACH Rakesh Mohan Sharma

Teaching of English as a foreign language can take place neither in vacuum nor in the realm of pre-possessed, conditioned and burdened minds. In order to teach English as a second language for comfortable and productive usage not only for professional communication but also for day to day interaction, the traditional formal strategies have to be transcended to enter the realm of peripheral learning. By Peripherals I mean, development of teaching strategies through expansive use of all day-to-day events, situations, songs, stories, movies, cultural festivals, sports events, conferences, video clippings, newspapers, magazines, real life situations from the family, social events, National and international happenings, change of seasons, new inventions and the Japanese concept of Kaizon. This means, if a teacher is to develop himself professionally, he must initiate steps to learn how to expand the shrunken contours of syllabus-oriented teaching modules. Peripherals have the innate quality of breaking the iron- curtains of pre-emptive and constallatoy constructs and helping the foreign language learner to develop superordinate ones for smooth transmission and reception of ideas. Peripherals help in unobtrusive, un-pontificated and uninhibited flow of foreign language learning ethos. It is only through peripheral learning that concepts and ideas can be understood at leisure and at ease. Instead of treating the text material as a morose arrangement of lexical items soaring in air, peripherals place the transmitted language material in proper context and ambience. Psychologically too, the fine fusion of sight, sound and the familiar leads to lasting and pulsating impressions. Therefore in order to make English language learning a creative experience among second language learners, interesting, familiar, imaginative, meaningful, content based stories, one act plays, poems have to be placed before the learners for interaction. Textual words or textual material has to be seen as a living reality tempting the learner to enter new lanes and bi-lanes for productive understanding and harnessing of the language. The three basic requirements for making English language teaching a creative experience are creating a context for the transmitted material, developing an environment for vibrant use of words and exploring cultural equivalents for easy assimilation of foreign lexical jargon. The two basic premises of internalizing the structure and usage of any language can be stated as follows: 1. 2. Mothering influences are innate strengths for acquisition of language skills as naturally as leaves come to a tree. Primary contacts coupled with secondary and tertiary influences in the English-speaking schools, neighborhoods, playgrounds, tourist resorts, recreational theatres etc. create an ambience, which smoothen the process of the language learning. 72

These two basic premises find their best illustrations in the facts that language of the mother, father & family acquires the status of mother tongue and the young learners in convent schools approximate to the acquisition of English Language skills as good as any native speaker, notwithstanding variations in the pronunciation and delivery mechanisms under the impact of actual mother tongue. In order to bring the two above mentioned premises and their illustrations from their ivory towered existence down to our schools and colleges where English is taught as a second language, holistic and multi prolonged strategies have to be devised developed and adopted. The strategies may or may not be built around technical niceties, nuances or nitty-gritty but must take into consideration the psychological aspects of cognitive processes. Before developing any strategy, following questions have to be addressed: 1. Is English language to be taught only for dissemination of content? 2. Is the sole purpose to be successful in the examination related situations? 3. Is the focus to be placed only on answering questions raised by outside agencies like text books writers or teachers? 4. Is the domain of English learning limited to text books only? 5. Should our focus rest on cramming certain exercises and their reproduction verbatim? 6. Should we limit our focus on English language learning as one independent course/discipline different from other subjects like History, Political Science, Geography, Biology, Zoology, and Sociology and so on? 7. Should we continue to treat lexical jargon or items as static entities to be learnt as they appear before us in the texts or should we allow creative interplay of contractions, expansions, experimentation, coinage by creating words, sentences as living entities offering ever expanding scope for innovation? 8. Should we limit our focus upon preserving the purity, piety and pithiness of inherited wealth of native speakers or Should we increasingly allow leaps and forays into multi cultural and cross cultural equivalents? 9. Should we concentrate on formal English teaching methodologies and strategies without caring for the mental stress which it causes on young learners having different mother tongues? 10. Last but not least, should we continue to teach English through verbose and morose methods of translation and transliteration from vernaculars to English and Vice-versa? It is in this back drop of above stated observations that English teachers have to explore myriad options which English language teaching learning techniques offer us. Since language learning involves four basic processes namely speaking, listening, reading and writing, each English teacher is at liberty to choose from twin methods namely segmenting the processes to water-tight compartments like teaching of speech skills only, listening skills only, reading skills only and writing skills only or by creating an organic whole in which each component supplements, nourishes, 73

cements and enriches the other. The teacher must be absolutely clear about his objectives as to what he wants to teach and how he wants to deliver. This aspect is very significant because we, in the northern part of India have acquired skills of English language by the strategy called Language Through Literature i.e. through novels, poems, stories, drama etc. Of late, researches have started making attempts to teach language through linguistics but results have not been very encouraging. The reasons of this situation are not very far to identify, the chief of which is that unless we address the curiosity of the learner, we cannot reach anywhere except Labyrinthine Jigsaws. Therefore in order to reap the fruits of our first two premises, the best options which come before us are to go in for transcending the shrunken contours of textbooks-based knowledge, material and exercises to interdisciplinary approaches by inching speedily to the realm of peripherals. While peripherals themselves offer abundant scope for innovation yet by keeping in mind the constraints of syllabus to be covered for academic attainments and embellishments, leaps from text to tales and from tales to mails (letters to the editors in newspaper, magazines, journals etc.) and from mails to vales of peripherals learning turn out to be very productive roads of transcendence. No text should be seen as a static monument. Rather an English teacher should weave interesting stories around its lessons, drawing from his own experience as well as experience of the learner for involving them as if they are in the theatre of curious learning. My paper limits its contours to teaching of English lexicon through a first hand case study of undergraduate students in an institution in which there was a fine mix of rural, semi urban, urban and army background students. Of the many stories that came before me for experimentation were stories like A Gift for Magi, The Last Leaf, The Diamond Necklace, An Astrologers Day etc. Manohar Malgonkars story Two Red Roosters came out to be a story offering countless lanes and bi-lanes not for digressions but for cohesively expansionist purposes. The contents of the story were not challenging but submissively unfolding its multi layers enabling the learners to actively involve themselves for making attempts to ponder, think, speak and even discuss with peers. The methodology used by me was as follows: First the plot was discussed about the thematic strands of the story. Then by slow degrees, the learners were transported to different domain adjacent to the actual domain i.e. the traditional ritualistic Indian way of life and its changing modes towards mechanized innovations. The second step was to divide the students in small groups and each group was given two paragraphs each for comprehension and drafting of questions related to the paragraphs. Interestingly, the young learners themselves reached the following conclusion: 1. The story deals with two worlds namely :

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The Mundane and the Supernatural world. When asked to enumerate characteristics of both these worlds, the class was divided into two groups. The two groups enumerated the characteristics of the two worlds as under: Mundane World Natural, Rituals, Farmers, Tilling, Sowing, harvesting, money lenders, banks, borrowers, usurers, poverty, illiterates, God fearing, early risers, community kitchens, village fairs, story telling, rustics, sons of soil, manual labour, cow dung, use of oxen, buffalos, asses, camels (ship of the desert), horses, physically strong, love of the land, fragmentation, joint families, superstitions Supernatural World Ghosts, Witches, Spirits, Apparitions, Shadows, Skeletons, Magic, Necromancy, Black Magic, Gods, Goddesses, Good Angels, Bad Angels, Vampires, Plutos World, prophesies, premonitions, predictions, foretelling, dreamland etc.

When asked to focus upon the interference of supernatural forces in our lives and the different rituals observed by the Indian people, the answers were very factual and variegated. The enumeration of their answers is as under: 1. Going in for fasts (fasting). 2. Paying obeisance sitting cross legged 3. Visiting religious places. 4. Offering donations. 5. Organizing mass and community kitchens 6. Offering sacrifices 7. Applying sacred ashes 8. Inviting tiny girls to home and washing their feet 9. Application of Sandal and vermillion on forehead. 10. Taking dips in the Holy tanks 11. Making prayers lying prostrate 12. Observing celibate habits. When asked about naming the superstitions about which the students are aware of, the results were again very encouraging as under: 1. A cat crosses the way-obnoxious, ill omen, ominous 2. Sneezing by the other when someone is going out for something goodInauspicious, Auspicious. 3. When someone calling you from the back when you are on the moveobjectionable, against culture, etiquette, bad manners, ill luck. 4. To meet some scavenger or sweeper Good omen 5. To have some bad dream fear, tragedy, premonition 6. To cut nails on Saturdays Saturn, prohibited 7. When a crow craws on the roof top indication of guests arrival. 8. Cake of dough falling down Need for offering alms. 9. Apply black mark behind the ear of the child to ward off bad sight. 10. To encircle red chilies over the head and burn to remove bad effects of bad sights. 75

11. To walk without shoes and with head covers barefooted, helmets. When asked about the different methods of prayers which Indians indulge in, the replies of the students were as variegated as under: 1. Folding hands. 2. Chanting of hymns. 3. Recitation of Shlokas, incantations. 4. Bowing heads down. 5. Cringing, lying prostrate, making a cross, incense burning, to blow conch, meditation, holy baths When asked about the different options available to Sonba at the time of trouble, the answers came very fast as under: 1. He could use his savings and other resources like jewellery, ornaments, 2. He could sell his gold. 3. He could borrow from the bank. 4. He could mortgage his land. 5. He could go to the money lender. 6. He could try his relatives/friends for help. 7. He could give his land on auction. 8. He could rent out his land. 9. He could do some other business. When acquainted with the number of vernacular words used by Sonba and his friends in the story, the students were able to identify as under : Jungle Sahib Forest Officer Cattle Sahib Veterinary Officer Road Sahib Road Inspector Kheti Sahib Agriculture Officer When talked about Roosters and other words associated with animal kingdom, the young learners talked about pets and their types, habits and to my surprise difficult words like the following came up for discussion: Canine, Herbivorous, Carnivorous, Bovine Diseases, Polyclinics, domestication of animals, inoculation, vaccination, prowling. Last but not least, when asked about the main profession of Sonba, everyone came up unanimously with the answer Agriculture. When further asked to enumerate the peripherals related to agriculture, each of the young learners came out with a rich store house of new words like: Cash crops, Commercial Crops, Fish Farming, Poultry Farming, Hatcheries, Silk Farming, Pupa, Pissiculture, vermi- culture, Horticulture, Sericulture, Western Culture, Floriculture and one student even referred to Emufarming and green house farming. Not only this the answers also entered the domain of green revolution, white revolution, yellow revolution, blue revolution, red revolution, ideological revolution, earth revolution and silent revolution like the one engineered by Internet.

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The workshop conducted in the classroom was necessitated by the failure of pontificated methods of lecturing which do not produce any tangible results, rather transported the young learners to the world of fatigue, disinterestedness and ennui. Earlier the students remained silent listeners with morose faces wondering at the so called bombastic English language skill of the teacher but with this interactive use of peripheral method, the results were not only very encouraging but also creative. Therefore in order to make our students learn English language skills effectively and with their fuller, richer and variegated applications, English teachers must go in for innovative, creative and interactive strategies for active involvement of the learners. They must create a suitable context and they must be clear in their heads and hearts as to which particular area they want to focus upon. Although my paper has highlighted the learning strategies for English lexicon though peripherals yet an increasing use of day to day happenings , news papers, songs, experiences, magazines, radio talks, television channels must be harnessed for better appreciation and fuller learning. In our age of science and technology, when internet has almost shrunken the contours of cosmos, various English learning websites of the British Council and agencies like FLO JOE, vernacular newspapers like The Dainik Jagran, The Punjab Kesari, English Newspapers like The Times of India, The Tribune, The Employment News Educative Journals like The Competition Master, The Success Review The India Today, The Front Line etc. are freely available for both teachers and students to jointly work upon. The task may appear to be difficult but it will appear difficult to only those who do not have the will, patience and commitment to change with the changing times. Surprisingly, when the workshop was over, there was a glow of joy on each face beaming with confidence for tomorrows interactive English language learning session. The students felt themselves richer with scores of new words added to their wealth of lexicon. Thus the crux of my paper is that teaching of English as foreign language requires contextual ambience, interactive atmosphere, curiosity arising exercises and above all undivided focus on the part of the teacher as to his object while teaching. An enlightened teacher must change with the changing times to elicit active involvement of the learners. He must not forget that he is dealing not with dead wood but with human material, palpitating hearts which are the most unpredictable and therefore which need positive and unobtrusive monitoring.

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Interplay of Modality in the Interpretation of Text: A Systemic Functional Approach to English Language Teaching
Arpana Language is a developing phenomenon evolved as a means of communication but now the domain of language is widening. In teaching-learning process, the language is a link and medium between the teacher and the learner. So the process of language production and language comprehension demands experimental and scientific tools for the analysis of language to make it more helpful in the comprehension of the texts both in the classroom and external environment. The main purpose of language teaching is the mastery of the basic elements of a linguistic system in a text i.e. phonological units, lexico-grammatical and semantic units. My research problem is concerned with the comprehension of MODALITY in the Clause. Students dont have proper knowledge about the usage of modals. I take Modality as defined by Halliday in Systemic Functional Linguistics.. Defining a text, Halliday says,A text is the result of multiple choices made in a particular social situation. And each semantic component specifies its own structures i.e. it has particular lexical and grammatical categories associated with it. The Systemic Functional Approach explains three basic functions of language: 1. Ideational Function, related to the field of text and it is realized by Transitivity and Clause Complex. 2. Interpersonal Function, related to the tenor of text. In the speech functions, it deals with role relationships and it is realized by Mood and Modality. 3. Textual Function, related to the mode of the message represented by Theme and Rheme. Modality relates to the Interpersonal functions. There are four basic speech functions:Statement, Question, Offer and Command. Every speech function involves both a speech role that can be Giving or Demanding and a commodity choice. e.g;1. I will read this book- STATEMENT 2. Have you read this book?- QUESTION 3. Would you like to read this book?- OFFER 4. Read this book.-COMMAND The speech roles of giving and demanding can be categorized further according to the commodity choice. 1. Proposition: the semantic function of a clause in the exchange of information. 2. Proposal: the semantic function of a clause in the exchange of goods and services. 78

Proposition: A proposition can be affirmed or denied. It means the response can be either in yes or no. And this specific structure of yes/no indicates the POLARITY of a message. But between these two extremes of yes and no there are a number of intermediate choices such as degree of Probability(possibly,probably,certainly) and degree of Usuality(sometimes,usually,always). These intermediate positions are described as Modalization.e.g;1. He might come there. 2. I often visit church. [Probability] [Usuality]

Thus, Modalization as a function of Mood in English can be expressed through Modal Verbal Operators Modal Verbal Operators Low Median High Positive can, may, could, will, would, should, must, ought to, need, might (dare) is/was to has/had to Negative needn't to, doesn't won't, wouldn't, must n't, oughtn't to, can't, to, didn't to, have to shouldn't (isn't/wasn't to) couldn't, mayn't, mightn't, (hasn't/hadn't to) So, Modality expresses the speakers attitude in the text and the tense expresses the time-period of the speech event. But with the help of modal operator, tense is normally neutralized because the operator is present tense. It expresses the speakers attitude at the time of speaking. It means if some past event is being discussed, modality will signal the present view of the speaker about that past event. e.g., He must have done this. In this example, must showing modality refers to the present opinion of the speaker. Modality can be expressed by a Modal Adjunct .e.g.,- probably, usually, rapidly. He usually sits there. It can be expressed by both Modal operator and Mood Adjunct:-e.g., He will usually sing all the day. Proposal - As Halliday states, in a proposal, the meaning of the positive and negative poles is prescribing and proscribing. There are two kinds of intermediate possibilities depending on the speech function:1. Command 2. Offer. In a command, the intermediate points represent the degree of obligation: allowed to, supposed to, required to .In an offer, they represent the degree of inclination: willing to, anxious to, determined to. These scales of obligation and inclination are referred to as MODULATION. Modulation can be expressed in two ways: 1. by a finite modal operator. 79

2.

You should know that he will help us. by an expansion of the predicator. (a) By a passive verb e.g. - you are supposed to do this. (b) By an adjective e.g. - I am anxious to help them. Types of Modality

Modalization

Modulation

Probability

Usuality

Obligation

Inclination

These two aspects of modalization and modulation can be further categorized on the basis of orientation. Modality on the basis of orientation Orientation

Subjective

Objective

Explicit

Implicit

Some clauses have subjective loading. It means the speaker seems to be presenting his or her own view-point, but in other cases objective opinion is given. It is certain that I will come (Objective) I'm certain that I will come. (Subjective) Further, modality can be implicit and explicit. It is implicit when speaker is implicitly stating the source of conviction. (i). That's probably true. (ii). He will surely come. It is explicit when speaker is explicitly stating the source of conviction. Thus, these are various dimensions of modality that can be discussed in this paper. Analysis The chief minister said that failure to take immediate corrective and remedial action could lead to serious law and order problems in the days ahead. 80

Badal has also written to Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar saying that centre must keep in mind that the paddy has been affected for reasons beyond the control of farmers. We need to come to the aid of beleaguered farmer who sweats and toils for national food security. Moisture specification should be raised from 17 to 20 percent. The rice out turn ratio should be decreased from 67 to 60 percent. Clause 1 2 3 4,5 Types Probability Obligation Obligation Obligation Polarity Positive Positive Positive Positive Degree Low High Low Median Orientation Implicit Subjective Implicit Subjective Implicit Subjective Implicit Subjective Model Item could must need to should

This extract has been taken from the newspaper. We can find out five expressions of modality. All the expressions show the positive polarity. All the clauses (2,3,4,5) indicate obligation except the first one (could). Subjective implicit dimension can be noticed in the whole message. The degree of probability and obligation is varying from low high. One noteworthy point is that in the very first expression i.e. could, tense has been neutralized. The present opinion of the speaker has been expressed using past form of 'can'. Thus, it can be concluded that modality space between 'yes' and 'no'. As Halliday says, "what the modality system does is to construe the region of uncertainty that lies between 'yes' and 'no'. By applying this SFL approach of modality, learner's ability to grasp the grammar of interaction can be enhanced. System Functional Linguistics should be made a part of student's syllabi at undergraduate level so that they will be able to comprehend the semantics of the text properly. References Halliday, M. A. K (1978). Language as Social Semiotic: The Social Interpretation of language and Meaning. London: Edward Arnold. Halliday, M.A.K. (1985a). An introduction to functional grammar. London; USA: Edward Arnold. Halliday, M. A. K (1985b). Spoken and Written Language. Geelong, Victoria: Deakin University Press Halliday, M.A.K. (1990). Spoken and Written Language. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Halliday, M. A. K (1994). An Introduction to Functional Grammar. 2nd ed. London: Edward Arnold.

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LITERATURE : A TOOL TO ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING

Balraj Kaur English language teaching to Indian students is a big challenge for teachers across the country . Acquisition of English language as a skill has become almost a necessary evil as the world has got shrunk to a global village . Its acquisition has become a prerequisite as a potent weapon to be armed with to get educated , to get access to the world of science and technology , to acquire jobs , promote business interests and establish relationships at personal and social levels . As such teachers of English are expected to take up this uphill task of enabling learners with English language and deliver effectively . In such a scenario , English language teaching has become an area of great interest and research . Various attempts are made by teachers to locate the problems and to arrive at strategies that can be taken recourse to to make English language teaching an effective effort . This paper focuses on using literature as a tool to teach English language . Literature , in the form of stories , poems and plays , having value both as art and means of entertainment can be exploited as a tool in English teaching . Literature has an immense potential . It provides the learner with an opportunity to be able to communicate ideas and states of mind . It has the inherent potential to make them human in a profound sense , where they identify with , understand and appreciate a text and imbibe values of life that can turn them into fine human beings . The foremost thing to be considered is the fact that literature is rooted in language and language gets life through its literature . Since the two are deeply connected , it makes sense that literature can be exploited as a tool to English language teaching . Every student , right from the moment he gets initiated into the process of learning , is exposed to literature in the form of rhymes , poetry , stories , plays and so on and so forth . These literary texts are made up of language . When we use literature in a language classroom , we are actually teaching language . Language and literature are mutually not exclusive , rather they are strongly related . Literature fosters and enriches language and it is language that helps to understand literature. Nissani and Lohani (1996) have rightly said, The best road to language proficiency lies in its literature ; nothing is so emotionally gripping so that it is remembered for a long time. Jha (1983) also writes, There is no other way of acquiring a sophisticated command of language except through assiduous study of its literature. Literature being authentic , culturally enriching , and personally involving , has a big claim to be used as a very useful tool in English language teaching . Maley (1989 :12) has listed the following reasons for regarding literature as a powerful tool in the language teaching 1. Universality 2. Non-triviality 3. Personal Relevance 4. Variety 5. Interest 6. Economy and suggestive power 82

Caster and Long have proposed the following three models showing the reasons behind using literature for language teaching 1. The Cultural Model which focuses on the assumption that learners acquire and grasp new and strange information about the culture they are not familiar with . The focus of this model is to develop linguistic competence to the learners . 2. The Language Model which focuses on the assumption that literature is used as a tool for language teaching . Literary texts offer numerous advantages to language teaching useful in developing linguistic knowledge both on usage and a use level . 3. The Personal Growth Method focuses on the assumption that many learners want and love literary texts . They wish to become familiar with patterns of social interaction which uses the target language . Literary texts portray these in contextualized situation and stimulate students to learn literature which gives awareness and insight to them . Therefore it is quite justified to see and use literature as the best tool to master language. It plays an important role in teaching the four basic language skills , that is reading , writing , listening and speaking . However there should be an attempt to teach these basic language skills as an integral part of oral and written language use , as part of the means for creating both referential and interactional meaning . The teachers need to adopt a dynamic , student-centred approach towards the comprehension of a literary text . The student need to be encouraged to comprehend at the literal , inferential and evaluative levels to get stimulated to think imaginatively and develop problem solving and analytic abilities . Equipped with these abilities , the student can be further equipped with a spontaneous and impressive competence to use language to acquire jobs , promote business interests and establish healthy and meaningful interpersonal and social relationships .Acquisition of this competence will also empower them to understand scientific or technical vocabulary specific to different subjects of interest to the learners .Last , but not the least, it will help the learners to bridge the the great ability gap between having information and being able to use it spontaneously for communicative purposes . Hence literature , as it is the most basic and elementary thing that a learner is introduced to at the very beginning , has to be realized and exploited as a tool to English language teaching . References Carter , R and M Long (1991) Teaching Language Longman . Jha , Arun Kumar (1993). Language , Linguistics and Literature : Some Pedagogic Considerations Education Quarterly xviii , No.2 : 64-69 Lazer , Gillian (1993) Literature and Language Teaching, Cambridge . Maley A.(1989) Down From The Pedestal :Literature as Resource in Literature and the Learner :Methodological Approaches . Cambridge :Modern English Publishers. Nissani , Moti , and Shreedhar Lohari (1996). Intrduction . Adventures in English . Kathmandu :Ekta Books

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A WALK WITH LOGIC AND EXAMPLES TO DEFINITIONS

Mamta Rana When we as English Language teachers walk towards our class, we go with a hope that we will sharpen the language skills of our students .The modus operandi primarily till now has been to start our classes by defining the topic of the day, talk about the related rules and the exceptions in rules. We as learners have been learning the concepts likewise and therefore are unable to break the conventional vicious circle of English Language teaching in India. Before we move ahead, we need to first understand as to why it is so difficult to break the traditional pedagogical path followed while teaching English language in India. Also, on the contrary, in spite of the fact that some of us are teaching through the modern methods for enhancing the four essential skills of language, we, are unable to make our learners proficient in English language. Major challenges in English language teaching in India: 1. Rote learning method inherited by the English language teachers. 2. Focus on teaching English Literature instead of teaching English language. 3. Framing of Syllabus. 4. Unlearning crammed school days lessons in college teaching. 5. Technological advancements. 6. Dearth of resources. Rote learning method inherited by the English language teachers: Certain practices have become a part and parcel of English language teaching in India. For example: If a teacher is teaching nouns in a class, majority of us start our class by defining what nouns are with a few examples and then move on to the types of nouns. Our learners cram the definitions, types and examples without disturbing their thought process at all. The learners must derive the logic as to why they need to learn nouns at all in a language class. Instead, the sole objective of our English language learners till now has been to somehow sharpen their speaking skills only, without the advent of grammar at all. Focus on teaching English Literature instead of teaching English language: Second major hindrance in learning English language is that we have been focusing on teaching literature, the history of the author or the moral of the story in our classes. The purpose is not to provide information, which can be easily taken via other sources like the books or the Internet. The objective is that the age old teacher centred dissemination of text based knowledge needs to undergo radical changes.

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Framing of Syllabus: The syllabus followed in majority of our schools focus too much on enhancing the writing skills of our learners. Majority of our students are weak in areas like sentence construction and grammar. The logic here is that if our students are not sound enough in grammar, we need to rework on the stress given to writing skills only. For example, if we see the marks distribution pattern in CBSE tenth class (2011) English syllabus, 7580 percent marks have been given to writing skills only . Unlearning crammed school days lessons: More than seventy per cent of the Indian population still resides in small towns or villages. Job opportunities on the other hand are available in urban areas .On being exposed to the urban culture suddenly; learners from such backgrounds find themselves lost in that environment .Lack of good Communication Skills in English language results in the loss of confidence and also increases the frustration levels of such learners. It becomes very challenging for the teachers taking up language classes in urban or semi urban areas to hone their learners communication skills. The point to be stressed here is that when we come across such students, constituting a large chunk of the population, making them unlearn their deeply rooted concepts becomes very difficult. Technological advancements Even though seventy percent of the Indian population resides in towns or the villages, most of us now carry mobile phones. In texting messages, we murder English literally. Internet access can lead or mislead people in terms of reading material, which is from varied resources that use grammatically incorrect English. Dearth of Resources As per an article (IANS, 2009) India has one of the lowest ratio of teachers. In the US, it is 3,200 teachers per million people, in the Caribbean it is 1,500, in the Arab countries it is 800 and in India it is 456 teachers per million people, which is so alarming. Our language teachers face the challenge of enhancing the skills of students sitting in a big class. In this case we need to look for more viable options which do not cost us too much and are easily accessible. We need to make the most of the technological changes that are taking place globally. In our case we need to more innovative than the other countries, as we have to fight with the shortage of resources too. Innovations towards a logical thought process: Today learners have an exposure to the technological advancements which were lacking a decade ago. Earlier, the teacher used to be the sole source of knowledge to the learners. Now, with the arrival of the Internet, our learners have a greater exposure and thus the challenge of English Language teaching has increased manifolds. Some of the measures which can make classroom teaching interesting are: 1. Start classes by eliciting responses from the learners When we move away from the rote learning method in our class, our responsibility, towards planning beforehand for our class multiplies. To make our classes interactive,

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we must elicit responses from the learners. Adopt a path which arouses the logical thinking of the learner. We can start our class either by asking a question or narrating a situation and then taking their feedback. For example we can start teaching nouns by asking, What will happen to English language, if there were no names?, Do names help us in differentiating between two people?, the learner will themselves understand the importance of learning the topic. In the conventional method of teaching, we all start with defining and announcing the topic beforehand. If we start asking questions about the topic to be taken up, the suspense of what will happen throughout the session remains and the students enjoy more by participating in the session. We can start our class by narrating a situation like __________ and ________ went to the _________ . Next they went to the ____________. ____________ bought a __________ and ___________ bought a ___________. If the students are asked to fill the blanks without explaining the definition of nouns, they will be involved and try to pay attention to the task allotted to them. Then a teacher can further ask them What if the words (Nouns) they had filled were not there in English language? The answer of the question will automatically instill the requirement of learning English Grammar intensively. Most of the students fail to understand this aspect, as they have been cramming definitions and examples without understanding the logic behind. 2. Using prescribed texts to get the maximum In the traditional method of English language teaching, we have been focusing on the text, word meanings, question and answers based on the text and very importantly on the moral of the story. The same text needs to be utilized in a way that it enhances multiple skills of language listening, speaking, reading, writing and grammar. We can read the text ourselves (directly or recording) first and ask the students to pay attention while listening to the text, which can be followed by asking them questions based on text. As a result, the listening and the speaking skills of the students can be honed. The analytical skills of the students are sharpened more when they first build up their own perspective about the text. After speaking out their viewpoints on the introduced text the students should be made to read the text for working upon their reading skills. Pronunciation, tone and accent can be discussed in the process. This can be followed by writing and grammar. This way the available text can be utilized to its maximum. 3. Marks distribution needs to be reworked The syllabi framed by the Boards at school level concentrate a lot on enhancing the writing skills of the learners. The logic is that if we keep reading or speaking skills as a part of the practical component, like we do in Science or Social Science, in Secondary or Higher Secondary Board Examination, students will then start focusing on their reading and speaking skills too. 4. Phonetics needs to be introduced in the curriculum The speaking skills of the teachers taking up English language classes are under their regional language influence. As a result, the pronunciation skills of the students in rural areas gets hampered at an impressionable age and it becomes very difficult for the teachers at the later stage to make them unlearn the faulty pronunciation. Thus, we need

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to introduce phonetics as a part of the curriculum in State as well as Central Boards. Teachers can be trained through the refresher courses for the same. 5. Innovative teaching aids to be introduced In our country where we have been facing the challenge of lack of funds, innovative methods of English Language Teaching need to be adopted. For example, earlier in Indian villages people used to get together and listen to Radio for getting news updates. The same method can be used to enhance the listening skills of our students in the class .Mobiles can be connected to a speaker in a class and the same technique can be used for enhancing the listening skills , followed by speaking , writing and grammar . The teacher can make the effort of writing the text beforehand on a chart paper and utilize the same for reading in the class. Language games, group activities /discussions can be conducted in the class. Pictures can be drawn on charts and picture based comprehensions can be taught to the students. These aids are very economical and can also help in improving the language Skills of the students. Conclusion There is no doubt that English Language Teachers in India face a lot of challenges .All we need to do is to change our direction. Walking with logic is nothing but inculcating the habit of reasoning in our learners. References: 1 http://syllabus.icbse.com/cbse-syllabus-class-english-communicative-2011/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_English-speaking_population http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/India-has-one-of-the-lowest-teacher-studentratios-Expert-/articleshow/5207197.cms http://www.rtiindia.org/forum/11598-pupil-teacher-ratio-city-schools-dismal-80-1a.html http://siteresources.worldbank.org/EDUCATION/Resources/2782001121703274255/1439264-1193249163062/India_CountrySummary.pdf http://esl.about.com/library/weekly/aa100499.htm http://education.qld.gov.au/library/resource/tesol/grammar-bk.html http://www.escapeartist.com/e_Books/Learn_a_Foreign_Language/Learn_a_Foreign_L anguage.html http://entrance-exam.net/cbse-2009-class-x-english-communicative-sample-papers 2 10. http://www.boloji.com/perspective/334.html

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THE POTENTIAL OF THE INTERNET TO SUPPORT STUDENTS ENGLISH LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT

Dhvani B.Mehta This research project seeks to address the tension between the need for Gujarati students to be able to communicate through the medium of English, and the relatively poor outcomes achieved in the teaching of English to date. It investigates current English language teaching (ELT) practice at college level and creates a curriculum initiative which aims to engage students in learning which is technologically-based, and of a collaborative, cognitively demanding and intercultural nature. The Gujarat governments recent educational reform under Vibrant Gujarat has highlighted English language, technology, creative thinking, critical thinking, problem solving, collaborative learning and autonomy. This reform aims to shift from traditional teachercentered to learner-centered classrooms. The broad aim of this research is to investigate the extent to which the Internet can contribute to students English language development. A particular goal is to explore Internet use in a teacher-guided EFL program at college level. Specifically, the study aims to investigate how the college students current English literacy practices can be enhanced by using the Internet and how the Internet may further assist students English literacy development. The research also explores the potential of the Internet in pedagogy and the implications of incorporating it into program design and teaching. There is evidence of increasing interest in the possibilities offered by the Internet. A number of researchers in recent years have investigated the possibilities of using the web and the Internet for more authentic learning materials (Prapphal, 1998; Banditvilai, 2000; Wongprom, 2000). The Methodology of the research The methodology of research is in accordance with the two basic principles of ethnography an emic viewpoint and a holistic principle (van Lier, 1990). However, the research approach was narrowed to that of a case study, in which I, as researcher and teacher, intervened in the teaching/learning process. The value of case study lies in its analysis of certain phenomena in order to discover insights which may be applied to the wider population to which a single unit belongs. (Cohen, Manion & Morrison, 2001) In this study, a single classroom was intensively analysed (Nunan, 1992) in order to gain understandings which may be transferred to other EFL teaching programs which incorporate use of the Internet. Research Questions 1. What is the potential of the Internet for supporting EFL development? 1.1. What are students current Internet practices? 1.2. What are students perceptions of and attitudes towards use of the Internet? 1.3. What factors support or limit students use of the Internet? 2. What are the pedagogical implications of use of the Internet in EFL? 2.1. What principles need to inform EFL programs which incorporate extensive use of the Internet? 2.2. What benefits can flow from such program? 2.3. What implications for EFL pedagogies arise from such program? 88

In research data were collected through my own observation of students use of the Internet (supported by field notes, photographs and video recordings), student questionnaires, student diaries, and interviews with both individuals and groups of students. Data were collected through my reflections upon lessons (drawing upon program and lesson plans, my diary, and audio-recordings of all lessons), students diaries, and interviews with groups of students both at that time and one year later. In spite of the reform policy and the provision of training in Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) methods, in most cases, teachers of English still believe in, and are accustomed to, conventional teacher-centered classrooms. Research Approach In developing my research design, I divided it into two stages. My research was based on the characteristics of ethnography. My purposes here were to seek to understand students behaviour in natural contexts (Stage One) and in the contexts of classroom interactions (Stage Two). Although this study is ethnographic in approach, it is not wholly ethnography, for it has been bounded in the shape of a case study. As a result the research differs from ethnography as follows. Firstly, data were collected over a limited period of time: a two-month period in Stage One and a four-month-period in Stage Two. Secondly, in Stage One, I deliberately organised time for four heavy Internet users to use the Internet. Thirdly, in order to explore potential value of the Internet in enhancing students English learning in Stage Two, I attempted to manipulate students use of the Internet. That is, I deliberately established a learning environment a classroom with integration of the Internet, and intervened in the process of data collection. Procedure In research Stage One, students behaviour, activities and interactions during their use of the Internet and their views about the role of the Internet were investigated. The data were obtained from the perspectives of both researcher and participants (students).
Table 1: Students range of purposes and language of Internet use Language Internet Applications study purpose E-Mail Search Engines Email Search Engines Chat rooms Facebook New Groups E-Cards Online Games Blogs Google search You-Tube General Topics News Entertainment Gujarati 0 0 11 8 1 4 4 5 6 9 6 8 0 1 English 31 28 5 0 2 8 4 8 4 4 7 8 22 4 Both 4 7 5 0 3 2 3 9 9 5 7 8 0 1 Total No. of students 35 35 21 8 6 14 11 22 19 18 20 24 22 6

15

Personal Interests

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Students behaviour, views, activities and interactions during their use of the Internet depended on the social context in which they were involved, and thus needed to be studied, interpreted, explained and understood in these natural settings Internet sites rather than in artificial settings designed only for the purposes of the research. Similarly, in Stage Two, I looked at natural surroundings and at what happened in the classroom in terms of verbal interaction (teacher-students interaction, studentstudent interaction), and students behavior. In this stage of the research, I intervened in the process of data collection by providing instruction and support, I observed students performances and I recorded what occurred in the classroom environment. My dual role as researcher and teacher in research Stage Two was a challenge in the conduct of this study. On the one hand, this duality is beneficial in terms of enabling an emic perspective: I have the advantage of being a Gujarati teacher of EFL at this institution, which means that I understood very well the context of the research, the students, the culture, and the teaching/learning situation. On the other hand, it is difficult to hold simultaneously both emic and etic both insider and outsider perspectives. I used triangulation to answer this challenge. That is, data were collected by a variety of means, which included questionnaires, audio recordings, video recordings, my diaries, students diaries, and interview transcripts. In doing so, I attempted to construct a thick description (Geetz, 1973) and interpretation of what happened in those lessons in those classes, and in students use of the Internet outside the classroom. Table.2 Data Collection
Stage of Gathering Stage One Data Date August to September 2008 Data Gathered Questionnaire (35 students) Group interviews (35 students: 5.15 hours) Field notes from focus observations (4 students: 5 sets) Students diaries (4 observed students: 19 entries) Photograph s (25) Copies of students digital texts (25) Individual interviews (4 students: 2 hours) Questionnaires (17 volunteers) 12 lessons: 24 (250 minutes) periods Audio recordings (12 lessons) Teachers diaries (14 entries) Students diaries (12 lessons and out-of-class Internet use: 89 entries) Group interviews (10 students: 2 hours) Assessing students tasks: Treasure hunt exercise (10), notes (42), draft of a holiday plan (2), holiday plan (2) Web sites accessed by students (59) Copies of digital texts viewed by students (45) Examining students final results of PRS course 3 interviews (10 students: 3 hours)

Stage Two

Teaching program

November February 2008-2009

to

Follow up interview

28 August, January 2009

28

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After data collection was completed, individual interviews were transcribed. Then I translated the summary of questionnaires, group interview transcripts, students diaries, and individual interview transcripts from Gujarati into English. Then, all data were analysed questionnaire, open-ended questions, interview transcripts, field notes and students diaries to identify major content, categories and recurring themes. Table 3: Sources of data in Stage One
Types of Data Questionnaires Group interviews transcripts Observation notes Students diaries Individual interview transcripts Photographs Internet texts Quantity 35 5.15 (7 .45) hours 5 sets 4 (19) 2 (4 .30) hours 25 25

Questionnaire responses from students, which had been completed in Gujarati, were summarised and translated into English. Major themes arising from these responses were identified and compared in a preliminary way with responses made by Stage One participating students. Audio recordings of all lessons, which included both languages, English and Gujarati, were transcribed in full and analysed for recurring themes. Due to the lengthy transcriptions, it was found more efficient to first establish and rank the themes by content rather than by language, and later to translate all themes into English. Students diaries were translated from Gujarati to English because of their small quantity, and they were searched for recurring themes. Recordings of group interviews and recordings of follow-up interviews, which were in Gujarati, were transcribed and identified for recurring themes. Then those themes were translated from Gujarati to English. All recurring themes described above were categorised into major categories and interpreted. The findings of the research The research offers four possible contributions to English language teaching. Firstly, it provides me with a model for improving my own ELT practices. Secondly, the research identifies the kinds of changes in teaching practice which are necessary in order effectively to draw upon the Internet as a pedagogical resource. These changes include a move away from formal, textbook-based curricula towards the use of authentic materials and contexts, together with the striking of a new balance between teachercentered and student-centered learning. The third contribution made by the research is the implication of Internet use both in the EFL context and in broader EFL contexts. The results of the study are considered to be of value not only in assisting me to further develop English programs which incorporate Internet use, but also in potentially providing a practical starting point for other teachers of English to do likewise. The findings confirm the willingness of students to embrace the Internet and show how the Internet can provide access to a rich source of English Language resources, most importantly through an enormous range of authentic texts, as well as a wide range of activities and self help tools. The data indicate serious weaknesses of the current use of the Internet in the University context its cost and limited access, and 91

students reluctance in using the Internet in English because of its difficulty. Importantly, they also indicate that although there have been attempts to incorporate the Internet into various subjects in the University, these attempts have essentially been as an add on extra to current teaching practices. To date, there are few examples of programs where use of the Internet is integral to the program design and delivery. These findings broadly confirm those from the limited available research into Internet use that has been conducted elsewhere. (Vattanapath, Charupan & Soranastaporn, 2002; Wongprom, 2000; Charupan, Soranastaporn & Suwattandanand, 2001). Conclusion There are a number of implications that can be drawn from Stage One of the research for the development of programs that seek to exploit the potential of the Internet for teaching and learning English. These implications are both generally for ELT programs at College and specifically for the development of the teaching program in Stage Two of the research. A major implication for ELT programs at College is that students need to be strongly encouraged to begin using the Internet as soon as they arrive at the University. Programs need to take advantage of students positive attitudes towards Internet use in English; and integration of the Internet both in English and Gujarati needs to start in the first year teaching programs, ensuring that students are proficient Internet users in the remaining years of their studies. Their Internet use initially would probably need to be in Gujarati as their levels of English proficiency at this point would not be high. The more specific implications for both general ELT programs at College and the development of the teaching program include: 1. 2. Internet programs need to be incorporated into regular subject programs rather than remaining as an optional add- on. Students need to be taught necessary technical skills for use of the Internet early in their University courses. In addition, the teachers of individual subjects that incorporate use of the Internet need to be prepared to build in explicit teaching of relevant technical skills. Initial skill development could be done first in Gujarati so that students are not discouraged by the barrier of difficulties with English comprehension. English language programs need to take account of students own preferences in use of the Internet and build on these to provide opportunities for students to use English for real purposes. Strategies for reading that students are already using, such as skimming and scanning, guessing word meanings, and using Gujarati to understand English can usefully be incorporated in English language programs. Explicit teaching of reading skills would be a useful part of such programs. The implications from students use of Gujarati in helping them read in English are that they needed background knowledge of vocabulary, language structure and culture. Opportunities and encouragement to switch between Gujarati and English when accessing web sites are likely to support students learning of English and such opportunities need to be built into English language programs.

3. 4.

5.

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Students should be encouraged to talk about what they read on the Internet. This can be done in groups to support interactions amongst students and between teacher and students as they engage in learning of English. References: Banditvilai, C. (2000). Utilizing the Internet as an Integral Part of Teaching Reading. Reflections, 2, 47-57. Cohen, L., Manion, L., & Morrison, K. (2001).Research Methods in Education (5 th ed.). London: Routledge Falmer. Geetz, C. (1973). The Interpretation of Cultures . New York: Basic Books Nunan, D. (1987). Communicative Language Teaching: Making It Work. ELT Journal , 41(2), 136-145. Prapphal, K. (1998). Self-directed Learning through the Internet and Intranet Pedagogy: A Choice for Language Teachers.PASAA, 28, 62-71. van Lier, L. (1990). Ethnography: Bandaid, Bandwagon, or Contraband? In C. Brumfit & R. Mitchell (Eds.), Research in the Language Classroom (pp. 33-53). London: MacMillan Publishers Ltd. Vattanapath, R., Charupan, S., & Soranastaporn, S. (2002). Activities on the Web to Practice English Skills.Studies in Language and Language Teaching , 11, 52-61. Wongsothorn, A. (2000). In H. W. Kam & R. Y. L. Wong (Eds.), Language Policies and Language Education: The Impact in East Asian Countries in the Next Decade (pp. 329-341). Singapore: Times Academic Press

6.

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POPULAR CULTURE AS A RESOURCE IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING

Manmeet Sondhi The students can only be motivated to learn things that are important and meaningful to them. As educators, we often realize that this generation of learners spend a great deal of time engaging in activities like Instant Messaging, Facebook, Twitter, Reality Television, movies, highly stimulating music, gossip magazines, comics, fashion, computer games, and the Internet. MTV News is more watched than any of the national nightly news anchors, and that our students are keenly aware of the latest advertising and marketing trends. These facets have formed a major psychological part of the lives and life styles of youngsters. In other words, popular culture is essential to students personal and social identities. It is ever-present in their daily lives, and gives them meaning and satisfaction. Its ready acceptability and accessibility provide students with frequent and meaningful exposure to English outside academic field, for example, especially in English-language pop songs and movies. Presenting examples of popular culture in an enjoyable, linguistically competent and meaningful way, can help to generate a lot of affective responses and imagination from students during English lessons. The problem is that most students in India are demotivated by the emphasis placed on uninteresting textbooks that focus attention on grammatical structures, and on practice in isolation. The activities based on teacher-talk and student-listen routines are unlikely to lead students to develop a genuine interest in learning English. As a result, they tend to find learning uninteresting, or irrelevant to their real-life situations. Another important facet is that popular culture is often viewed by academics as superficial and underneath the realm of academic composition. Many teachers fight against using popular culture in the classroom as anything more than an enhancement tool. These teachers think that students need to be enveloped in the protection of classic literature in order to combat the brutish cultural Malay that exists outside the classroom doors in magazines, television, and movies. Popular culture can be a resource in English teaching. More and more teachers, especially those teaching English are beginning to realize that the time has come to seek to counteract this idea of popular culture as an invader into the world of academia by showing that popular culture may be used effectively in the English classroom to teach valuable lessons in critical thinking and rhetorical writing. As educators, it is increasingly important we embrace popular culture whenever possible to create meaningful lessons that help students link the curriculum we teach with the world they live in and understand. This paper argues, since popular culture appeals to students, it motivates them to become responsive and active learners. The paper will first explain the relationship between popular culture and the various elements associated with teaching and learning, and then argue for the use of popular culture in language education. Aim The aim of the study is to look at the didactic potentials of popular culture in relation to the learning and teaching of English as a second language. The main questions at issue for this study are:

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1. What didactic potentials are there of popular culture in English teaching? 2. How do teachers use popular culture in the classroom? 3. How do teachers regard popular culture as teaching resources? Theories of Learning If a teaching method or certain teaching material is to be regarded as valuable and significant in education, it is necessary to be able to link the method and material to theories of learning. There are several different theories that aim to explain learning processes and can also be linked to language learning and to the use of popular culture. The social theory of learning presented by Wegner (1998) focuses on learning in a social context. It underlines that learning is not an isolated activity but an ongoing process. She bases her theory on the assumption that learning is, in its essence, a fundamentally social phenomenon , reflecting our own deeply social nature as human beings capable of knowing.(Wegner: 1998) . Thus, it is essential to place learning in the context of our lived experiences of participation in the world. John Dewey is famous for his expression learning by doing that has come to define his view of learning. According to Dewey (1995), people are integrated into society and can only learn and develop by actively participating in social activities. His idea was that education should be stimulating and bring a more profound and broad knowledge to students. He claimed that reflective thinking is essential for learning. Watching a film or a sequence can encourage reflective thinking if used correctly. Dewey also believed that it is essential to bridge a gap between the formal learning and the informal learning by using material that the students are only familiar with. The theories of second language acquisition have one aspect in common and that is that the environment in which a language is learnt is important for the result. Chaudron (1995) also comes to the conclusion that the learning outcome is affected by the availability of authentic target language input. Popular culture can be part of the target language input. Some of the teachers interviewed claim that they use popular culture in their teaching because it is a good way of exposing the students to the target language. One teacher stated that it is easy to get good relationship with the students by using popular culture in the teaching. According to research, second language acquisition is affected by personal characteristics such as attitude and motivation. It is, therefore, likely that students positive perception of popular culture in teaching benefits language learning. Popular culture: bringing relevance to students lives Popular culture is a phrase that can be applied to those cultural texts, artefacts and practices that are attractive to large numbers of children and which are often mass produced on a global scale. Popular culture can consist of a wide range of materials in childrens lives, as represented in Figure 1 (adapted from Marsh and Millard, 2000).

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Young people today are more exposed to popular culture than any other age group. In the process of growing up, students need to identify with something, and a large proportion of them choose the popular culture, which being readily accessible everywhere, and highly acceptable to young people, acts as a bond between them, providing meanings that are relevant to their lives. By subscribing to popular music, for instance, a person claims an identity with other listeners, and with performers and writers who share the same views about who they are or might be, and what the world is and might be. Teachers who are able to integrate the popular culture into classroom sessions can provide a valuable bridge between formal and informal education, and help to bring people and places alive. Teachers have to be flexible and ready to try new methods if they are to succeed. They have to get to know the students, their interests, background, preferences, and goals. Educational decisions have to be made looking at each individual and teaching methods have to be adapted to suit intelligences (Gardner: 1999). Why use popular culture in the literacy curriculum? Popular culture reflects what society is, who people are, and what they like. As society changes, so do our value systems and our perceptions of many other things that affect our lives. Instead of blaming popular culture for the negative influence it often has on people, it may be better for us to keep pace with the wheels of life, and see life as it is. The use of popular culture in language teaching is not completely unexplored area of study but research on teaching material and activity types in second language teaching is generally not that extensive. It is necessary to continue to look at how teaching methods and teaching material change as technology evolves. The students who lack intrinsic motivation often desire variety, excitement, and novelty, effective teachers should choose different teaching methods and learning materials that will motivate their students. Using popular culture in class can be one way to add life and variety to lessons. Commercial movies and highly stimulating music, which are seldom used in the traditional classroom, can fulfill the students psychological and social needs, and evoke their affective emotion and imagination. If teachers like their subjects, and take care to

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present them with a high level of interest, excitement, and importance, students are much more likely to like those subjects, too, and to be anxious to find out what is so interesting. Since English is not the language used in ordinary social encounters among the Indian students in India, they need a high level of extrinsic motivation to learn it. To motivate them to learn the language, Nseendi (1984) suggests that activities and exercises should follow from a consideration of the students interests. Meanwhile, to sustain and to increase their original motivation, the content of the activities and exercises should provide the students with some need to learn English. When English activities and exercises are meaningful and interesting to students, they will have an immediate goal to achieve, which will help to develop a longer-term desire to learn. There are a number of reasons why incorporating popular culture into the literacy curriculum is valuable. Broadly it can: 1. authenticate and enable them to feel that their informal knowledge is valuable; 2. enthuse children and enhance their motivation for learning; 3. as most children engage with some forms of popular culture, thus offering material that is common familiar to different groups of children; 4. expand opportunities to use English in different settings, reinforce new concepts, and expose students to new vocabulary. How to use popular culture in English language classroom? English language education is a priority, since it is seen as the key to communication with the rest of the world. What can teachers do to enhance their students motivation to learn English? Music, songs, computer games, and movies are highly popular with young people. As a teacher, I'm amazed at the universal recognition whenever the movie Titanic, in particular is brought up in class. It has entered the fantasy world of most young people. Many of them still watch the movie again and again, remembering the lines spoken by the actors, and reciting the lyrics of the theme song. All of which seems to suggest that students can learn English through their encounters with popular culture. Earlier teachers often focus on written texts as teaching material. It is the responsibility of the teachers to take the students experience one step further. For example English teachers have long been talking about archetypal heroes in literature, dimensions of the classical hero, and the rise of the anti-hero in contemporary fiction. Why not use your students' knowledge of and interest in popular heroes to conduct similar studies? Compare folk and mythical heroes with the "living legends" on the tube, in rock music, and on the athletic field. Involve students in creating new heroes, in writing hero plays and in selling" a hero to the public through the media. If English teachers can overcome their reluctance to deal with things "popular" and can come to see their students as resources rather than souls to save, then classroom studies in popular culture can become exciting joint ventures. Many students are pop culture experts. They possess and are eager to share detailed information about pop culture. These are your resource people. The teacher's role in such a situation changes from information-giver to question-raiser. Probe the

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experts. Encourage them to make generalizations and cast theories based on their information. Use the popular culture as content and the students themselves as resource people to lead them to a more enlightened appreciation of their own culture. Teachers need to understand what students already know about the idea or concept to be learnt, to be able to connect the learning to the students present understanding. They should start teaching from what students already know, or what they are to some extent familiar with. According to Cheung (1998), there are two types of prior knowledge: subject knowledge, and encountered knowledge. The first is the students previous knowledge of the subject, as learnt in school. Encountered knowledge is what students have learnt through their interactions with the world (e.g. from popular culture). However, teachers often neglect this second kind of knowledge. If they introduce new materials by drawing upon students subject knowledge and encountered knowledge, the students will find it easier to make sense of their learning, and will be more willing to learn. Since students encountered knowledge frequently comes from popular culture, it can be a useful aid for teachers to set the condition for learning. In doing this, teachers can thus create teachable moments in class. As learning is a goal-oriented activity, the teachers task is to involve their students in a search for meaning and importance in learning materials, and to make that search a pleasurable experience. Furlong and Maynard (1995) mention that the teaching materials should be something that students can relate to, and within their interest level. Students should also be able to see that the activity is useful to them. Popular culture touches the lives of student, and grows out of their natural experience and interests. If teachers can make use of popular culture in a teaching context, in which students find a need to learn and have something to achieve, students attention can be organized through desire rather than coercion. When they see that their own experience is reflected, and that the work they do can meet their needs, learning is more likely to occur. The use of popular culture in teaching creates an environment that enhances learning. When teachers design lessons using examples drawn from popular culture, students will find them easy to follow. The classroom atmosphere will become more harmonious as learning takes place in a relaxed manner, more enjoyable as students are engaging in activities they like, and more achievement-oriented, as students become more willing to participate, since they can enjoy their success in answering correctly. Conclusion This paper argues the pedagogical value of popular culture in English teaching. The aim of the study is to look at why popular culture can be seen as a resource in teaching and also find out how teachers use and regard popular culture in education. A couple of English teachers were interviewed for the study. The study is substantiated in connection to theories of learning and earlier research. The result of this study suggests that popular culture can be regarded as a resource in teaching for several reasons. According to the interviewed teachers, popular culture is regarded as a powerful tool for starting a discussion or introducing a theme. The teachers also expressed that popular culture offers authentic target language input. It is also likely that students positive perception of popular culture in teaching has effects on language learning since motivation and attitudes, according to research, affect

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language acquisition. The interviewed teachers are generally positive to the use of popular culture in education. To conclude, it is possible to say that there are several didactic potentials of popular culture in English teaching and it is up to the teacher to make something more out of the material that is available. Popular culture can be compliment and alternative to written texts in the teaching of English since it is important to emphasize variation in teaching, whatever the subject might be. Teachers should establish a relaxing and pleasurable learning atmosphere, and let students actively participate in their learning process , so that students have a purpose to achieve something, and feel the need to speak and to use English in realistic situations. References Chaudron, C. Second Language Classrooms: Reaseach on Teaching and Learning. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995. Wegner ,E. Communities of Practice, Learning ,Meaning and Identity. Cambridge : Cambridge University Press,1998. Dewey, J. How we think: A Restatement of the Relation of Reflective Thinking to the Educative Process. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1998. Lightbown, P. and Spada, N. How Languages are Learned.3rd edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006. Marsh, J. and Millard, E. Literacy and Popular Culture: Using Childrens Culture in the Classroom, London: Paul Chapman,2000. Cheung, C.K. The Use of Popular Culture as a Stimulus to Motivate Secondary Students English learning in Hong Kong.ELT Journal, 55(1) (2000) : 55-61. Holbrook,Hilary Taylor. Popular Culture and English. The English Journal, Vol. 76, No. 1 (Jan., 1987), pp. 32-34 Published by: National Council of Teachers of English URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/818296 Furlong, J. and T. Maynard. Mentoring Student Teachers: the Growth of Professional Knowledge. London: Routledge,1995. Nseendi, L. N. Motivation and perseverance in foreign language learning in D. M. Singleton and D. G. Little (eds.). Language Learning in FormaL and Informal Contexts. Trinity College: Dublin,1984. Kirby, Dan. Popular Culture in the English Classroom. The English Journal, Vol. 65, No. 3 (Mar., 1976), pp. 32-34. Published by: National Council of Teachers of English. URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/814831 Accessed: 07/02/2011 03:48

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Innovations In English Teaching Methodology: Practical Techniques

Savita The intention of this paper is to realize some parts of the subtle irrelevance of the prescribed Course Contents of our universities so far as English Language Teaching is concerned. The subject in question is, however, English and because this is so, it is not confinable to a range of classroom activities. It goes wherever language goes and therefore there can be no borderline drawn between the linguistic behaviour in the classroom or outside. It is a matter therefore, of uncovering unformulated standards and assumptions and trying as accurately and tactfully as possible to do the formulating oneself; sometimes this can only be inconclusive. For example, when one finds a group of students usually self confident and articulative coming from a certain kind of good schools and given a pampered background , the interaction between home and school which might have produced this desirable maturity , then there is not much of a problem. On the other hand, when one finds that there is a complete absence of understanding and coherence in some area which is either the responsibility of English and the English teacher or of the household environment to complete the fill, whoever else fails or does not, in the process, the language English certainly does. In the third world countries and so in India, English has been taught through literature for the past many years. But students opt for various optional subjects like Pol. Science, History, Economics, Medicine, Engineering etc. where the medium of learning is the English Language. Such students, even when they become Post Graduate remain unable to write and speak it correctly. So a pragmatic kind of approach is essential. It is important that the learners of English should be trained practically about how to use English for communication.. The syllabus/ course order should be formulated in such a way so as it focuses on the practical use of language. Students need to be trained to think about and realize their experiences and to articulate them fully in English. There has been a time when the unreadability of a language was considered to be its prime ornament but due to the ongoing movements against the unwanted complexity of English language, there is a growing interest in plain kind of English language. This kind of approach is highly beneficial for the learners since it asks students to prefer the shorter words to the longer ones; verbs over nouns and adjectives; simple words over the fancy ones; active voice over the passive; simple straight forward utterances over the ambiguous ones etc. All what teacher need to highlight is the grammatical correctness in learning English. Providing ample opportunities to practice English in the classroom as well as outside is of foremost importance. For this to achieve internalization of the English linguistic structures, on part of the students, is a must. In order to make English more user friendly, the teacher needs to use English as frequently as possible for interaction with the students. Mostly it is noticed that in our schools and colleges, teachers employ Grammar Translation method. They use English only when it becomes absolutely necessary for example- while narrating a text again and again the teachers deviate from one code to the other and translate the content of the text as if they are narrating and old wifes tale. A teacher needs to use English while introducing the lesson, checking attendance, organizing the seating 100

arrangement of the students, presenting new vocabulary, asking queries and correcting errors. All the activities that surround the classroom teaching when are designed in such framework, will help the students to remove their reluctance and disabilities so far as English speaking is concerned. There is one more practical tip, which I personally use in my class also. Instead of being over businesslike and introducing the formal topic, the teacher can commence the lecture informally. Even before beginning the actual course, the students can be induced to narrate everydays experience in English. It would amount to exposing your students to native speakers English. In this process, attempt should be to keep language very simple. S/he can talk and ask questions. The student may give very short responses. The teacher can then make the students to ask questions to one another. This kind of exercise creates an opportunity for real language practice and it also helps in creating English language environment in the classroom. The students would really enjoy it and would try to make use of English outside the classroom as well. When a teacher tries to organize the lesson, or organizes even the seating plan of the students, she/he can ask students to jot down various kinds of utterances commands, requests, questions, prohibitions etc. For example : Lets start chapter no. 3. Look down. Be careful while reading. Get out from here. Quiet; Please. Get to extreme right corner. In all such utterances, the teacher can make students analyze semantic constructions, parts of speech etc later on. The teacher usually finds it difficult when explanations in English are demanded; especially if the concepts or words are unfamiliar to the students. In such cases, the students should be provided with more and more examples. Visual aids like pictures, objects and things can be incorporated to make the explanation real and alive. For example the teacher can ask how many words in the text refer to solitude in Alexanders Popes poem. One more difficulty/shortcoming of the course content of our universities is that the chief emphasis is on the written mode of language whereas the spoken and listening skills are almost ignored. The student if trained in such informal way will become able to speak English gradually. There is need for an active involvement of self* remarks Fred Ingles For the efficient performance of listening. Students should be given intense practice in articulation of sounds, stress and intonation. Such themes are not even introduced in the universities of this part of India where all students acquire English as a compulsory subject. The students are required to listen to the teachers instructions and questions and answer them. They may listen to conversation between students and teachers and try to analyze what is going on. Outside the classroom, they can listen and comprehend the discourses on media and other informal texts like telephonic conversations. Such efforts provide them ample opportunities to behave like native speakers. Asking questions to the students is an essential part of teaching and using any language. When the students

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will try to answer, they will automatically attempt to use English Phonology, grammar and lexicon. They will try to choose and select from a wide range of phonemes and words. This selection and rejection will enable the speaker to develop accuracy in the correct use of vocabulary. Moreover, it will also train them in communicative effectiveness. Phatic communication functions to develop relationships. The teacher can ask the students to indulge in informal conversations. One can even begin the conversation about weather. Then one can introduce oneself to the other. Expressions of greetings, gratitude, small day to day experiences, and appreciations will prove very beneficial for communicative acts. After this kind of training the teacher can allocate different roles to the students. From the limitless range of roles the students can select one of his/her own choice one can play as a bank manager, another customer, someone a counselor, someone a patient and so on. Through the dialogues, language training can be imparted. While the role plays give practice in using English in situations similar to those outside the classroom, the situation remain still controlled in some sense, because of the presence of the teacher. Use of English in the real world offers features that can not be captured in the classroom. The use of English in the real world demands a competence which revolves around the students proficiency of the language. Social interactions can be advised in order to develop the speaking skill in the real life situations. Task oriented exercises are required for this purpose. All of us know that in India a dry cleaner or a shoe mender or a hawker cannot offer to speak correct English. Nevertheless, we can find contexts within our reach where proper diction and structure of English is used. The teachers have to be very cautious and selective in such task oriented activities. Cultivating the ability to understand the intention of someone and to communicate ones own intentions in more polite manner is very much existent in native English. Recognizing the intentions of the speaker often require a good linguistic and socio linguistic sensibility. Expressing politeness/request/annoyance requires skill in the choice of appropriate tones. A number of situations may be created within the classroom for practice. Students can be given a situation and asked to generate appropriate sentences to the roles they are assigned. The teacher can help the student to choose context which would demand a variety of utterances formal, semi-formal, rude, courteous, neutral etc. Problems in interpersonal relationships and their exact expression in language should be the focus of this kind of training. It is almost impossible to communicate information without elegant pronunciation. Pronunciation lends meaning to the message. The teacher should focus on the sounds which cause difficulty to the students. Emphasis the stress patterns as an important feature of language. If the students become use to hearing English spoken with natural rhythm in class, they will use it outside also. Numerous are the ways to give a feel and experience of English language to the learners. All we need to try to create a vision for practical improvement of students. I shall end by submitting that we as teachers are committed to teach with greater and greater consciousness and our best teaching stems from insights gained in contact with students. Problems should be our focus. The universities should aim to design the syllabi in such a way that learning English becomes more of a fun activity than a trouble.

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References Steward, Mariman, To The ELT Logicians. 7 April 2005 Newman, Cooper,The TESOL Methodology Feb 1978 P: 23-24 Dayananda, Plain English. 1968:13 Carter, Jimmy, Executive Order. Mar 1978 Inglis, Fred, The Englishness of English Teaching, and Longmans Curriculum Reform Series 1969 P: 7

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Yearning for Learning: Need for Effective Teaching Methodology to enhance English Language Learning
Ratnakar Mann Taranpreet Johal The lack of interest in learning English language can be attributed to lack of awareness of the importance of English language. Students need to be made aware of the avenues and opportunities that English learners are thronged with. Once equipped with good command in English language, one can enter into journalism, author good books and above all be a good communicator. It all highlights the importance of learning English language. Methods and Effective learning techniques We need to make teaching learning a fun process. Learning a language implies learning how to read, how to write, how to listen and most importantly how to speak. All these aspects of learning can be turned into adventure by introducing fun filled activities for the students. By incorporating slight modifications in the methods in which English language is taught, fruitful results can be yielded. Talking first about enhancing reading skills, efforts by teachers are required to motivate students to read good books, to encourage them to visit library often and dig in any good book. The general scenario nowadays is that students prefer hooking onto facebook than reading a book. Hence, the need arises to check the ever declining interest to read and cultivate methods to promote reading. For instance competitions can be held and the one who has read maximum number of books can be awarded. An award can act as a source of inspiration for other students. To hone writing skills, creative writing in the classroom needs to be promoted. Students need to be encouraged to do simple writing. The misconception that effective writing is one in which long, difficult words are used, needs to be eliminated. Students must be made aware of the fact that usage of simple apt words that convey the meaning and thought is what an effective writing is all about. Simple fun filled writing activities can be employed to promote writing. I have practiced the following activity in my classroom and the results were amazing. I had given 4-5 random words to students and asked them to jot down a story in which those words play a significant role. After writing they were supposed to share their story with the class. This activity aimed at improving writing and speaking skills. Some came up with hilarious stories, some with emotional. All in all it was a great exercise and most importantly students enjoyed it thoroughly. Activities like this stimulate the brain to do some creative thinking and writing. More such kind of activities can be incorporated in the classroom teaching process to enhance writing skills. Teaching speaking skills in the class is as essential as teaching aforementioned skills. Many students equate being able to speak a language as knowing the language and therefore view learning the language as learning how to speak the language, or as Nunan (1991) wrote, "success is measured in terms of the ability to carry out a conversation in the (target) language." Therefore, if students do not learn how to speak or do not get any opportunity to speak in the language classroom, they may soon get de104

motivated and lose interest in learning. On the other hand, if the right activities are taught in the right way, speaking in class can be a lot of fun, raising general learner motivation and making the English language classroom a fun and dynamic place to be. To enhance speaking skills among students, interesting group activities fostering students interaction can be organized. Another idea is to establish a set of class rules and develop a penalty system for when they use any other language. For example: if a student is caught using any other language three times, have them recite a poem in front of the class (in English). For the time they are in English class, it must be English only. Giving positive feedback also helps to encourage and relax shy students to speak more. Another way to get students motivated to speak more is to allocate a percentage of their final grade to speaking skills and let the students know they are being assessed continually on their speaking practice in class throughout the term. Another way to encourage students to speak in English is that a teacher should himself/herself speak in English as much as possible in class. Students should be made familiar to the adage "We learn to speak by speaking". The more we practice the more we can improve our oral skills. Multimedia Technology as an effective tool in language teaching Multimedia technology can be used as an effective tool in language teaching. Multimedia technology is the use of computer technology, information technology, image processing technology, the text, graphics, images, sound, video usage in modern teaching methods. There are several online teaching resources available such as computerized teaching using encyclopedias that present information in a more compact, reliable and easily accessible form and multimedia CD ROMS. In such programs, students can listen to dialogues or watch video clips. As an alternative to large CD ROM packages, there are a number of useful sites on the World Wide Web, where students can get instruction and practice in language skills such as reading, listening and writing. It is found out that Multimedia teaching can stimulate the enthusiasm in students and break the monotony of lectures. Teaching with graphic audio and video features, one can make classroom teaching more interesting and attractive. Multimedia can be used as an effective equipment to teach the students, however, it cannot replace the teachers. A blend of traditional teaching and multimedia teaching can be used as an effective method to inculcate skills in students necessary to use English. Efforts must be on to make learning a fun process References 1. http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/think/articles/teaching-speaking-skills-2overcoming-classroom-problems 2. http://esl.fis.edu/teachers/support/teach.htm 3. http://esl.about.com/cs/teachingtechnique/ht/ht_compclass.htm 4. http://www.rong-chang.com/ 5. http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/ 6. http://www.teach-nology.com/tutorials/teaching/esl/3/

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7. http://hubpages.com/hub/Teaching-ESL-10-Common-Classroom-Problems-andSolutions 8. Nunan. D. (1991) Language Teaching Methodology. UK: Prentice Hall International

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Genre Analysis as a Language Pedagogical Strategy of Paragraph Writing

Dilwinder Singh Composition is an important component of syllabi. It has been observed that students are not taught composition through any specific technique. The students opt for rote learning. They learn a whole paragraph without realizing how it is different from another texts and also how it serves a different purpose. They have no understanding regarding the structural design of a paragraph. Thus even after years of practice in writing compositions they fail to effectively structure their paragraphs. They cannot write for different purposes. The knowledge of composition is in fact three dimensional. Students not only need vocabulary and grammar but the knowledge regarding staging or structuring of text also. In other words, they should be able to structure their paragraphs in different ways to serve different contexts. Functional linguistics explains to students how to write effectively to serve real life contexts. Functional models of language explain language by spelling out the system of linguistic choice that is related to the varieties of meanings people want to express. In short, functional models show how people do things with language. This pragmatic orientation makes these models particularly useful for helping students how to write. Like other uses of language, writing involves constrained choice, shaped by the social interaction to be effected in a given context. (Bernhardt 186) Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) with its definition of text as a functional entity addresses this problem. It defines text as a functional component informing and being informed by Context of Culture. This Context of Culture gives every text a distinct generic staging and lexico-grammatical identity. Genre has been defined in SFL as a staged unfolding of a text. Ventola states Genre must be seen as a semiotic system which makes its meaning in terms of generic structures in texts. ( Ventola 1987:77). Martin defines genre as a staged, goal oriented social process realised through register. (Martin 1992: 505) Every genre is realised in and by different structural and lexico-grammatical configurations. These distinct linguistic features assign texts the membership of different genres, for e.g. narrative, procedure, information report and discussion. A narrative serves its social purpose by its Generic structure Orientation^Complication^Resolution^Coda and a procedure text will be structured as Goal^Material^Steps (in sequence). This extra-linguistic level (context of culture) in the form of structural sequences is realised in linguistic level, i.e. lexico-grammar. For instance, imperative sentences are a lexicogrammatical feature of procedure text, particularly in Material and Steps stages. The Genres are socially sanctioned communicative behaviours. The users of language are socially conditioned to recognise and use different genres. We are familiar not only with the generic patterns of different texts as a whole, but also the linguistic features that realise individual stages. Martin and Rose claim as children we learn to recognise and distinguish the typical genres of our culture, by attending to consistent patterns of meaning as we interact with others in various situations. (Working with Discourse) This study is also an attempt to enable students to translate their knowledge of first language genres into second language writing.

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Methodology The paper is a result of the application of genre theory of pedagogy for teaching composition to students. The research analyses comparatively the pre-invention and post-invention paragraphs written by students of 10 th standard of a public school. The research was carried out in accordance with the following steps partially adopting the teaching learning cycles ( Butt et al 263): 1 The students were made to write paragraphs on the issue The Advantages and Disadvantages of Science. 2 The genre and different text-types having different lexico-grammatical features were introduced to students with the help of model texts. 3 Conjunctions and modality were functionally introduced and practiced. 4 The issue was discussed in the classroom making the students aware of its different aspects. 5 The students were made to write paragraphs on the same issue for the second time. 6 The paragraphs written in both the attempts were analysed with a special focus on their generic development. On the very first day, the students were made to write paragraphs on the issue The Advantages and Disadvantages of Science related with discussion genre. The students in the first few classes were introduced to Genre and Text-types. They were introduced to the functions of different texts, for instance how a discussion text discusses different perspectives on an issue and how an exposition text is written to argue one aspect of an issue. The students were shown the model texts by clearly defining the distinct generic stages different texts had. The term genre was introduced to them in a simplified form. With the help of charts the different genres, their social purpose, generic stages and lexico-grammatical features were elaborated. Fig.1 (Coffin et al 261) illustrates the different aspects of discussion genre: Fig.1 Genre features discussion apt. different perspectives arguments for on an issue arguments against of (position) interrogatives mode) modality generic nominal groups 108 in spoken declarative mood (some use to consider different issue present tense (past where Social purpose Generic Stages Lexico-grammatical

Normally, instructors teach students to follow the introduction-middleconclusion pattern for every composition. But these stages are not functional as they do not guide students to draw out distinctions between different texts as each text has these stages. On the other hand, functional linguistics distinguishes between texts-types because of their distinct staging and lexico-grammatical features. Students were clarified how the beginning of a story (narrative) is different from the beginning of an essay (discussion). Similarly, they were told that a complication stage is a defining feature of a narrative not a recount or an argument text. The purpose behind the classes and teaching was to give them the functional knowledge of language and also to introduce composition as an important subject which needs a special attention. It was also aimed to dissociate the composition from rote learning. After the initial introduction, the students were given different issues or topics and they were asked to identify the genre the issues were associated with. Interestingly, they correctly matched the issue and the genre. For example, they associated the issue Bad effects of Pollution with exposition genre. The paragraphs were analysed with a special emphasis on their genre development. The other grammatical aspects were also minutely examined and the students were returned the paragraphs with suggestions. In the next few days the students were taught cohesion (conjuncts), adjuncts, modality, and generic nouns. These concepts were elaborated through examples from model texts. These grammatical items were shown working in the texts. The idea was that the students will use the given scaffolding to erect their own texts. They were given examples from the model texts how modality (should, must) etc. appears in the position stage in the discussion or argument genre. Students were exhorted to apply conjunctions in their argument and discussion texts. They were taught how they could use conjunctions like while, on the other hand etc to shift from one stage (arguments for) to another (arguments against). Similarly, conjunctions like first, second, third, similarly etc. can be used to introduce different moves for elaborating for and against arguments in discussion genre. Following the principles of teaching learning cycles a discussion issue (Advantages and disadvantages of science) was discussed in the class. Analysis/Results The students pre-intervention compositions are devoid of clearly defined stages. Many of them lack suitable vocabulary and sentence structures. There are mistakes of tense also. Surprisingly, there is rarely any use of conjunctions to generate cohesion in the texts and also to signpost the preceding and following arguments. The paragraphs 1(a) and 1(b) are written in response to the issue: The Advantages and Disadvantages of Science. The genre analysis of both the texts reveals how text 1(a) is more effective than text 1(b). Text 1(a).

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The given issue warrants a discussion genre, but the student in text 1(a) has not followed the expected generic pattern. He has not referred to both the advantages and disadvantages of science in the very beginning. He has raised only one aspect of science in the issue stage, but later in the essay both the advantages and disadvantages are discussed. Even the advantages are not elaborated properly. In the section arguments against the given disadvantages are from the same field, war. Interestingly, there is a repetition of arguments in favour stage showing weapons for terrorists as an advantage of science. This stage comes again after the stage arguments against. The student, apparently, does not have the knowledge of discussion genre. From another perspective, it appears that he has adopted the structure of exposition genre to write about an issue that needs discussion genre staging. Lexical chains and conjunctions are two important sources to signpost the movement from one stage to another and to create texture. In text 1 (a) lexical chains show that not much ideas are discussed. There are two lexical chains. The first one is cars, machines, aeroplane, robots, weapons in arguments in favour stage. The second is weapons, bombs, missiles, destroy in the arguments against stage. The arguments against is spanned only by a single lexical chain. The modal could lessens the effect of the argument by minimising possibility of destruction. The arguments or stages are not properly sequenced by conjunctions. There is only one conjunction in the paragraph, but. Text 1(b).

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Text 1(b), which is the post-instruction recording, is an example of an effective and coherent paragraph. The student has not only raised the issue the advantages and disadvantages of science but has also supported it effectively with arguments in the following stages. He has supported the discussion issue with discussion structure. The paragraph contains proper generic stages: issue ^ arguments for ^ arguments against ^ (position). The proper division has resulted in effective building of argument. Conjunctions are used to sequence the arguments. With first, similarly and thirdly the ideas are properly signposted and elaborated in the arguments for section. The shift in generic stage has been indicated by on the other hand. The ideas pollution and weapons take thematic position in the following lines and elaborated properly. The position stage highlights the stand of the writer. Unlike the previous paragraph, the position section has been properly signposted by in conclusion. With the use of modality should, the writer evokes a sense of obligation in the readers referred by we. The lexical chains not only engender texture but also indicate shift in generic stages and moves. A lexical chain transportation, travel, cars, reach, aeroplanes give experiential meanings to a move introduced by first in argument for. Another lexical chains communication, mobiles, talk and medical facilities, medicines instruments, operations give experiential meanings to moves introduced by similarly and thirdly 111

respectively in arguments for. Similarly, three lexical chains (diseases, skin problem; transportation, global warming; nuclear weapons, destruction, kill) span moves in the arguments against stage. The second and third move are introduced by secondly and similarly. The post-intervention paragraph is definitely well constructed in terms of generic stages and signposting with the help of conjunctions. The student has acknowledged that a text gets meaning as a whole. A writer expresses his idea not through individual bits of language but the complete text with proper stages. As Barbara Couture observes, Unlike register, genre can only be realized in completed texts or texts that can be projected as complete, for a genre does more than specify kinds of codes extant in a group of related texts; it specifies conditions for beginning, continuing and, and ending a text ( Effective ideation in written Text 82). Due to shortage of space and time it is not possible to include all the paragraphs analysed in the study, but the findings of the analysis (with a special focus on genre) are summarised below: 4. Many students followed the generic structure of information report instead of discussion genre. They divided science in Physics, Chemistry and Biology and commented on each part. It highlights the importance of previous study that settles deep in students consciousness. 5. They did not conform to the issue they raised in the beginning lines of their paragraphs. 6. Most of the students, whatever they wrote in the middle section, ended their paragraphs with some sort of concluding statement. It shows that they know the last lines of a paragraph are meant to give a message. They were not aware that the message is not an independent section, but it should conclude what goes before. At the same time, it also appears that some students do so deliberately. They try to conform to the issue in question and write about it in the beginning and ending of a paragraph just filling in the middle part with unnecessary information. In that case they exploit genre, not to effectively structure the paragraph as is expected, but to get marks. Conclusion The teaching learning cycle (Butt et al) informed by Genre Analysis and SFL strategy definitely proves benefitting for teaching composition to school students. This technique gives functional understanding of language; it is practice oriented; it raises the awareness level and also makes teaching learning process interesting. With the understanding that text communicates as a whole students focus on text type as a discourse. This awareness results in the functional understanding of language and, therefore different texts. With the comparative outlook, students distinguish texts on the basis of different lexico-grammatical features and generic stages. The genre approach is practice oriented. The scaffolding provided by genre technique helps students create texts which serve to put across messages. Students fail to write effective paragraphs because they do not know how to arrange arguments or ideas, as we saw in text 1(a). The student has enough vocabulary and understanding of grammar, but he has repeated the arguments unnecessarily. This development results in

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ineffective argument. Genre approach takes care of this aspect. In this technique, students have to fill a structural map to create a composition. They are also equipped with linguistics scaffolding, i.e. distinct lexico-grammatical features that different texts possess. The genre approach introduced through teaching learning cycles also proves an interesting activity. It involves students in discussion with teachers. Students are not required to learn paragraphs through rote from the very initial stages. They instead practise how to master lexico-grammatical features and structures to erect their own paragraphs. References Bernhardt, Stephen, A. Applying a functional model of language in the writing classroom. Ed. Barbara Couture. Functional Approaches to Writing Research Perspectives. London: Frances Pinter, 1986. Print. Butt, David, et al. Using Functional Grammar. Sydney: Macquarie University, 2000. Print. Coffin, Carroline, Jim Donohue, and Sarah North. Exploring English Grammar: From Formal to Functional. Oxon: Routledge, 2009. Print. Couture, Barbara. Effective ideation in written text; a functional approach to clarity and exigence. Ed. Barbara Couture. Functional Approaches to Writing Research Perspectives. London: Frances Pinter, 1986. Print. Eggins, Suzanne. An Introduction to Systemic Functional Linguistics. 2nd ed. New York: Continuum, 2004. Print. Halliday, M.A.K. and Ruqaiya Hasan. Language, context and text: Aspects of language in a social-semiotic perspective. Victoria: Deakin university Press, 1985. Print. Lewin, Beverly A., Jonathan Fine, and Lynne Young. Expository discourse: a genrebased approach to social science research texts. London: Continuum, 2001. Print. Martin, J. R. English Text: System and Structure. Philadelphia: John Benjamins, 1992. Print. Martin, J.R. and David Rose. Working with Discourse. London: Continuum, 2003. Print. Paltridge, Brian. Genre, text type and the language learning classroom. Web. 28 Jan. 2011. <http://world.hanyang.ac.kr/~kentlee/slr/docs/genre.text.learning.L2.classroom. ELTJ.pdf> Ventola, Eija. The Structure Of Social Interaction: A Systemic Approach to the Semiotics of Service Encounters. London: F. Pinter, 1987. Print.

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Words and Grammar for Discourse Their role and Teaching strategies
Paramjit Kaur

The question with which we world like to begin with is," What is language? And the answer comes out to be possession of language most clearly distinguishes man from other animals. According to Sapir (1921:8)," Language is a purely human and noninstinctive method of communicating ideas, emotions and desires by means of voluntarily produced symbols". This definition was criticized for having many defects as the term "idea" is inherently imprecise. In another definition Bloch and Trager (1942) wrote, " A language is a system of arbitrary vocal symbols by means of which a social group co-operates. This definition takes into account the communicative function of language. In 1957, Chomsky in defined language as, from now on I will consider a language to be a set (finite or infinite) of sentences, each finite in length and constructed out of a finite set of elements. With publication of Syntactic Structures (1957) Chomsky inaugurated a movement known as transformational grammar. According a Chomsky, all natural languages, in their spoken or their written form are languages in the sense of definition since each natural language has a finite number of sounds in it and a finite number of letters in its alphabets. Although there may be indefinitely many distinct sentences in the language, each sentence can be represented as a finite sequence of these sounds. Every sentence must qualify certain criterion on the basis of which a distinction between a sentence and a non sentence can be made. These principles determine the construction of larger text and discourse. Furthermore, some of these principles are such that anyone violating them might reasonably be accused of breaking the rules of language. Every sentence is by definition well formed, both syntactically and phonologically in the language system which it is a sentence. The term" well- formed' is broader than but subsumes, more traditional term grammatical, as the latter is broader than, but subsumes, the term syntactically well formed. So the sentences may be regarded as well-formed word-strings. As for as more traditional point of view is concerned sentences may be defined as classes of strings of word forms, each member of the class has same syntactic structure. What is the difference between a grammatical and an ungrammatical string of word? The answer is simple, but of itself unilluminating. An ungrammatical string of words is one in the formation of which grammatical rules of language system are not respected. There is an essential close connection between grammaticality of sentences and meaningfulness of actual or potential utterances. The violation of rules of English which control the position of words of various classes relative to one anther is not permitted. Traditional Grammar gave only a very partial and often highly inexplicit account of grammaticality. Where as modern grammatical theory operates with a nation of grammar' which is not biased towards inflecting languages. Various concepts of grammar can be taken into account. According to L.R.H. Chapman" Grammar is a study of language by specialists made in order to establish the rules and principles which underlie the correct speech and writing, rules and principles

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which are followed more or less, unconsciously or intrinsically by the native speakers." As per the definition given by Gordon grammar is a," body of empirical rules which explain and regulate the structure of the sentences. The most acceptable approach of grammar would be to define it as consisting of devices which a language uses to communicate grammatical meaning. The devices used for communicating grammatical meaning are stress, intonation, juncture, function words, and word order. In learning his mother tongue a child is concerned only with a small amount of language. While acquiring his mother tongue he does not require any prior knowledge of the grammar of the language for correctly responding to it. He gradually learns the use of sentence patterns with the change that takes place in words. Something of this sort must happen while teaching and learning a foreign language like English. The study of words, word patterns and word changes should follow their acquaintance with this phenomenon in speech and writing lessons. Here we must draw a distinction between formal grammar and functional grammar. Formal grammar is concerned with one's ability to describe language rules and regulations of different aspects of language. It basically deals with the forms of words and patterns, without giving reference to their function. It is body of rules relating to the formation of words and sentences. Thus formal grammar many be termed as theoretical grammar. The old and traditional rules of formal grammar are often unreliable and faulty and at the same time perform the legislatory function in language learning and teaching. Where as functional grammar deals with one's ability to use the language grammatically. This ability means using acceptable forms of words, acceptable patterns of phrases and sentences and other devices such as sound, stress, rhythm, junctures, and intonations etc. which signal grammatical meaning. Functional grammar can be termed as grammar of use, the grammar in operation, contrary to formal grammar in which rules are learnt for their own sake as items of knowledge. Functional grammar lays emphasis on the ability to use grammatically correct and socially acceptable language. At the early stage the correct usage of language is acquired by imitations and not, to any considerable extent, by rule, the learner displays this knowledge of grammar by speaking writing grammatically correct sentences and grammar is said to operate between phonology and semantics. A study of grammar include the study of fundamental units of grammatical structures i.e. morpheme, word, phrase clause and sentence. Ever since the beginning of any serious studies of grammar linguists have been trying to divide words into various categories known as parts of speech. And as far as teaching these concepts to a child is concerned certain factors should be taken into account. A child first learns to speak his mother tongue or regional language at home and learns English only on joining school. One's thought process is in ones mother tongue. Over the years a child becomes comfortable thinking and speaking in his mother tongue. Subsequently, the child learns English and becomes comfortable reading and writing English but however hesitates to speak the language and when forced to speak he feels hesitant and at loss of words. This grammar translation method makes him dependent his mother tongue besides which he often struggles for the right words to convey his thoughts. The grammatical concepts including parts of speech should be taught by using various creative activities like group activities, pair activities , role plays etc, not by

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chalk and talk method which is again theoretical way of teaching grammar. As far as these various parts of speech noun pronoun, adjective, adverb, preposition, conjunction and verb are concerned special teaching strategies should be applied into order to make a learner understand and use the concept in an effective way. Let us discuss them one by one. The very first part of speech is noun. It simply is a naming word. Students should be asked to take a look around the room and identify every object around the room with a name. After this they can be asked to classify these into name of person, place, object or idea. If the concept of kinds of Nouns is to be made understood they should be asked to classify them into common and proper nouns. Eg. the name of person is unique to him and tells his individual identity hence it a proper noun. After this in, order to bring home the concept of abstract noun students can be asked to distinguish things which they can touch, see or feel and the things which they cannot touch or see like ideas and concepts. An activity noun ping pong can be done in a class where the class can be divided into two sections: common noun and proper noun. Now one section speaks one proper noun and their rivals would be asked to supply respective common noun to it or vice versa. Similarly when the concept of pronouns is introduced as 'Pro' means "acting for " and pronoun implies a word that takes place of a noun. After various categories of pronoun like reflective pronouns, relative pronoun, demonstrative pronoun and interrogative pronoun are introduced to them, they can be asked to divide themselves into groups and every group should be named as one category of pronouns. Now a number of sentences can be pasted on a board, they can be asked to take back the sentence which belongs to their own category. In this way they can learn various types of pronouns and their correct usage. The next part of speech i.e. adjectives is to be taken into account. After introducing the concept of adjectives, as an adjective is a part of speech that modifies a noun or a pronoun, the students can be asked to provide adjectives to the nouns they had listed earlier or the things that are there in the classroom. The use of adjectives not only will provide them more information about the noun but will also enable them to enrich their vocabulary. As an adjective modifies a noun, in the same manner an adverb modifies a verb. Most students tend to get confused when asked to distinguish between adverb and adjective. One simple way of teaching this can be, that the students can be asked to address a wh question to a verb and a noun if the verb answers it then it is an adverb and on the other hand if you address the question to the noun and get an answer , that is adjective .After the concept adverb and kinds is introduced to them and they can be asked to unscramble a set of scrambled sentences within a stipulated time limit or they can be asked to replace a particular adverb given in a paragraph with the most appropriate adverb. After adverb the next category is prepositions which show the relationship between nouns, pronouns and other words. As a preposition helps to connect the object with the rest of the sentence and helps to establish the chronological, spatial or logical relationship of its object to the rest of the sentence, the students can be asked to identify the position of a particular object by showing them various pictures. Another creative way to bring home the concept of preposition could be as to prepare a route map. There is no form of Teaching Methodology that is right and wrong. Depending upon the learning styles of students and the situation various teaching strategies can be

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adopted. Learner centric teaching strategies which involve participants actively and ensure their higher retention as they generate elevated interest should be adopted. Such teaching strategies which facilitate students to learn by actually carrying out physical activity, rather than listening to a lecture or merely watching a demonstration should be given preference. A teaching strategy which allows active participation of students is the need of hour if grammar is to be taught with a positive outcome. Students must be given such an atmosphere in the in the class room that they are encouraged to ask question. A teacher should avoid giving explanations as well as supplying them information as it kills their inquisitiveness. Ample time should be given to organize and reflect their answers. Pair and group activities help a lot in handing grammar concepts in an effective way. In nutshell, grammar is considered as the dispenser of correct language. If a student gains control over the grammar of the language he can surely use the language in a correct way. And in order to achieve this, grammar should be correlated with reading text or the course book. So it should be integrated with over all language courses. Learning grammatical rules and grammatical items should precede the learning of language patterns. Grammar taught for the sake grammar should be avoided. Rather it should be an integral part of the language teaching course Teaching of formal grammar is not is not at all recommended during the early stage. The students need functional grammar, the grammar inherent in correct usage. Formal grammar being theoretical in nature is too abstract a thing to be readily understood by the students. Systematic teaching of grammar should be done as soon as pupils have good working knowledge of the language. The deductive method of teaching grammar where rules and definitions are given in the beginning and then they are applied to particular examples should be avoided in favour of inductive method where examples are placed before the students who draw their own conclusion from them. In this method students proceed from particular to general. Grammar should be taught inductively. References Lyons John, Language and Linguistics (Cambridge University Press: Replika Press Pvt. Ltd India) Bhatia K.K , Teaching and Learning English as a Foreign Language (New Delhi : Kalyani Publishers,2005) Sayal Pushpinder, Jindal D.V , An Introduction to Linguistics:Language Grammar and Semantics (New Delhi :Prentice Hall of India , 2004) Verma S.K and Krishnaswamy N. , Modren Linguistics-An Introduction (New Delhi : Oxford University Press,1989) Glendinning Eric H. and Holmstrom Beverly , Study Reading (Chennai : Cambridge University Press,2004)

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TEACHING POETRY IN AN INDIAN SCENARIO

Shivani Vashisht In my paper I shall be dealing with the problems and few strategies that must be adopted by the English faculty and the students so that the experience of teaching and learning poetry in a classroom turns from a monotonous time-bound one hour class to a refreshing and re-energising experience. Before we plunge ourselves into a deeper analysis of our methods and techniques of teaching poetry, let me begin with a simple questionWhat is poetry? Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning.(Wikipedia). Poetry can also be defined as an expression of aesthetic experience of a poet. The poem when penned down by the poet consists of phrases that have a strong rhythmic beat. But on the printed page we have merely a colourless record of his imagined emotion and music. Thus it becomes the obligation of the faculty to recreate and convey to the student this original musical beauty and emotional intensity; for, the printed words are only symbols, which may or may not arouse the imagination and feelings of the reader to the expected degree. What a faculty can do to get the expected response from the students? The answer to this question is simple. The teaching methodology of poetry should be made simple, natural, and spontaneous, stressing the emotional and sound values of the poem. Before we engross ourselves into teaching poetry in an Indian classroom, let us muse over the history. English, in India, has been firmly established in this position geopolitical need of the ominifarious micro-minority since 1818, without, however, perpetuating the deeply rooted literary-aesthetic traditions of earlier super-languages. It has been cultural written-formal rather than social-oral-conversational in the national linguistic context. This is precisely the reason why though so much English is taught, but so little is learnt in the classrooms. Still the English language lives in us, although we do not live in the language. We teachers always lament that students find it difficult and intimidating. But the fact is that in Indian context, both the teacher and the student feel themselves estranged from the English poetry despite a good deal of familiarity with the language. The diminished status of poetry, is as much the fault of well-intentioned teachers as reluctant and ignorant students. Teaching poetry to the students demands the literature faculty to engage in some of the most fundamental, immediate, active, even physical ways in learning. The objective of teaching poetry is somewhat different from teaching of prose. We as English faculty lay due emphasis on the below mentioned objectives and expect our learners to achieve these goals 1 1. Comprehension of poetic terminology and devices. 2 2. Enhancement of the skills necessary to engage with a poem's components and thus come to an initial and then deeper understanding of the meaning of that poem.

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1 3. Drafting and revision of the original works of poetry, followed by appropriate written reflection on the creative process, and culminating in a student poetry reading. 2 4. A formal analytical essay comparing and contrasting the use of figurative language as a medium to establish tone and meaning in at least two poems. 3 5. Independent, careful reading and reflection on a broad selection of poems. 4 6. Participation in informal discussions of a select group of poems representing a variety of periods, themes, and techniques. 5 7. Creation of their writing to show each student's understanding of the reading, understanding, writing, and revision process behind poetry and its meaning. Teaching Poetry to the Learners Children have a natural affinity for poetry, which begins with their first exposure to nursery rhymes and stories with repetitive lines such as in Hindi "Machli jal ki rani hai" (nursery rhyme) or pyassa kuaa. In preschool and kindergarten, a lot of time is spend in the recitation of rhymes and songs. Interestingly there is generally no set curriculum for teaching poetry at this level. The classroom teacher has a lot of choice in reading daily stories and finding new materials to make her teaching interesting and lively. We should teach foreign language and literature to improve the students imaginative ability and train his desi sensibility. Just as there is no firm dividing line between poetic and ordinary language, so it would be artificial to enforce a clear division between the language of poetry considered as verse literature, and that of other literary kinds. Thomas Wartons History of English poetry (1840) would mark a crucial turning point in teaching English poetry in India. Thomas Warton emphasizes that initially the romantic fictions, folklore and myths were imported to Europe from the Oriental nations. Gradually, however, these synthesized with reason, logic, religious wisdom and stylistic good manners to produce literature. To improve students desi sensibility, Tony Bennetts Outside Literature (1990) is more useful for classroom discussion than Terry Angletons Literary Theory (1983). Bennett looks at literature as an institution with its power-structure and power politics. Moreover, the question of linguistic insecurity associated with the low language competence and the relation of foreign literature teaching to foreign language teaching in the context of our present day practice may be solved by developing comparative insight. There are number of techniques of interpreting a literary text in general and poetry in particular. Geoffrey Leech suggests to follow Ezra Pounds advice: Let the neophyte know assonance and alliteration, rhyme immediate and delayed, simple and polyphonic, as a musician would expect to know harmony and counterpoint and all the minutiae of his craft (1985:3). The teacher of literature can construct his own framework based on these diverse techniques. However, the teacher and the student, involving the whole class, breaking their traditional incommunicability during the periods of English, may share the actual analysis of the text. In the beginning, the levels of interpreting a poem may be taken one by one and gradually, students may themselves learn to discover which level of interpretation can be made active while reading a particular line of verse. A simultaneous application of appropriate level or levels to the

suspected style marker will be the final stage of students training. It must be remembered that prior decisions by the teacher in respect of the style markers are absolutely essential. Another point that we have to keep in mind is that we have to think of ways of relating the theme or its treatment in a poem in English to the Indian context. The majority of our students come to our UG literature classrooms from non-English medium institutions is not very healthy or even on all occasions. They have been and shall be taught by teachers who have not read anything more than allotted to them. A good number of students coming to our undergraduate literature classrooms do not bring with them much knowledge of literature and even less capacity for independent literary study. They know little about literature or poetry and care less for its appreciation. Thus willingness to work not independently culminates into spoonfeeding and dictation of notes without explicating the text in the classroom which proves to be a soft option for us also. But even the poorest students come with a few fragments from the rich reservoir of their collective sensibility with which they can appreciate certain poems to which they have to respond are in their own language and whatever they have to articulate shall be in the same language. Since they have been exposed to soul, dust, water and environs that constitute and surround a poem it becomes easy to locate and identify the culture smeared items. This faculty can be exploited in teaching poetry in English by pairing, comparing and contrasting poems from English and Indian languages. As the teachers of poetry we must know that words on the page that a piece of poetry is made of are important but they are not poetry. They are the body of the poetry not the soul of the poetry. The body is the means of reaching the soul of poetry but the end. Hence the body is not everything. As a teacher we must inveigle and even insist upon our students that they should be the sahradayas( sa means with and hradaya means heart) who are not necessarily great scholars versed in grammar and language. Abhinavgupta defines sahradaya in Locana as a one who is in constant rapport with texts, whose constant rapport with texts has made his mind mano mukur ( clear as mirror), who has developed a capacity for identification with what a text has in itself and capacity for a dialogue of hearts. The erudite reputations in grammar and language do not necessarily understand or reach the soul of poetry. The teacher should help his learners of poetry in understanding the role of language in poetry and in transcending the psychological block that English language may pose. A teacher of poetry need not necessarily be a poet. S/he should necessarily be a sahradaya and so should be a learner of poetry also. Our poetry classrooms are as diverse in terms of space, standards or strength and type and quality as the students or at least classrooms themselves. Even the accommodating and sweeping statements eg English is not an alien language but our own remains a sort of mental itching. Do they help us, the teachers and learners of poetry in honing their skills or in enhancing their responsive capacity? The learners approach a poem, either, at best with a sense of reverence-not for the poetic emotions, and experience- or at worst , with a sense of fear of the language of the poem, of the impending examination and of the threatening tone of we teachers barring a few honourable exceptions who have thwarted complacency and burden of theories. The usual and considerable legitimate charge levelled against the teaching of poetry in

particular is that enjoyable poems are hardly prescribed, and to top it all, we have to complete, finish or cover-up the course in limited time. But then what prevents us from teaching at least one enjoyable though un-prescribed, poem in one term that would help our learners in overcoming fear or mental block that hinders the close interaction between a poem and the learner conceivable in a state of fear of the medium that has gone into the making of a poem? Fearlessness is the precondition for interaction or dialogue. But we instead of removing fears of our learners consciously or unconsciously contribute to their fear. Explicit Poetry Teaching There are basic poetic conventions, which the students may be able to experience based upon their interests and needs. Levels of Poetry Teaching Poetry should be experienced a three different levels. Step One: Introduce students to "user friendly poems". Step Two: Let students pick a poem that means something to them. Some aspects of their lives are expressed in the poem. The poem becomes a self-portrait or autobiographical poem, in some way. In order to restore poetry to a more central position in the literary curriculum, we should present them in a way that encourages readers to connect the poems to their lives. Thus the poets life and world are relevant. In short, we must encourage students to start with the poets and poems who are most directly meaningful to them. The idea is to make students begin with the familiar and emotionally relevant, and move from there to more complex forms and historicallydistant works. We can see that school students also have a peculiar interest to use this poem in their common conversations and playtime. Step Three: Analyze the poetry. Both stylistic as well as thematic levels should be analyzed. The qualities of compression, mnemonics, emotion, and consolation in poetry provide some directions about how it might be a paradigm for active, student-centred teaching in the university as well as primary and secondary education. Teaching poetry offers some fundamental cognitive and intellectual skills, and that reading a poem replicates the way we learn and think. There are many parallels between poetry and learning: for example, When we read a poem, we enter the consciousness of another. It requires that we loosen some of our fixed notions in order to accommodate another point of view . . . To follow the connections in a metaphor is to make a mental leap, to exercise an imaginative agility, even to open a new synapse as two disparate things are linked. A poetic form is a way of thinking, an angle of approach that helps students understand how information must be shaped and contoured in order to be intelligible. Classroom Situation for Poetry Teaching Each class does have some activities. Here are some: 1 Read poems in class that students will thoroughly enjoy. 2 Try to find poems that each child can relate to. One very effective way is to match students up with poems based on their personal interests. In a class,

4 5 6

students usually come from a variety of family backgrounds, religion, caste, and economic status, etc. So, the teacher should present some common examples that all the students can relate to. As the folk rhymes are simple, repetitive, and easy to reproduce, students do enjoy performing the folk rhyme. Encourage students to read poetry loudly, and recite it from memory. Students need to practice their reading and performance skills. Getting the attention of the whole class after the recitation will work as a psychological reward for each student. Even children who are not good readers also want to recite or sing the song in front of the class. Give the students a chance to get into the act by performing poems interactively. Invite students to make whistling, snapping, snoring sounds-as they come up in the poem. Stage a "poetry race." Give the students a chance to practice their listening and thinking skills by paying close attention to the meaning of poems. In addition, ask the students to tell you the story behind the poem. Let the students take a poem, and condense it in to a story.

To conclude my paper, I would like to add that the teachers must assume proactive roles to involve and motivate learners lest we, under the burden of complacency, which may fetch cataclysm also, should become obsolete. ReferencesBennett, Tony (1990) Outside Literature. London and New York: Routledge. Chaudhari, Bahinabai (1978) Third ed. Bahinabaichi Gani (Marathi), Popular Prakashan Pvt. Ltd. Mumbai. Eagleton, Terry (1983) Indian reprint 2000 Literary Theory, Maya Publisher Pvt. Ltd. New Delhi. Hornhy, A.S. (2001) Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary, O. U. P. Leech, G. N. (1985) A linguistic guide to English poetry, Longman Group Ltd. England. Warton, Thomas (1840) The History of English Poetry (1100-1790), ed. Richard Price, Thomas Tegg Printers, London. Wellek, Rene (1947) The rise of English literary history, Chapel Hill, University of North Carolina Press. www.wikipedia.org

Errors and their Role in Second Language Acquisition and Learning

Namarata Nistandra

Errors are a source of dread for students and teachers alike. For students, errors in the use of language give them an inferiority complex and distaste for learning if the errors persist. For teachers, errors are a sign of failure and a deficiency in students. The traditional approach to errors has been of impatience and a tendency to create correct usage by any means especially rote-learning. The correct version is drilled into the students in the hope that they would get it right by persistent practice. But it has been seen in the classroom that this approach doesnt help much because the students know the rules and still break them. The grammar teaching method is still one of the popular methods of teaching a second language. It may or may not bring results but it makes the learners conscious of what they are speaking or writing; and this mars the spontaneity of expression. Earl Stevick uses the term defensive learning for this kind of cautious behaviour. This ultimately delays language learning. The aim of this paper is to understand what causes errors and to point out the need for a liberal attitude to errors. This paper is based on the theories of second language learning. Errors are no longer viewed as danger signals but signs that learning is taking place. Errors are considered a temporary stage in language development. Even native speakers make predictable errors on their way of picking up the language but they soon outgrow them. John Norrish divides anomalous language behaviour into three categories: the error, the mistake and the lapse. An error is a systematic deviation, when a learner has not learnt something and consistently gets it wrong. A mistake, on the other hand, is an inconsistent deviation. Sometimes the learner gets the thing right and sometimes not. A lapse happens because of carelessness, fatigue or absent mindedness. Why errors occur Errors are not a random occurrence but a signal of the learners progress. A number of factors account for them. One factor could be faulty teaching material where the learner fails to get comprehensible input. The material may be excellently designed and presented but if it does not match the learners level, it would not lead to successful learning. Moreover, every student responds to the learning situation in a different way. Some students appear to learn in a linear progression, others apparently adopt a different procedure and seem to move by flashes of insight whereby whole chunks of the language system are learned (Norrish 16). Different theories of second language learning focus on different aspects of the process and explain errors differently but they all provide vital clues to deal with errors. The Interlanguage theory focuses on mother tongue interference. A learner who is picking up her way in the second language is in a sort of transitional stage. Different writers have used different terms to refer to this transitional stage. These are: interlanguage [Selinker 1972], approximate systems [Nemser 1971], interlingua [James

1971], and idiosyncratic dialect[Cordor 1971]. Selinker first used the term interlangauge to mean the interim grammars constructed by second-language learners on their way to the target language. Whenever the learner is in a difficult situation, she unconsciously makes use of the structures of the mother tongue to produce an utterance. A prominent factor that causes errors to become more or less permanent is fossilization of interlanguage. This phenomenon is never encountered in first language acquisition. Fossilization takes place when the learner stops learning and does not modify the interlanguage even when there is fresh teaching going on. Stephen Krashens Monitor Model differentiates first and second language learning. Krashen differentiates the terms language learning and acquisition. Acquisition refers to picking up the language primarily as the first language is picked up. According to Krashen, it is a sub conscious process. Learning is a conscious learning of rules in the formal classroom setting. Krashen takes the extreme view that learning never becomes acquisition. This partly explains why students are not able to produce correct language inspite of being grounded in rules. The errors would certainly go down with time if students are immersed in the language and given situations where they could learn through role-play. Learning through a communicative approach gives the students a feel for the language that over-emphasis on grammar teaching can never create. Teachers are often over-enthusiastic about correcting errors but this brings change at a very superficial level. Real change happens when the learners inner resources are built up. This is known as competence but it cannot be directly observed; only guessed at through performance. Competence is also of two types: linguistic competence and communicative competence. The former refers to the ability to produce individual words and sentences; whereas the latter refers to understanding the situation and context in which the language is employed. Linguistic competence can be acquired through repetition but communicative competence cannot. Earl Stevick understands the difference between acquisition and learning in terms of the storage, retrieval and reconstruction of images from the memory: In acquisition the image from which we reconstruct what we are after is rich and well integrated; while in learning it is impoverished and unintegrated (25). There needs to be a balance of acquisition and learning so that learners pick up the language at a fast pace. Krashens monitor hypothesis also helps us in understanding why different individuals vary in the degree of errors in their usage. Monitor is responsible for the conscious alteration of language before or after it is produced. Monitor over-users are people who always hesitate before using the second language and over-correct themselves. Even this is not a desirable goal in teaching. Monitor under-users rely solely on their feel of language and are confident in the use of second language even when it falls short of acceptable usage. The goal of teaching must be to produce optimal monitor-users who have a feel for correct language and can also fall back on rules when need arises. Krashens natural order hypothesis explains why errors are bound to occur. Learners acquire language in a particular sequence. This has nothing to do with the sequence in which language is taught in the classroom. The input hypothesis emphasizes the role of comprehensible input in picking up the language. Comprehensible input develops the competence of the learner as she moves from one

level to the next. It has been observed that if children do not get exposure their language ability gets arrested. Caretaker speech that is oriented to the learners level helps her in moving to error-free usage. Any teaching programme that provides large, fresh doses of comprehensible input leads to error reduction and elimination. Krashens theory advocates that the teachers must not bother too much with error-correction; rather they should let the competence get built up. Grammar is automatically available as a consequence. The affective filter hypothesis tries to explain the role of individual differences in the occurrence of errors. Affective filter is up when the learner is disinterested or obsessed with the fear of failure. The filter is down when the learner has a high degree of motivation and interest in learning. Children can pick up the language pretty fast because they are not self-conscious while adolescents are often hesitant in language use as the filter gets strengthened in puberty. Acculturation theory underscores the role of extra-linguistic factors in second language learning. Sociolinguistic and psychological factors play a prominent role in deciding the pace at which language is learned and errors disappear. Acculturation involves a modification in attitudes, knowledge and behaviour. Schumanns hypothesis states that second language acquisition is determined by the social and psychological distance between the learner and the target language. Social distance is more if the learner is not in contact with the native speakers of the target language and vice versa. Psychological distance includes affective factors such as language shock, culture shock, integrative and instrumental motivation and ego permeability (Mc Laughlin 110). Some errors are an outcome of the learners psychology. If the learner is genuinely motivated, she is likely to perform better. Motivation is also of two types: integrative and instrumental. Integrative motivation relates to the learners willingness to identify with the culture, perceived personality and habits of the speakers of the language (Norrish 18-19). The second type of motivation is where the learner uses the second language purely for some functional purpose. More errors are reported where there is second type of motivation. Error Correction Correcting errors is a practical necessity but we know well nothing is more disheartening for a student than seeing her work marked with red circles. An alternative approach could be to go in for performance analysis. The learners work is evaluated both in terms of correct responses as well as incorrect responses. Recognition for correct work is more satisfying for the learner than a discussion of errors. We need to dispel the learners fear of the target language. But this does not mean that the teachers should ignore the errors. If they do, the students would not realize the need of correct usage and also get lower grades in the exams. A practical approach is needed where each and every error is not singled out but the errors are studied to know how the learner is progressing. It is now accepted that errors are not random but systematic. The teachers need to know their learners through these errors. Error correction is futile without building the competence of the learner and here lies the real challenge of the teaching process. Errors would disappear on their own if the inner resources of the learners are strengthened.

References Cook, V.J. 1985. Universal Grammar and Second Language Learning. Journal of Applied Linguistics 6, 2-18. McLaughlin, B. 1987. Theories of Second Language Learning. Edward Arnold: London. Norrish, J. 1983. Language Learners and their Errors. Macmillan: London. Stevick, E.W. 1983. Teaching and Learning Languages. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge.

MODERN ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING IN KASHMIR: PROBLEMS AND REMEDIES

Qazi Khursheed In the present world English Language has truly become the commonest language of communication. Every activity of our lives revolves primarily now around this communication. It is through speech that we assert our distinctiveness from other forms of life. In fact, when we are unable to say something clearly what we mean, through nervousness, timidity or foggy thought processes, our personality is blocked off, dimmed out and misunderstood. We know that English is the global language (Crystal 2007: 1) and has gained an indispensable place in our daily life. It is today known as language of opportunities. It opens newer vistas for excellence in ones life. Without it one is definitely a handicap and cant think of a better future and progress in life. David Crystal, world authority on English Language, in English as a Global Language, presents a lively and factual account of the rise of English as global language and explores the whys and wherefores of the history, current status and future potential of English as the international language of communication. English has been lauded as the most successful language ever, with 1500 million speakers worldwide. English symbolizes in modern perspective, better education, better future, better culture and higher intellect. In present times, English is the most preferred language. A number of studies have shown that an advanced proficiency and knowledge of English leads one to higher paying jobs, strong mobility, and a great deal of social success. Whatever career you choose whether it is engineering, medicine, management or history, powerful command of the English language will greatly help you in success. There is a saying people look beautiful unless you hear them talk while we may realize it, people will judge us by the way we talk. It is a hard reality and irony today that even countries like China and Japan which were initially dithering to accept English language as a privileged language are now opening up language institutions for training their students in English language as they too have understood its importance. Therefore, its purposeful learning and goal oriented teaching have gained tremendous importance. On the one hand, the changing times have witnessed the growing importance of English language in all walks of life. It does not seem that we are using English language as non-native speakers or as a second language. Conscious and unconscious use of the words in our everyday conversation from the English language bears evidence to this fact. On the other hand, even the English illiterates in the rural areas use such words effortlessly. This too shows that we need te look at how to focus on the deficiencies and immediate remedies in order to turn ourselves winners in the current competitive world. The questions which strike our minds now are undoubtedly the following: 1. Is the current System of learning and teaching English is full of defects? 2. How to overcome these defects or ailments by suggesting the possible remedies?

Unfortunately, like other places of India in our State, J & K, too the teaching of English language is full of defects. In fact, we find today thousands who though are College and University pass outs yet are very tongue tied, shy and heavily lack the power of expression. This plight confines their horizons of success. They dont even participate in debates, seminars or other usual discussions. They love avoiding interviews. Thus, they themselves mar their future prospectus. Now my study highlights some evident problems: a.) Conditions of Classes: The following conditions of the classes hinder smooth and purposeful teaching of English: 1. Unmanageable Classroll 2. Lengthy uninterested literature- oriented Lectures 3. No use of video in language teaching Due to Overcrowded Classes, the teacher is not able to pay attention to the individual students and their problems. Further, literature-oriented language books too make students often feel inconvenient and their attention is distracted from learning. The third interesting thing within the language class is the use of electronic gadgets especially video. Jack Lonergan says: video is a very useful aid for the language teacher. It is not meant to rival or overshadow the teacher (Lonergan 1994:5). Unfortunately, the use of video is not made in our Language classrooms. Thus, the class appears boring for students. b.) Poor Infrastructure: One of the greatest problems which both our teachers and students come across in the educational institutes while trying to teach and learn English language is the infrastructure. They dont have language laboratories or trained teachers. Even the teachers who have good accent do not possess a good command over the language. It is quite unfortunate that whatever our English language teachers gain in the completion of their course or education as eligibility for seeking a job or an employment, it stays there and the teaching learning stagnates. The process of teaching is not updated even after years. This turns whole language learning activity just meaningless. c.) Faulty Methodology: English has been taught in our Educational institutes for quite sometime now, yet our students feel handicapped in using it effectively in and outside their classrooms. The reasons are manifold but the most glaring is the use of faulty methods of teaching and learning the language at various levels of our education. Our students do not realize the importance of English as a language of communication. In fact, they lack the confidence to speak in English; expression in the language is weak. The major reason is that they have been taught English through Grammar-Translation Method. This method makes them dependent on their mother tongue. Whatever they read, they translate it into their own vernacular. During the time of exams, they cram the expected questions because they cannot write or speak one original sentence of their own. d.) Governments Non Seriousness: Like other places here in our state also the medium of instruction in our academic institutes is English. That is why; it is a compulsory subject in all academic streams up to the graduation level. But the matter of the fact is that it has been reduced to the level of subject only, especially in our government schools and colleges, and not a source for the development of English

language in our students so that they could better comprehend the subjects they study and are able to excel not only in their studies but also compete well in life ahead. e.) Impact of Mother Tongue: According to Elizabeth Grace Winkler Native speakers of any language are capable of making grammatical judgments about their language even if they have never had a linguistic class ( Grace Winkler 2008:106). Learning a second language means acquiring a system of rules, but just as a very little is known about these rules, even less is known about how such rule systems are acquired. Students find it very difficult to earn a competence in those rules and in fact they have no idea of proper sentence structure. They do not even know proper pronunciation, spellings and grammatical rules. Inwardly, they dislike the English Language and hence the sole objective of the teacher and the learner remain to clear the exams. Hence, the students never realize the importance of learning English as a language. f.) Examinations: We can blame even our examination system for producing aspirants with poor communicative abilities. The hackneyed, stereotyped and traditional pattern of examinations aims at only clearing English not as a language but as a subject. The students, therefore, are guided to mug up or practice or go for pick and chose method from the sub-standard material available in the market. So that students merely pass the subject far from learning any level of the Language. It is more shocking to learn that even the questions that students are supposed to answer are told to learn through translation from English to their own vernacular. Poor performance in translation, lack of proper vocabulary, no knowledge proverbs all are results of this casual approach. The emphasis on passing the examination lies so heavy on the students that they opt for the cramming method. Such an approach helps unscrupulous elements to flourish. They no doubt help the students in achieving their goals of passing the exams but never earn command over English Language. g.) Faulty Evaluation System: According to Patton, evaluation is "the systematic collection, analysis and interpretation of information about the activities and outcome of actual Programmes, for interested persons, in order to make judgments about specific aspects of what the programme is doing and affecting" ( Patton 1980). This definition encompasses most aspects of evaluation, such as a. It has to be "systematic" i.e. planned and organized, and conducted at regular intervals before the course, during the course and at the end of the course. b. It involves three stages of Collection " "Analysis "and "Interpretation "of data if it is to be a useful exercise. c. It should deal with two aspects of the programme i.e. activities or the educational process or implementation of the plan; and the outcomes or the effects of the programme. Above all, Patton's definition not only refers to the 'interested persons' or the 'beneficiaries' of evaluation, which include students, teachers, course designers and administrators, but also points out the purpose of evaluation which is to make judgments. Unfortunately, in our system, there is a very defective conventional evaluation system. h.) Curriculum Planning: Curriculum planning does not involve just the recommendation of a set of language text-books but it is also intimately is concerned

with the methodology and evaluation techniques, each is interlinked and should be viewed in totality and not in isolation as is being done at present. If curriculum of a course concerns itself only with prescribed text-books without taking into consideration the underlying problems in curriculum planning and course designing, it turns out to be "the frozen syllabus" (Joe 1974). Such a syllabus neither spells out the approach of the curriculum planners, nor formulates correctly the purpose of teaching/learning which could help in course designing, since the purpose formulates the very method of learning. As a result of it, no learning takes place and the entire teaching/learning is reduced to passing the tests and examinations. Keeping these disadvantages in view, it is understandable why our students at the college level cannot competently handle English and write or speak purposefully. The most pathetic situation is that many students answer questions in examination very successfully without even having read the texts or even acquiring the skills of speaking or writing. Every curriculum planner has to go through a certain exercise in order to make his plan valid, reliable and fruitful. Although the problems to which the curriculum planning in languages address may be just and foremost linguistic or socio-linguistic ones, the process of planning involves the social, cultural, economic, political, and educational dynamics of a society. Remedies and Suggestions: For solving all the above discussed problems, we need to build a systematic approach which should later be followed seriously. The teachers should be trained on modern lines not knowledge but skill, as has been shown by David Vale et al in Teaching Children English (Vale with Feunteun 2008), the different skills required for good Listening-Speaking-Reading-Writing. Teachers should find some way of helping pupils to enjoy their language activities by spending sometime inside the language laboratories thereby building their confidence. A teacher who tries to help his pupils in this way has rightly rejected the image of the teacher who acts as the arbitrary dispenser of all knowledge. As children learn by way of imitation, similarly, the students tend to follow the example set by their teacher. The English teacher should have both wide-ranging enthusiasm and Imagination. Further, for tackling the lack of vocabulary in the students, Productive and receptive use of words should be kept in mind. The students should be made to learn simple words and their usage in different situations. This will help in inculcating a habit of learning new words in them. Their newly learnt words will become a part of their own vocabulary and they will be in a position to use those words very purposefully. This enhancement of vocabulary will result into better expression. The common errors made by the students in the different usages of the same word can be cured by this technique. Normally, the students can- not differentiate between Noun and Verb, adjective or adverb. They should be clearly guided about the difference between the parts of speech by practice. They can be made aware of the different parts of a word; root, suffix, prefix and how can they change the total meaning of the word by adding suffix or prefix with the root. The communicative method of language teaching should be made use of within the class as the Communicative Method seems to be rapidly shifting towards total learner-centredness and learner-autonomy (Fazili 2007: 25). The Communicative Method in ELT is envisaged not only to develop the communicative capacity in our students but also to empower them with the capability to learn how to learn and become self-directive in the long run.

Before concluding, I want to forward some specific suggestions, focusing primarily on those important areas of syllabus designing where some kind of change is immediately desired so far as teaching English in Kashmir is concerned: a. Selecting the appropriate corpus of texts for study b. Developing new class-room methods c. Introducing new modes of testing and evaluation Similarly, assessment of students should increasingly seek to test the acquired capabilities rather than memory or pre-packed knowledge (For various types of testing techniques and modes, see, Techniques in Testing Op. Cit.) Above all, it is to be kept in mind that the vital problem in the curriculum planning is not 'the problem of creation only but 'the problem of impact or the failure to achieve what the planners aspire for. In order to overcome this problem we need to modify the conventional description of the nature of curriculum planning or syllabus designing. References: Crystal, David. 2007. English as a Global Language, Cambridge University Press, U K. Fazili, Mubeena. 2007. Communicative Method in ELT: An Indian Perspective, Atlantic Publishers, New Delhi. Grace Winkler, Elizabeth. 2008. Understanding Language, Continuum International Publishing Group, London. Lonergan, Jack. 1994. Video in Language Teaching, Cambridge University Press, Great Britain Patton, Michael Quinn. 1980. Qualitative Evaluation Methods, Sage Publishing Inc, U.S.A. Spriggs, Joe. 1974. "Doing English Literature" in Counter Course (ed.) Pateman, Penguin Publishers, Harmendsworth. Vale, David with Feunteun. 2008. Teaching Children English, Cambridge University Press, United Kingdom.

TEACHING OF ENGLISH IN THE COLLEGES AFFILIATED WITH GURU NANAK DEV UNIVERSITY, AMRITSAR
Avinash Chander As per the language policy of the government English is taught as third language in Punjab, the first being Punjabi and Second Hindi. But as in other parts of India, in Punjab also it is an associate official language. It is commonly used in seminars and conferences to exchange information. In academic and intellectual gatherings it is preferred for transecting business. Knowledge in the fields of law, medicine, and technology is available in English only. So, it becomes essential for our students to know English. However, it has been the common experience of English teachers that their students fail to communicate effectively in English in spite of their teaching efforts. Even after ten to fifteen years of learning English at the secondary and under-graduate levels, the students are still confronted with the inability to use the various skills of language effectively. This leads to the question: Where does the fault lie? In order to teach a language effectively, a teacher needs to have clearly defined objectives and also the mythology needed to attain those objectives. A defective methodology leads to defective results. In the colleges of Punjab, language teaching is more or less an isolated activity. No attempt is made to teach different language skills like Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing as an integrated whole. Most of the time, teaching of English becomes an intellectual exercise to explain the merits of prose and poetry texts. No doubt the content is important, but it is not the only aspect of teaching a language. Then, language learning is not just a matter of memorizing standard answers to standard questions. The objective of teaching English in the colleges should be the achievement of communicative competence in the language. In the lack of clear cut objectives, effective teaching and learning of English remains a dream. Objectives of the Paper: The purpose of this paper is to high light briefly some of the major issues related with the teaching of English in the colleges affiliated with Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar. It aims to analyze critically the following: 1. 2. 3. the curriculum of the various classes in the subject of English, methodology used for teaching various skills in the classrooms and testing and evaluation of the various skills of language.

Teaching of Four Skills of Language: 1. Teaching of Listening Skill No special effort is made to develop listening ability of the students. Most of the time, the students are expected to listen to the language spoken by the teacher in the classroom and understand it. Very rarely they are given opportunities to listen to the experts in the form of extension lectures and seminars. This gives them an exposure to only one model and even that may not be standardized one. 2. Teaching of Speaking Skill Spoken English as a language skill has by and large

been neglected. It is ironic that some of the colleges offer special courses in Spoken English as Add-on courses or Additional courses. Unfortunately the same facility is denied to the under-graduate and post-graduate students in the regular classes. To attain a reasonable level of competence in this skill, the students have to go to some coaching institute, while they should have acquired it as a matter of course in the class room. 3. Teaching of Reading Skill University prescribes various texts of various genres in different classes to develop reading ability of the students. It is expected that the students will go through the prescribed stories, novels, poem, plays and essays and understand them. But the irony of the situation is that majority of the students hardly read those texts. It is the language teacher who actually reads those texts in the classroom and paraphrases them sometimes in English and sometimes in vernacular for the benefit of the students. 4. Teaching of Writing Skill This skill is comparatively given more attention in comparison to other skills mainly because the testing in the examination is done only through this skill. The students are expected to write answers to the questions based on literary texts. They are also expected to write an essay, a paragraph or a letter etc. But here again, most of the time students cram notes from the help books and write in the examination. In a scenario like this, the need is to look at all the aspects of teaching-learning process in different classes at college level to bring about the necessary changes, so that objective of teaching English can be achieved. Teaching of English at the Graduate Level: English at the Graduation level in the colleges afflialted with the university, Amritsar is taught of various kinds taking into consideration the specific needs of the students. 1. General English: General English is taught to the students of BA, B.Com, BBA and B.Sc. classes for all the three years as a compulsory subject. The objectives are not made clear in the syllabus but it is assumed that it aims to improve the general proficiency of the students in the target language. But a critical analysis of the curriculum presents an entirely different picture. The syllabus of TDC Part I consists of three books. One is of short stories, second one is of prose and the third one is on English Grammar. It shows that 66% of the syllabus deals with literature part and 33% with language part. To test and evaluate the acquired linguistic competence of the students in the examination, 54 marks are assigned to literary portion and 46 to grammar and composition. The 46 marks can further be divided as - 20 marks for grammar, 6 for vocabulary, 6 for translation and 14 for composition. In TDC Part II and III, the case is more or less the same. The curriculum of these classes do gives weigtage to reading and writing skills, but the listening and speaking skills are totally ignored. In examination, the reading skill of the students is tested through questions on comprehension and other text based questions. As the examination is in written mode, the writing skill also gets evaluated. But there is no provision to evaluate the listening and speaking abilities of the students.

2. Elective English: Elective English is taught in BA classes only to those students who opt for it. Each year contains two papers. In TDC Part I, Paper - A consists of a play and an anthology of poems. The syllabus also prescribes a few literary terms to be studied by the students. Paper - B consists of a novel and a book on reading skills. The curriculum of this subject is totally literature based and no importance is given to the language part. Skill wise it concentrates on reading and writing skills only. Listening and speaking skills are totally ignored. The curriculum of TDC part I and II is more or less the same. 3. Functional English: Functional English is taught as a vocational subject at graduation level to those students who opt for it. In TDC - I Paper A deals with Phonetics and Phonology and Paper B with Remedial Grammar. There is also a practical examination of 40 marks in paper A to evaluate the speaking and listening skills of the students. In TDC II Paper A deals with writing skills and paper B with Conversational English. Both the papers have practical examination of 25 marks each. In TDC III Paper - A deals with Print Journalism and Paper B with Office Communication for Business. Both the papers have practical examination of 25 marks each. Looked at from ELT point of view this subject caters to the language needs of the students and gives equal weightage to all the four skills viz. listening, speaking, reading and writing. Unfortunately, only a few colleges are offering this course. 4. Communication Skills: Communicative Skills is taught as a compulsory subject in B.Sc. IT, BCA, B.Com Professional, Bachelor of Journalism and Mass Communication, Bachelor of Tourism and Hotel Management, B.Sc. BioTechnology etc. In most of these courses it is taught for only one year while in some courses for two or more years. The curriculum of this course is language based and gives weightage to all the four skills. The skills are tested in written as well as practical examination. But there is need to bridge the gap between theory and practice. Practical examination of these classes needs to be taken more seriously. 5. English Honors: This subject is again an optional one and can be opted by only those students who have taken Elective English as one of their subjects in Graduation. The subject is taught for two years in BA II and BA III. The curriculum is literature based and gives no weightage to language part. Hence language skills are not taught at all. This is mainly because of the nature and objectives of this course that gives importance to literature only. 6. Honors School in English: This course is a specialized three year degree course. Majority of the papers deals with English language and literature. Some allied subjects like Social Thought, History of England, Environmental Studies and Punjabi are also taught to give the students a broader spectrum. But a perusal of the curriculum reveals that majority of the papers deal with literature part and very little importance is given to language part. In TDC I, there is a paper that deals with Structure of English and in TDC III a paper dealing with Elements of Prose and Composition. There is no practical examination. No attempt is made to develop and test the language skills of the students, except the writing skill.

Teaching at Post-Graduate Level: 1. Annual System: At the Post-Graduate Level, English is taught as a specialized subject and only those students who get 50% marks in General English at Graduation Level or 45% marks in Elective English are eligible to join this course. It is a two year degree course and a student is required to appear in ten papers in total out of which eight are compulsory ones and two are optional ones. In MA I there is a compulsory paper entitled Structure of Modern English and Advanced Composition that deals with structural aspects of language. In MA II the paper entitled Introduction to Linguistics deals with basic theoretical aspects of language. English Language Teaching is neither taught as a compulsory paper nor as an optional paper at the postgraduate level in Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar. The syllabus is heavily overloaded with literature part, especially British literature. 2. Semester System: At present Post Graduation in Semester System is run only at university campus. But there is proposal to start this system in the colleges. Here the whole syllabus is divided into four semesters spread over two years. There is an optional paper in Semester - I that deals with Phonetics and Spoken English. Similarly, in Semester II, there is a compulsory paper entitled English Grammar and Writing. In Semester - III, there is a paper entitled General Linguistics dealing with theoretical aspects of language. All other papers are literature based. There is no paper dealing with English Language Teaching. Testing is done only through one mode i.e. writing. Methodology of Teaching: In most of the classes, lecture method is used by the teachers to teach English. Teachers seldom make use of handouts or any other teaching aid to illustrate their point. The prescribed poetry, prose and drama texts are explained by the teachers either in English or Punjabi or Hindi or any combination of these. This is followed by dictation of notes which are memorized by the students to be reproduced in the examination. So for as language items are concerned most of the students attempt them by using hit and miss method. Problem Areas: The faulty syllabus, the existing pattern of question paper, use of lecture method by the teachers, dictation of notes in the classroom, the students habit of rote learning etc. have resulted in the poor standards of English in the colleges of Punjab. This is reflected in the students inability to use the various skills of language effectively in spite of qualifying the graduate and post-graduate level examinations. Some of the problem areas are as under: 1. 2. 3. In actual class room situation, there is more of teacher talk and less of active student participation. The students dont get many opportunities to express themselves. There is an over dose of literature in most of the classes and the language part is not given much consideration. English language in India is taught as a second language and its purpose is to

4. 5.

6.

7.

enable the students to communicate with each other at the national and international levels for various purposes. Hence the teaching should aim at developing the various skills of the students. But the pathetic state is that in our colleges it is taught as a content subject like History and Political Science and not as a skill subject. As a result students understand the subject matter but not the ability to handle language in different social and cultural contexts. In most cases, it is the teacher who goes through the various texts as an annual ritual every year. The students dont bother to read the prescribed texts. They prefer to read notes from the help books to get through the examination. Another problem area is that the entrance behaviour of the students at the graduation level is not the same. Some of the students have CBSC background and some has Punjab School Education Board background. In schools affiliated with CBSC, the students start learning English from the pre-primary stage, while in PSEB schools, only a few years back, teaching of English language used to be started at from the 6th class onwards. Hence there is a wide difference in the entrance behaviour of the students from different schools. When the students reach graduation level, some of them have an exposure to English language for around 14 years while the others for only 07 years. But the course content and the methodology of teaching English at the graduation level are same for all types of students. As a result, some of the students find the syllabus too tough to be grasped while the others find it too easy. The same type of difference can be seen in the students from different socioeconomic and regional backgrounds. There is a qualitative difference between the students who have their schooling in urban schools and the students who have studied in the rural schools. Similar difference can also be seen in the linguistic competence of the students from private schools and government schools. But there is no provision in the syllabus to tackle this dichotomy in the entrance behaviour of the students. In the examination, only written skills of the students are tested and the other skills viz. listening, speaking and reading get ignored.

Suggestions and Recommendations: 1. All the four skills of language viz. listening, speaking, reading and writing should be given due consideration at all stages of teaching-learning process i.e. planning of curriculum, methodology of teaching and testing and evaluation in the examination. In order to test the listening ability of the students at graduation level, listening tests are recommended for all the three years in General English Course of BA, B.Sc., B.Com., BBA and other classes. In order to evaluate the speaking ability of the students at the graduation level, viva-voce tests are recommended for all the three years in General English Course of BA, B.Sc., B.Com., BBA and other classes. The weight age of literature content in General English Course should be reduced to maximum of 40%. It is recommended that 40% weightage should be given to grammar and 20% weightage should be given to composition portion.

2. 3. 4.

5.

6. 7. 8.

9.

10.

In classes where Communication Skills is taught as a paper, some changes are required at the evaluation level. At present testing of Listening Skills, Group Discussion and Presentation are recommended in the so called Practical Examination. But it is generally seen that only viva-voce is conducted and the other aspects are ignored. I recommend the recording of the practical examination and evaluation should be done by some other examiner on the basis of the recording. The time of presentation should be 5 to 7 minutes and presentation should be done in front of other students. Listening test should be conducted in language lab only. It is further recommended that in a group of practical examination, the number of students should not be more than 10. In the classes where Communication Skills is taught as a subject, the number of practical periods per week and the number of students in a group should be mentioned in the syllabus itself. A record of the activities performed by the students in the classroom to improve the various skills should be maintained in the form of a practical note-book and be shown to the external examiner at the time of practical examination. In order to improve the communicative ability of the students in Elective English Course at Graduation Level, it is recommended that the students should be asked to give presentation of 8 to 10 minutes on a topic of their choice taken from the syllabus. 20% weight age in each paper (separately) should be given to this practical aspect in all the three years. In BA (Honors School) in English, a presentation of 8 to 10 minutes per paper is recommended. This practical aspect can be given weightage of 20 marks. Some new options like Popular Literature, Greek Literature, Essays and English Language Teaching should also be introduced. The syllabus of this course has not been revised for a long time. This aspect should be looked into to see if some changes are needed in the current context. The books which are not available in the market should be changed with those easily available. At the Post-Graduation Level, I suggest a presentation of 8 to 10 minutes per paper on a topic of students choice from the syllabus. I further recommend that the division of papers should be as under: MA I Paper I History of English Literature Part I Paper II Literary Criticism from Philip Sidney to 19th Century Paper III Structure of Modern English and Advanced Composition Paper IV and Paper V Any two of the following options: Option I English Poetry Option II English Drama Option III English Novel Option IV English Essays Option V Modern British Literature Option VI Popular Literature MA II Paper I History of English Literature Part II Paper II Modern Literary Theory and Criticism

Paper III Introduction to Linguistics Paper IV and V Any two of the following options: Option I Indian Writing in English Option II Greek Literature in Translation Option III Commonwealth Literature Option IV American Literature Option V World Classics in Translation Option VI Indian Writing in English Translation Option VII Dissertation It is further recommended that literary terms related with each paper should be made part of the syllabus of the paper; number of authors in a paper should not be more than 6 or 7 so that these can be taught thoroughly in an academic year; and there should be 2 periods per week per paper for seminar work and this fact should be mentioned in the syllabus itself. To cap it all, the need of the hour is that the university should change its attitude and approach towards this subject. The university department, Academic Staff College, other teacher training institutes should shift their emphasis from literature teaching to language teaching. This will automatically includes the teaching of four skills of the language. This is so because as teachers of English it is our professional duty to make our students acquire high standard of proficiency in all the four skills of English. By improving their communicating skills, we shall be doing them a valuable service by providing them greater confidence, developing their personalities, and improving their prospectus in life. References Babu, B. A. Prabhakar. (1993). Teaching Spoken English in Colleges. Hyderabad: Central Institute of English and Foreign Languages. Brown, G. and G. Yule. (1983). Teaching the Spoken Language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Choudhary, S. (1986). Teaching Spoken English in India: Review and Suggestions. Focus on English. Vol. 2, No. 2: 13-21. Howatt, A. P. R. (1984). A History of English Language Teaching. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Lado, Robert. (1979). Language Teaching: A Scientific Approach. Delhi: Tata McGraw Hill Publishing Co. Ltd. Sachdeva, M. S. (1988). A New Approach to Teaching of English in India. Ludhiana: Parkash Brothers.

TEACHING OF ENGLISH IN INDIA AT UNDERGRADUATE LEVEL: A LOOK INTO MATTER

Hariom Verma Ahuja Sandeep Teaching and learning of a foreign language has never been an easy task. This is an area that requires policy, tact and competence on the part of the teacher, and positive attitude and a desire to learn on the part of the pupil. But there are some other factors too that considerably influence the teaching of a language which is not native. Since the day an Indian child starts his formal education, the sole aim of his parents (and later also of his own) becomes to make him perfect in English because English in India is necessary not only to get a job but also to appear a man of position. Parents -whether well educated or otherwise- wish to see their child with good English. But this dream fails and it has been failing majority of Indian parents and their children for years. In spite of years of teaching of English language and literature, teaching of English in India has not been able to give expected results. Unfortunately, it has failed. The present article tries to understand the reasons behind the failure of teaching of English in India in spite of a great degree of toil put in. The first part of the paper looks into the causes of the failure of teaching of English. The second part gives some suggestions to overcome the problem. Of course, this topic is quite deep and comprehensive but this paper surely discusses some of the key factors responsible for this tragedy. The mental attitude of the Indian people towards English has been a paradoxical one. They share a love-hate relationship with this language that has been fascinating as well as putting them off for more than two hundred years. An average Indian wants to read, write and speak English with fluency, yet he fears the assumed difficulty of this language. Indians believe that English is a difficult language, mastery over which is very difficult to achieve. This negative mental attitude towards English makes Indian student surrender rather than strive to learn the language. The reason why such a mental attitude gets developed in the mind of an Indian student can be detected in the long history of more than 200 years of the English rule in India. This long English rule cast an ideological influence on the Indian minds- that anything that was Indian was cheap and anything English was superior, English language including. This influence was so strong that not just English culture, but English language too became ideals for the Indians. Since English language began to be considered superior, and a language of the sahibs, it was also taken as a language difficult to master. The same mental attitude of Indians still continues and they have not been able to get over it till now. The idea that English is a superior language makes every Indian crave to have fluency in English but the same idea frightens him. When an average Indian student starts his formal education under this ideological influence, this assumed idea of superiority, and hence difficulty, of English settles somewhere in his mind and leads to the development of a kind of prejudiced attitude in his mind, of which he is never able to get rid of. This idea keeps on clinging

to him even after years of study of English in schools at Middle, High and Higher levels. Lack of Proper Background A great section of Indian population that goes for college education belongs to the middle class, subcategorized into upper middle, middle, and lower middle. People belonging to the upper middle are able to send their children to public schools where the medium of instructions is English, whereas those belonging to middle and lower middle send their children to government schools or government aided schools where the medium of instruction is either the regional language or the national language.. Students of public schools get ample opportunities to converse in English, and they do get to a large extent, the atmosphere conducive to the proper learning of English. On the other hand, students in government or government aided schools do not get proper exposure to the language. As a result, their practice of the language remains weak and so becomes their knowledge of the language. When these students get themselves enrolled in the colleges , those from public schools face no problem in English while those from government schools or government aided schools fail in this matter because of their faulty background. A student belonging to middle or lower middle class generally does not find atmosphere appropriate to the learning of the language even at his home. The newspapers and magazines subscribed in his house are generally in regional language. This also prevents his exposure to English. Absence of a foolproof Teaching Method Another thing that adds to the failure of English teaching in India is the absence of appropriate teaching skills. The teaching skills that are used for teaching of English in India are not suitable for students, keeping in mind their poor history of knowledge of English language. Teachers generally employ the same strategies to teach English that are applied to teach History or Civics, and that too, on all the students without considering their background. Learning of language that is not native requires that basics be made clear and exercises given to the students. But this thing is rarely done. Generally, it is taken for granted that students must be knowing the basics, and then further teaching is carried out as a routine process. As for giving exercises, there is no time because the teacher is always in a hurry to complete the syllabus which he thinks is his first duty towards the students. Overcrowding in Classes India is a country where a white color job is a highly desired thing. This desire inspires Indian parents to send their children to colleges at any cost. As a result of this, a number of students get themselves enrolled in colleges every year and this number has considerably increased in past a few years due to the rise in population and introduction of new subjects like computers. This has led to crowding in colleges. The number of the students has increased but the number of teachers required to teach these students efficiently has not been increased proportionately. It becomes difficult for the teacher to pay attention to each student, and special attention to the weak students, in a class of more than 50 or 60 students, in a period of 40 to 45 minutes. If he tries to pay attention

towards the weak students more, those good in the subject suffer , and if he does not do so, the weak, suffer. If he decides to create a balance by going slow, the syllabus suffers. Preference to Written over Spoken The process of learning involves four steps: listening , speaking , reading and writing. But in the formula that is adopted in our teaching of English, writing and reading are given preference over listening and speaking. The curricula in various universities are such that students rarely have to do anything as far as the speaking part is concerned. They read (or are read) the text, explained the questions and their answers after the chapter. Some times they are informed how they have to write their answers. There is practically no exercise that might make them good at speaking English. Of course, one needs to know the rules of grammar in order to speak the language correctly but only rules that too in written can never make one learn a language. Even the teacher in the class does not speak English as much as he speaks the local language. Sure, the circumstances force him to do so as a number of students find themselves uneasy in English, but as long as students do not hear English sufficiently, they will not be able to speak, and hence read or write, it properly. The first aim of teaching a language is not to provide the knowledge of the language to the learner; it is to enable him to communicate in that language. When speaking- the actual practice of the language- is not given proper scope, the purpose of leaning the language, as well as the effort to learn the language fails. Incompetent Syllabus The syllabi of UG classes is drafted by University teacher who practically do not teach UG classes. While drafting the syllabus, college teachers who really teach the classes are practically never taken into confidence or are not consulted practically. The out come is an ineffective syllabus. Students who fail to spell even their name and address properly, who do not know even the most basic rules of English grammar, who cannot tell the meanings of simple English words like sand and wax are expected to understand and to do exercises in auxiliary verbs and dangling modifiers, and also to appreciate modern American Imagist poetry. Of course, a level of syllabus matching to the standards of the Bachelors degree course needs to be maintained but perhaps the first thing that needs to be considered is the level of the majority of the students because it is the students for whom the syllabus is framed and teaching carried out. Not just this, sometimes the syllabus is so vast that the teacher fails to do justice with it. His first concern is to cover the syllabus and so much time is spent in covering the long syllabus that no time is left for practice on the part of students or for taking feed back, and teaching of English is reduced to only one way traffic, that is only teaching, without checking or caring for understanding. One more thing that can be mentioned here is that despite repeated recommendations by different education commissions constituted by the Government of India, the position of English in the curriculums and methods of teaching have always been in a state of flux. For example, in 1984, the West Bengal government completely removed teaching and learning of English from primary school curriculum but from 1999 onwards, it had to reintroduce it as second language from class II. Till recent

years, the teaching of English was introduced only in 5 th class in government schools of Punjab. Inappropriate Examination System Faulty examination system is one of the key reason of this problem. In our examination system total emphasis in case of English is on written than on spoken English. This system checks only the written expression of the student, and the student being aware of this thing, manages the things to be written. Multilingual help books which contain solutions in English, Hindi and regional language- three languages- are at his service. He mugs up the answers to the different questions told as important either by his teacher or Sure-short or by Guess-Paper type cheap books. In this way he manages to pass the paper which is his only aim. Hardly any attempt is made by our examination system to check the spoken expression of the student. Lack of a Definite Policy It is an unfortunate thing that till this date no proper policy for the teaching of English has been drafted. Attempts in this regard are known to us but these attempts have in fact not yielded any significant result. Two study groups established in 1967 and 1971 in their reports emphasaised on the teaching of communication skills and this view has been endorsed and pleaded a number of times in various seminars and discussions. The first study group (1967) recommended that 1. A compulsory English Course should be introduced from a liberal art literature course to a course in language skills. 2. Special emphasis should be given on the cultivation of language skills rather than doing a study of literature as such. 3. Two types of courses lower level and higher level- should be introduced in compulsory English at the degree level. For the lower level, teaching should be skill based with special emphasis on reading comprehension; and at the higher level it should put greater emphasis on written and spoken English. The second study group in 1971 probed ELT situation in the country . It also held responsible, along with ineffective teaching and poor teaching methods, the curriculum for teaching of English. In spite of such commissions, their probes and their reports, nothing fruitful has been obtained so far. Still it has not been decided how English should be taught and what kind of English should be taught. Those in whose hands the responsibility of deciding the policy lies are themselves not clear whether they want to teach language or literature or both, or they want to teach literature through language or language teaching literature. And the result of this chaos, unfortunately but compulsorily, is that neither is taught. In the literature part, two to three books are prescribed. For the language part, one book is prescribed. In addition to this, the language part can also include terminologies, proverbs or figurative expressions or both (these may amount to more than four hundred), prcis/letter writing and paragraph/essay writing and sometimes translation too. The teacher hardly gets time to deal with these things that need practice

in written. Moreover it becomes impossible for the teacher in a class of 50 to go to each and every student and check his attempt. So the language teaching fails. As the students fail to learn language, they also fail to appreciate literature, which probably is intended to be taught to them through language. Suggestions to Improve the Effectiveness of Teaching of English The debate for improvement in the teaching of English leads to various opinions. Given below are certain suggestions to improve the effectiveness of teaching of English in India. 1. The mental attitude of an average Indian cannot be changed overnight. Such a mental attitude is a product of a 250 year long rule of the British and it will take time to go. But students must be informed that English is not at all difficult. If it is, it is only as difficult as the vernacular is. 2. Crowding of classes should be prevented. Smaller groups, at least of students weak in English, should be made so that the teacher may pay due attention to each student. 3. Instead of teaching each and every thing, students should be promoted towards self study. They should be given assignments to prepare which the teacher will be able to check if the sections are smaller. 4. Teacher too should be provided with knowledge how to teach English language. For this purpose special ELT training programmes should be run from time to time. 5. Students should be inspired, and provided opportunities inside and outside the class, to converse in English. This can help those students who do not find around them atmosphere conducive to the learning of English. 6. While drafting the syllabus for the subject of English for undergraduate classes, teachers who actually teach these classes should necessarily be consulted. 7. There is a need to review our examination system also. Rather than checking only the theoretical knowledge of the students in the field of the language, their practical abilities, that is spoken expression, should also be tested. For this matter, a full practical paper focused on spoken English should be introduced. Students can be asked to create bits of conversation on given situations, or to understand pieces of spoken English from audio and video clips. A kind of viva voce can also be introduced. This kind of paper is included in the syllabi for Functional English or Communicative English etc. but these are elective\optional subjects which a lesser number of students takes up. This practice should be associated with the Compulsory English paper too. 8. A definite policy should be adopted regarding the things to be taught. Both language and liteature can be taught but more stress should be given on the study of language than on the study of literature. The number of books (including grammar) to be studied by the students should also be low not more than two in any case. The literature texts introduced should be interesting rather than philosophical or too much informative -too heavy -for the students because the aim of teaching of English is primarily to teach the students English language and not metaphysics or Environmental Science. If the number of books is limited, neither the student will not feel himself overburdened nor the teacher will be under the pressure of pending syllabus and the teaching will take place spontaneously and effectively.

9. The use of audio-visual aids for the teaching of English should be made popular. Teachers should invent ways in which learning can be made more interesting. 10. The use of help books among the students should be discouraged as these books destroy the creativity and the urge to learn inside the students. These are a few measures which can be helpful in improving and enhancing the total output of English teaching in India. The question Why teaching of English has not been expectedly successful in India is a very crucial one and it cannot be ignored. As English has become an international language and the world is rapidly undergoing globalisation, we need to make our future generations good at this language, in order to bring them in a competent position. Missing this aim will be something unforgivable. More research needs to be undertaken in this matter. This paper is only a small yet positive effort. References Agnihotri RK and Khanna AL: English Language Teaching in India, Issues and Innovations. Sage Publication, India. 1995 Surendra Prasad Sinha: English in India. Janki Prakashan, India. 1978 Edward M. Anthony: Approach, Method & Technique English as a Second Language. Allen & Campbell. T.M.H. Edition. J.A. Bright and G.P. McGregor Teaching of English As a second language, Published by English Language Books Society and Longman Group Limited.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS ATTITUDE TOWARDS COMMUNICATIVE LANGUAGE TEACHING: A CASE STUDY OF ENGINEERING INSTITUTES Mahesh Arora Maninder Kainth With the herald of globalization, English language has established itself as a global passport for professional success. Keeping in view the significant status of India in the current global market, it has become increasingly important for the technically skilled youth of India to be proficient in English communication. Thus, the role of English language teachers in the engineering institutes has become all the more important. They have to develop their teaching skills and strategies keeping pace with the current demands of the global market. They need to pay more attention to the development of learners competence in the communicative use of language and focus on a more effective and successful method. One such teaching method which has gained immense popularity in the recent past of language teaching is Communicative Language Teaching (henceforth CLT) method. The concept of CLT is not new to India but its effectiveness as an important tool for English Language Teaching needs to be reinforced. Though a majority of language teachers in the engineering institutes advocate the implementation of CLT in ELT classrooms and they profess practice of the same in their language classrooms yet there continues to exist a low correlation between what they state and what actually happens in their classroom. As Karavas-Doukas (1996:187) stated, "one of the causes of the discrepancy between prescribed theory and classroom practice may be teacher attitude. Misconceptions and misinterpretation of CLT among teachers are one of the main reasons for difficulties in implementing CLT in ELT classrooms ( Penner, 1995; Lewis and McCook, 2002). Thus, through this paper a sincere effort is made to understand the disparate attitudes of English language teachers towards the CLT principles and their practical implementation in the engineering institutes. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY The subjects of this study were 21 English language teachers from different engineering institutes of Punjab. The instrument used for the survey was a questionnaire consisting of 42 questions grouped into six categories: the background information of respondents, strengths of CLT, weaknesses of CLT, basic tenets of CLT, practical applicability of CLT and teacher flexibility in adopting teaching approaches. The questionnaire adapted from Karavas-Doukas (1996) composed of 5-point Likert-type open-ended items. The questionnaire was then mailed to all the 21 subjects along with a cover letter that explained the purpose of the questionnaire. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Of the 21 respondents, the majority (61.9%) are female. The age of the teachers ranges from 26 to 57.The average teaching experience of the 21 respondents is 12 years. The

average teaching load in periods per week is 18. The average number of students in each class of the respondents is 60. When asked about whether they agree on the basic tenets of communicative language teaching, teachers gave the response as shown in Table I. Table I Basic Tenets of CLT Basic Tenets %age of subjects who agree a needs-based syllabus 96.8 integrated language skills contextualized learning student-centered teaching activity-oriented learning 91.1 89.4 85.9 77.3

Sr. No. 1 2 3 4 5

As can be seen, majority of the teachers stand by the basic tenets of CLT and endorse the implementation of CLT in language classrooms with a needs-based syllabus and integrated language skills getting the highest ratings. In order to examine the actual use of CLT in class, we asked teachers to rate the lessons for which CLT is suitable. As can be seen in Table II, almost all teachers consider oral lessons suitable whereas all the other lessons get very low percentages. The use of CLT seems to be limited to oral lessons only. This finding contradicts the result that 91.1 of the same teachers approve of the integration of language skills (Table I). However, the contradiction can be easily explained: although teachers like the integration rationale, lessons other than oral do not easily lend themselves to a communicative flavor because usable teaching techniques and supporting materials are not yet easily available. This is not to mention the fact that English lessons are still rigidly categorized into discrete components such as oral, composition, etc., which could have a backwash effect on teaching. Another possible reason behind the contradiction is that the introduction of CLT has mostly concentrated on oral teaching. Whatever the real reason is, the issue merits our attention. Table II Lessons that are Suitable for the Use of CLT Lessons %age of subjects who agree oral 95.7 composition 40 reading comprehension 30 grammar 28.6 prcis 17.1 dictation 11.4

Sr. No. 1 2 3 4 5 6

In regard to the strengths of CLT, teachers rate high its humanistic potentials (Table III) which are lacking in other English language teaching approaches in particular and our examination-oriented education system in general. As for the weaknesses, 'more preparation for teachers and more time-consuming (Table IV) top the list. This is not surprising because much teacher adaptation and thought are needed in creating a meaningful situation for language use and practice, if a lesson is to be conducted communicatively. The reason is, at present, readily available and usable teaching materials such as textbooks are in short supply. Of all weaknesses, discipline problems resulting from student-oriented activities such as group work, pair work and games are also a concern of the majority of teachers. Table III The Strengths of CLT Strengths %age of subjects who agree more student participation 89.9 meaningful language use 88.6 learning can be more fun 87.1 teaching can be more fun 85.7 fosters co-operative 84.1 relationship among students Helps students assert 77.1 individuality students more easily 69.6 motivated

Sr. No. 1 2 4 5 6 7 8

Sr. No. 1 2 3 4 5

Table IV The Weaknesses of CLT Weaknesses % on agree more preparation for teachers 98.6 more time-consuming discipline problems difficulty in organizing lessons into a communicative syllabus difficulty in testing students' communicative ability 82.6 76.8 60 47.8

Since all teachers adopt and adapt a teaching approach to their own needs, we also asked respondents to identify circumstances under which they use CLT. The results are shown in table V.

Sr. No. 1 2 3 4 5 6

Table V Circumstances under which Teachers Use CLT Circumstances %age of subjects who agree when CLT is found to be 92.9 suitable for certain topics when teachers have the time and energy when student are in a good mood when students get bored when teachers are in a good mood when teachers get bored 74.3 52.9 51.4 42.9 14.3

As can be seen,' when CLT is found to be suitable for certain topics' and 'when teachers have the time and energy' are the most frequent circumstances reported, which again reflects the pragmatic attitude of respondents. But the findings in Table V as a whole reveal that communicative language teaching has not taken root in the classroom; teachers use it only sparingly, i.e. when the situation allows for it. We then asked teachers to rate the factors affecting the use of CLT. As shown in table VI, students' English proficiency and participation top the list. Teachers seem to be saying that students' English proficiency needs to reach a threshold level in order that CLT can be used, and student participation is vital. Other factors such as classroom setting (e.g., class size and furniture), examination pressure and resources available are also concerns of most teachers. Table VI Factors Affecting the Use of CLT Sr. No. Factors %age of subjects who agree 1 students' English proficiency 90 2 3 4 5 6 students' participation classroom setting examination pressure resources available student motivation 87.1 82.9 81.4 75.5 71.4

CONCLUSIONS The English language teachers surveyed approve of the potential strengths of CLT, which is probably because of their exposure to the communicative approach through literature, seminars, workshops and other modes of teacher training. However, the teachers also recognize CLT's weaknesses, which must stem from their practical experience. Above all, the majority of teachers would like to be flexible in adopting teaching approaches instead of being bound by a specific one. They use CLT sparingly, i.e. only when the situation allows for it. The reservations are probably due to constraints such as limited preparation time, examination pressure, lack of teaching aids, etc. The general picture that emerges from our survey coincides with the experience of most of the English language teachers abroad: there is still a gap between the theoretical appeal of communicative language teaching and its ability to produce results (Savignon, 1983). But as an approach that encourages the 'teaching' of students to communicate by communicating, CLT still deserves a place in our English language classroom, albeit adaptations. What is needed is that teachers should be trained to facilitate change of attitude towards CLT. But at the same time, we need to examine more closely and face squarely the actual factors which either facilitate or inhibit the use of CLT in class instead of introducing it as a universally applicable approach and/or out of context. This survey is only a preliminary study meant to reveal problems; it is by no means definitive. The data was collected from only 21 teachers who were randomly selected to have an initial response on this issue. Furthermore, there was no attempt to tap respondents' thoughts in interviews. However, since no studies have been done to gauge teachers' attitude towards communicative language teaching in the engineering institutes, the authors believe that the present study has uncovered some problems, which paves the way for further studies. In future, further investigation on controlled samples' attitude to specific aspects of CLT can be done in order to uncover locally relevant factors which facilitate and/or inhibit the use of the approach. Areas of study include students' English proficiency, level of students (higher versus lower forms), classroom setting, the teaching experience of teachers, resources available, etc. Above all, observations and/or experiments on actual classroom teaching using different communicative techniques are greatly needed if we were to investigate more accurately the use of CLT and its effect on students. References Brumfit, C. J. & K. Johnson (eds.) (1979) The Communicative Approach to Language Teaching. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Carter, R. & D. Nunan. (2001). The Cambridge guide to teaching English to speakers of other languages. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Celce-Murcia, M. (2001). Teaching English as a second or foreign language. (3rd ed.). Boston, MA: Heinle & Heinle.

Finocchiaro, M. & C. Brumfit. (1983). The Functional- Notional Approach- From Theory to Practice. New York: Oxford University Press. Karavas-Doukas, E. (1 996). Using attitude scales to investigate teachers' attitudes to the communicative approach. ELT Journal, 50 (3), 187-1 96. Lewis, M. & F. McCook. (2002). Cultures of teaching: Voices from Vietnam. ELT Journal, 56 (2), 146-1 53. Littlewood, W. (1981). Communicative Language Teaching - An Introduction. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Morrow, K. (1981). Communicative Methodology. In Keith Johnson and Keith Morrow. Communication in the Classroom. London: Longman, 59-66. Nunan, D. 1987. "Communicative Language Teaching: making it work." ELT Journal 41(2): 136-145. Pattison, P. 1987. The Communicative Approach and Classroom Realities. (EDRS No. ED 288 407, 17 pages). Paulston, C. B. (1978). Linguistic and Communicative Competence. TESOL Quarterly, VIII. 4. Penner, J. (1 995). Change and conflict: Introduction of the communicative approach in China. TESOL Canada Journal, 12(2),1-17. Savignon,S.J. (1983). Communicative Competence: Theory and Classroom Practice. Reading, Massachusetts: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company. Sen, Julu and Eapen R. Lalitha. Methods of Teaching English. Hyderabad: CIEFL Publications, 2007. Widdowson, H. G. (1978). Teaching Language as Communication. Cambridge: Oxford University Press.

DIAGNOSING AILMENTS IN THE PREVAILING ENGLISH TEACHING PROGRAMMES

Ajay Kahol English is an international language spoken by more than 3.5 million people across the world. Next to Chinese, it is the most widely used language in various countries of the world. It is spoken habitually in the United States, the British Isles, Ireland, Canada, New Zealand and Australia. It is the major foreign language which is presently being taught in the institutions of various levels in Europe, Asia, Africa and South America. The reasons which have contributed towards the world -wide rapid growth of English as an internationally accepted language by the world community are industrialization in Britain, Progress in Scientific research and more recently the globalization. Today we are living in the age of information and technology and the most effective medium to pass on the information on commercial, technological, cultural, socio-political and many more such issues is through the English language commonly used across the world. The countries like China, Russia and Japan have of late realized the importance of this language and framed policies to introduce, promote and use English in their respective countries. Introduction of English in India goes way back to the British Rule. Today were here to discuss the vital question as to how and why the teaching and learning methodology of English language in rural and suburban areas has witnessed a steep downfall over the past two decades despite the fact that this language otherwise is gaining importance day by day and opening new vistas for Career enhancement, handsome pay packages and for establishing effective communication with the people across the world. Today the learners of English language particularly in rural India are at a loss. What has gone wrong with them and at what stage yet needs to be identified? Over the past 25 years I have seen that the teachers of this language from elementary level to the university one are engaged in an endless blame-game. The university teachers hold college teachers responsible for the falling standards, college teachers in turn pass on the buck on school teachers and so on so forth. The ailments that have cropped up in the English Teaching Programme need to be urgently diagnosed whether these are with the teaching methodology of English language at certain levels or the problem solely lies with the learning skills of learners pursuing studies in the county side institutions. Though the students today crave to be proficient in English but more than 90 per cent of them do not take care of the learning techniques essentially required for effective communication through this language. The issue pertaining to different components of English language - speaking, writing, reading and listening still remains unexplored as to why the learners of English language today are uncomfortable to use them accurately in their practical life even after their graduation or post graduation. Himachal Pradesh University (HPU) established in 1971 no doubt has made a remarkable contribution in spreading education in the state. It is with the efforts of the university and government- run programmes that the state today second-tops in the literacy rate with 77.13% in the country. Despite the fact that we have vast educational network in the state, the students with rural backgrounds hesitate and lack confidence in using this language. Why so? I have few observations to share with you through this presentation. The kind of stuff we daily come across in the colleges located in rural

areas lack the basic knowledge of English language. This has been my personal experience that 90 per cent of students cannot speak and write few correct sentences in English. You may continue to give them long lectures on the advantages of a good dictionary or a grammar book but they will never budge nor do they feel the necessity of buying it. Rather on the contrary they fully depend and invest all money on cheap study-aids available in the market. The students prefer to cram certain readymade questions and appear in the examination. What in fact has gone wrong with the students and at what stage is the issue that needs to be investigated? Let us first understand the process of learning as to how a particular language comes naturally to a child before he or she actually takes first and formal lessons from a language teacher in a school. How the child born to British or American parents learns speaking English while he is in the lap of his mother and that too without any special training is the vital question. The same is true about a child born to Punjabi or Hindispeaking parents who learns his respective mother tongue. In fact, an infant is not aware of what is happening around him, he knows only few automated activities viz. feeding on the breast of his mother, urinating and crying. Act of crying doesnt involve utterance of any words while mother on the other hand, motivated by strong relationship with the child, continues speaking to him. It is in fact one sided communication. The child, in turn, doesnt respond as his articulators are not developed nor he can enter the social reality through eyes because of his failure to comprehend the outside world. But we must not forget that he can hear the words (sounds) being spoken to him. Language basically is a system of sings and symbols. A sign can be verbal or written one. A spoken word produces a specific sound and a spoken word stands for a fixed meaning. The sign cat is cat because it is not bat, rat, hat or mat. These sounds which can be called verbal signs fall on the ear drums of the child and reach the brain and finally this sound is stored there permanently in what we may call the human CPU. When the child grows he tries to imitate and reproduce these sounds in the very same manner they were uttered to him from time to time by his mother. These sounds which have been lying under the subconscious layers of the child are processed, analyzed and finally produced in shape of words. Initially these are uttered in a distorted form by a child. This is the point of time when primary communication with the mother is established. Using the term of Ferdenand De Saussure, the SPEECH CIRCUIT which requires a speaker and listener now becomes functional. In his essay The Object of Study he says, the starting point of the circuit is in the brain of the individual, for instance A, where facts of consciousness which we shall call concepts are associated with representation of linguistic signs or sound patterns by means of which they may be expressed. Let us suppose that a given concept triggers in the brain a corresponding sound pattern. This is an entirely psychological phenomenon followed in turns by a physiological processthe sound waves are sent from As mouth to Bs ear. There is no denying the fact that very first lesson of any language is learnt in the lap of the mother. More interestingly this language - learning process begins right from the day of the birth of a child. The child will learn the very same language that is used by his mother. Aware of the fact that her small baby cannot respond to what she speaks, even though an English speaking mother while caressing and patting the child keeps asking the child questions like Do you want milk ? , My baby wants milk ? The repeated sounds of milk-milk-milk is programmed in the brain of the small baby.

Later on when little grown up and ready to communicate with his mother by way of using few words he will use the word only milk and not its substitute available in Hindi or some other language. It is very important to give the child an English speaking environment. Even a child born to the Panjabi parents would interact in English instead of Punjabi if he is confined to the English speaking environment. Though it would be sheer injustice with the child and detrimental to the growth of overall personality but just for the sake of experiment, if we do not allow him to mix up with anyone using a language other than English, we will find the Punjabi baby comfortably using English much before the formal training. Contrary to this, the prevailing scenario is entirely different, what to expect from the humble and less educated parents, even the primary teachers are often found resorting to vernacular use in teaching English. After parents particularly mother the teachers at elementary stage are also required to be well versed with standard language skills to enable the students to express themselves in English alone. A good teacher always inculcates in them the habit of using the language in the class and outside as well. It has been observed that teachers are generally proficient in theoretical knowledge but they themselves hesitate in using English in daily application with the students and peers. English plays a crucial and altogether important role in all spheres of activity in India, the teachers of TESOL should identify situations to develop communicative competence in their students. Another area which ails the teaching learning process is the intricate structure of English language. Intricacies in this language often come on the way during class-room teaching, as for a number of times, these create problems both for the teacher and the taught. The unharmonious relationship between the spellings and the pronunciation is the biggest problem for the beginner of this language in rural areas. There is a considerable number of words in the vocabulary of English language the spellings of which have nothing to do with the pronunciation or otherwise. For example the word lieutenant is pronounced as leften nt. Suppose the teacher pronounces it in the correct way, the learners coming across this word for the first time may spell it wrong. On the other hand if it is pronounced as per the spellings, it will not be fair on the part of the teacher. Hence the teacher is required to explain it in terms of spellings, pronunciation and meaning. The very first letter of English language A stands for various sounds. It produces a different sound in words like car, cart, smart and a different in words like hat, bat, mat, rat etc. The signs C and U also stand for various sounds. The letters ch stand for different sounds in the words like machine, monarch, chief etc. English has only 26 letters and almost every alphabet is overburdened. Do we have any explanation as to why PUT is Put and BUT is bAt ? No. Unlike Hindi, English is a language which is not spoken the way it is written and written the way it is spoken. As a result of this, the beginner gets discouraged losing interest in learning this language. The only way of improving pronunciation and accent is through listening. In addition to pronunciation, the students are obviously a confused lot when it comes to the study of American authors particularly at the elementary level. They are encountered with a number of difficulties while studying the British and American English (Literature) simultaneously. The delicate nuances of the language in terms of spellings and pronunciation add to their problems. Despite the best efforts on part of the teacher, they (rural learners) are not of the level to understand as to why U is missing from the words such as Colour, honour. Labour, Favour etc. and ME from

Programme etc. There are many other instances to quote. In fact the distinctive feature of spellings is mainly the legacy left by Noah Webster whose American spelling Book appeared in 1783 and was followed by his American Dictionary of English language in 1828 based on commonsense and convenience. He suggested user-friendly spellings of the language. He suggested that neighbour, debt, rough, well should be spelled as nabor, det, ruf, wel and so on so forth. American English which flourished the other side of the Atlantic exercised a great influence on the standard speech of Britain. Americans with their love for experimentation and innovation have also given way to the slang expressions though it cannot be regarded as Standard English. To speak in nutshell the American linguists were concerned with the simplification of the language without bringing about major changes into it, but at the same time they unconsciously added to the complicacies by having a different set of English parallel to the British English. This difference between American and British English in terms of spellings and pronunciation, slang usage etc adds to the woes of the rural or suburban beginners. Bill Gates computer which has entered every household and Indian office in the last two decades and the programming of which has been done in American English, has offered the learners a different set of spellings but we in India still follow the B.S.E. (British Standard of English) so far as the question of evaluation of performance of students in an examination is concerned. The teacher is supposed to give special instructions to the students about following B.S.E. strictly during the examination. Here the point is why we then prescribe the works of American Literature at this level if we are to reject their answers written in American English (spellings) and on the same author the students have studied throughout the academic session. For example we had a drama All My Sons prescribed in the syllabus by our university at B.A. I level a few years back. Arthur Miller besides using his American English (spellings and slangs) in this play has attempted to give a realistic touch to the language of a character delineated almost an uneducated person. Many a time we come across the expressions in the conversation of Joe Keller with other characters which are grammatically incorrect and odious structures. The expressions such as thats good answer, but it dont answer anything (page30), that dont mean (page97), she dont know, does she ? (page100) and He dont understand money (page103) are only a few examples. The use of dont with he, she, it in the text of this drama is enough to put the rural learners in utter confusion. Grammatically, it is doesnt what we have been teaching them right from the primary level to be used with the third person singular number (He, She, it or the name of somebody) At times we find this character using doesnt with the second person. The theorists may find beauty of innovation or experimentation or what they may call the realistic touch to the real language of uneducated Joe Keller but this kind of language, as we have seen, lands the rural learners into utter confusion. I would also like to suggest that there should be less focus on teaching poetry to the students at lower level. The teaching of poetry particularly to the students with poor academic back grounds also mars the learning process at this level. Poetry, though most celebrated of all the genres of literature, does not ensure a good working knowledge of English to the learners. A poet often plays with the established rules of grammar and syntax as he enjoys the freedom through poetic license. There is no denying the fact that poetry makes no healthy contribution because it presents to the learners a kind of

language that is far removed from the laid standards of grammar. Instead good prose should be prescribed in syllabus. Another ailment that has cropped up in the last few years is the sms kind of language being widely used nowadays by the cell users. This kind of language is necessity of the cell users as it is directly linked with the expenditure involved in sending the message, more the characters, more the users will have to pay. Impact of Information technology (ICT) is so strong that this is not restricted in the area of sending and receiving messages on the cell phones alone, the students have started using it while writing their answers in the examination which is a matter of serious concern. I agree that English is very flexible language and it has witnessed changes at a large scale since its origin around 450 AD. It is like a tree shedding the old and dry leaves and giving way to the new sprouts to come up naturally. But when we have to evaluate the scripts of the students we cannot go by the varied forms available to us in this language, rather we are required to assess their performance applying the laid standards and parameters. Also there is a lot of experimentation going on with the English language these days. I would like to make reference to a literary piece called Middle published in a national daily which I happened to go through sometime back. It was all about the chaotic future of English language. There were in fact two characters in the write-up engaged in a conversation with each other using English language but both of them were unable to understand each others English. Ones English was all Greek to the other. The writer concluded the write-up saying that the day is not far off when we would have the international status of English Language reduced into a local or regional one. He satirically summed up commenting that the Amerian English will come to be known as Anglish, Indian one will become Hinglish Pakistans Pinglish and of course Chinas will come to be known as Chinglish. The point here is that we are adding to the intricacies of this language which is already intricate and needs to be simplified and standardized the world over. Having discussed the ailments whether with the learning process or the teaching methodology or with the English language itself, one thing can never be denied that proficiency particularly in English language can be acquired only through constant use and practice. Reading and writing are subservient to speaking and spoken language is imbibed from the very environment in which an infant grows. Much depends on the initial lessons imparted by a teacher at the elementary stage, if the teacher is fluent in speaking, correct in pronunciation , original in thoughts and above all if he knows the correct methodology of teaching, the learner is sure enough to imitate and imbibe all these components from his teacher. A quality teacher at elementary level is very important. A foreign language teacher at this stage must have acquired training through certificate, diploma or degree courses from institutes such as English and Foreign Languages University, (EFLU) Hyderabad and Regional Institute of English, Chandigarh. He should make sincere efforts to create an English speaking environment with the focus more on developing speaking skills rather than introducing grammatical items rigorously at the primary stage. The beginners should be made to start with single sentence expressions viz a viz How are you, I am thankful to you, Please forgive me, Please come back soon, Get well soon, I will call you later, Many many returns of the day and many more such expressions of greetings, gratitude,

appreciation, politeness, friendship etc. The teachers must avoid translating things into local languages, instead they should encourage transliteration method. There should be a provision for setting up a language lab in each school or college where the teachinglearning is supported by Audio-visual Aids like DVD player, Multimedia computer, monitor etc. Computer has revolutionized the entire teaching-learning process making it more easier as compared to the past. To conclude, ailments lie basically with the fact that English speaking environment is missing first at home in the lap of the mother, then in the classroom and school premises. Having completed his or her schooling by cramming certain readymade answers from the cheap study-aids available in the market or by using unfair means, the time a rural learner enters the portals of an institute of higher learning, he or she is diagnosed as a chronic patient for whom little chances of cure are available at this stage. Proficiency in speaking English language in India is regarded as a mark of good education and its user enjoys a high social status. If English speaking environment is created in the classrooms, campuses, friend circles etc, the learners will definitely become comfortable with this language.

Diagnosing Ailments in the Prevailing English Teaching Programmes

Dr. Navneet Kaur Today English has become the language of the educated. It symbolizes in Indian minds better education, better culture and higher intellect. Improper communication in English projects one dumb. It has become a language for employability; good command over it is a unique quality to keep an edge over others. But despite years of exposure to English many students are found to be woefully inadequate in communicating. There was a news item communicating that on the second day of college a young engineer student committed suicide. The reason was that he felt ashamed because he could not introduce himself in English and he had studied English as a compulsory subject for 12 years of school. This is just one example, majority of Indians students consider this seven letter word a mystical one. The moment they hear something in English, they start feeling uneasy. They are unable to express themselves in English. They have no idea of proper sentence structure. They have faulty pronunciation, spellings and grammar. If we compare a graduate of present time with a graduate of the past, the result is shockingly amazing. Something is wrong somewhere. All of us in the ELT profession need to look at this and consider how we can prevent such tragedies in future. We know that Today there is no dearth of English medium schools in each locality Syllabus is continuously being revised and updated Teachers attend in-service programmes and try innovative methodology in class Many insightful changes have been introduced in the examination system CBSE has even decided to do away with class 10th exams. Still we seem to have failed and have failed miserably. Let us assess the culprit then. The first area where problem lies is related to the neglect of the fundamental skills involved in English teaching and learning. Beginning with the listening skill, it is thought to be a passive skill and teachers assume that it is quite easy and that it requires no special effort. It is taken for granted that learners automatically acquire this skill without any special training. Therefore, it is not being taught systematically. It is listening which paves the way for being familiar with a language, because it is listening which makes a person think in that specific language as people do in their mother tongue. This fact, although known, is totally ignored by the teachers. Poor listening is one of the main causes of poor language learning. When a child starts walking, his mother holds his hands and guides him. Soon he starts walking and then running. Now he is independent and confident. This is to be extended to a language class also. But it is seen that teachers never let go their students. Answers are dictated and children are insisted to reproduce them, for we dare not trust their English. We explain each word in Punjabi or Hindi because we believe our children are incapable of reading and understanding on their own. We talk all the time, denying them opportunities for listening and then interacting and communicating. Students are to be exposed to as many different types of activities as possible involving listening. Listening should be encouraged with conscious attention paid to it and with a purpose.

The next skill is the Speaking skill. Todays world requires that the goal of teaching speaking should improve students communicative skills and his communicative competence. In the present situation there seems to be no respite from the hard reality - the better you speak, the better you are placed. Communicative competence has acquired new dimensions. The move is for plain English. Gone are the days when people looked up with admiration at language filled with long complex structures sprinkled with metaphors and similes and idioms. There is neither time for such luxury now, nor patience. Speaking skill, although important, is one of the neglected one also. Graduates passing out of the universities are found to be unsuccessful and ineffective communicators. It is said, If you wish to speak well, you must murder the language first. One must remember that in the beginning communication in English should emphasize fluency rather than accuracy, content rather than form or grammar. Teachers feel there is no need to learn speaking skills as such, they are a by product. But they forget that language is a skill subject, unlike Science or History which are knowledge subjects. It can be learnt by practice, by using it and not by knowing how to use it; it is said, English is the easiest language to speak badly, it is the most difficult language to speak correctly. Students are badly in need of opportunities to express in English. Teachers are supposed to create situations and motivate them to participate, as they are on a treasure hunt. Lack of proper environment is responsible for backwardness in oral expression. Teachers, themselves, should use English most of the time giving students practice in listening and then speaking. They should pick up words and expressions beyond the language of the text book. A deliberate practice in listening and speaking will lead to correct listening and production of correct sounds i.e. proper pronunciation. Motivation, an important psychological principle, is central to achieving goals. Even the best methods and materials will fail if the learners are not motivated. Another reason for Speaking skill being overlooked and neglected by the students is that it is not assessed. If students are begun to be assessed whether it is ability to produce meaningful sounds or ability to produce language using proper stress, rhythm or intonation or ability to convey information or ability to formulate appropriate response, speaking skill can be undoubtedly enhanced. Teachers can provide open-ended tasks which have variety of possible correct answers, so that they can express themselves freely. Today it is the time to change the tune from Keep Quiet to Keep talking. Interaction is the watchword. Pair and group works are glorified as the old saying goes, Tell me and Ill listen; teach me and Ill understand; involve me and Ill learn. Today we are aware of modern phrases like Ya,Man! Wass up? Cool dude! What cha doin? This is not a Hollywood flick. It is just an example of Indian English spoken today in educational institutions and workplaces all over - thanks to the influence of American culture, slang and sms language. Language skills must meet the International standards, but experience tells us that local languages add flavour to the mixture. For example Hindi influenced terms and expressions are also being used- What is your good name? (aap ka shub naam kya hai); today morning(aaj subha); yesterday night (kal raat), instead of saying this morning and last morning. All this creates a problem. Then training given at the BPO centers although enables the youngsters to work for the foreigners, largely Americans but adds to the trouble. I want to quote some

examples of familiar expressions they use like : -Ledder gedda bedder wadr heedr (forlet her get a better water heater) or Kwee geddit (for-can we get it). The Punjabi youth can not get over the English speaking mania. All this is a matter of concern that despite all the 12 year tutoring, a student is following the latest trend in spoken English. Continuing with the skills, reading too is the neglected one. No longer are children good readers. They cant read because they dont read, and they dont read because they cant read. But by forcing a child to read will yield no positive results. You cannot take the horse to the pond and make him drink, he must have the thirst to drink. Nothing is being done to help the students improve their reading. Begin with display of good books in a classroom library. Read stories aloud, dramatize, read with a lot of feeling, give assignments to students to encourage them for extensive reading. This will not only improve their reading ability but also enhance their vocabulary, because inadequate knowledge of Vocabulary, too, is one of the causes of failure of students. We all know words cannot be memorized in a day. Words should be carefully selected and graded and then taught in context, otherwise they will float in isolation. If situations are created by using the words which are to be taught, students get engrossed in these situations and are curious to find out the associated meaning. The next problematic area is of Grammar. I read in one of the articles where the word Grammar was associated with the image of Tony Lumpkin, the character in Oliver Goldsmiths play- She stoops to conquer, - singing the following song:Let school masters puzzle their brain, With Grammar, nonsense, and learning There she equated grammar with nonsense. In reality there has been a pendulum swing whether grammar should be taught or not. Newmark (1971) pointed out, teaching of grammar is neither necessary nor sufficient for learning a second language. That it is not necessary is proved by the first language learners success without it. That it is not sufficient is proved by the second language learners lack of success. Before the advent of Communicative language teaching in 1970s, grammar was having a dominating position, with the curriculum being organized around it. Today there is rejection of a narrow focus on grammar and its rules. But English teachers have been teaching discrete points of grammar in separate lessons, focussing only on the formal features of the language and not encouraging students to use the language. When students are encouraged to communicate, it is for sure grammar would somehow take care of itself, ofcourse teachers will need to make them aware of the various grammatical structures in meaningful contexts. In schools grammar is taught for the sake of grammar. Students are made to memorise definitions, rules, narration and what not. Use of a lot of grammar terminology, over-emphasis on formal features of grammar is a maze in which the poor learners tend to get lost. Why do we forget that teaching of English has the aimCommunication, ofcourse accuracy cannot be sacrificed at the altar of fluency, so students are to be given opportunities to use the grammatical forms intelligently. Involve students in number of exercises, and instead of explicating the rules straightway, try to elicit responses from students. The emphasis on passing the exams lies so heavy on the students that they opt for cramming, leading to unscrupulous elements to flourish. No wonder you hear people speak English this way :

Both of you three come here All of you make a straight circle Someone give me a red pen of any colour Close the window, environment is coming in

or as once a student pursuing post graduation in History wrote at one time five rivers flew in Punjab. Thus the need is to have application- oriented advanced grammar, with a lot of practice and exposure. Another area of English which needs a little attention is poetry. Why poetry? Because poetry adds flavour to English and is an important agent to inculcate among students love for English. But teaching poetry is a major challenge before teachers. It is a fact that poetry is difficult to teach, not impossible. Poetry is for creative enjoyment, entertainment and pleasure, but the present day poetry teaching is making students dread poetry and having a dislike for it. Is poetry being taught with due regard for pupils capacity, age, environment and his linguistic ability? No. Poems are not interesting, relevant to their lives and appropriate to their maturation level. The success of poetry is dependent on teachers level of creativity and enthusiasm. If the teacher presents the poem in a lively manner and uses learnercentred approaches to unravel the meaning of the poem, he will instill in his learners an increased awareness, understanding and immense emotional and intellectual pleasure. Aims of teaching poetry should include learners interaction with the text, enjoyment and appreciation. Teachers must realize that it is far more important for learners to understand the overall meaning of the poem than to explain individual words and discrete references, at least till the secondary level. Over-explanation mars the beauty of the poem. Explanation should be given for difficult words, phrases, idioms and in places where the syntax is distorted. For higher classes ask the students to write briefly what they think it means, and later on the answers should be discussed. Different interpretations can come up. Sometimes hidden meanings can also surface through discussion. Students should be encouraged to consider, examine and analyze the ideas and themes and to understand what the poet is saying and how. Brief introduction of poet can be given for better appreciation of the poem. The outdated approach to teaching needs to be replaced by a more learner-centered approach so that learners are stimulated to think for themselves, thereby enabling them to acquire a more informed understanding of the poem as a whole. Over use of questions like How many lines does the poem have?, Which lines rhyme? etc. will diminish their enjoyment and poetry becomes a chore rather than a pleasure. Besides proper narration with proper rhythm, stress and intonation, drama, role-play etc. can be used as other learner centered methods. The last but not the least is the area dealing with English teachers, who rather teach English in Hindi or Punjabi, than in English. There is dearth of competent English teachers. Generally it is seen that they have little idea of correct usage and pronunciation. Their vocabulary and reading are limited. Grammar-translation method still remains the sole favorite with them. Teaching through this method dissuades the learners, persuading them to learn grammar first and then to translate their ideas from mother tongue to English. They are both ignorant of and apathetic to the new techniques and procedures of teaching English. Teachers should also learn to feel the pulse of their

students. They have to examine the psychology of their students and, at times, dance to their tunes. Learning to teach is a life-long journey. This is the teachers youthfulness and thats what makes teaching the best profession in the world. It is journey from a level where they are guided largely by impulse, intuition or routine to a level where actions are guided by reflection and self-awareness. Teachers must be aware of the fact that students learn and progress at different pace. They should be keen to adopt new and effective teaching methodologies, because they are teaching a group of different individuals, not a single student with many faces. It is said, Teach me the way I learn, if I do not learn the way you teach. I would like to cite an anecdote: A man began to give large doses of cod-liver oil to his Doberman because he had been told that the stuff was good for dogs. Each day he would hold the head of the protesting dog between his knees, force its jaws open and pour the oil down its throat. One day the dog broke loose and spilt the oil on the floor. Then to the mans great surprise the dog not only lapped up the oil that spilt on the floor but came back to lick the spoon. That is when he discovered that what the dog had been fighting was not the oil but the way it was being given. Teachers should concentrate on how to make the learners learn, rather than what they should learn. Gone are the days when teacher dominated informative mode of teaching was practiced, providing no scope for any meaningful learning to take place. Now is the time for learner centred mode. In schools and colleges we are still following the stereotyped methods, rushing to the completion of curriculum, which only encourages spoon feeding, killing the initiation, originality and thinking. Using the language, here, becomes an uphill task. The teacher should kindle the kinesthetic stimulation of students and involve them in games, competitions, dramatization, group activities, storytelling, recitation etc. He should try to make his learners independent and self-sufficient and let them get free from his apron strings, as it goes give a man fish and you feed him for a day; teach him how to fish and you feed him for life. For this they themselves should have total control over the language knowledge of and knowledge about the language. They should have knowledge of morphology, phonetics, syntax (otherwise theyll have to pay a tax for their sins). Remember, learning of English should be fun, an adventure. Let us not turn it into pain and sorrow. In a second language acquisition, it is not the learners that matter but their participation. And lastly we should tell those who are always condemning English language that Mother tongue is sacred, English is just a tool of communication and a stepping stone to success, development and progress of our nation. Let us begin at the very beginning, a very good place to start, by loving our children. They will definitely start loving English learning. References Athiemoolam, L.(2008). Using learner-centred approaches in the teaching of poetry in secondary schools. The Journal of English Language Teaching. XLVI/1. Bedi, K. (2010). Communicative approach to soft skills : Its relevance and implementation. The Journal of English Language Teaching. XLVIII/1. Bhandari, S. (2009). Problems of teaching English at college level in India. www.boloji.com/perspective/334.htm

Bhat, P.S. S. (2010). Strategies for assessing speaking skills in English in UG classes. The Journal of English Language Teaching. XLIX/5. Bhatia, K.K. (1996). Teaching and learning English as a foreign language. New Delhi: Kalyani Publishers. Choudhury, A.S. (2010). To teach or not to teach grammar isnt the question any longer : A case for consciousness raising tasks. The Journal of English Language Teaching. XLIX/3. Daniel, J.K. (2007). English for India in a flat World. The Journal of English Language Teaching. XLV/6. Devika, M.P. (2007). Indian English today the BPO effect. The Journal of English Language Teaching. XLV/4. Ghanshyam, G.A and Pradhan, S. (2007). No H.W to know H.W : A much needed shift. The Journal of English language teaching. XLV/3. Kavita, S.P. (2008). Snake and ladder. The Journal of English Language Teaching. XLVI/5. Newmark, L.D. (1971). A minimal language teaching programme. In Pinsleur and Quinn (eds.). The Psychology of Second Language Learning. Combridge : Cambridge UP. Ravi, M. (2007). Teaching through the heart. The Journal of English Language Teaching. XLV/6. Santhi, R. (2010). Communicating through literature. The Journal of English Language Teaching. XLIX. Sheth, D. (2010). Seven essentials of effective teaching A personal enquiry. The Journal of English Language Teaching. XLIX/2.

ENGLISH A PROBLEMATIC ISSUE AMONG ELLS AND ELTS

Neha Puri Michelle Saul Despite the growing societal awareness of the need for interventions and programs to increase literacy levels of adolescents, education policymakers and school reformers have mostly overlooked the needs of the large and growing English Language Learner (ELL) population. Though recent reports have helped to focus attention on the adolescent literacy crisis, they offer very little guidance on how best to meet the varied and challenging literacy needs of adolescent ELLs. In virtually every part of the country, middle and high schools are now seeing expanding enrollments of non-native English learners. Rising number of immigrants, other demographic trends, and the demands of an increasingly global economy make it clear that the nation can no longer afford to ignore the pressing needs of the ELLs in its middle and high schools who are struggling with reading, writing, and oral discourse in English. As Pandit Nehru said, English is our major window on the modern world." Although many strategies for supporting literacy in native English speakers are applicable to adolescent ELLs, there are significant differences in the way that successful literacy interventions for the latter group should be designed and implemented. These differences have serious implications for teachers, instructional leaders, curriculum designers, administrators, and policymakers at all levels of government. Moreover, because adolescent ELLs are a diverse group of learners in terms of their educational backgrounds, native language literacy, socioeconomic status, and more, some strategies will work for certain ELLs but not for others. It should be understood that adolescent ELLs are second language learners who are still developing their proficiency in academic English. Moreover, they are learning English at the same time they are studying core content areas through English. And, at the same time, they are being held to the same accountability standards as their native English-speaking peers. Thus, English language learners must perform double the work of native English speakers in the countrys middle and high schools. This paper brings the problems confronting adolescent ELLs into clearer focus and the strategies, so that the need for the time can be fulfilled. These are - persistent use of first-language, fear of grammatical incorrectness, improper pronunciation, rowdy and unfamiliar attitude, lack of motivation, interest and attention, the late exposure to English, etc.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE STRATEGIES

TEACHING:

PROBLEMS

AND

K. K. Prashar Language is a medium of communication either through oral or written form or both. The learning of a language is directly proportional to the frequency of getting exposed to it through listening, speaking, reading and writing. No wonder, all children learn to speak their native languages. The family, social and cultural milieu plays a significant role in this. But, teaching a language to non-native speakers involves a lot of problems. At present English is being taught in India as a compulsory language upto graduation. But despite having learnt this language over a decade, most of our students who pass out of colleges especially located in rural or semi urban areas show inhibition in speaking English. They pass Examinations, some with a high score, but most of them lack effective oral and written communication skills. Not only this, they cannot read or understand prescribed English books unless translated by teachers in regional language. It is a matter of concern for the academia. This paper lists some of the problems of teaching English as a foreign language. Actually, the problems relate to teaching programmes, teaching methods, curriculum, examinations and evaluation systems. Unless, these problems are taken notice of, no solution is going to be effective. The greatest problem of teaching English to non-natives arises from intricacies, complexities, eccentricities and varieties of its spellings, pronunciation, syntax, usages and kind (British, American, Australian etc.). Moreover, its treasure is getting enriched by the day with new words, idioms, phrases and proverbs from other languages and cultures of the world. The other problem arises from diverse social, economic educational and cultural backgrounds of learners. It may be easy to teach English to learners from big towns or cities with good schooling but teaching learners from the rural lands is a real challenge. There are Problems related to teaching programmes which are not generally planned, designed and prepared keeping in mind the level of learners or their needs. Coupled with this are the problems of total absence of supporting or supplementary learning aids like dictionary, grammar, thesaurus etc. First, these books are not available in most of the areas. Secondly, students have not the means to buy these books. Thirdly, the book sellers do not promote the sale of low priced books published by English language Book Society (ELBS) for students because no profit lies in it. Moreover, teaching programmes are not systematically graded so as to cover a certain level and kind of vocabulary, phrases and idioms that learners must learn up to a particular level. Nor are book based language learning exercises on each chapter included in a systematic manner along with relevant rules and exceptions which are hallmark of English language. In absence of these, learners turn to cheap books to pass exam by mugging up without being clear about basics of language. Teachers engaged to teach lower classes are not properly trained. Added to this are the guidelines for teachers to promote students to the next class automatically even if they have not gained minimum proficiency in all the subjects, English being no exception. The purpose of this is to retain the students lest they should drop out.

There are gaps in the courses recommended by Central boards and State boards and teachers cannot introduce books on their own to fill these gaps. There is no time or scope for encouraging students to participate in poem writing/recitation, story writing/reading, language related quiz competition, debate or discussion. Most of the time is taken for covering the syllabus. Not much is possible to check, encourage or appreciate originality and creativity of students. A teacher has to go strictly according to syllabus. The number of students in language classes is generally very big. No individual attention can be given by the teachers. Educational institutions cannot appoint teachers more than the posts created by the government. In order to tackle these problems, the following strategies are recommended: 1. English language institute be established in all the states for imparting training to teachers now and then. 2. Upgrade teaching programme to bring them in tune with changing time. 3. Use of technology through language labs must be encouraged. 4. Maintain a reasonable teacher-taught ratio for better results. 5. Make good books related to language available to teachers for upgrading their knowledge. 6. Posts of language teachers must be filled immediately after they fall vacant and new posts should be created according to the needs. 7. Stress must be on reading, writing and speaking which is missing

Diagnosing aliments in the prevailing English teaching programmes

Manju Rana The government is trying its best to improve the standard of English in India.There is a flood of English medium public schools at every nook and corner.Every parent wants that his ward should speak in English.But the students are lagging behind in second language acquisition.Where does the problem exist? It is must for teachers to investigate problems which they face in English language teaching (ELT) peculiar to the rural back round student and slow learner.The challenges have to be met by new methods of ElT that are to be devised urgently before the evil effects of an unsuitable methodology reach at alarming levels. The present paper aims at diagnosing ailments in the prevailing English teaching programmes. These are listed as follows: 1. General aspect is viewed instead of personal interest and reqirement of learner: 2. Teaching is not imparted practically 3. Lack of qualified teacher 4. Unenthusiastic teacher 5. The crowding of the language classes 6. Spoon feeding 7. The formation of SL is confused with native language 8. Extra curriculum activities are neglected 9. Underestimation of the learner by the teacher is a hindrance In order to change the dismal situtation in the field of English language, some revolutionary efforts are required on behalf of the teachers and concerned athorities. Some methods can be adopted to help the English language learner such as extra coaching classes, use of audio visual aids, innovative teaching methods and bridge courses.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING: REMEDIES

SOME PROBLEMS AND

Seema Jain

There are various methods and strategies regarding the teaching/learning of English as a foreign language, which are being used currently, each with its advantages and disadvantages. Despite these multiple methods, the total scenario is far from encouraging. The teachers of English have to grapple with diverse problems, at various levels, and of varied dimensions. But there seems to be no uniform and practically viable method to achieve the ultimate objective .Moreover, with the occurrence of diverse socio-economic changes in the world around, with the phenomenon of globalization and the advent of the MNCS, there is a total paradigm shift in the need for learning/teaching of English language so as to cater to the requirements of the learners. It is time the academicians and the teachers of English focus on the various problems of ELT and make the teaching/learning of English a more practically effective and viable exercise. The present paper is going to take up the need for a well coordinated and integrated approach to achieve the desired goals. The paper would highlight some of the ailments in the teaching of English Among the ailments of the present ELT programs, the foremost problem is that they are far removed from the requirements of the learners. There is a dire need for a greater attention to the functional aspect of language, language which is related to the day-to-day needs of the learners, and not a language which was being used in some bygone age. Today, what the learners of English need most is to learn a language which enables them to cope with the real-life situations around them, where they can communicate with ease and confidence. For a long time, the teaching of English has been through literary texts. But more recently, the focus has been shifting a little towards communication skills, and perhaps rightly so. Those who wish to enjoy the literariness of various texts can study them for purely literary reasons. But for the majority of learners, English is relevant for a host of other non-literary purposes, because it is the global language. Its high time the current English Teaching Programs seriously focus on this requirement and tailor the curriculum addressing these needs of the learners as per the current scenario. Secondly, there seems to be more emphasis on the writing and reading part but the spoken aspects of the language (pronunciation, sounds, accent, tones etc.) are not given due importance in the curriculum. Isnt it strange that even today, in most of the classes, the students are assessed on the basis of a written examination? Why cant they be assessed for their speaking skills as well? In the absence of a practical exam, the students dont take the need to develop their speaking skills seriously and focus only on the learning of answers which they can write and get good marks. Consequently, the present system continues to produce graduates and postgraduates in English who have good writing skills but hardly any confidence or ability when it comes to the speaking part. Many students at graduation level are not aware of the basic sounds of the English language: it is a startling revelation to them that the vowels in English are not a, e, i, o, and u but that there are twenty vowel sounds in English. The concept of Diphthongs

of English is alien to them. Similarly, other features of English phonology like syllable, accent, tones etc are now being given attention in some classes but that too at a very late stage. An awareness of these aspects should come at a much earlier stage when the habit patterns are still being formed. At later stages, it becomes much more difficult to get rid of the unaccepted phonological features in ones idiolect. Leave alone students, many teachers of English in the recent times do not have good speaking skills because they are also products of the same system where writing skills take primacy over speaking skills. Then, there are hardly any mechanisms in place, to provide proficiency in the spoken aspect of English language. There is an urgent need to have good teacher training modules which can address the teachers training issue by developing their speaking skills and chisel their knowledge of the spoken aspects of English language. No doubt, at some places, practical exam system has been introduced in some classes and in some other classes a paper dealing with the phonological, morphological and syntactic structures of language has been introduced but much more needs to be done in this direction. Then, there is a wide variation in the skill levels of individual students especially when they come to college from diverse educational backgrounds. To handle this kind of a problem effectively, there can be smaller groups where the students can be guided according to their skill-levels. The smaller groups of students as per the practical exam pattern can enable the teacher to seriously focus on the students areas of weakness individually and enhance the chances of better results. There is also a need to do away with the syllabus-ridden approach and to give greater freedom to the teacher to innovate according to the individual needs of the learners. The ultimate objective should be to develop the communicative competence and fluency of the learners. Here, it may be added that to ensure that the freedom given to the teacher is not misused, suitable steps can be put in place. For example, the teachers can be asked to maintain records of the assignments given to the students, and the pedagogic tools used to achieve the desired results. Some broad guidelines can be given to the teachers, the objectives can be clearly spelt out, and the teacher can be asked to devise ways to achieve the end result. In the end, the communicative fluency of the student can be tested as per some fixed parameters. Today, a large number of students obtain good marks in the written exams but feel they suffer from an inhibition while speaking. They find any courses designed to develop their speaking skills and communicative competence extremely useful in addressing their needs. The point is, if the students want to develop their speaking skills, why cant the educational system take care of this need? Why should the students be allowed to be duped by private coaching academies promising to provide a solution to the problem at hand? Why cant the academic programs which are not rote-learning oriented but which are vibrant and alert to the needs of the learners of English language be put in place? In the present-day world, with the technological tools being quite advanced, with the facility of audio-visual programs and the Internet, there are multiple possibilities opening up which can be exploited to an advantage. With the help of such facilities, the learners can be exposed to the correct pronunciation, accent, tone groups etc. The audio modules can go a long way in solving some of the students problems related to the spoken aspect of language.

Today, English teaching programs have to be a blend of the traditional methods laying stress on acquiring mastery over the basic patterns and structures of language coupled with the development of the effective speaking skills. In this era of globalization, where the whole world is becoming one, the boundaries are crumbling, the trade and commerce is expanding and with the unprecedented growth in the corporate sector, the importance of good communication skills in Englishthe language of the international communityis the need of the hour. Hence, the academicians and the teachers of English together share a huge onusto devise ways aimed at imparting the right training to the young scholars so that they can be a vital and integral part of the fast moving globalized world and face its challenges.

English Teaching and the Needs of the Learner: A Review and A Proposal
Jyotsna Singla Arun Bala

The scope of this paper is to account for the present situation of the teaching of English and suggest a hybrid method to impart language skills to students whose tastes and needs are to be taken into consideration in the selection of learning materials. No teacher of English is wedded to a particular method and it is because of so many genuine factors that a teacher of English is unable to follow any one specific method. The teachers, language experts and the educationist raise hue and cry about the fall of standards of English in our schools and colleges. One of the valid reasons for such deterioration is that the teachers have miserably failed to respond to the changed circumstances in our country and the recent developments in the field of language teaching. The Board of Studies in most of our Universities has totally refused to understand the needs of the English language learners. The reason for this sorry state of affairs is that we have not clearly formulated the realizable objectives for the teaching of English. Even if we have spelt the aims, we have seldom thought of evaluating the realization of those aims properly. Previously English was taught following the prescriptive method, but in recent years the trend is changed, prescriptive method is discarded and descriptive approach is being adopted in the teaching of language. It is futile to adhere to one approach as it will lead the language teacher to danger and so a new compromise between the new and old approaches is required. Any sound language teaching method should aim at promoting the maximum amount of learning. Learning may mean the acquisition of the four skills of listening, reading, speaking and writing and it may mean good pronunciation, rapid reading, ability to summarize a given piece of text, reproduction of the text material in simple language and so on; It may also mean the proper mode of answering questions and score good marks in the tests and examinations. The term learning thus may mean many things to many people and unless we are precise in our definition, our teaching method becomes ineffective. The interaction and the meaningful coordination between the teacher and the learner is, to large extent, dependent upon the meaningful relationship between the goals of teaching, testing techniques and the content materials. The paper ends up with some suggestions to make English teaching in class room at college level more meaningful:(a) The syllabi should be designed and drawn up in consultation with those teachers who are actually engaged in teaching English to under graduate classes (b) Questions asked in the examination should be so designed that the students dependence on cheap market notes and guides is totally eliminated. It will discourage the students from cramming and doing selective studies. (c) Some kind of professional training in the teaching of English should be given to the teachers.

(d) The course books should not be heavy and lengthy as they are at present. The course material prescribed should have bearing on their Indian culture with which our students are familiar. Novels by some eminent Indian writers writing in English should be prescribed. References Bhatnagar Y.C., Current Issues in Foreign Language teaching in India, Enn Kay Enterprises, Mukesh Printing Press, New Delhi, Ed 1983. Allen H.B. & Combell R.N. (eds), Teaching English as a Second Language. Bombay, Tata Mc Graw Hill. Tickoo, M.L., The Structural Approach in India English Language Teaching, vol. 18, No. 4, July 1964.

English Language Teaching in India: Need to Review Instructional and Evaluation Strategy
Hardeep Singh Mann English has been unequivocally been proclaimed as the lingua franca of the world. English has established itself as the link or bridging language across cultures, regions, nations and continents. The status of English language in India has undergone a marked change since Independence. Over the six decades since Independence, the importance of English language in India has continued to grow. Maulana Azad observed: 150 years of intimate contact has made English an integral part of our educational system and this cannot be changed without injury to the cause of education in India . English has today become one of the major languages in the world, and Indians can neglect its study at the risk of loss to themselves. (Azad as quoted in Ravinder kumar 1991: 63) Elegance of style, luxuriousness of vocabulary and its vigor and vitality has promoted its use in various walks of life. The role English language has played in the national life of India is significant. Secondary Education Commission also observed that much of the national unity in political and other spheres of activity has been brought about through the study of English language and literature. With the spread of globalisation, it becomes imperative that a language with cosmopolitan import be acquired. Unquestionably, it is English which satisfies the above-said criterion as it possesses an almost universal application. It is no longer just the language of native English speaking countries like the UK or USA but has become a global language, primarily due to the communicative and educative worth it holds. A big quantum of worlds knowledge is preserved in English. The last two centuries have witnessed English significantly and positively influencing different fields such as education, medical science and trade in India. With the recent advancements in information technology, its prominence has further been enhanced. In the view of these facts, teaching and learning of English as a second language in India becomes inevitable as well as indispensible. Educationists and policy-makers have stressed the importance of studying English over and over again since Independence. Consequently, a considerable percentage of students in our schools have English as second language. However, the desired outcomes are still eluding us. Teaching of English in India is beset with many challenges and difficulties as teaching of any foreign language is bound to be. The basic problem lies in the approach adopted towards teaching and learning of English. Learning a language involves acquisition and ultimately internalization of a system of rules governing that language. Learners have insufficient knowledge about the rules regarding English and they are at loss about how these rules are to be learnt. The students find themselves incapable of expressing themselves in English as they are not versant with the sentence structure, pronunciation/ spellings and grammatical rules. Further, in India, English exists along side a number of regional languages. As a result, speech and rhythm patterns of native

languages interfere with English learning process. The problem is more marked in rural and semi-urban areas. In an educational setup where success, or otherwise, of both the student and the teacher is judged on the basis of performance in examination, teaching-learning becomes centred at memorising certain specific responses which can be reproduced in the examinations. The fault lies in the system itself which aims primarily at passing the examinations. So great is the stress on clearing the examination that students resort to cramming instead of grasping the fundamentals of language and progress towards the gradual acquisition of language. Therefore, English is approached as a subject and not as language. Early policy makers advocated the study of English merely because of its importance as library language or as medium of instruction in higher studies. An approach centred on grooming of all the four basic skills of language proficiency has been missing in Indian educational setup. The Council of Chief State School Officers, U.S., (1992) provides the following definition of English language proficiency: A fully English proficient student is able to use English to ask questions, to understand teachers, and reading materials, to test ideas, and to challenge what is being asked in the classroom. Four language skills contribute to proficiency as follows: 1. Reading - the ability to comprehend and interpret text at the age and grade appropriate level. 2. Listening - the ability to understand the language of the teacher and instruction, comprehend and extract information, and follow the instructional discourse through which teachers provide information. 3. Writing - the ability to produce written text with content and format fulfilling classroom assignments at the age and grade-appropriate level. 4. Speaking - the ability to use oral language appropriately and effectively in learning activities (such as peer tutoring, collaborative learning activities, and question/answer sessions) within the classroom and in social interactions within the school. The traditional curriculum prescribed by most of the Indian educational institutions lays stress mainly on reading and writing. Listening has been partially emphasised whereas speaking has been largely ignored for a long time with no avenues of speaking provided to the student. Teaching language through literature posits the problem of students focusing upon understanding the content/ story and not upon the communicative aspect of language which is the most significant and relevant aspect of English as a global language. The students fail to acquire confidence in the use of the language and are unable to develop power of expressing themselves in it. The underlying reason is that literature is taught through grammar-translation method which often degenerates into veritable translation of each and every thing into the mother tongue or regional language. Originality and natural way of learning are sidetracked. Thus, even after studying English throughout school and college, students are unable to achieve proficiency in the language. One of the factors affecting English language teaching and learning is the socio-cultural background of the learners. Outside the classroom, the students get little reinforcements or opportunities for practice of English.

Even if students learn to speak in English, their pronunciation remains faulty. Students learn the alphabet but remain unaware about the sounds/ phonemes of English. Often they are unable to differentiate between the sounds of English and their vernacular language. The common approach adopted by the students is to liken the English sounds to the nearest approximate in their native language. Influence of mothertongue is a major roadblock in acquiring correct pronunciation. For example, students from Punjab commonly put stress on the end-syllable. Thus, asked is pronounced as /skd/. Another problem area is words starting with s and followed by another consonant. Punjabis tend to introduce a vowel sound between /s/ and the consonant sound following it. Thus, school is pronounced as /skul/. Moreover, the instructors fail to present themselves as right models as even they have faulty pronunciation. The milieu/ setup in which teaching-learning of English takes place compounds the existing problems. The foremost problem in this regard is the class size. It has been generally acknowledged that teaching English to a large class posits certain limitations. Learning a language is a skill requiring individualized attention which is difficult to provide in a large class. The teacher has to resort to collective drills in which individual mistakes go unnoticed or uncorrected. Maintaining attention and enthusiasm of all the students is a difficult task in large classes. The rapid and exponential expansion of educational facilities has provided access to education to a large number of students. However, a number of educational institutions fail to provide the requisite infrastructure for effective teaching-learning of English. Audio-cassettes, linguaphones and other aids useful for teaching of English are not available, either due to lack of funds or lack of direction. Even at many places where these facilities are available, teachers fail to make proper use of these as they are unwilling to walk the extra mile. Stagnation and lack of desire to update themselves is often seen in the teachers. They are content to stay at the competency level they had achieved during their education. Added to this is the traditional examination system which judges the ability of a student to memorise and reproduce the same in the examination. Listening and speaking skills of the student are not judged in the final examinations. The emphasis of both the teacher and learner is on evolving strategy for scoring good marks in the examinations. As a consequence of this exam-result-oriented approach, skill in using the language is not evolved. The trend and bent of mind of the parties involved can be assessed from the proliferation of help-books/ guides in the market. A systematic and comprehensive approach has to be adopted to overcome the existing problems in English language teaching and learning. The teachers should not basically aim at imparting information to the students but at teaching them skills the various skills necessary for effective listening-speaking, reading-writing. The teacher should begin with clearly stating out the objectives of English language teaching, even if they are not specified in the curriculum. Accordingly, he should chalk out a well developed strategy to achieve those objectives. The objective of English language teaching should be three fold: gaining knowledge, acquisition of skill and developing a positive attitude towards the language. The teacher has to be creative and involve students in meaningful activities pitched at their level. He should devise ways of encouraging student participation so that language learning becomes an enjoying and absorbing engagement. It is further necessary to build up the confidence of the students to make use of the language. A stimulating positive and supportive environment goes a

long way in helping the student gain confidence to communicate in English. Role play activities, discussion of current issues in groups, games like naming-the-thing-around in English are some of the activities which can be helpful. Gradual enhancement of active vocabulary needs to be promoted through regular practice in using the words. In the initial phase, students should be guided to learn simple words. The teacher should conduct activities requiring students to use the newly acquired words to describe thing or situations related to their personal experience. This helps in creating association which promotes better understanding of the meaning and longer retention. Guidance should be provided about inflectional changes in words and corresponding change in grammatical function of the words. This can be best achieved through engaging them in activity involving the use of affixes to create new words. Students should progressively be taken to a level where learning new words and using them as a part of their active vocabulary becomes a habit. It is essential that students are enthusiastic about learning the language. The teacher has a pivotal role to play in this. He has to act as a role model. If the teacher himself is passionate about the teaching learning of English, only then can he inculcate in the students a desire to learn. His detailed preparation and resourcefulness goes a long way in inspiring the students. The teacher needs to introduce variety in the classroom to avoid monotony. Help of various audio-visual aids should be taken to enliven the classroom scenario. However, necessary preparation and care is required for the effective use of these aids. Merely introducing them in the class for the sake of doing so does not serve any purpose. Rather it leaves the student confused. Teacher should integrate the role of aids used with his own role to create a constructive and interactive learning environment. To deal with the problems of large class it is necessary to engage students in group work. Meticulously planned tasks with defined and attainable targets ensure that all the students are actively engaged and benefit from the activity. The content and methodology has to be varied to suit the different learning needs of the students. Peerto-peer communication in English has to be encouraged to supplement the inputs provided by the teacher. As already pointed out majority of students hardly get any opportunities to converse in English outside the classroom. Thus, it becomes essential to engage them in speaking activities in the classroom. The reforms and strategies for betterment of teaching-learning of English revolve around one pivot the teacher. Thus, it becomes imperative that there is regular updation in knowledge and skills of the teacher. Regular training for the teachers should be offered to equip them professionally and keep them abreast with the strategies and latest methodologies to effectively carry out the teaching-learning process. They should be guided about the various technological aids which assist in the process and also about how to employ them creatively and effectively. Institutions like Regional Institutes of English, EFL University (erstwhile CIEFL) can play an important role in this direction. The evaluation system also needs reforms so that better assessment methods of teaching-learning of English could be evolved. The traditional examination system stressed mainly on checking the writing skills or, to an extent, reading skills of the students. Now, with the introduction of language lab/ communication kills lab, speaking and listening skills are also being tested. A comprehensive assessment strategy

effectively testing all the four basic skills needs to be devised. The single test strategy need to be revised in favour of different constituent tests comprising written/oral, brief/detailed and other combinations for comprehensive and better assessment of the language skills of the student. To sum up, instructional and evaluation strategy of teaching learning of English needs to be revised with focus on acquisition of skill and proficiency in practical use of language. Teachers have a crucial role to play in this. Through the committed efforts of teachers, supported by technological aids and comprehensive assessment strategy, students can be made enthusiastic about learning the language. When the teachers realize the gravity of the situation and show willingness to don the role of educator, motivator and mentor as well as present themselves as role models, only then an environment conducive to the effective teaching-learning of English can be created. References Council of Chief State School Officers. (1992). Summary of Recommendations and Policy Implications for Improving the Assessment and Monitoring of Students With Limited English Proficiency. Retrieved from http://www.mc3edsupport.org/community/ knowledgebases/definition-of-fullyenglish-proficient-fep-student-194.html Kumar, Ravindra. (1991). Selected works of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. Vol. 3. New Delhi: Atlantic Publishers and Distributors. Ministry of Human Resource Development. (1972). Report of Secondary Education Commission. Retrieved from http://www.education.nic.in/ cd50years/q/3C/3U/ 3C3U0501.html

Status of ELT in Indian Schools: A Survey at tertiary level

Priya Kumari We, in India have so many different languages to communicate, but when we meet someone with mother tongue different from us, and we greet him saying hello, he understands and responds in the same manner. English as a language occupies special national status in India. English in India is also referred to as an international language (Stern 1983 being the language of parliament, judiciary, broadcasting, media and education, especially higher education. In a country like India, where more than 18 different state languages coexist, English suffices as the essential connection between people speaking umpteen mother tongues. English as the second language has put our country an edge above the other countries, where it has the status of foreign language, in terms of economical, social and industrial development. The English language can also be stated as a tool for the acquisition of most of our knowledge (Daswani, 2001:160). We have adorned English as our own language by producing scholarly works in English literature, using it according to our own convenience and indianizing it with a tint of our culture. English is taken as a ticket to social mobility, higher education and better job opportunities. In this era of globalization, English cannot be considered only the language of offices and academia but it is also the language of world communication, an international common language (Honna, 2004:160) and of course a language which is required for social upliftment and economic wellness, which the underprivileged community of the society are deprived of. Each learner has his or her own limitations to learn a language. Richards characterizes learners limitations as inability to learn language, low intelligence and poor cultural background (Richards, 1974:67). They do not get much exposure to the language due to economical scarcity and their familial background and thus face a lot of problem in using it correctly and appropriately. The government is quite active and has made several educational policies to uplift the under privileged class of the society and to connect them with the main stream. In its endeavor, government of India started a course in all IITs including ISM, Dhanbad named preparatory course in which underprivileged students get enrolled in technical colleges of IIT rank in spite of their below average performance in IIT-JEE. In this course, the students are provided one year extra teaching of pure science subjects so that they can match up with the other B. Tech. students after the completion of the course. They are also provided language learning assistance and are expected to possess excellent communication skills in writing as well in speaking. These students need English for specific purposes, specifically for science and technology and professional communication. Objective The broader objectives of the study is to identify learners needs of English language, mark their drawbacks as learners, mark out reasons behind the lack of study skills and language skills that they must be possessing at tertiary level, what are the things i.e. the physical setting, the environment, the motivation, etc. required for success of an ESP programme in a technical institution like ISM; what these learners should be taught at

this level when they are getting prepared to face the challenges of B. Tech courses; what can be done to improve students poor motivation; How the course of study should be prepared that it does not only serves the students academic use of language but also their socio-linguistic needs? The present paper discusses a very small part of the survey that displays a complete picture of the participants linguistic competence and performance. To assess what kind of syllabus would be most appropriate for them, it was needed to assess their real knowledge and language proficiency; their linguistic and cultural background and the factors which might have affected their language competence and performance. The present paper discusses several aspects which might have affected the students competence and performance. Methodology To collect relevant information related to learners, a needs analysis survey was conducted. In the survey questionnaire was used as a tool for data collection. The questionnaire was distributed among 144 Preparatory students, the data were analysed and interpreted which finally lead to identify the participants as technical learners, their ability and their linguistic background. Data Analysis In a learner-centered approach to language teaching in English as second language context, it is important to analyze what knowledge and language proficiency do the learners really possesses? Where does the problem of teaching English as the second language lies? How much school teaching contributes in enhancing the language skills of the learners? Do the students at tertiary level really need a language course based on remedial grammar? To analyze what sort of language proficiency does the Preparatory students have acquired, after learning English as a subject for more than 10 years, the 144 students questionnaire was divided according to the medium of instruction at school level:1. English 2. Hindi 3. English and Hindi both 4. Bengali and 5. Others Students in each of the above mentioned category have been grouped according to their examining body at Xth and XIIth standards. They are:1. CBSE 2. ICSE 3. State board 90.9% students from the medium other than Bengali, English, and Hindi accept that English is very important for their career. 100% students from Bengali medium, 90% students who had both English and Hindi as medium of instruction at school level, 98% students from Hindi medium and 86% students from English medium take English to be very important to shape up their carrier.

BOARDS (No. of students)

How important is English to shape up your career? Very important important Not important Do not know No response

Mediu m of instruc tion at school level

Other-s (11) Bengali (1) English +Hindi(8) Hindi(33)

State(11) State(1) State(1) CBSE(7) State(29) CBSE(4) Engli State(40) ICSE(07) CBSE(44)

90.9% 100% 100% 85.71% 96.55% 100% 87.5% 85.71% 84.09%

9.09%

14.28% 3.4%

7.5%

2.5%

2.5% 14.28%

sh (91)

15.9%

Table 1: How important is English to shape up your career? Among the students from medium other than Bengali, English and Hindi 54.54% never use their mother tongue to interact with their teachers; students from Bengali medium never interact in mother tongue. 92% students who had English and Hindi both as medium of instruction at school level; sometime interact with their teachers in mother tongue, students from Hindi medium almost 62% sometime do so. This certainly suggests that a majority of students do interact with their teachers in mother tongue. 44% students from English medium never interact with teachers in their mother tongue; but 43% interact in their mother tongue .
BOARDS (No. of students) Medium of instruction at school level Other-s (11) Bengali (1) English+Hindi(8) State(11) State(1) State(1) CBSE(7) Hindi(33) State(29) CBSE(4) English (91) State(40) ICSE(07) CBSE(44) 18.18% 14.28% 41.37% 25% 5% 100% 85.71% 51.72% 75% 45% 42.85% 54.54% 50% 57.14% 25% 2.27% 3.4% 3.4% How often do you use your mother tongue while interacting with your teachers? often 18.18% Sometime 27.27% never 54.54% 100% No response

Table 2: How often do you use your mother tongue while interacting with teachers? As the learners belonged to so many different language background, so it was important to know how often they use Hindi as the language of communication. Most of the

students irrespective of their mother tongue and medium of instruction at school level use Hindi as the principal language of communication.
BOARDS (No. of students) How often do you use Hindi while interacting with your teachers? often Medium of instruction at school level Other-s (11) Bengali (1) English+Hindi(8) State(11) State(1) State(1) CBSE(7) Hindi(33) State(29) CBSE(4) Engl ish (91) ICSE(07) CBSE(44) 25% 85.71% 52.27% 14.28% 22.72% State(40) 100% 57.14% 41.37% 50% 7.5% 42.85% 55.17% 50% 62.5% 30% 3.4% sometime 81.8% 100% never 18..18% No response

Table 3: How often do you use Hindi while interacting with your teachers? Maximum students from all the four mediums often interact with their classmates in Hindi. This certainly suggests that Hindi dominates as the language of communication inside and outside the classroom, and they put no effort to use English for communication purposes.
BOARDS (No. of students) Medium of instruction at school level Other-s (11) Bengali (1) English+Hindi( 8) Hindi(33 ) En glish (91) State(11) State(1) State(1) CBSE(7) State(29) CBSE(4) State(40) ICSE(07) CBSE(44) How often do you use Hindi while interacting with your classmate? often 54.54% 100% 100% 85.71% 93.1% 100% 85% 85.71% 81.81% sometime 45.45% never

14.28% 6.89% 12.5% 14.28% 18.18% 2.5%

Table 4: How often do you use Hindi while interacting with your classmate? When the students were asked, are you able to interact fluently in English with your teachers and classmates, most of the students from all the mediums find difficulty in

interacting fluently, means they feel themselves incompetent and this reflects that they are quite aware of their drawbacks as learners.
BOARDS (No. of students) Medium of instruction at school level Other-s (11) Bengali (1) English + Hindi(8) Hindi(33) English (91) State(11) State(1) State(1) CBSE(7) State(29) CBSE(4) State(40) ICSE(07) CBSE(44) 14.28% 10.34% 35% 42.85% 31.8% 14.28% 18.18% 14.28% 31.03% 50% 100% 100% 71.42% 58.62% 50% 65% 42.85% 50% Are you able to interact fluently in English with your teachers and classmates? YES NO 18.18% SOME DIFFICULTY 81.8%

Table 5: Are you able to interact fluently in English with your teachers and classmates. Most of the students, irrespective of their medium of instruction at school level admitted that their fluency and accuracy in English is not at all enough to cope with the demands of B.Tech courses. This means that they want to improve their competence and performance. A great percentage of the students find its easy to take down notes during subject classes and only a few students find it to be a difficult task. This means they understand their subject well.
BOARDS (No. of students) Do you think your fluency and accuracy in English is enough to cope with the demands of B.Tech. courses? YES Medium of instruction at school level Other-s (11) Bengali (1) English+Hindi(8) Hindi(33) State(11) State(1) State(1) CBSE(7) State(29) CBSE(4) Engl ish (91) State(40) ICSE(07) CBSE(44) 25% 14.28% 34.09% 18.18% 100% 28.57% 20.68% NO 63.6% 100% 28.57% 51.72% 50% 27.5% 57.14% 22.72% NOT SURE 18.18% NO RESPONSE

42.85% 27.5% 50% 47.5% 28.57% 40.9% 2.27%

Table 6: Do you think your fluency and accuracy in English is enough to cope with the demands of B.Tech. Course?

BOARDS (No. of students) Medium of instruction at school level Others (11) Bengali (1) English+Hindi(8) Hindi(33) State(11) State(1) State(1) CBSE(7) State(29) CBSE(4) English State(40) ICSE(07) CBSE(44)

Is it easy to take down notes during subject classes? YES NO NOT TOO DIFFICULT 18.18% NOT TOO EASY 45.45%

27.27% 100% 100% 42.85% 75.86% 50% 72.5% 85.7% 79.54%

9.09%

6.89% 25% 17.5% 2.27%

48.85% 6.89% 25% 10%

14.28% 10.34%

14.28% 11.36% 4.54%

Table 7: Is it easy to take down notes during subject classes?

BOARDS (No. of students) Do you find any difficulty related to language in answering your examination papers and writing your lab reports? YES Medium of instruction at school level Other-s (11) Bengali (1) English+Hindi(8) Hindi(33) Engl ish (91) State(11) State(1) State(1) CBSE(7) State(29) CBSE(4) State(40) ICSE(07) CBSE(44) 14.28% 17.24% 25% 2.5% 14.28% 2.27% 27.27% NO 63.6% 100% 28.57% 48.27% 50% 85% 71.4% 84.09% 100% 57.14% 34.48% 25% 12.5% 14.28% 11.36% 2.27% SOMETIME 9.09% NO RESPONSE

T8: Do you find any difficulty related to language in answering your exam papers and writing your lab reports? When these students were asked do they find any difficulty related to language in answering examination papers and writing lab reports, 63% students from other medium (other than Bengali, English and Hindi) and 100% students from Bengali medium have no such difficulty, 75% students with both English and Hindi medium face difficulty, 50% Hindi medium students and almost 80% students from English medium have no such problems. Irrespective of their Board or medium of instruction at school level, all the Preparatory students use Hindi as the principal mean of communication, majority of the students are not competent to speak English fluently and accurately. Majority of the students think that their proficiency in English is not enough to cope with the demands

of the B.Tech courses. They never use English even among themselves, which indicates that they are not self- motivated to use the language, which instead may lead to the acquisition of the language. Conclusion It may be concluded that one of the basic problems may be the teaching imparted at the school level. When the same students come at the tertiary level, they are in desperate need of a course that could teach them fundamentals of English language; they need a course that could enhance their speaking as well as writing skills. It is evident from the data collected, that the language teaching imparted to these students at school level was so bad that they suffer from its after effects even when they reach the tertiary level and have to face the problem in writing and speaking (both general and specific). This certainly means that the learners, if provided good teaching, might have performed better at this level. This incompetence of the learners directly points to the teachers competence. But, at the same time only teachers cannot be blamed, governments education policies, institutions infrastructure and curriculum and the students motivation are the factors, which are equally responsible. There is a need to shift the focus from the grammatical to the communicative properties of the language (Allen and Widdowson, 1979). So, it may be concluded that it is important to raise the standards of teaching at school level. Teaching of grammar rules and literature is not at all sufficient. Teaching language usage may prove to be fruitful. Functional syllabuses (Wilkins, 1976) may also prove to be of great help. Certain language proficiency test for teachers must be designed to impart quality language teaching at school level. References Allen, J.P.B. and H.G. Widdowson, (1979) Teaching the Communicative use of Language in The Communicative Approach to Language Teaching by C.J. Brumfit and K. Johnson(ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. Dswani, C.J. (2001) Language Education in Multilingual India, New Delhi: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Honna, N. (2004) English as Multicultural Language and Intercultural Literacy in Language, Context and Culture by Ashok Kumar (ed.), Lukhnow: Gurukul Publications. Richards, J.C. (1974) Social Factors, Interlanguage and Language Learning in Error Analysis by J.C. Richards(ed.), London: Longman Group Limited. Stern, H.H. (1983) Fundamental Concepts of Language Teaching, Oxford: Oxford University Press. Wilkins D.A. (1976) Notional Syllabus: A taxonomy and its relevance to foreign language curriculum development. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Teaching of English vis a vis the Ground Reality

Madhumeet It is ironical that while on one hand our country has been the habitat of prophets, seers and savants who have underlined the essential unity of mankind, nay, all creatures whatever, on the other there is hardly any nation more riven with the features of insularity and inter-group discriminations. In every nook and corner of the country we witness the holier-than-thou attitude in disconcerting abundance. Gulfs are many more than bridges. Self-preservation is commoner than the urge of reaching out. Regionalism is more potent than nationalism. Things are perhaps now changing bit by bit, but the flood-gates are yet to be opened. Real national integration is not a pipe dream but it has yet to be achieved. Ironically, English, which has been formerly stigmatized as a foreign language, a language of our erstwhile oppressors, is today the most potent medium of national integration. The situation will not change radically till Hindi, our national language, comes to its own. But right now this is not the issue of our attention. The most dominant international language, English is the lingua franca of the global community. Like any other country, India is no exception. In fact within our country English has a particularly useful role to play as the medium of intercommunication among the diversity of our regional linguistic practices. English in India is therefore more than an international language-it is also a National Language-intranational as well as international. It is no longer an alien tongue- a sorry heritage from our colonial past-but verily a valuable instrument of national integration. Strategies of teaching English to students in all parts of our country must not lose sight of the fact that English words and expressions have quietly percolated into the linguistic register of every native Indian tongue- -from Kashmir to Kanya Kumariand have managed to become, over long usage, an inalienable part of the vernacular concerned. It is unnecessary to proffer examples, as they are galore. Here Ill content myself by citing a factual incident involving my uncle in Patna who once took his ageing car to a local workshop for the required repairs. The Bihari mechanic, after a thorough check, informed my uncle dolefully: Sir, is gaari ka condisinua to bahut kharab hai. See how felcitously the mechanic managed not only to localize the word condition but also gave it a very specific local turn. Small mercy that he left Sir intact with all its honorific value! All investigations into the problems of teaching English to our students here must take cognizance of the fact that this language is an Indian language now. It cannot be taught like, say, Spanish, German or Chinese because it has managed to permeate into the life and usage of almost all the natives of Indiaso much so that it has developed regional variations of its own, very like a living and current language acceptable to all and sundry. G.B.Shaw once described England and the U.S.A. as two countries divided by the same language. The Shavian witticism could as well be applied to the states or regions of India mutatis mutandis.

So one important problem in the teaching of English language in our country which is to be addressed is thisto free the language from regional peculiarities (read distortions) and make it truly a national language: Indian English if not English English or the Queens English. If America can have its English, so can India have its own national brand. We have so far been considering regional variations which stand in the way of the emergence of English as a truly national or pan-Indian language, but we have to take stock of the socio-economic factors as well. The students belonging to rural and semirural backgrounds can have a solid base in English in case they are imparted correct knowledge of English right from their impressionable years. Budding learners can excel even in English along with subjects like Punjabi and Maths on condition that they are acquainted with the nitty-gritty of the language right from the formative years. This would help the students escalate from non descript individuals to ones of great substance. I believe there is a vast wedge between the English language training given till the S.S.C level and the expectation from the students at the U.G. level. A seeming solution for this is that the syllabi-formulating bodies at the school and college levels should have a healthy communication and rapport amongst themselves. Keeping aside petty issues they should design such levels of courses as should be in co-ordination with one another and enhancement of the language skills should be the motto and nothing else. Making the teaching of English compulsory is not the only solution. For desired efficacy I suggest that teaching of English language should be made mandatory and the study of English literature should be at the discretion of the students. Due emphasis must be laid on the teaching of English as a skill subject not as a content subject. The greatest problem blighting the Indian students is the psittacine practice of learning by rote. The more dexterous a student is at vomiting what he has crammed, the more capable is he of scoring marks. This is where the English language suffers. Students mug up one text after the other but they cannot produce or for that matter reproduce a single correct sentence without cramming. This regressive practice should be used to the barest minimum. We can lay more stress on creative writing, chiseling the expression of our wards and honing up their communication skills but this can be done on condition that we do not have texts and texts to cover by way of syllabus. Functional English and Communication Skills are the need of the hour. The students can be the greatest beneficiaries if these are brought to use in the fullest manner. Moreover in these fast changing times when the values are being relegated to the back-seat, when all relations are withering and the worship of Mammon has become the mantra for success, teacher-taught relationship also has had to bear the brunt of the trends all over the globe. The onus behind the dilapidating teacher-taught relationship is on both the teachers and the taught. The teachers lackadaisical approach, their mercenary leanings and lack of subject-oriented knowledge repel the students. The students boorishness, impish and this unruliness is too much for the teachers fed on Guru-Shishya tradition to digest. But the blame game wont help. First initiative from

both the sides should be made to mend and evolve the one time healthy relationship. And teachers are expected to take the lead. Now coming to the teaching of English language. It is high time that we, the teachers made a quick introspective journey. We know where most of us (the English teachers) are lagging behind. We ourselves are imperfect with many a blemish. So what are we expected to preach at the altar (rostrum) to an already crest-fallen and nonchalant lot? Here also the teachers of English are not entirely to be blamed. As it is a vicious cycle of which they are an inseparable part. It was their teachers who made them the recipients of imperfect English. Though todays teachers, the then students had used all their faculties particularly, the auditory one to listen to and retain the knowledge conveyed to them. But where is their flaw when their teachers had taught them such English (with due respects but no exaggeration): Zes. There are tweleve alsation dogs in the paarak across the satreet! This is what they are exactly doing today. With score cards worth flaunting, the real challenge starts with their opening of their mouth. No one is perfect. And it is never late. We can still mend our way. But in place of vehemently condemning and pillorying the teacher or students for the pathetic condition of English we must take stock of the situation and clinically execute methods to improve our lot. Coming to the students of English language along with the good, bad and mediocre students we can categorize on my experience and observation of students: Some have good command over English, a reasonably good expression, with negligible grammatical and spelling errors when it comes writing; but when it comes to speaking they cut a sorry figure. Though they have their ps and qs correct yet they lack the fluency. Without mincing words, I admit that they cant speak English. Some students have a lot of confidence and fluency and they speak without breaks but the situation is not so hunky dory here either. They do not have anything to do with their tenses, prepositions, determiners and articles. Yet, dear friends, they manage to express themselves and with a modicum of good luck manage to take some people for a ride. Both the situations are equally challenging and the students need to be worked upon. But from my experience I wish to share with you that students prefer to belong to the second category as they believe it has some promise. Another reason that English language is nose-diving is the psychological set-up of the gen. next. The youngsters today lead a life sans rules. They dont want to adhere to any stipulated rules and reaching their destination is the foremost concern of the younger generation. It is very difficult to make them follow rules which are always seemingly bland and drab and strait-jacketing. We can make them see the utility of rules and thus prompt them to follow them. Moreover the electronic media has played its own role in making youngsters bid farewell to correct English. For messaging slangs have been framed which I may confess that I also use when I have to Sms. Thus a language of convenience is born/has alighted. Mr Computer has played its own negative role. Computers spell-check comes to our rescue whenever we spell a word incorrectly thus making us confidently inattentive.

Moreover Mr. Computer goes a step ahead by underlining the correct spellings and advising us to write words like endeavour, labour, neighbour and so on incorrectly. How mind-boggling what to follow and what not to follow. Times are out of joint- and the onus of bringing English back to it shape lies on the shoulders of the custodians of the language.

English teaching in India A roller coaster ride that has just begun!
Sudeep Singh When Indians speak or hear about the word English, somewhere down the line, in their minds it symbolizes better education, better culture and higher intellect. It has become the modern-day benchmark of quality education. This has made English as the most preferred language in our country. English has co-existed in the Indian subcontinent alongside thousands of local languages. It has always retained its focal point position in the Indian society. If we look around, we can clearly see that India is one of the largest English speaking countries in the world. For the majority, it remains a second language. As a result, the English spoken by such speakers is heavily influenced by speech patterns of their mother language. In our part of the world, two subjects have constantly scared students, particularly those from the rural backgrounds, Mathematics and English. The fear factor associated with these subjects is something that needs to be taken care of. English continues to be an unsolved puzzle for these kids. Annual Records and merit lists have shown it time and again, that our rural children are equally competent in science and commerce streams. So, the question is, why cant they make it big when it comes to English language? The answer is simple; our system has put a lot of shackles on this language from reaching out to rural students. Instead of loading them with heavy grammatical rules, a certain play way technique can be followed so that students do not find English as an enigma. To these students, English has to be presented as a language that they can learn, write, understand, communicate and most importantly, a language they can enjoy. To say the least, English classroom and its atmosphere needs to be revolutionized. Expression is probably the most important part of a language. One must be able to properly convey his/her feelings through a given language. Despite so many English speakers and English teaching institutions in the country, most of the people, including students, are unable to express themselves in English. May be it is due to this fact, that the phrase, Lost in Translation is becoming more and more common these days, whereas each and everything is easily transmitted in vernaculars or local languages. Thus, English language teaching must be expression oriented so that emotional and impulsive Indians can express themselves in this language, not only to their compatriots but also reach out to foreign people on a global level. The syllabus prepared by various boards and universities for the subject of English also needs a major overhaul. These days most of the courses are job oriented and professional in nature. A student, who has taken up a professional course like BBA or B.Com, who has got nothing to do with romantic poetry should not be given romantic poetry in his syllabi. Instead these students can be given that form of English which can enhance their career.

Cut throat competition has turned our educational system into a results based industry. Higher the marks, brighter is the future! As a result of that, the only objective of the teacher and the learner is to clear the hurdle of exams with maximum possible marks. And for attaining this one and only goal, in a limited span of time, students never realize the importance of learning English as a language and similarly teachers are not able to build an atmosphere that the teaching of English demands. The emphasis on passing the exams lies so heavy on the students that they usually opt for the tried and tested cramming method. But it must be kept in mind that by cramming one can learn answers but not language. This is where it all stalls. Another important factor in English language teaching is the English teacher. Modern day English teacher must deploy new methodology to freshen things up. Literature must be taught in a way that the students can identify themselves and their surroundings with what they study in English. During English classes, the English lecturer must also go beyond literature and grammar to provide much needed general knowledge to the students. Slow and steady discussions regarding topics that touch and aware students can also be used to enhance their skills. These discussions and informal sessions can bridge all the gaps between teacher, student and the subject. Teachers should find some way of helping pupils to enjoy their language activities, and of building their confidence, because this is the only language that requires full confidence from its speaker. All these things coupled with a helping English teacher shall also create a familiarity between the students and English language. After all, a good teacher is the one who makes the subject interesting! It is as clear as crystal that English language has an enormous future in our country and also has a long way to travel. In a land of so many local languages, English will continue to complement the mother languages. It is the only language in the world that is safe in terms of its identity and for English, the only way, is the way up. References PSEB Annual Gazette session 2010 IELETS & TOEFELS Band-evaluation system English syllabi, GNDU, Amritsar Bhandari,Supriyas Problems of Teaching English at College Level in India (May 2009) M. S. Thirumalais Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages ( Published in April 2002) Shetu Aichs Status of English Teaching in India (Nov 2010)

Contextualization and Localization in English Language Teaching

Vineet Mehta Globalization is the ongoing process of the worldwide integration of politics, economies and cultures. Globalization as a socio- cultural process has been accelerated by the growth in science and technology. A. Giddens (1990: 64) defined Globalization as the intensification of worldwide social relations which link distant localities in such a way that local happenings are shaped by events occurring many miles away and vice versa. Globalization has been accompanied by the promotion of English as a global language and as an international language meant for transcultural and transnational communication. The spread of English has been aided by technology and according to many skeptics like Robert Phillipson (1992) and Edward Trimmell (2005) covertly supported by homogenizing agenda of Wests neo-imperialist machinery. English languages claims as a truly international language, a world language or a lingua franca are interpreted by standardization advocates in the ELT world simply as Standard English used outside its traditional, native settings. My own view writes Davies (2003: 214-15) is that international English usually means using one of the other Standard English in International settings. By Standard English, Davies basically means G.A. (General American) or R.P. (Received Pronunciation). Experts like Davies treat non-native varieties as deviations from the norm and as aberration. Such standardization advocates tend to ignore the cultural differences and differences in environments which influence the language teaching and learning process. These seem to be desperate attempts at ensuring the control over the language by its so-called native speakers by insisting that it still stems from them and, in a sense, resides in them. Critics like Robert Phillipson have questioned this Anglo-American hegemony in the ELT methodology and have termed it linguistic imperialism. The advocates of G.A. or R.P. have placed native speakers in the centre and ignored the culture and environment of L2 and L3 speakers. David Graddol criticises Kachrus (1982) inner , outer and expanding circle model because it Locates the native speakers and the native speaking countries at the centre of the global use of English, and, by implication, the sources of model of correctness (1997:10 ). Graddol further suggests that the centre of gravity is shifting to the L2 speaker. (ibid:10). The debates between Standard English and cultural contextualisation have a long history. This paper endeavours to voice the case for cultural contextualisation and localisation of ELT methodology and content. The writings of scholars like Byram, Kramsch, Pulverness and others have focused on the intertwined relationship between language and culture. McDevitt (2004) assets, . . . there is no such thing as human nature independent of culture; studying in L2, in a sense is trying to figure out the nature of another people. In the past, culture tended to mean that body of social, artistic, and intellectual traditions

associated historically with a particular social, ethnic or national group. Halliday (1994:29) and others have broadened the term to argue that the typical teacher in a particular context will be involved in a variety of cultures: those of the nation, of the specific academic discipline, of international education, of the host institution, of the classroom, and of the students themselves. Even when teachers of English share the nationality of their students, it is misleading to talk of cultural homogeneity as in the case of EFL and ELT in India, Pakistan and other multicultural, multilingual nations. In recent years, discussions on culture have expanded from a focus on culture as content to encompass the cultural appropriateness of various language teaching methodologies, especially as they were exported across contexts (Barkhuizen 1998, Coleman 1996, Holliday 1994, Hu 2002). Scholars have pointed out how a lack of consideration of variations in cultures of learning can lead to frustration and subsequent failure in language class. Kirkpatrick in his introduction to World Englishes: Implications for International Communication and ELT asserts: 1. Variation is natural, normal and continuous and ELT professionals should develop tolerance and understanding of it. 2. Prejudice against varieties is likely but has no rational basis. 3. Differences between all varieties are similar and comparable. 4. Specific teaching contexts and specific needs of learners should determine the variety taught. 5. Multilingual, non-native teachers are ideal in many ELT contexts. No linguistic utterance can be properly understood without the socio-cultural context. Socio-cultural context as determinant of language use has been highlighted by various researchers. Kramsch says (1993: 8), If language is seen as a social practice, culture becomes the very core of language teaching. Thus, the negligence or ignoring of cultural context and locales by ELT professionals is startling. In spite of the knowledge of grammatical, phonological and lexical rules, the learners fail to develop what Hymes (1972) and others termed as communicative competence . . . ability to use the language they are learning appropriately in a given social encounter. Many experts (for example, Pennycook 1989, Halliday op. cit.; Kramsch op.cit.) have argued that it can be problematic to take a set of teaching methods developed in one part of the world and use it in another part. These authors point out that education is situated in a particular cultural environment, and that within this environment, the definition of good teaching is socially constructed. Standardization experts have strongly advocated adherence to the British ELT methodology, tools and practices, assuming that what is appropriate in one particular educational setting will naturally be appropriate in another. This fallacious assumption ignores the fact that ELT methodology is grounded in an Anglo-Saxon view of education. In an era of cross cultural communication, teachers need to be aware not only of the cultures of their students and their environment, but also of the cultures that they themselves bring to the classroom. Nicos Sifakis (2006: 151-2) makes an interesting distinction for ELT practitioners, N (norm) - bound and C ( culture, communication, comprehensibility) bound perspectives. The N- bound perspective emphasizes regularity, codification, and standardization while the C-bound perspective prioritizes the process of cross-cultural comprehensibility between learners as a communicative goal in itself rather than notions of accuracy and standards. ((ibid:

153). The ELT practitioners need to investigate strategies which support the cultural integrity of those who are threatened by the spread of English. The teachers need to develop an ecology of language and culture like the movement of Ecology of the environment. Rather than imposing or importing the given ELT methodologies, the teachers need to contextualize the ELT text according to the local socio-cultural context. Thus, attempts need to be made to move towards an eco teaching perspective that supports the cultural and linguistic integrity of non- native speakers instead of challenging them. References Barkhuizen, G. P. Discovering learnersperceptions of ESL classroom teaching/learning activities in a South African context. TESOL Quarterly 32.1 (1998): 85108. Coleman, H. (ed.). Society and the Language Classroom. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1996. Davies, A. The Native Speaker: Myth and Reality. Clevedon, USA: Multilingual Matters, 2003. Graddol, D. The Future of English?. London: British Council, 1997 Holliday, A. Appropriate Methodology and Social Context. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1994. Hu, G. Potential cultural resistance to pedagogical imports: The case of communicative language teaching in China. Language, Culture and Curriculum 15.2 (2002): 93105. Hymes, D. On communicative competence in J.B.Pride and J.Holmes (eds.). Sociolinguistics. Harmondworth: Penguin, 1972. Kachru, B. The Other Tongue: English Across Cultures. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1982. Kirkpatrick, A. World Englishes: Implications for International Communication and English Language Teaching. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007. Kramsch, C. Context and Culture in Language Teaching. Oxford: OUP, 1993. Pennycook, A.The Cultural Politics of English as an International Language. Harlow: Longman, 1994. Phillipson, R. Linguistic Imperialism. Oxford: OUP, 1992. Pulverness, A. Distinctions and Dichotomies: Culture free, Culture- bound. N.Web. 17 Jan, 2011. <HYPERLINK "http://elt.britcoun.org.pl/forum/handt.htm/"http://elt.britcoun.org.pl/forum/hand t.htm/> Sifalis, Nicos. Teaching EIL-teaching international or intercultural English? What Teachers should know. English in the World: Global Rules, Global Roles. Ed. R. Rubdy and M.Saraceni. USA: Continuum, 2006.

Multiculturalism and Inclusive Curriculum: Teaching strategies and class practices for non native teachers who teach English as a Foreign Language
Kajalpreet Stating the Problem The importance of English language teaching has increased in our times in which learning of a foreign language has deviated from being a specialty and it has become a common feature which every one wants or must have. For this purpose teachers must be imbibed with the knowledge of the basic characteristics of the learners very well as well as need to enrich the environment of the learners with different techniques and in accordance with the protocol of the existing environment facilities. Approach In this paper it has been aimed to determine the language teaching strategies and class room practices for English language teaching and teachers. A questionnaire has been prepared at the end. To analyse the contents of data questionnaire was given and answers were obtained. Result Teachers are not capable of giving adequate language because of flaws in curriculum with respect to cultural barriers and they are not given special education and training with the purpose of teaching. They prefer traditional methods of teaching to a scientific and modern approach. Conclusions and Recommendations In order to conduct English language teaching in accordance with the international norms there must be the availability of qualified teachers. Another important factor is personality. No matter how well the teacher can instruct and communicate in English or have knowledge in various fields, the teacher should have a well rounded personality as well as passion for teaching. The teacher should not manipulate their authority as the teacher. Non native teachers could be better English teachers as they keep making efforts to improve their skills, knowledge and personality. The job of a language teacher is demanding, challenging and very important. Teacher should be student centered, should keep studying. Working condition should be improved to allow teacher to have more time, improve their skills and to expand their lives. Significance of teaching must be discussed in context and research should be carried out.

English Language, Culture and Curriculum: Impediments and Strategies in Teaching of English
Navjot S. Deol In his study on English language teaching in India, R. Narayanan (2009) says that because of the great ethnic and linguistic diversity found within our nation, English acts as an indispensable link language. English symbolizes in Indians minds, better education, better culture and higher intellect. Apart from serving as a lingua franca in a multi-cultural, multi-religious, multi-lingual country like India, and being considered a status symbol, English is very important in some systems legal, financial, educational and business in India. (Narayanan 2009) English is a very flexible and progressive language which is recognised for its educative and communicative value. Discussions on importance of English language are pass now. It is a fact beyond challenge that English language is the important language and acquiring proficiency in using its written and spoken forms bestows upon its users manifold privileges the world over. The prophets of doom who had predicted a bleak future for English language in the post-independence India have been proven wrong as the language has gone from strength to strength. The fascination for English and the eagerness to learn and use the language continues unabated. As per the surveys, the 35 million speakers of the language in India make Indians the largest English speaking community outside USA and the UK. In India, where it has been in active use for more than a century, the cultural dynamics have added impetus to the teaching of English in the last couple of decades. Communication and consumerism have acted as a catalyst in bringing about a cultural shift in the country making the average Indian a global citizen. The landscape of urban India has changed dramatically in the last couple of decades. The enhanced importance of the English language against these changes have brought into sharp focus the archaic teaching practices and methodologies being used for teaching English. The major cultural factors that have added momentum to the demand for English language teaching are: Globalization: The rapid growth of industry and technology has made acquiring the skills for the use of English language mandatory. There is acceleration in the demand for English speaking professionals. Globalization has opened the business sector to international giants and made it imperative for those seeking entry into the extremely lucrative career avenues provided by these MNCs to be extremely comfortable in the medium. The knowledge of English is a prerequisite for those aspiring to work with the international players in the economic sector.

Technology: Availability of gadgets and gizmos like touch mobile phones, Blackberrys, ipads, Galaxy tabs, laptops, palmtops along with e-mails and text messaging have heralded the age of technology in India like never before. The sheer amount of time spent on communicating, underscores the importance of the language in the recent years. The access to internet and increased popularity of social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter along with lucrative job opportunities for working in BPOs, are the various factors that have made English the much-in-demand language in the twenty first century. Increasing Mobility of the Middle Classes: English is no longer the language of the elite sections. The middle classes are the new elite. The last couple of decades have seen the middle classes gain affluence and the resultant mobility of this section has brought home the increasing need to be conversant with the language. They are travelling abroad for holidays, and even patronising international food chains where English is the established mode of communication. Lure of Foreign Lands: With foreign shores remaining a constant attraction for Punjabis aspiring for better prospects in life, knowledge of English for them is the equivalent of getting an automatic passport to employment abroad. Furthermore, in order to complete the formalities, which are a prerequisite for gaining a foothold in these countries, a good grade in IELTS (International English Language Testing System) is an absolute must. Contemporary Trends in Business Ethics: With the new awareness and the shifting of focus to things like high EQ (Emotional Quotient) levels and relationship building skills, communication has become the new mantra for success in the business world. Aspirants have to score high in the psychological as well as communication skills tests. Given the increasing importance of the English language, it is a cause for serious concern that the Graduates, Post Graduates and professionals being churned out in lakhs by the Indian education system are completely lacking in language skills and are therefore unable to use it with a degree of proficiency. Mastering the language is viewed as a Herculean task. This brings us to the all important question What ails our system of English teaching? Impediments in Teaching of English: Current Practises and Methodologies There are various wrong practices that are currently being followed in teaching the language and there is a dire need to revamp the English speaking system. Reverse Teaching: Native speaker of English listens to the language, learns to speak it and only then is he taught the script, followed by the reading skills. In India, the pattern is reversed. First the students are taught to write and read the script whereas speaking and listening skills are relegated to the background. Moreover, the stress is on writing English, without fully comprehending the meaning.

Ignorance of Indian Students about the lack of concord between alphabets and sounds: Indian students are generally never explained the fundamental difference between the 26 alphabets and 44 sounds of the English language. At school level, there is no chapter devoted exclusively to vowels and consonants. Rather the students are inaccurately taught that there are 5 vowels a,e,i,o,u in English language. These phonetic symbols are confused with alphabets. The students therefore never learn about the correct sounds that arise from articulation of these phonetic symbols. Learning about vowels and consonants as being distinct from alphabets is vital to the understanding of correct pronunciation and spellings. Ignorance about the correct use of language aids, for instance, dictionaries: Most of the users of English are oblivious to the different uses of dictionary and are rather surprised to learn that the dictionary is the ideal guide for learning the correct pronunciation of English words. Very few speakers use a dictionary to learn the correct pronunciation of tricky words. Mother tongue inevitably has a major influence on the accent and pronunciation of speakers, for whom it is a second language. Using dictionaries will help to bring the pronunciation closer to the RP model of English. Lack of synchronisation between the vernacular and English: In many schools and colleges, bilingual approach is adopted for teaching of English. The problem arises when the learners try to synchronise their thought processes in the vernacular and try to match it with the tempo of English language. The structure of English is distinct from Punjabi and Hindi and it is vital that this difference is pointed out to the young learners in order to sensitise them about the character of the two languages. For example, Ravi plays football. S V O In Punjabi, Ravi football khed dah hai. S O V The subject-verb-object structure of the sentence in English is very obviously different from subject-object-verb structure of Hindi and Punjabi and hence the difficulty faced by the students. Students from the rural areas tend to do literal translations resulting in atrocious use of English Ignorance about the subject-verb concord: The syllabus in the schools and colleges fails to focus exclusively on the subject-verb concord, which is one of the basic concepts of English. The result use of expressions like Didnt I told you earlier? sometimes, even by the teaching faculty. This calls for serious analysis of our teaching practices. Teaching of literary forms an unnecessary exercise: Introduction of literary forms like poetry, plays, short stories and other finer nuances of the language in the syllabi, even before the student has grasped the fundamentals of the language, is a complete waste of time. It is like showing a movie to a person and expecting him to learn the craft of movie-making merely by viewing a film. Using literature to teach English language has yielded unsatisfactory results in the recent past, as it has not served the purpose of

adding to the language skills of the students. Moreover, it has compounded the existing problem by adding to the woes of the struggling-with-English Indian students, consequently developing in them an aversion for the language. Passive receivers instead of active learners: The Indian educational system is structured in a manner which makes the students passive receivers of information rather than being active participants in the learning process. The students are lectured about English rather than encouraged to produce it themselves. As a result the teachers of English, teach speaking. The students do not get enough opportunity to speak the language and they are also not exposed to correct spoken English. As a result the students can not comprehend spoken English because of the lack of practise in listening to the language. For learning a language, what is required and needs to be stressed is the constant practice of the four skills. Flawed examination pattern: The hackneyed, stereotyped and traditional pattern of exams aims at clearing English not as a language but as a subject (Bandari,2009). The examination system focuses on testing the writing and reading skills of students. The focus is on learning by rote and reproducing the same in written form in the examination. The system does not judge the creative ability of the student. As a result the students are unable to express their own thoughts or feelings in the language. Strategies for Future: An Integrated Approach It would not be wrong to state that English as a subject has become unpalatable for Indian students. The mushrooming English medium schools have not been able to stem the distaste for English language. In the rural belt the students can barely grasp the fundamentals of the language making it an extremely confusing and therefore abhorred subject. What has caused English to be viewed as such? I would like to illustrate my answer with an anecdote. There was once a dog whose owner would hold on to its jaw and force the protesting dog to consume fish oil, thinking it was good for him. This force feeding continued for a while and the owner concluded that the dog disliked fish oil. One day, the owner observed the dog licking fish oil that had spilt on the floor. It struck the owner that it was not the fish oil that the dog disliked, but the manner in which it was being fed. The same logic applies to the teaching of English language. The methodology adopted to impart the different skills related to the language is questionable. The manner in which English is taught has to be reviewed and re-analysed and the syllabus re-structured in order to get optimum benefits. Furthermore, English is not merely a subject like other subjects; rather it is a medium for other disciplines and hence needs a different orientation. There is a need to have a comprehensive and integrated programme for teaching of the language rather than a fragmented approach. The learning of English is a gradual and continuous process. From kindergarten to college, the curricula for teaching the language should not be compartmentalized. I would like to propose a three-tier integrated programme for teaching of English. The Foundation Level Kindergarten to Class V: At this level approach to teaching of English should be similar to the one that the native speakers of English are exposed to. We need to simulate the natural learning process which is available for the native

speakers. This is called the behaviouristic approach as opposed to the mentalistic approach adopted in countries where English is not the mother tongue. To start off with, the students at kindergarten level should be exposed to the spoken form of English rather than the written form. Visual aids like chart papers, slides could be used to convey the meaning. The focus should be on absorption of the meaning and comprehension. Rather than learning the shape of the Roman alphabets, the students should be able to understand the spoken word and reproduce the same. The focus should be on learning to make simple conversations in the form of questions and answers. After kindergarten, the student can be taught the written form i.e. the alphabets, with simultaneous stress on the sounds of the language. Though English has been taught through literature quite effectively since the last couple of decades but now this approach has come in for scrutiny because literature is not taught with the purpose of enhancing language skills. Up to class V, it would be premature to expect the students to appreciate the literary forms like poetry and plays. So ideally exposure to the genres like poetry should be reserved for higher classes. An adequate vocabulary is needed for comprehending the written and spoken word. So, regular vocabulary drills are a must. The thrust should be on helping the students build their vocabulary for different situations. The Intermediate Level Class VI to Class XII: By class V the students have gained a certain level of maturity to be comfortably introduced to more difficult levels of English. At this level the English subject should be bifurcated into English Language and English Literature. The language paper should revolve around teaching the students the various nuances of English grammar and phonology as the students can understand the different concepts related to English grammar better. Starting with the fundamentals of grammar, the students can gradually be introduced to more complicated and tricky concepts of grammar in higher classes. From class VI onwards, the students should have access to the facility of language lab. Language labs are just as essential as science or computer labs in schools if the students are to learn the right pronunciation and expression. The concept of language labs is fast gaining currency in the schools and colleges located in cities, but is yet to catch on in small cities and rural areas. The literary forms befitting the age of the students should be introduced at this level, in the paper on literature. But teaching literature should serve the purpose of adding to their language skills. There is need for task based teaching. Some of the examples of task-based teaching as suggested by experts are: Willis (1996) proposes six task types according to knowledge hierarchies: 1. listing 2. ordering and sorting 3. comparing 4. problem solving 5. sharing personal experience 6. creative tasks Pica, Kanagy and Falodun (1993) classify tasks according to the types of interaction in the

product: 1. jigsaw tasks 2. information-gap tasks 3. problem-solving tasks 4. decision-making tasks 5. opinion exchange tasks It is important for course designers and teachers to familiarize themselves with the ways to classify tasks. The different components of a syllabus can be fulfilled as to be made up of different types of tasks. (Hosseni,2010) . It must not be forgotten that mere knowledge of the fundamental concepts of grammar or literary works does not translate into fluency in spoken English. So, there should be equal focus on practising of all the skills related to the language. There should be a practical examination in all these classes, where students spoken and listening skills are also tested along with their reading and writing skills. The Advanced Level at Undergraduate Level: At this level, in all the three years, the students irrespective of their stream should have a compulsory subject called Communication and Creative Writing Skills. The section on Communication should have an equal division of marks amongst the four communication skills - speaking, listening, reading and writing. The practical work that incorporates oral presentations, mock interviews and group discussions, along with listening exercises should be a mandatory part of this section. The section on creative writing could include story, essay, paragraph and letter writing etc. along with vocabulary building exercises. The onus of making the subject interesting for the students lies with the teachers. Their endeavour should be to arouse and sustain the interest of the students. The students should be made to understand the importance of English in developing their job potential and social prestige. Teachers should find ways of helping pupils to enjoy their language activities, and building their confidence. At all these levels, the teachers should strive to train the students in the four skills related to communication, rather than merely imparting knowledge. Efforts should be made to ensure that the students at all levels have fully grasped the concepts and are aware of the various nuances of the language. No amount of knowledge can compensate for the lack of practice. Though it is difficult to completely overhaul the system or change the deeply entrenched practises overnight, a slow and gradual change will make a difference in the times to come. Rooting out some of the anomalies will pave the way for the future good of English language teaching in India. If some of the issues raised in this paper are addressed in the coming years, there would be a definite change for the better. References: Bandari, Supriya.(2009). Problems of Teaching English at College level in India. Retrieved January 30, 2011 from http://www.boloji.com. Griffith, Susan. Teaching English in Asia. Retrieved January 25, 2011 from http://www. transitionabroad.com.

Hosseini, Hosseini Shams & Nadaraja Pillai, N.(2010). Importance of Task-based Teaching in Second Language Acquisition- a review. Language in India (10),117-132. Retrieved January 31, 2011 http:// www.languageinindia.com. M.Murali.(2009). Teaching English as a second language in India A review. The Modern Journal of Applied Linguistics. Retrieved January 30, 2011 from http://www.mjal.org/.../teaching_english_as a second_language_in_India_ a review. Narayanan, R, Rajasekharan, Nair,N & Iyyappan, S.(2009) English Language Teaching In India: A Theoretical Study. The Modern Journal of Applied Linguistics.(1) Retrieved January 27,2011 http://mjal.org/journal/English_Language_Teaching_in _India Nunan, D. (1989). Designing Tasks for the Communicative Classroom. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Richards, J.C. (2001). Curriculum Development in Language Teaching. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Spoken English: Some Problems Encountered. British Council. Retrieved February 2, 2011 from http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk. Thirumalai, M.S., (2002) An Introduction to TESOL: Teaching English to speakers of other Languages. Language in India. Retrieved January 24, 2011 from http://www.languageinindia.com/april2002/tesolbook.html/ Nunan, D. (1989). Designing tasks for the Communicative Classroom. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

FACILITATING LANGUAGE ACQUISITION THROUGH EVALUATION

Neha Puri Despite studying English as a compulsory subject in their school or college curriculum for more than fifteen years, the Indian students hardly get equipped with the skills to use this language in their routine interaction. Looking into this poor language acquisition in the students, it has become the need to improve the methods of teaching and the related practices. Evaluation plays an important role in the whole process, as evaluation of any task improves the motivation level of the performer which results in the in-depth study and acquisition of the subject. So keeping this in mind, in this paper, the stress will be on the methods of evaluation, first on the critical appraisal of the present ones and later on their replacement with the more effective ones. Evaluation: Meaning and Definition Evaluation is perhaps the most complex and least understood of the terms. Inherent in the idea of evaluation is "value." When we evaluate, what we are doing is engaging in some process that is designed to provide information that will help us make a judgment about a given situation/ object /person. Generally, any evaluation process aims at information about the situation in question. Specifically speaking, when we evaluate, we are saying that the process will yield information regarding the worthiness, appropriateness, goodness, validity, legality, etc., of something for which a reliable measurement or assessment has been made. Needless to say, evaluation is inevitable in teaching-learning process. From the education point of view, evaluation can be defined as the systematic collection and interpretation of evidence leading as a part of process to a judgment of value with a view to action (C.E. Beeby, 1977). It is a continuous and comprehensive process. We evaluate every day. Teachers, in particular, are constantly evaluating students, and such evaluations are usually done in the context of comparisons between what was intended (learning, progress, behavior) and what was obtained. As is observed, evaluation is a regular part of education. However, these days it has been experienced as a burden and an unnecessary intrusion. As Gitlin and Smyth (1989) comment, from its Latin origin meaning 'to strengthen' or to empower, the term evaluation has taken a numerical turn - it is now largely about the measurement of things - and in the process can easily slip into becoming an end rather than a means. This paper focuses on how true this assertion is and also on how we can bring questions of value (rather than numerical worth) back into the centre of the process. Present Language Evaluation System Since the education system has started, there have been many reforms made regarding the evaluation system. Many new strategies and procedures have been defined by the educationalists for evaluating the students without giving them stress and fulfilling the purpose of the evaluation i.e. improving the skill and inculcating enthusiasm in the students. However, the present evaluation system suffers from too many handicaps. It is:

1. Examination centered 2. Cramming based 3. Dependent on help books 4. Takes no peep into IQ and individuality of the students 5. Subjective 6. Unreliable The last mentioned lapse in unforgivable since a doubt in the reliability of evaluation makes the whole exercise absurd. For the purpose of this paper, information has been gathered under the Right to Information Act regarding the results of M.A. English in the session 2009-10 and 2008-09 from Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar. The information revealed some startling facts that expose the futility of the present examination system. There were 124 students who applied for re-evaluation in session 2009-10 and 102 students got their marks increased. Further in session 2008-09, 79 applied for re-evaluation and 77 got their marks increased. It shows that almost everybody who gets his or her answer-sheets re-evaluated gets his or her marks increased. What is more startling is that so many students who were declared fail earlier were declared passed after the reevaluation of their answer-sheets.

Figure 1 : Result for MA English II year Not only unreliable, the present evaluation system in English is inadequate too. There is no continuous evaluation. Students are evaluated once in a year. Furthermore, this evaluation does not inspire the acquisition of skills specific to language, but only cramming as students are evaluated through written tests only as in content subjects like History, Economics, and Sociology. All this questions the validity of the present evaluation mechanisms in English and advocates the skill based evaluation wherein the students ability to read, write, speak and understand is assessed. Only then the evaluation will be accurate and hence the acquisition of English.

WASHBACK EFFECT OF TESTING ON ESL TEACHING AND LEARNING

Rajinder Singh Academics at the college level in India have always been strongly influenced by the annual examinations. What teachers teach and what students learn is largely dictated by what will figure in the exams. Subject areas which are not important from the viewpoint of examinations are either not dealt with seriousness or they are simply neglected. Tests have a great impact on the way we teach and learn any subject. The simple logic is: `Why bother to study the entire curriculum when you can score well by studying limited portion of the prescribed syllabus. The effect of examinations on teachers and learners is known as the `wash back effect. The term washback is used in the literature as the extent to which the test influences language teachers and learners to do things that they would not necessarily otherwise do. (Messick 1996: 243). Hence it is testing, not the official stated curriculum, that is increasingly determining what is taught, how it is taught, what is learned, and how it is learned. I believe that annual achievement tests for English language learning have had a negative wash back effect on the entire teaching and learning operations in India. Thousands of learners pass these tests every year and some of them even score quite high but when it comes to using English language for real life communicative situations, these learners fail to deliver. Recently, many surveys by NASSCOM and various voluntary organizations have shown that Indian graduates have very low level of competence in English and as many as 90 percent of applicants who apply for communication-oriented sectors like BPO get rejected due to their poor skills in English. Disillusioned by the inefficacy of educational institutions, many large size companies have started their in-house training centers to train their workforce in English language skills. The strategy of focusing on a limited portion of syllabus does not seem to work as far as second language learning is concerned. Unlike other subjects which are content-based, language learning is a skill-based activity. It has a large number of words and structures which must be used appropriately. People learn languages when they practice using them for genuine-like communication rather than memorizing answers to a few well-guessed questions. Learners need to engage themselves with the language holistically rather than focusing on its bits and pieces. They may score high by studying the limited portions of a language syllabus but they will never become proficient users as has been amply demonstrated by their higher rejection rate in the BPO and other service sectors. Why do we have the examination-oriented system? The foremost reason for this phenomenon is that it is the easiest way out for educational administrators, teachers and learners. Educational administrators want that maximum number of learners should pass the examination so that the next batch of students could be accommodated in our resource-poor academic set up. They fear that it will be too much to cater to too many in educational institutions. By allowing even poor performers to pass it is convenient to eject them from colleges and push them back to their homes. Examination-oriented teaching for teachers means less work load and drudgery. Especially, the prevalent

literature-based teaching of English makes it very easy for teachers to teach English using the lecture method thereby avoiding the hard work that is required for giving learners meaningful practice in the language. Learners too want to enjoy their newfound freedom in the college environs and they are more than happy to just do as much work as is necessary to pass the exams. Very few learners feel the loss that the system hands down to them by not imparting education that improves their skills and abilities. The examination-oriented teaching and learning suits the key participants and keeps the show going. The system seems to be working well but the fact is that it does not cater to the needs of the society of providing competent workforce. Areas affected by wash back The effects of wash back can be found on various aspects of the classroom, which can be categorized as follows: syllabus and textbooks, teaching and learning, and feelings and attitudes. 1 Syllabus and Text books Even after 62 years of independence most of our colleges and universities still persist with the colonial model of teaching English. The colonial model of English language teaching had clear cut objective of producing a class of English-knowing Indians who could act as a link between the British Administration and general public. They were tutored in English literature, customs and culture so that they could see some good points of English culture and communicate this knowledge to Indians so as to create some good will for the ruling masters. Hence the admissions were selective, syllabus had literary-humanistic orientation and the teaching methodology was teacher-fronted. Today India is a free country and an emerging economic power in the world. Our people need to excel in their chosen fields of study and work in order to stay competitive at the global level. And there is no denying the fact that today English is the language of the world. People know they can do well in any part of the world if they knew this language. They know it is a passport to success and a sure shot way for upward social and economic mobility. It is a language which ensures their academic and occupational success. No wonder we find a large number of students and professionals taking tests like IELTS and TOEFL to explore greener pastures in English speaking countries. Large industrial houses and Multinational companies are in urgent need of personnel who can communicate effectively in English. Hence our students need to learn English to study in institutions of higher learning or to perform effectively in their target jobs. They need spoken English to communicate effectively and clearly to their teachers, peers and prospective clients. They need effective writing skills to write e mails and letters. They need to have good listening and reading skills in English to be good communicators. In short they would like to learn English for purely pragmatic reasons and not because of any love for English customs and literature. Surprisingly however, most of the Universities prescribe the syllabi which include lists of essays, poems, short stories, plays and novels for English Language Teaching. These literary pieces are selected keeping in mind their classic status in a particular period of time. We have prescribed texts which belong to 14th or 15 th century British or American literature. It is very difficult to understand how by studying 14 th or

15th century poems and plays our learners will be able to use English effectively to communicate in their jobs. Those advocating `language through literature approach argue that literature is an inclusive subject and it contains a wide variety of genres and communicative contexts that are appropriately woven in an interesting story line so that learners do not find it difficult to understand the language. They argue that literature teaches learners to be familiar with good expressions and helps them use these expressions skillfully in a wide variety of communicative situations. These arguments however, do not have much value as far as the effective language learning is concerned. Teaching and learning of English language can be called effective when it helps the learners cope with their real life communication. Effective use of English to cater to real life communicative situations entails a lot of practice in various text types and the language which is used in such texts. By studying English located in literary contexts learners get only a generalized view of language which does not help them to attain proficiency in using English in their respective occupational roles. Although various study groups and workshops (1967-1971) and University Grants Commissions Curriculum Development Centre Report on English (1989) have proposed courses to meet the language learning needs of different group of learners according to their respective occupations or fields of study, the Universities have not accepted their proposals on grounds that are not academic. They reason that since universities are autonomous bodies they have every right to design their own syllabuses. Then there are vested commercial interests of some of the influential members of Board of Studies to push books written by them to be prescribed as the text books. A typical Board of Studies meeting to change the syllabus takes less than an hour to finalise syllabi for two to three classes. No concerted efforts are made to bring in some structural changes. The changes that are made are invariably cosmetic changes which in essence, maintain the status quo of a syllabus. Thus one set of poems is replaced by another; and Shakepeares Othello makes way for a Hamlet or a Macbeth in a new syllabus. The syllabus is cast in areas which are most likely to be tested. Consequently, the questions and exercises which follow each lesson call for discussion such aspects as theme, character, setting, central idea and so on. These aspects of literary texts are so predictable that we have a thriving business of exam-related guidebooks and bazaar notes which provide readymade answers to these questions and which also contain previous years solved papers. No wonder then these guide books outsell the text books prescribed by the University by a big margin as learners know that there is a sure shot short cut method of beating the examinations. The age old format of attempting any five questions out of the ten given also makes the examinations fairly guessable and the result is that even a low proficiency learner manages to pass. As the examinations mainly test learners memory rather than their language proficiency, learners who score high are functionally inadequate users of English because they excel in exams on the strength of their memory and not because they are expert users of the English. Thus learners scores in a University examination do not give a correct account of their proficiency level and their certification does not hold good to recruitment agencies. 2. Teaching and learning By teaching methods I refer to teaching approaches or techniques. The annual exam leads to teachers use of explanation of techniques for engaging in certain exam tasks. The

researchers note that these activities become more prevalent the closer the exam gets. A typical English class in the Northern parts of India has around 80-100 students and they expect a good deal of story-telling, drama, acting and performance from the teacher. The teacher is expected to explain the prescribed text in an interesting manner so as to engage the learners throughout. However while performing teachers get so much carried away that they forget to focus on language practice by students. Performance for them is an easy way out to avoid the hard work and drudgery involved in language practice. After the textual explication teachers typically single out those topics for discussion which are important from examination point of view. Some teachers also dictate notes on these topics so that learners could memorise them and reproduce them in their final exams. Does teachers explanation and translation of the prescribed text and subsequent dictation of exam notes result in learners learning of English? The answer could possibly a big No. We noted above that one can learn a language only when one practices using it genuine-looking communicative contexts. Here a teacher keeps talking about a literary text throughout the class and students act as passive listeners. They do not get chance to practice English nor do they get any individual attention from their teacher towards their learning problems. Moreover, the language being used in the classroom is literary, not authentic. At best what learners get at the end of the class is some idea of the content or the story line and they have little idea of using English. Even when they do exam-related exercises in the class, these rarely contribute to their language acquisition. The sort of wash back that is most apparent seems to represent a very superficial level of learning outcome: familiarisation with the exam format, and the rote learning of exam specific strategies and formulaic phrases . . . the inappropriate use of these phrases by a number of students seems indicative of memorisation rather than meaningful internalisation. In these instances, the students appear to have learnt which language features to use, but not when and how to use them appropriately. (Andrews et al., 1995: 220) 3. Feelings and attitudes Generally speaking, the studies note a gamut of rather negative attitudes and feelings generated by exams. The exam is reported to generate an atmosphere of high anxiety and fear of test results among teachers and students. Teachers feel that the success or failure of their students reflect on them and they speak of pressure to cover the materials for the exam (Shohamy et al., 1996: 309). Over the years learners come to know how to beat the examinations. They develop the knack for zeroing on those areas/questions that are important from the point of view of examinations. Sometimes teachers also prepare a `guess paper for their students to help them prepare answers to a limited range of questions. Exam notes are available to learners and answers are provided in very simple language so that low proficiency learners can memorise them. Armed with so much support learners find it rather easy to pass the exams. Typically they start preparing for the examinations a month or two before their commencement and owing to the predictable nature of the test format they can easily pass. Knowing that they can beat the examinations, they do not take their regular classes seriously and prefer to spend most of their time outside the classroom with their friends.

4. Considerations for designing language tests As long as the tests are there learners will always focus on the areas directly related to their tests. They will try to find every possible short cut to do well in their tests. Since we cannot rule out the tests, we must redesign them so that teaching in the classroom become meaningful and have high surrender value for students. Tests should include a wide range of activities which learners should do in their class room. Obviously learners who bunk classes will not be able to do well in these activities. To rule out the growing influence of bazaar guides and exam notes, there should be open book tests. The questions should include practical problems which should be resolved by learners using their knowledge and skills of the language. If we include a large number of questions, it will be difficult for learners to consult books/help material and this will effectively check the menace of mass copying. Tests should also urge students to use English language to communicate in authentic contexts. Rather than focusing on the reproduction of content tests should focus on testing learners competence in language skills like listening, speaking, reading and writing. This will help us to administer standardized tests which will have greater credibility and acceptability of learners test scores with future employers. A standardized test like IELTS (International English Language Testing System) can be a model to follow and we can teach language skills in the classroom which may finally be tested using an IELTS type test. This will help us stay focused on the necessary skills that are important from the viewpoint of the test as well as for genuine communication. Hence we need to create tests with the students' language goals and the class focus in mind. For example, if we are teaching a class for English conversation, the tests should be centered on conversational skills and pronunciation. Students should attend a class only for a specific reason or for acquiring a specific skills set. We should test every aspect of language acquisition. If we are teaching a language class for general fluency and communication, we will need to test our students' abilities in reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Tests are an excellent way to assess how each individual performs. Students who speak often in class and have little problem with grammar or pronunciation may need extra help in writing skills. Shy students who don't engage in class discussions can use oral exams as an opportunity to demonstrate their level of conversation. Finding our students' weak areas will help us plan future lessons more effectively. We also need to use authentic materials to test our students. Memorizing workbook exercises without truly understanding and contextualizing the usage does not benefit students who may need the language for travel, business negotiations or adapting to life in a new country. Let us not teach to tests but put in some labour to design tests in such a way that we succeed in bringing our learners around to focus on meaningful language learning. References Andrews, S., Fullilove, J. and Wong, Y. 2002: Targetting washback - a case study. System 30(2): 207-23. Messick, S. 1996: Validity and washback in language testing. Language Testing 13(3): 241-56. Ministry of Education and Youth Services, Government of India 1971. Report of Study Group on Teaching of English. New Delhi

Shohamy, E., Donitsa-Schmidt, S. and Ferman, I. 1996: Test impact revisited: washback effect over time. Language Testing 13(3): 298 University Grants Commission 1989. Report of the Curriculum Development Centre in English. New Delhi.

ENGLISH OR INGLISH
Rama Shankar Shukla Anuradha Shukla English is universally accepted as a language capable of providing global exposure and cross border communication. But, Is English really a global language? Or international English is simply a misnomer. In fact, the seeds of heterogeneousness are seated in its very global nature. If we look at the global English from the point of view of a native speaker of English, we come across statements like: "When everyone speaks English, I'm never sure they've understood exactly what I've said, and I never know if they're saying what they mean". (A British delegate at an international event.) As for non-native speakers of English are concerned, they do not speak by the book of RP. The linguistic interference generated by their mother tongue, combined with their incompetence in English sometimes, has created new varieties of English. Thus we have world Englishes rather than global English. It is only written English that may be roughly termed as global but that too is heterogenous. Similar is the case of Inglish in India. She too houses a variety of Englishes say for example Hinglish, Banglish, Tamilish and so on. Although English in India is said to be legacy left behind by the British, it is not the English that is spoken in the British Isle. It is in fact very different from its original form i.e. British English. It has clearly taken a diversion towards Indianisation and it is now suitably termed as Inglish or Indlish. If we take stock of differences, Inglish is 60 to 70 percent different from English especially in its spoken form. The written form of Inglish too is identical by its style and register. The differences, which are noteworthy, are related to phonology, lexicon, inappropriate usage and regional influences. e.g. Phonological Differences English spellings are misleading. Generally an average Indian reads the spellings according to the phonology of his mother tongue and very few people are aware that English spellings are misleading representations of their pronunciations. E.g. Bear,Wear,Climb,Limb,Comb,Tomb,Deaf,Adjust,Exaggeration,Gigantic,Suggestion,Cr icket, Pocket, Ball, Wall, Tall, All, Coup, CD ROM, Chrysanthemum, Chameleon,Student,Disease,With,Biography,Geography,Biology,Ancient,Ghost,Roman tic,Rural,Elite,Minute,Nasal,Didn't,Isnt,Receipt,Woman,Women,Boy, Toy, There are differences in Stress Pattern. English is a Stress Timed Language but Hindi and Other Indian Languages are Syllable Timed Languages (Singsong Languages). Since majority of Indians are unaware of this fact, they tend to put stress on the wrong syllables and thus make their English unintelligible to native English Speakers. E.g. :- 'Yesterday, 'Schedule , Careful, 'Always, 'Agent, 'Beautiful, 'Argument, 'Audience, 'Atmosphere, 'Architect, 'Casement, 'Windowpane, 'Postman, 'Gentleman, 'Certainly, 'Careless, De'mocracy, De'velopment, Pho'tography, Photo'grapher, For'get, Bi'ology, Psy'chology, A Po'liceman, Di'rector, For'give, 'Famine, 'Paradigm, Com'parative, 'Brother-in-law, Happiness, 'Conference,

'Consonants, 'Conscience, Perpen'dicular, 'Honesty, 'England 'Homonym, 'Antonym, 'Synonym, Tee'totaler and so on.. The Phenomena of Stress Shift is absent in Indian English. E.g. The following words in British English will be spoken with a stress shift from first to second syllable when the same word, which is a noun, is used as a verb. :Noun Verb 'Conduct Con'duct 'Produce Pro'duce 'Record Re'cord 'Project Pro'ject But in GIE, the above-mentioned words are usually spoken with the stress on the second syllable whether it is a noun or a verb. GIE is Rhotic. Indians speak rhotic English although, British English is a nonrhotic language people in India will find difficult to understand the following words if spoken in nonrhotic accent. : - verb, work, guard, lord, port etc. (Non-rhotic English means the phoneme r in British English is not pronounced before a consonant sound and at the final position. E.g Artificial, Partner, Certain, Perception, Perform, Performance, A Farmhouse, Fertile, Porter, etc. It is pronounced only before a vowel sound e.g. Railway, Write, Right,) Rewrite,Reread,Carry, Carriage etc. Aspiration is completely absent from Indian English. In British English, Phonemes p,tandk are spoken without aspiration even when they are stressed e.g. This box contains a pound of tea. Whats the time? I didnt like his conduct. In the above sentences p of pound, t of time and k of conduct, which will be aspirated in British English, are spoken without aspiration in GIE. {Aspiration = In British English, phonemes p,tandk are aspirated when they are stressed. (Except after phoneme s)} Further, there is absence of some connecteds speech phenomena of British English. Except some Elision, much of the connected speech phenomena is absent in Indian English e.g. Foot ball, Good morning, Fruit cake, Hand bag, Good girl, Cats, Dogs, Accomplished, Helped, Attacked, Stopped. In the above words,t of football will change into p and d of good into b in native British speech. Such a phenomenon of assimilation is very strange and unacceptable in GIE. While on the other hand, Indians generally speak English cautiously, avoiding this type of Assimilation, to maintain clarity in the speech, some times, maintaining gaps between words, although gaps between words are generally eliminated in a Rapid Speech. Next, there are differences in some vowel sounds. Some Diphthongs of British English are spoken as Long Vowels in Indian English. e.g.

/e/ as /e:/ Date,Wait,Take,Plait, Waste,Hate,Cake,gate, etc And /u/ as /o:/ ,Boat,Goat,Bold,Gold, Vote,Post,Coat,Go, etc Some Rounded Long Vowels are spoken as Unrounded Long Vowels in Indian English e.g. Ball, Call, Wall, War, Tall, Small, All, Water, etc. a" represents here / : /, But it is spoken as /a: /. Diphthong / / in the following words is also mispronounced. Boy, Toy, Joy Further, there are differences in the Places of Articulation. Alveolar Consonants of British English are pronounced as Retroflex consonants in GIE e.g. Alveolar t and d of British English are pronounced as Retroflex t and d in India
Alveolar t andd of BE Retroflex t and d of GIE

No difference between v and w In Indian English, British English v and w

GIE Speakers pronounce bilabial fIn place of Labiodental f of British English BEf

GIE f

GIE is L1 influenced English The written form of GIE is also identical e.g. the following Hindi influenced terms:What is your good name? Today morning, Yesterday night, etc. Some Direct Contributions of Inglish English has taken some direct contributions like:- Khichri, Masala Movie, Lakh, Crore, Yaar, etc. We have created new terms and usages like the following compound formations and words, e.g. Cousin brother, Cousin sister, Chalk piece, Key bunch, Prepone, Meeting notice, Pin drop silence, Besides those from Hindi (Urdu) like, Loot, Dacoit, Lathi,(Lathicharge) Jungle, Bazaar, Sari, Pyjama, Raja, Rani, Mahaut, Lungi, Chowkidar ,Sepoy, Coolie (Cooliedom) Roti, Chapati, Saag, Dal, (Curry, Dosa from Tamil and Idli from Malayalam/ Kannad), Mango, Kurta, Dhoti, Dhobi, Sahib, Sarkar, Muska, Muskafy, Goonda, Goondaism, Dharma, Upanishadic, Saltspoiler and so on Some abbreviations like FOC, MPK, ILU, QSQT, and ABCD Jan, Feb, suppli, soopi, Lab Ass, Ass Wardi Hindi Terms in English achchaa = good arrai = hey bahut = a lot bus = that's it ho gaya = done; finished koi bat nahi = no problem kya hall hai = how are you teek hai = okay (lit: it is right) yaar = buddy; pal Na =Q.T. You are alright,Na?

Some shortened words Some shortened words like: - enthu, fundas, demo, etc are specific to GIE only. Some can be misinterpreted Some sentences like The film was really a time pass. may be misinterpreted Some usages may offend the foreigners. You people can sit here and wait. and Shut up. Syntactical Influences Indian English(L2) is Influenced by the Syntax of Hindi or (L1)e.g. The teacher gave him punishment. He invited me on tea On Saturday, I will meet you. My all friends have come. I am suffering from fever since yesterday night. Give the answer of my question. He did a lot of my help. Grammatically Incorrect Usages Poor knowledge of grammar of English results into the delivery of the sentences like:One of my relative has gone to America. Our neighbour has bought a lot of furnitures. She performs many charities. Progressive tense in stative verbs Like:I am liking it very much. I am thinking that I should buy this book. I am understanding what you are saying. Direct question in place of Indirect question I dont know where does he live. Can you tell me where has he gone? Unnecessary use of preposition Let us discuss about the matter. He reached at the office on time. He entered into the office. He met with the Principal. I will pass in this year. Poor Performance in Idiomatic English. Ravi married with Rachna. Death is preferable than dishonour.

He is junior than me. He quarrelled me for a pen He is kind with his servants. Hard work is key of success. He was agree on my proposal. He was accompanied with his all friends Use of One in place A/An And one black lady came up to him and asked," What's up? Improper Question What you would like to eat ? Where you were going yesterday? Inappropriate Collocations I got this purse on the way. Where have you kept my book? She gave a very good speech. She gave her exams but was failed. Overuse of so,actually,seriously,generally Seriously, she is a very good speaker. Actually, I forgot to bring my pen. Rhyming double-words Lets go out for some ice-cream-vice-cream. Reduplication Come,come. Sit,sit, dont worry. It was a hot hot day. She sells different different items. He was wearing a red red shirt. I would like eat a cool cool ice cream. This phenomenon has come to exist in India because we received BE in its written form only and perhaps manufactured its oral form locally. Teaching the pronunciation of BE has always been a challenge although we have now better facilities for the teaching of the pronunciation of BE e.g. language lab and phonetic transcription. Unlike AE which is more close to BE, General Indian English has distanced itself to a much greater degree from RP therefore there is a greater degree of unintelligibility between the speakers of BE and GIE. Should we follow RP? Or we must have our own standard like US English?

Teaching of RP is not an impossible task but certainly an uphill task. We have only a few hands with such teaching skills and about 80% of our existing English teaching staff will need such training. Various Englishes Inglish is not the sole example of such modifications. There are other Englishes too like Chinglish, European versions, South Asian versions and African Englishes. Each of these is L1 influenced like Inglish. All speakers of English from different parts of the world have added their own flavor to the language and sometimes also speak and/or write erroneous English. For example, a Texan might say Howdy partner? but in his business communication use a regular How are you? instead! India is no exception. What counts is what is considered correct in books and documentation. And there, all English whether Indian, American, Australian or British - merge as one single entity. Grammatically correct English is always correct English. Can we have our own standard? As for our own standard of English is concerned , like the world Englishes, Inglish too is not, uniform and which is why we failed to have our own standard like US English. However, if we see how AE came to be regarded as Standard English for US, Noah Webster appears to have been the key figure in the standardization process of AE. Besides this rhotic nature of AE has come from UK itself. Many dialects in the UK too are rhotic (especially in Scotland and West County) and US too has some non-rhotic dialects like New York English Boston English. Spelling reforms of Noah Webster led the dichotomy between AE and RP. Do we need a Noah Webster for India too? But the paradox is that Indian Educators, eminent writers and outsourcing companies adhere themselves strictly to British English only. We ourselves do not approve much of our English. There are many who depend upon BE for correctness. We must not forget that it is Inglish that made Salman Rushdies Midnights Children an outstanding composition. Language in use is like the flow of river, which finds its course by itself. Professor David Crystal,the author of the Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language, predicts that Indian English will become the most widely spoken variant based on India's likely economic success in the 21st century and the sheer population size. He says, "If 100 million Indians pronounce an English word in a certain way," . this is more than Britain's population so, it's the only way to pronounce it.". If British English was the world language at the end of the 19th century after a century of imperialism, and American English is the world language today after the American 20th century, then the language of the 21st century might well be Inglish or at least an English heavily influenced by India (and China, to a lesser extent). References Jones, Daniel, The Pronunciation of English , Cambridge University Press Baker, Mona, (1992) In Other Words, Routledge London

Jones Daniel, (2003) English Pronouncing Dictionary, Cambridge University Press Gimson A.C. (1980) An Introduction to the Pronunciation of English, ISBN 0713162899, 9780713162899. Wells, J C (1982). Accents of English 3: Beyond the British Isles. Cambridge University Press. Bell, A. (1984). 'Language Style as Audience Design'. Language in Society, Chomsky, N. (1972) Language and Mind Harcourt Brace Jovanovich: New York Chomsky, N. (1975) Reflections on Language Pantheon: New York Crystal, D. (1987). The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge. Cook, V. (1991). Second Language Learning and Language Teaching. Edward Arnold/ Hodder Headline Group: Melbourne Dulay H. Language Two. New York : Oxford University Press, 1982 Lado R. Linguistics Across Cultures, Ann Arbor: University of Michigan. 1957 Kelly, L.G. (1979). The True Interpreter: a History of Translation Theory and Practice in the West. New York, St. Martin's Press Parks, Tim, Translating Style: A Literary Approach to Translation Simms, Norman, editor (1983). Nimrod's Sin: Treason and Translation in a Multilingual World. Bayer, Jennifer. 1990. Language and social identity. In: Multilingualism in India. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters Ltd: 101-111. Kachru, Braj B. 1983. The Indianization of English. The English Language in India. Oxford: OUP. Kachru, Braj B. 1986a. The Alchemy of English. The Spread, Functions and Models of Non-Native Englishes. Oxford: Pergamon Press Ltd.

PRONUNCIATION AS A MALADY IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING

Simrandeep Kaur I & my friend once went to a conversation class taught by native speakers. Before the class started, the teacher said to us: "So, do you speak good English? I replied "We think so", and the teacher said "It sure sounds like you do". Notice that I just said three words and the teacher could already tell if my English was good or bad. Why did he think my English was good? It wasn't because I used difficult words or advanced grammar structures. It was the way I pronounced English words. When you talk to a person in real life, they may not notice your limited vocabulary or grammar mistakes. But they will notice right away if your pronunciation is good or bad. If your pronunciation is poor, they will think about you as the guy/girl who speaks bad English inspite of good grammar and vocabulary. There are four key skills when you learn a language 1. 2. 3. 4. Listening Speaking Reading Writing

Which one of these is different from the other three? The answer is speaking and pronunciation is definitely the biggest thing that people notice when you are speaking English. Indian English or South-Asian English comprises several dialects or varieties of English spoken primarily in the Indian subcontinent. These dialects evolved during and after the colonial rule of Britain in India. English is one of the official languages of India, with about ninety million speakers according to the 1991 Census of India. Less than a quarter of a million people speak English as their first language. With the exception of some families who communicate primarily in English, as well as members of the relatively small Anglo-Indian community numbering less than half a million, speakers of Indian English use it as a second or third language, after their respective Indian language(s). Good pronunciation should be one of the first things to learn in English. There is no such thing as "simple pronunciation ". If one does not have good pronunciation, one has bad pronunciation. And the consequences of bad pronunciation are tragic. Even if one uses correct grammar, people may simply not understand what one wants to say. Learners have a common weakness when it comes to English language learning simply because English phonetic system is one of the most complicated systems and quite many words are not pronounced as they are spelt. Further, most of English learners live

in non native English speaking countries. The exposure to English is very limited. This affects the process of learning and it even creates a lack of motivation which ultimately leads to carelessness on the part of the learner. G.B. Shaw once observed that in English it should be all right to spell the word fish with the letters g-h-o-t-i. Although he was being facetious, the observation highlights the at-times confusing relationship between spelling and pronunciation in English. Using the letters g-h-o-t-i to spell the word fish can be justified thus: In the word laugh gh is pronounced /f/; in women o is pronounced /i/ and in nation ti is pronounced /sh/. The point to note is that in English the same sound of-ten represents several different letters of the alphabet. Also, the same letter of the alphabet is often represented by different sounds. The English language has 26 letters of the alphabet; it has many more sounds. In standard British English (also called RP or Received Pronunciation) there are, for example, 44 different sounds: 24 consonants and 20 vowels. We often confuse pronunciation of words with their spelling. For example, threw and through, although spelled differently, are pronounced the same. Also, identical letters or letter clusters in words do not always produce the same sound. For example, the ough in though and through represents a different sound in each word. Learn to practice what you hear, not what you see. Students often focus on pronouncing each word correctly and therefore tend to pronounce in an unnatural manner. By focusing on the stress timed factor in English the fact that only principle words such as proper nouns, principle verbs, adjectives and adverbs receive the stress students soon begin sounding much more authentic as the cadence of the language begins to ring true. In English, we do not say each syllable with the same force or strength. In one word, we accentuate ONE syllable. We say one syllable very loudly (big, strong, important) and all the other syllables very quietly. Lets take 3 words: photograph, photographer and photographic. Do they sound the same when spoken? No. Because we accentuate (stress) ONE syllable in each word. And it is not always the same syllable. So the shape of each word is different. This happens in all words with 2 or more syllables: TEACHer, JaPAN, CHINa, aBOVE, converSAtion, INteresting, imPORtant, deMAND, etC. The syllables that are not stressed are weak or small or quiet. Native speakers of English listen for the stressed syllables, not the weak syllables. If one uses word stress in ones speech, one will instantly and automatically improve ones pronunciation and your comprehension. Indian accents vary greatly from those who lean towards a purist British accent to those who lean more towards speech that is tinted with the vernacular (Indian language). The most common instance of modified sounds is the changing of the sounds of English letters like D, T and R. South Indians tend to curl the tongue more for the L and N sounds. Bengalis (from both India and Bangladesh) and Biharis often substitute J for Z (as in) jero instead of zero).

People, especially from the Sindh (this pertains to both Indians and Pakistanis) have the habit of changing the W sound to V (as in ven instead of when). A major reason for this oral gap between the erstwhile rulers and us has been because the Indian script is phonetic. We see and read each letter, whereas words in English are read as a whole, sometimes swallowing a syllable (Worstershire) or keeping silent a part of the written word (tongue). We pronounce everything. A letter must have a sound: a simple word like hour becomes hower with even the r stressed. Accents cause confusion, too: muscles can be mehsills or maasales, depending on the background of the speaker. Commonly, the short i sound, as in it, is lengthened: pin peen . Ditto with the short e, as in get: it becomes gate. The concept of stress is absent in local languages: hotels therefore become ho-tulls What we are striving for is the ability to communicate effectively, especially in the English language, which has the reputation of being one of the most complex languages to learn. Though it would be very difficult to overcome all the complexities of this language but still, efforts can definitely be made to reduce the gap between a native English speaker and an Indian English speaker. Some of them are as follows: 1. Observe the mouth movements of those who speak English well and try to imitate them. 2. Until you learn the correct intonation and rhythm of English, slow your speech down. 3. Listen to the music of English. 4. Use the pronunciation dictionary. 5. Make a list of frequently used words that you find difficult to pronounce and ask someone who speaks the language well to pronounce them for you. 6. Buy books on tape. 7. Pronounce the ending of each word. 8. Read aloud in English for 15-20 minutes every day. 9. Record your own voice and listen for pronunciation mistakes. 10. Various versions of English language exist. Begin by identifying the category you fall into and start by improving the clarity of your speech. 11. Focus on removing the mother tongue influence and the Indianisms that creep into your English conversations. 12. Watch the English news on television channels like Star World, CNN, BBC and English movies on Star Movies and HBO. 13. Listen to and sing English songs. 14. Be patient. A very vital step towards improving pronunciation is to teach the sounds first and leave the introduction of the letters (of the alphabet) to a later stage. Another important step is to raise awareness of the differences between sounds and spelling in English by pointing to a number of words which illustrate the main differences.

EXISTING SCENARIO OF ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION

Ramandeep Singh English language is delivered in the poorest form of pronunciation particularly in Indian society, more particularly by the rural people. The present study indicates the various strategies which can upgrade teaching abilities through various methods adopted in class-rooms. The basic period of college English teaching is influenced by test oriented education. Both teachers and students value the results more than language practice and many students with high test scores are comparatively poor in actual speaking and writing. Therefore, how to solve these problems in the field of education, so as to raise the students ability of technical and professional communication in English is an important project of research in college English education. This study also suggests ways through which formal practice of language can be done through proper communication skills labs.

Methods for teaching English in general and for Specific Purposes

Neelam Bhardwaj ENGLISH- a seven-letter word- is a magical word known for the language, spoken by 1000 million people around the world either as a native language, as a second language, or as a foreign language. At present one in seven in this world speaks English either as a native language or as a second language. English being an international language is the associate official language of India and a majority of Indians still feel uneasiness in using English in terms of writing or speaking. English is the predominant language of international commerce. In this computer age, English is being used in all domains of life whether it is science, trade and commerce, or astronomy. English is learned everywhere because people have found out that knowledge of English is a passport for better career, better pay, advanced knowledge, and for communication with the entire world. Majority of Indian students, particularly from rural pockets consider English as a very difficult language. The moment they hear something in English they start feeling discomfort. As a result of this, teachers who handle English classes face insurmountable difficulties. Students too find it difficult to listen and to understand the English language. What are the reasons for this? What are the remedial measures to be taken to alleviate these problems? The present paper ventures out to explain the concept of quality-the quality of Indian students with their knowledge, skills, attitude, values and conduct on the one hand and the quality of inputs and process of the system on the other. It also stands for relevance and responsiveness viewed in terms of national and international needs. One can look at the quality of output in terms of the quality of the graduates (Universities and colleges produce), the fluency in English they acquire and their employability. Objectives This paper critically evaluates the problems faced by Indian students in the language classroom when they enter into college environment. Appropriate and adequate remedial measures with special reference to methods for teaching English in general and for specific purposes are cited for the successful rectification of these problems in the following manner: (a) Analysing the quality of students coming from different secondary boards to colleges in terms of the methodology they have passed through. (b) Analysing the present curricula, time being spent over the class, teaching methodology being adopted, evaluation method and result. (c) Methods/Techniques of teaching and suitable teaching methods for our students which may be entertaining as well as fruitful. (d) There has been a question mark over the ability of our highly qualified college teachers engaged for the purpose. We should go into deep to understand the teaching environment of college teachers in comparison to their University counterparts. At this juncture, UGC has to play an impartial

role for the upliftment of colleges by facilitating equal environmental conditions for the benefit of the students. (e) For the welfare of students, in terms of their employability, there is a need to draft the required curricula, methodology and evaluation system etc. in the right direction to achieve the goal of UGC. Detailed Discussion Input Quality: Students coming to colleges after studying in schools for more than 12 years do not know how to write and speak English properly. They are found lagging behind in terms of grammar and vocabulary. If we analyse the students microscopically, we shall find that there are two categories of students hailing from different environments. One of these two categories is the students switching over to colleges after passing their previous examinations of 12th standard from some central board like CBSE or ICSE. On the other hand, majority of the students are those who switch over from regional or state boards like PSEB, UPSEB, and RSEB etc. The standard of English used by these newcomers is found having a wide gap. When we further go to analyse the reason behind, we can find a number of factors which keep the central board pass-outs at an upper hand over those of state boards. When we go to probe into the reasons, we find following factors responsible for their being upper hand: (a) The medium of instruction of central boards students had been totally English right from nursery level. (b) The course content of English at High school and Secondary level is totally different to the course content of state boards. (c) They are taught a number of exercises from certain exercise oriented books like BBC (d) The teachers engaged in teaching English are accustomed to explain the language in target language not in mother tongue. This helps them improving their vocabulary, sentence building capability and pronunciation also to some extent. On the contrary, the pupils coming from regional boards lack in the following areas: (a) The medium of instruction in most of the schools attached to state boards is their own native language. Even the subject of English is also taught through their mother tongue. Most of such students can not find the meaning of English words from English-English dictionary unless they have the English-Regional language dictionary. English, which is introduced to these students after primary level, goes on being tough and tougher at each next standard and becomes quite complicated at secondary level. (b) These students are not prescribed any grammar practice book. (c) As majority of the students are hailed from rural areas, they do not understand anything in English. They ask for explanation in their mother tongue. Consequently, the English teacher is in a state to adopt bilingual method. This act reduces the real learning process as a whole.

Present Status (Curricula, Methodology and Evaluation): The real test of English is taken by judging the ability of a particular student by looking into his capability in regards to formation of sentences, choosing correct words in a sentence and speaking grammatically correct sentences with correct use of phonetics. We hardly see any university having any slot to examine/judge the practical ability of a student at undergraduate level. Presently, there is a compulsory English paper for all students at undergraduate level in which there are some prose essays as well as poetry of some old English Masters like Shakespeare, Keats, and Wordsworth etc. The English used in these texts is of the age when this language was in developing stage. Hence, some of the words used in this literature have been totally outdated. Todays students do not understand this old literature as it all is related to the historical and cultural background of western countries. The students feel very uneasy and boring while studying such type of literature. Therefore, they develop a tendency to cram all the stuff without understanding the real content. There is scarcely a few texts by Indian writers prescribed in their course content. The following are the major drawbacks of present education system which hinder the growth of our young generation: 2 Classes are taught in the mother tongue, with little active use of the target language. 3 Much vocabulary used in the prescribed texts is having isolated words. 4 Long elaborate explanations of the intricacies of grammar are given. 5 Grammar provides the rules for putting words together, and instruction often focuses on the form and inflection of words. 6 Reading of difficult classical texts is begun too early. 7 Little attention is paid to the content of texts, which are treated as exercises in grammatical analysis. 8 Often the only drills are exercises in translating disconnected sentences from the target language into the mother tongue. 9 Little or no attention is given to pronunciation. In my opinion, the language learning experience should not be uninspiring, boring, or left the students with a sense of frustration. Now we should have a talk over the teaching criteria prevalent in colleges. Teachers are given a time slot of 45 minutes per period and total 6 periods in a week. Out of this 45 minutes period, effective time is found to be near about 35 minutes only. Individual attention can not be paid to a class of above 100 students in such a short duration. Lack of sufficient time to teach and students having rural background, it becomes very difficult on the part of teacher to teach the full course content in detail. Therefore, some selected topics of course content depending upon the probability of being asked in the coming examination are discussed focusing on the previous years question-papers. Even than students, when not able to understand the text or grammar, find an easiest way to score by cramming all important questions from cheap guides. Most of the colleges are in a pitiable condition due to the lack of proper infrastructure. There are no class-rooms available for language teachers. Teachers and students are bound to sit in open and discuss the topic, no matter whether it is too hot,

too cold or drizzling. Whenever there is a bad weather, class is suspended. On the contrary, the university teachers are provided all sorts of aids. They have proper well equipped classrooms, having all necessary arrangements like-ceiling fans, loudspeakers, blackboards etc. They are also facilitated with electronic media like computer aided screens etc. Even these university teachers have their own cabins where they can upgrade themselves in between two consecutive classes. As colleges are located in urban as well as rural areas, we see a great difference in the admitted students quality. In colleges located in the urban areas about 80 % pupils come from the state boards and 20% from central boards. While in rural areas almost 100% students come from state boards. In both cases teachers have to adopt a bilingual method and sometimes directly grammar-translation method. Methods and Techniques: In my personal opinion, however, one of the key responsibilities of the modern day teacher of English is to create intrinsic motivation in their learners. They have to empower them with the ability and confidence to "learn how to learn", to develop a sense of responsibility for their own development, and to regard peers as possible sources of learning as well. Most of the teachers use Grammar Translation Method which is common in many countries .This method was developed for the study of "dead" languages and to facilitate access to those languages' classical literature. That's the way it should stay. But English is certainly not a dead or dying language; therefore we can not be dependent on this Grammar Translation Method only. In Direct Method, students learn to communicate in the target language, partly by learning how to think in that language and by not involving native language. This method is not practically feasible at graduation level, if previous background of student is based on Grammar Translation Method. But it is good at masters level. The Direct Method is undoubtedly a highly effective method in terms of creating language learners who are very competent in the target language. However, it requires small class sizes, motivated learners and talented teachers in order to succeed. I would encourage teachers to view the method in exactly the same way. It is certainly not a bad way to teach but it is a long way short of the big picture modern language teaching methodology is attempting to achieve. Audio-lingual Method is a method in which new material is presented in dialog form. There is dependence on mimicry and memorization of set phrases. Over learning is the basic requirement to learn English quickly and it builds habit to use correct pronunciation. But it limits the vocabulary of students. This method is only applicable and beneficial for our students when we plan to include viva-voce as one of the compulsory practical paper at undergraduate level. The Natural Method is to learn naturally to speak before reading. In this way, a chain reaction is formed among oracy , literacy, receptive and productive skills. Proponents of the method tended to avoid the use of books in class. The students are supposed to be immersed in language and allowed to formulate their own generalizations. It consists of a series of monologues by the teacher. It is an exchange of question and answer between instructor and pupil in the target language. With the aid of gesticulation, by attentive listening, and by dint of repetition, the beginners come to

associate certain acts and objects with certain combinations of sounds, and finally reach the point of reproducing the foreign words or phrases. The mother tongue is strictly prohibited. The above mentioned method is not feasible at college level as the college pupils are grown-ups. At their age, if we adopt this method to teach them, it would be a futile exercise leading to chaos. Moreover, it is a very time consuming process and it will require extra time at the end of teachers. The Phonetic Method emphasizes oral expression as the basis of instruction, stressing pronunciation, avoiding grammatical rule, giving and seeking to impart a practical mastery of language forms. The teacher would read a passage aloud, explaining unfamiliar words as students followed along. After discussing questions on the passage, students would paraphrase the story aloud. Next would come written answers to questions, phonetic work on new words, and ultimately recitation. Gestures, pictures, and interesting contexts were to be used in making applications of familiar material. This method needed heavy requirements for linguistic expertise on the part of the teachers. This particular method is specifically required for those seeking jobs/visa for employment or further studies in foreign countries. By including phonetics to our curricula, we can reduce the dependability of students on various private IELTS shops. It is not so hard to become good in English language; only thing which is required is the approach in the right direction. Here are a few approaches that can solve our purpose as per our requirements: Communicative approach is to produce an appropriate, natural, and socially acceptable utterance in all contexts of communication while being correct grammatically also Physical Approach asks students to respond physically to the language they hear. Language processing is thus matched with physical action and students later become more actively involved, verbally and creatively. The objective of this approach is to connect physical activity with meaningful language. This approach is not so much popular as it is only meant for the beginners or to keep an eye on the attention of pupils. In Eclectic Approach, the teachers tend to select different teaching strategies from different methods, and blend them to suit the needs of their materials and students. Now-a-days this approach is gaining grounds because teachers are not bound to adopt any particular method. They can adopt the one- best suited, comfortable and fruitful. English for Specific Purposes (ESP) is known as a learner-centered approach to teach English as a foreign or second language. It meets the needs of (mostly) adult learners who need to learn a foreign language for use in their specific fields, such as science, technology, medicine, leisure, and academic learning. This course is recommended for foreign and second language professionals who wish to learn English for many purposes like business, Civil Engineering, academic, and health services etc. In addition, they are introduced to ESP instructional strategies, materials adaptation and evaluation.

REMEDIAL MEASURE Most of the Indian universities of international repute have English as their instruction medium. This approach adds a great vocabulary of English to the minds of students. We must give a thought to this concept at UG level too. English paper should be made compulsory with higher weightage than the existing one, while the regional mother tongue compulsory language paper may be discontinued at UG level. Students-teacher ratio should be strictly according to UGC guidelines. But the pity is that some teachers have to teach more than 100 students at one go with no roof on their heads. Subjects like Physics, chemistry, psychology, home science, etc require practical approach to learn and master them but English learning is not required any practical training as yet. The after-effects are well seen when these students go to higher studies (like MBA) and they are asked to participate in group discussion to test their Spoken English as well as mastery in other subjects. They have to express their ideas in English only. Therefore need of the hour is that English should be treated as a technical language and viva-voce should be included in the curricula with increasing order of weightage with higher classes e.g. if 20% in the first year it may go up to 40% or so in final year. In our country, having 22 constitutional languages and a number of other languages and Hindi as a national language, but all govt. offices, all banks, all private companies use English. I have never heard even a single institution which can claim using other than English as its official language, then why we stress on our regional language to spoil the career of our students. Actually we have ourselves drafted a system for our students which are heading towards weakening their skill of learning English and legging them back to achieve their good career. Therefore, it is the time to rethink and introspect into our whole educational system. Some of the following suggestions can enhance the skill of our students in terms of vocabulary, sentence building, composition and conversation-1 Making their habit to read newspaper of English language. 2 Creating their interest in English dramas and movies. Later, we can judge their understanding of content by planning a questionnaire related with the drama or movie. 3 By switching over present instruction medium of other subjects from regional language to English medium, we can add a number of new words to enhance the vocabulary of our students. In this way grammatically fewer mistakes will be observed in written English. It will also improve their spoken English. Conclusion There are a number of factors involved to fill-up the gap between present level and expected level of students. Teaching learning is a multi-way process. A teacher is not only a teacher but also a friend, guide and a philosopher to students. He/she guides students not only to pass in the exam but also to face challenges and take right decisions during the time of crisis in life. On the part of a teacher, he/she should have to maintain a learner-friendly atmosphere; has to focus on average and below average students by

imparting them extra time to clear their doubts, clarification etc. By doing so, students communication skills in English will grow. This is, of course, a real and tough task ahead of a good teacher. The eclectic approach according to the need of the students will have to be adopted. References: Harmer Jeremy. 3rd Edition. The Practice Of English Language Teaching, Longman. Thirumalai, M. S. 2002. An Introduction to TESOL -Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages.

METHODS FOR TEACHING ENGLISH IN GENERAL AND FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES

Supriya Bhandari Nearly two centuries back Macaulay in his famous 1835 "Minutes" proposed the importance of teaching English in India. Consequently, not only were schools and colleges set up but English replaced Persian as the official state language. Gradually, English procedures and assumptions replaced Indian in law and administration. Since then English has co-existed in the Indian sub-continent alongside thousands of local languages. According to recent surveys, approximately 4% of the Indian population use English, out of the total population it represents 35 million speakers. It means India is the largest English speaking community outside USA and the U.K. It implies English has journeyed a long way in the shortest period of time, and in the present scenario, English language has just become indispensable especially with the advent of IT Revolution and Globalization. English flourished as a language which was rich in literature, thus symbolizing for Indian minds better education, better culture and higher intellect. No doubt, English literature swept the country under off its feet but to meet the needs of globalized new world, a new utility for written and oral communication in English was also acknowledged. This new demand for English as a skill language changed the centre of concern for the students. Earlier, English was taught in the colleges as a content subject like Social Sciences and it did a little to help the students in acquiring skills for the same. The culture of MNC and call centers requires the employees with a command over language. But the syllabus of English prescribed in our universities at graduate and post-graduate levels, fail to match the requirements of English as a skill subject. It is rather theory-ridden and the students adopt cramming method to clear the subject. Most of the students fail to acquire fluency in English even after their post-graduation. The coaching centers for IELTS and TOEFL exams which dot the cityscape, are pointers towards the overwhelming importance of English and deficient curriculum in universities. Taking cognizance of the shortcomings as alluded above, my paper deals with the suggestive measures for teaching English in General and specific purposes. While discussing teaching English in General, I will take up the case of English as a compulsory subject and for specific purposes, I will discuss teaching of English literature to the students of Elective English (or English literature). It is high time for us to realise that English needs more emphasis as a communicative language. As we know, there is a difference between language acquisition and language learning. "Language acquisition takes place in the infant and the young child at a time when he is acquiring other skills and knowledge about the world. Language Learning, i.e. learning a second language normally starts at a later stage, when language performance has already become established and when many other physical and mental processes of maturation are complete or nearing completion" (Corder 107). So, the knowledge of mother tongue helps in acquiring proficiency in second language. Because English, in some way is our third language. First language in the

rural areas being Punjabi, Hindi as the formal language and English for those students remains essentially the third language. No doubt, English medium schools are there in rural areas. But when a child gets admission in school, he is already quite proficient in the use of his mother tongue. He knows its grammatically acceptable utterances. But English is alien for the beginner and he needs his native tongue to understand the foreign language because this is not the language of communication in his home. He learns it as an alternative language. If our students come from such rural backgrounds, it becomes necessary to test their knowledge of language first and then proceed further. It should start with practice of paragraphs of comprehension. Paragraphs for comprehension should be rigorously practiced. The exercises at the end of para should consist of simple questions based on the reading of the para and synonyms and antonyms of difficult words from the same para. These paragraphs should be read aloud. As listening is the first requisite of understanding. As the students listen to the words pronounced, they will try to imitate the accent. And once they are equipped with listening skills, they should be encouraged to read aloud the paragraphs. While they read, the teacher should notice if the accent, pause and variation in pitch are properly used. English speaking should not be plain. It must be expressive of the words being pronounced. Such an expressive way of speaking enhances the confidence of the students and they get exposure to speaking. It drives away their hesitation. To tackle with the problem of lack of vocabulary in the students, Productive and receptive Use of words should be kept in mind. The students should be made to learn simple words. This will help in inculcating a habit of learning new words in them. The newly learnt words will become a part of their own vocabulary and they will be in a position to use those words. This is the natural process of movement from receptive to productive use of the words. This enhancement of vocabulary will result in better expression. The common errors made by the students in the different usages of the same word can be cured by this technique. Normally, the students can not differentiate between Noun and Verb, adjective or adverb. They should be clearly guided about the difference between the parts of speech by practice. They can be made aware of the different parts of a word; root, suffix, prefix and how can they change the total meaning of the word by adding suffix or prefix with the root i.e.
(i) Nouns related to verbs and marked by suffix: a) b) c) d) e) f) g) h) Deny Close Mock Collide Use Flatter Apply Achieve (verb) (verb) (verb) (verb) (verb) (verb) (verb) (verb) Noun: Noun: Noun: Noun: Noun: Noun: Noun: Noun: Denial Closure Mockery Collision Usage Flattery Application Achievement

(ii) Nouns related to adjectives and marked by suffix: a) b) c) d) Frail Close Capable Intense (adjective) (adjective) (adjective) (adjective) Noun: Noun: Noun: Noun Frailty Closeness Capability Intensity

Such practices will help them to enjoy and play with words. They can understand the importance of suffixes and prefixes. They can be given exercise for finding negatives for positives by prefixes as for example: dis as a prefix changes the meaning of the word : (all the following words are negative in meaning) 'dislike, disobey, displeasure, disorder, disloyal, disprove, dishonorable', They can enjoy these exercises which will also strengthen their vocabulary. It will help in breaking the monotonous routine of the class. Learning vocabulary is same as learning a network of complex relations. One obviously does not know a word when one has learned only its pronunciation and its grammatical function. One knows a word when one has learned how to use it acceptably semantically and that means knowing its sense and when one can use it appropriately in a situational context(Corder 222). Regular tests can be held to evaluate the progress of the students. After laying stress on their vocabulary building, students should be given exercises of Reading. Books provide most pupils with the situations in which learning takes place. Reading is the core of Language learning. Students can acquire the speed and skills for practical purposes. In our literate society, professional competence depends on reading skills. Practice in exact reading should occur frequently, at least once a week and preferably twice. The vocabulary drills can help them understand the usages of words in the books. They should be made to underline the Noun, Verb, adjective, and Adverb, in the given passage of reading. Similarly, they can be taught the proper usage of Articles, Determiners, Proposition and Conjunctions. They should be guided to mark the idioms and how the use of idioms makes the expression better. They should also notice the difference between. Put up, Put off, Put on, and Put with and Laugh at, Laugh with, Laugh away

By noticing all such components of the language they can enjoy the richness and flexibility of language. Once their interest is aroused, they will show tremendous improvement. Reading can also help them in making aware of spellings. When the students have practiced different uses of words and have developed habit of reading, they can avoid the common errors in Translation. After reading, comes the turn of Writing which is the last step in language learning. It should start when the student has learned the grammatical structure of the language. Grammar remains at the root of language learning. Students should assimilate Grammar completely which can further enhance their language capacity as they learn the grammatical structure of their tongue and the second language is different.

In brief, if we want positive results from teaching of English as a skill language, we will have to divide our classroom into small sections where every student will be an active participant. This passive listening is the main drawback of our syllabi. The reading of poetry by teacher remains effective to 2% of the students only because the majority of the class is interested in mugging up the expected central ideas or summaries from the cheap help books. But if they know that they will come across unseen question from the passages of verse and prose, they will not only listen attentively but also get involved in finding answers to the questions. Now, I turn to teaching of English for students who adopt English as an elective subject. Literature has a complex structure and sometimes it excludes the standard grammatical rules. Moreover, it includes remote cultural perspectives.Each literary work creates a new world with its highly contextualized language and use of imagination. Reading of literature not only promotes cultural and language enrichment but it also enhances personal involvement. This is the universal appeal of literature. It makes us identify with aliens living on remote lands and in altogether different situations. It makes the reader empathetic. So teaching of English literature should adopt a cultural approach. It may help the reader to widen his perspectives. Culture refers to the common value system shared by a community. Their right and wrong ways of dressing, eating, drinking, marrying, worhshipping, educating their young ones and so on. I quote Sapir here, According to him, "Language race and culture are not necessarily related. This does not mean that they never are" (Sapir 215). The decoding of this sentence is difficult but one thing that we must agree is that language mirrors the structure of the world as it is perceived by a particular community. Language is affected by the ethical speech patterns of the user. So, the role of culture remains at the core of study of literature. Students of English literature can measure the wide difference between language of the first world countries with that of the third world. Before teaching literary texts, the students should be acquainted with the culture of the respective countries. It will not only help in understanding the literary texts but also to decode the 232mploya behaviour patterns of the characters depicted in those texts. For example, if the students are given proper cultural background and changes in dominant culture and its effect on other cultures of the time when E.M. Forster wrote A Passage to India, they will better understand the implication of suspicious and outspoken nature in the character of Adela and indecisive nature of Dr. Aziz. Both of them represent their own cultural counterparts. Language in literary works is hihly contextualized and retains its meaning in the given context only. Moreover, cultural background helps in identifying the reader with the experience of the character and evokes his imaginative capacity. It undoubtedly promotes the diffusion of more humane sentiments. No doubt linguistic skills are compulsory for 232mployability of the learner but the literary values are mandatory to achieve success in personal as well as professional areas of human activity. It has been suggested in a recent survey conducted at Cornell University in USA. The survey observes that some business executives fail in their job not because they do not understand their jobs but because they are unable to communicate with others through writing or in speech persuasively, effectively and forcefully. The second reason of their failure, as pointed out in the survey, is their inability to understand their

colleagues, their clients and customers. They do not ever see the world from another point of view. Their success depends on how far they are able to leap over the wall of self and to look through anohers eyes (X J Kennedy xxxiv). This is an ability which is fostered by literature only. The words of U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens are worth mentioning here, the best preparation for law school is to study poetry because no other discipline so closely replicates the central question asked in the legal thinking : here is a text, in how many ways can it have meaning (Kennedy). So, English literarture can be beneficial for other branches of learning as well. Teachers own personality and command over language counts a lot. Faculty improvement programmes should be held. Teachers should be made aware of the latest techniques and methods. An English language teacher should be capable of arising the interest and imagination of the students. As a seasoned teacher of English once warned a callow colleague: Never forget, my, boy that the English teachers business is with the imagination(Bright and McGregor 6).If the students enjoy literature, only then they can quote from it. Literature taught in such a way will be enjoyed and remembered for a long time. If we take into consideration the role of teacher and learner in acquiring the knowledge of a language, the problems can be solved effectively. Only then the students will realize the practical use of English language. English will be used by them as a medium of expression. They will be able to use English as a language of communication. Fluency in the speech, proper knowledge of sentence structure, confidence of speaking in the public will make them able to keep their pace with the developing world. It will also help in raising the standards of English as a language at the college level. On the basis of suggestions given above, the critical situations in the teaching of English can be checked from further deteriorations. Decidedly one or two persons cant do anything solid. Let everyone concerned with it take the responsibility. Only then we can create a congenial environment and we can be able to achieve better results in the teaching and learning of English. References Bright, J.A. and Mc Gregor, G.P. 1977. Teaching English as a Second Language: Theory and Techniques for the Secondary Stage. Essex: Longman Group UK Ltd. Corder, S. Pit 1973. Introducing Applied Linguistics, Penguin Books. Kennedy, X J and Dana Gioia. Eds. Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. New York: Longman, 2000. Sapir, E. 1921. Language, Harcourt, Brace & World.

METHODS FOR TEACHING ENGLISH IN GENERAL AND FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES

Manu Verma If we look into the history of language teaching, we find that no one method seems to have prevailed for long. Different language teachers believe in different ways and methods of teaching. It may be said that there are as many methods of language teaching, as there are language learners. But method is always necessary for a systematized, organized and effective teaching. A method determines what and how much is taught (Selection), the order in which it is taught (Gradation), how the meaning and forms are conveyed (Presentation) and what is done to make the use of the language unconscious (Repetition) . This means the term method refers to selection, gradation, presentation and repetition. A variety of methods are used in teaching English to native speaker as well as foreign learners. In India, it is the GrammarTranslation method, which is an all time favorite method with the teachers. No doubt, many changes have occurred over all these years. But our teachers fail to learn that English is not a knowledge subject, it is a skill subject. The teacher has to adopt various teaching skills so that the learners can grasp or adopt those skills in their lives. On the whole, second language acquisition could be facilitated through the adoption of the following procedures:1. Create exposure to language so that learners have more opportunities for communication. 2. Create an informal atmosphere as against the formality of a second language classroom, 3. Encourage learners to focus on the meaning not on form. 4. Adopt a tolerant attitude to errors, if you strongly feel some correction is needed, do it incidentally. 5. Respect the learners freedom to be silent until he is ready to communicate. Likewise, the principles to make a method effective are:1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Engage the learner in the lesson. Make learner and not the teacher, the focus of the lesson. Provide maximum opportunities for student participation. Develop learning responsibility. Teach learning strategies. Use a maximum of student-to-student activities.

In order to understand the fundamental nature of methods in language teaching it is necessary to conceptualize the idea of methods more systematically. As language learning is a complex process, it is impossible to offer a single solution to all our problems. Perhaps the best method is the one which works and this varies from context to context. Any method which creates conditions for learning to take place is good. It should enable the learner to acquire the strategies of learning rather than merely equipping him with knowledge. In the modern technological world, the audio and visual media is fast replacing the printed word. Language teaching through the radio the television and cassettes has become very popular and effective. However, how many of

these suggestions can be implemented in our large classes with the help of ill equipped teachers in the present day social conditions remains an unanswered question. But, we can say that these approaches, methods and new trend in language teaching have compelled educators and teachers to re-examine and re-formulate the goals and purposes in language teaching and formulate realistic, interesting, encouraging, learnercentered and compatible ways of teaching languages by creating an environment where learning can take place easily.

METHODS FOR TEACHING ENGLISH IN GENERAL AND FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES

Nirverinder Kaur Sandhu Language is of immense intellectual significance with direct and indirect relevance to other disciplines. A linguistic description of any language is called grammar of that language. It is a set of statements saying how a language works. Throughout the medieval period, Latin occupied a central position in the world of education. Even in modern times, Latin grammar has often been used as a model for the description of other languages. The following six form display adopted for English came from Latin. 'I play' 'You play' 'he, she plays' 'We play' 'You play' 'they play'

Linguistic elements fall into classes like nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, articles etc. Most of the languages of Europe and Northern India are related as members of a single language family, which is known is a complicated system that changes slowly through centuries. A language is an instrument of communication, but language itself does not communicate. In general, the formation of words through the addition of inflectional morphemes is quite regular. The combination of roots with derivational affixes tends to be less regular. One can untie a knot but not unclose a door. A person can be boyish, foolish, childish but no geniusish. There seems to be no principle by which we say untrue but not unfalse, we say unhappy but not unsad, we say unattractive but not unbeautiful. More common are lexical units known as compounds. English is very rich in compounds. To name just a few there are textbook, wasteland, fingerprint, dishwater, sunburn, redskin, bedside and longbow etc. We have words like madman but not sadman or shyman. The relationship of parts to a whole is as a rank structure in which each rank is made up of one or more of the rank below. This type of analysis is described as grammar of sentences. Sentence Clause Phrase Word Word Word Clause Pharse Word Word

Sometimes a sentence consists of a single clause which consists of a single phrase which consists of a single word. For example 'Go!' is at once a sentence, a clause, a phrase and a word. Chomsky assumes that actual language is 'degenerate' and deviates from the rules of grammar. The formal skills and knowledge pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar provide the basis for communicating and interacting. The language involves the language of world also. For example: There was an apple on the table. So I ate it. We can assume that the speaker had eaten the apple, not the table (even though the word table is nearer). In this way we recognize a stretch of language as meaningful. We employ knowledge of the world, of the speaker, of social convention, of what is going on around us as we read or listen in order to make sense. Coherence is created by factors outside language. So there is relationship between language viewed as a formal system and language as part of a wider social and psychological context. Sometimes there is a clear understanding of the formal connections between sentences which helps to explain one of the ways in which foreign language students write connected sentences. Jakobson and Hymes categorise language into a small number of functions which subdivide each function and specify categories or micro functions: questions requests for action orders requests for information directive function requests requests for help pleas requests for sympathy prayers

So this connection is between functional courses and functional approaches to linguistics. Robin Lakoff (1973) has formulated these maxims as follows: Don't impose Give options Make your receiver feel good These maxims of the politeness principle explain many of these frequent utterances in which no new information is communicated. Brown and Levinson (1978), who have studied politeness phenomena in widely diverse languages and cultures, suggest that their origin is the same in all societies. All human beings, in order to enter into social relationship with each other, must acknowledge the face of other people. The bottom-up approach is very fruitful way of trying to understand what language is and how it works.

Social Relationships Shared knowledge Discourse type Discourse structure Discourse function Conversational mechanisms Cohesion (Grammar and lexis) (Sounds or letters) bottom-up

top-down

Some schools of linguistics have sought to understand language by isolating it from its context. Hence English can be taught to students by using it in general and for specific purpose. References Bloomfield, Leonard. Language. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1933. Chomsky, Noam. Cartesian Linguistics. New York: Harper & Row, 1966. Crystal, David. Linguistics. Harmondsworth, Middlesex: Penguin Books, 1971. Sapir, Edward. Language. An Introduction to the Study of Speech. New York: Harcount Brace Jovanovich, 1921. Saussure, Ferdinand de. Course in General Linguistics. New York: Philosophical Library, 1959.

A MULTIDISCIPLIARY APPROACH TO LANGUAGE TEACHING

Tasleem A War Linguistics, we all know, is the scientific study of the language. It primarily studies the structure of languages as a result of which it has its full potentiality over each and every human beings life. We normally say that without food, water and air there is no life possible for the living creatures but life without language is completely lifeless. There are many ways in which linguistics has grown in the recent years and a remarkable growth has taken place in our knowledge and management of language and speech disorde4rs and adults. Medical disciplines have been working a lot for past two decades to identify, assess and to remedy these problems. Besides there are theoretical developments in linguistics and its applications have been utilized for the study of speech and language disorders by clinicians during the past decade. This applied study of linguistics with medical discipline is useful for the diagnosis and treatment of language and speech disorders. Clinical Linguistics is a sub-discipline of linguistics which involves the application of linguistic theory to the field of Speech Language Pathology. Clinical linguistics, a branch of applied linguistics, is the use of linguistics to describe, analyze, and treat language disability. The study of linguistic aspect of communication disorders is of relevance to a broader understanding of language and Linguistic theory. The International Clinical Phonetics and Linguistics Association is the unofficial organization of the field, and was formed in 1991. The journal of Clinical Linguistics and Phonetics is the major research journal of the field and was founded by Martin J.Ball. Clinical linguists typically work in Speech-Language Pathology departments or linguistics departments. They conduct research with the aims of (i) improving the assessment, treatment, and analysis of disordered speech/language, and (ii) offering insights to formal linguistic theories. According to David Crystal (1986) Clinical Linguistics is the application of the theories, methods and findings of linguistics (including linguistics) to the study of those situations where all language handicaps are diagnosed and treated. This field of science or study is also as Remedial Linguistics as it is used in non-medical settings like educational and psychological context to diagnose and to remedy a problem of a student in educational and a client is psychological settings. This All means that clinical linguistics attempts to use the linguistic techniques to solve the problems in the domains like assessment of language and speech disorders, language teaching and speech therapy. It also applies linguistic theories to study the language disabilities in all its forms. Clinical Linguistics deals with all types of speech and language disorders. According to etiology of each disorder it is classified into language and speech disorders. Language Disorders Language disorder is a disorder that is found in the development or use of the knowledge of language. It shows the breakdown in the development of language abilities on the usual developmental schedule. The disorders that within the purview of

Language Disorders are Autism, Developmental Phonological Disorders Aphasia, Schizophrenia, Dysarthria, Dyspraxia, etc. Speech Disorders Speech disorders are the disorders in which the speech mechanisms like soft palate, tongue, lips, etc are the locus of delay. They can be further classified into: Articulation Disorders: They are the disorders that occur due to the problem that arise in the movement of various structures of speech mechanism such as soft palate, tongue, lips, etc. Fluency Disorders: The effortless and continuous speech with the rapid speed is called fluency. So if problem persists in the effort, continuity and speed, then it is said to be a fluency disorder. Stuttering and cluttering are two types of fluency disorders. Voice Disorders: If the pitch, loudness or quality of the voice differs from that of the normal/standard voice due to abnormalities in the vocal mechanisms is said to be a disordered voice. The two types of voice disorders are phonation and resonance. Role of Linguists In Clinical Linguistics Clinical Linguistics deals only with speech and language disorders which has only linguistic symptoms. So, apart from speech language pathologist and clinicians, there is a major role for a linguist in clarifying, describing, diagnosing, assessing, and providing intervention to the disorders. As far as clarification is concerned, the linguist has to clarify the areas of confusion found in the traditional metalanguage and classification of the disabilities. The terminologies given for each disorder are often confusing, overlapping and also misinterpreted. For example, learning Disability is now widely used as an umbrella term for the listening, reading, writing and mathematical disorders. But, Louise Cummings (2008) in his book Clinical Linguistics uses this term for Mental Retardation or handicap, where the cognitive ability will be subnormal. But this subnormal cognitive ability is not seen in the children who have listening, reading, writing and mathematical disorders. Consecutively, according to Onita Nakra, (1996) and Pratibha Karanth (2003) children with learning disability have normal/above normal intellectual capability. Thus these confusions can be resolved by involving the linguists for providing systematic linguistic descriptions. On the subject of the descriptions of disorders, there is a great need for descriptive case studies of the language of the disordered people. Also normative models of language development are a must to describe the delay found in child language acquisition, which can be provided only by a linguist. Next, in the part of diagnosis and assessment there is a need to classify the linguistic behavior and to list out the deviant linguistic features or disordered population. Widely the disorders are classified in terms of medical terminologies. When medical cause is found it is easy to put them under such terms. But if a person

has a language delay which does not have any medical explanation, then clinicians try to transfer their burden to speech language pathologist without any explanation. But if these disorders are classified under linguistic levels, such as phonetic, phonological, grammatical, semantic, pragmatic, etc, then it is better to list out the deviant linguistic features and understand their problems and then to go for appropriate intervention strategies. Regarding intervention, the linguists role is to help the clinician in planning the linguistic interventions if needed and to monitor the outcome of intervention over a period of time. It is the role of a linguist to investigate the language behavior of the intervention provider, teaching materials used, and the environment of intervention provided, as it also can modify the outcome. So when a patient comes to a clinic with a complaint of speech or language disorder, the expected thing is to find out the solution to the problem in question. But usually physicians, whether the cause if found or not, will refer the patient/s to speech clinicians for further assessment and remediation. Here speech clinician/speech language pathologist can only identify the language problem, but may not know whether psychological and sociological background persists or not for that problem. Without this knowledge the intervention provided may lower down the problem but will not eradicate it. So speech language pathologist has to coordinately work with a psychologist and linguist for the assessment and to provide remedial measures. If the problem is found in a school going kid then the intervention provider may be an educationist who must also be coordinated in the above said team. This holistic approach should be followed in this discipline, otherwise, the problem may be uncovered. So, it is evident in the light of the well grounded scientific arguments, that clinical linguistics includes medical science, psychology and sociology also, making it a multidisciplinary approach to language teaching

TEACHING ENGLISH IN INDIA: A DIALOGIC AND COLLABORATIVE PEDAGOGY

V.K. Tewari Seema Singh The stature and significance of the English language has increased manifold in the wake of rapid globalization taking place in the country. However, it is ironical that the teaching of English in the educational institutes is still quite inappropriate and inadequate. Although the current methods of teaching English in the Indian classrooms are communicatively inclined, they are not up to the mark. It can be argued that a marked improvement in language teaching procedures is what is needed in the Indian scenario. This paper argues for an interactive and a collaborative pedagogy for English in the Indian classrooms based on a greater teacher-pupil interaction and collaborative activity amongst peers. An interactive and a collaborative approach looks upon learning as a social and a communicative process which emphasizes the exchange of ideas between the students and the teacher, among the students themselves and encourages the students to take a more active and vocal role in language learning. This approach also emphasizes the need to learn the English language for the purpose of communication, or in other words, it stresses upon the ability to use the language in social and professional contexts. It would therefore focus on the use of grammatically correct sentences, the ability to begin a conversation, the ability to address people in different situations, the ability to respond to different speech acts involving requests, invitations, compliments, and apologies and so on. Proficiency in English would therefore rest on the ability to use the language in various situations. Teachers committed to collaborative language learning believe that learning improves when students construct knowledge for themselves, in conversation with and in concert with others. A collaborative and dialogic approach to the teaching of English is based on the idea that learning is enhanced when it occurs in settings of joint activity. The theoretical framework for understanding learning as a socially-grounded phenomenon may be derived from the writings of the Russian philologist, Mikhail Mikhailovich Bakhtin. In the present scenario, Bakhtinian ideas have begun to appear with increasing frequency in works on discourse and education. It may therefore be appropriate to foreground Bakhtins views on dialogism before looking at their implications for the teaching of English in the Indian classrooms. According to Bakhtin and Voloshinov (a member of the Bakhtin Circle), all utterances are immanently social. Voloshinov is of the view that word is a two-sided act (Voloshinov 1986: 86). It is determined equally by whose word it is and for whom it is meant. Hence it involves two participants or interactants, who produce the word and its meaning together. Bakhtin also argues that dialogue and utterance are fundamental to speech communication. Voloshinov too seems to emphasize that the significance of language lies in its fluidity. He contends, The actual reality of language-speech is not the abstract system of linguistic forms, not the isolated monologic utterance, and not the act of psychopysiological act of its implementation,

but the social event of verbal interaction implemented in an utterance or utterances. (Voloshinov 1986: 94) Perspectives on language learning and language teaching have changed enormously over the years. There has been a gradual shift from an emphasis on teaching and a teacher-centered classroom to a focus on learning and a learner-centered classroom, where attention is given both to the individual learner as well as to the group of learners. At the same time, there has been a shift from a narrow focus on linguistic competencies to a broader focus on communicative competencies. An understanding of Bakhtinian concepts of dialogism, polyphony, and heteroglossia will greatly contribute towards building up a case for an interactive and a collaborative approach to the teaching of English in India because fundamentally, the Bakhtin Circle views language as a sociological force. The meaning of language takes on new dimensions with every act of reading, listening, or responding. Bakhtin espouses that the word in living conversation is directly, blatantly orientated towards a future answer-word: it provokes an answer, anticipates it and structures itself in the answers direction. (Bakhtin 1981: 280) In this way the Bakhtin Circle establishes the concept of dialogic and social nature of language. His theory of language argues that individuals produce language in specific social contexts. Voloshinov too is of the view that language is a continuous generative process implemented in the social-verbal interaction of speakers. (Voloshinov 1986: 98) For Voloshinov utterance is the real unit of verbal interaction. An utterance according to him is a product of the reciprocal relationship between speaker and listener, addresser and addressee (Voloshinov 1986: 86). Hence the essence of language, for the Bakhtin Circle, lies in its interactive form: Thus, verbal interaction is the basic reality of language. Dialogue, in the narrow sense of the word, is, of course, only one of the forms-a very important form, to be sure-of verbal interaction. (Voloshinov 1986: 94-95) Bakhtin elaborates this by adding, Language acquires life and historically evolves precisely here, in concrete verbal communication, and not in the abstract linguistic system of language forms, nor in the individual psyche of speakers. (Voloshinov 1986: 95) In Bakhtins view, we experience and represent the world to ourselves and to others in a multiplicity of overlapping and often conflicting versions of that language (official, vernacular, technical, literary, the jargons of different age-groups, etc.). He calls this multi-layered nature of language, heteroglossia, which according to him, is, this internal stratification present in every language at any given moment of its historical existence (Bakhtin 1981: 263). As heteroglossia is generated by the particular social contexts in which the language is used, different manifestations of language also represent different ideological points of view. Bakhtin is of the opinion that in the process of language acquisition, linguistic elements and speech genres are intimately interconnected, in the sense that from the learners point of view it is impossible to separate linguistic forms and generic forms from each other. Therefore, according to him, the forms of language and the typical forms of utterances, that is, speech genres, enter our experience and our consciousness together [...] to learn to speak means to learn to construct utterances. (Bakhtin 1986: 78)

Bakhtin further clarifies this by saying that we cannot speak without casting our speech to the typical generic forms of discourse simply because we have not acquired our mother tongue from dictionaries and grammar books but through utterances produced by others in various social situations. Thus, not only the language system but also speech genres are given to a native speaker of any particular language. This is what the teacher would also be required to transmit in the Indian classrooms through the use of interactive strategies. In view of the ongoing discussion it may be relevant to make an attempt at understanding the meaning of pedagogy. It may be defined as follows: Pedagogy is a teaching and learning relationship that creates the potential for building learning conditions leading to full and equitable social participation. (Cope and Kalantzis 2000: 9) In this context it would be appropriate to highlight Bakhtinian contribution towards the meaning of the term. Talking of pedagogical dialogue, Bakhtin posits: In an environment of philosophical monologism the genuine interaction of consciousnesses is impossible, and thus genuine dialogue is impossible as well. In essence idealism knows only a single mode of cognitive interaction among consciousnesses: someone who knows and possesses the truth instructs someone who is ignorant of it and in error; that is, it is the interaction of a teacher and a pupil, which, it follows, can be only a pedagogical dialogue. (Bakhtin 1984: 81) As compared to interactive discussion it is in the lecture mode that the teachers voice is quite dominant and also such instruction seems far more monologic than dialogic. Dialogically and collaboratively organized instruction of English provides space for student responses, accommodates and promotes the refraction of voices representing differing values, beliefs, and perspectives, and includes the voices of different classes, races, ages, and genders. This mode of interactive and collaborative teaching and learning of English may be encouraged by pluralism and many voicedness (heteroglossia, in Bakhtinian terms), and the extent of social interactiveness may essentially shape both instruction and learning. A teacher can facilitate various interactive activities in the classroom like eliciting student responses after reading an extract from a text or reciting a piece of poetry. The teacher can initiate a feedback session as a filler (a five-minute activity) to fill the last few minutes of a lesson by asking the students to decide which of the lessons activities was the most enjoyable/useful and why. The teacher can compare their choices with their partners or have an open-class discussion about it where the students talk to the teacher and air their views. This will enable the diverse voices of the students in the classroom to come together and reveal their different perspectives, and points of view. Students will encounter new expectations with regard to preparing for the class, participating in groups or teams, giving critical responses to other students work and receiving it about their own, and moving from a competitive stance with peers to a co-operative one. This will also allow for more comprehensible input because the teacher or the classmates will modify or adapt the message according to the listeners needs. There will be more opportunity for oral practice and for repetition of content information as peers will help each other in negotiating meaning. Feedback and correction will be non-judgmental and immediate. A collaborative approach therefore emphasizes that no single voice dictates in the classroom rather different voices try to reach out to one another and interanimate one another.

The diversity and heterogeneity in terms of linguistic, cultural, regional and socio-economic backgrounds that prevails in the Indian classroom often poses a challenge for the English language teacher. This awareness on the part of the teacher will ensure that the teacher makes interactive sessions a regular part of the classroom practice. A collaborative approach to the teaching of English emphasizes dialogue and co-construction of knowledge, forming a collaborative community between the teacher and the students. This approach would therefore incorporate learning activities in English which are based on interactions and act as a possible replacement for the lecture format. The traditional lecture format tends to be monologic and veers around to the principles of closure as it does not allow student voices to be heard in the classroom. This lack of concern for the student voices on the part of the teacher hinders the rich heteroglossia of the language and the multiplicity of meanings and interpretations that are possible through interaction. An interactive and a collaborative approach to the teaching of English addresses the challenges and problems faced by the new language learners by allowing them to voice their concerns about the language. The teacher facilitates interactions in the classroom and these exchanges help to enhance linguistic awareness among the learners. Introducing interesting topics for discussion and reflection, creating exciting situations for the language learners, increases their motivation to study. Making students speak to each other maximizes student talking time and minimizes teacher talking time. This is generally quite helpful because the students are the ones who need to practise their English. For example, a teacher may use brainstorming as a warmer (a five minute activity at the start of the lesson) just to get the students in the mood and to get them thinking about the topic. It may also be used as a filler (a five minute activity at the end of the lesson) to see how many words they remember from the lesson. The teacher should therefore try to exploit innovative methods in order to increase the level of student engagement. Hence, it may be asserted that Bakhtinian notions have significant implications for the teaching of English in India, based on the premise that social interplay is crucial for language development. Classroom activities guided by the interactive and collaborative approach maximize opportunities for learners to use target language in a communicative way, i.e., by trying to produce meaningful and real communication in the target language, at all levels. As a result there may be a greater emphasis on the gaining of skills and on the use of authentic materials. Lessons in such a classroom may be built round practical and authentic situations/functions in the real world e.g. asking for information, complaining, apologizing, telephoning and so on. Emphasis may be given to engaging learners in the use of authentic language rather than in the use of repetitive phrases or grammar patterns. Thus, being understood takes precedence over correct grammar. The fine tuning of grammar may come later as communicative competence is the desired goal. Learners practice the target language a number of times, slowly building on accuracy. It is therefore the teachers responsibility to create situations which are likely to promote communication, and provide a background for language learning. For example, the teacher may introduce a topic by saying Today we are going to learn how to do a job interview in English instead of frightening the students off with a theoretical introduction to the tenses. Classroom activities will give primacy to oral work and provide opportunities for rehearsal of real-life situations and emphasize creative roleplays/ simulations/ surveys/ projects/ presentations. Active modes of learning, including

pair-work and group-work which allow for spontaneity and improvisation and not just repetition and drills assume significance as they increase the contact time with the language. Newspaper and magazine articles, poems, manuals, telephone directories, videos, news bulletins, discussion programmes etc. can be exploited in a variety of ways. Making use of topical items with which learners are already familiar in their own language motivates them and arouses their interest and leads to more active participation. Spontaneous and improvised practice helps to make minds more flexible and inspires confidence in coping with unforeseen and unanticipated situations. Hence, with a little inspiration and imagination on the part of the teacher, the text-book can be manipulated and rendered more communicative. It would therefore be important for teachers to understand and acknowledge the social nature of language learning. The teacher can achieve increased content-area learning in the classroom by making interventions that enhance linguistic acquisition. Thus, this approach stresses the need for students to be working in groups and spending long durations of time engaged in language-related strategic discussions, assisting one another in understanding various aspects of the language use, asking and answering questions, and relating what they learn to previous knowledge. In the Indian context this may be a challenging proposition for most language teachers as they try to meet the diverse and unequal needs of the language learners in their respective classrooms. Language teachers in the India seem to teach English by decomposing it into its component parts. Based on this approach language components are taught individually. First, simple elements are introduced and then students proceed to complex forms of the language. Students learn grammar, vocabulary and spelling before they learn to write. The teachers tend to teach the curriculum content sequentially so that the students are able to internalize it. This is indicative of a hierarchical approach wherein the teacher instructs about the language and moves from the simple to more complex aspects of the language. This is clearly reflective of a one-sided, authoritarian approach to the teaching of English which hardly involves and engages student responses and experiences towards meaning making in the classroom. In the conventional approach to teaching English a teacher transmits information to students who passively listen and acquire facts. A collaborative approach, on the other hand, supports the creation of a classroom culture where the learners of English can actively and positively interact as social beings and acquire new levels of linguistic awareness. Instead of giving information all the time, the teacher may ask if anyone in the class can provide it. When a student asks, What does this mean? the teacher can say something like, Thats a good question What do you think? or Can you guess? or Can anyone help me here? If the teacher doesnt elicit student responses then he/she runs the risk of telling the students everything they want to know and ends up spoon-feeding them. In this context it is important to remember that in his/her keenness to get on with eliciting information or checking comprehension the teacher may not always allow students enough time to reply. Students however will be more willing to volunteer answers if they are given more thinking time. At the same time this can improve students accuracy and the length of their replies too. It is important that the teachers select their questions carefully and use them wisely. If he/she would like students to discuss a topic or an issue it may be best to use open-ended questions like what? when? how? Direct questions do not generate much language, but only a Yes/No response. The teacher

should also be wary of asking too many questions in a discussion. Passing the questions over to others may also help. Encouraging as many contributions as possible may also be a good idea. Discussions in the classroom may involve elements of creativity and artistic expression and emphasize learners dual roles as listeners and speakers for e.g. asking students to suggest original beginnings or endings to dialogues or stories, asking them to expand the ideas suggested by others or by making use of a piece of literature or reading material. The teacher may also engage the language learners by discussing a poem, a story, a piece of music, a play, a painting, a film, a TV program, creating rhymes, poetry, stories or plays, explaining or asking for explanations of how something works, comparing or contrasting things, discussing possibilities and probabilities of a thing, solving problems and so on. To complete the lesson cycle the teacher may provide opportunities to apply the language learned the day before in novel situations for the same or a related purpose. These language learning activities are interactive and inter-personal rather than individual and personal. As a whole, group and pair work in the classroom not only offers students enough opportunities to learn to speak and learn from each other but also provides them a supportive and enjoyable learning environment. Learning of English may be looked upon as both an individual and a social process wherein the learner negotiates meaning with others as well as reflects over his own individual learning. Therefore in the Indian scenario the challenges for acquiring fluency and accuracy in the use of English can be overcome by the implementation of a collaborative model of English language instruction. Based on this approach the teacher encourages communicative interaction in the class while acting out the role of a facilitator and a guide. The facilitative role of an instructor can be as simple as answering a question about grammar or word choice. Facilitation also occurs when students are given background information about a topic so that they can understand what they are discussing in a better way. An important role of the facilitating instructor is to give L2 learners direction or guidance when they are at a loss on how to proceed in a conversation activity. On the other hand, a facilitator also needs to know when to allow the students to struggle during the communication process, since this enables them to deduce their own answers. The teacher keeps a tab on the students progress and attunes himself/herself to the needs and the interests of the students. The language instructor provides continuous guidance and feedback to the students through intensive classroom interaction. The interactions are targeted at enabling student learners to voice their problems with regard to the language and making them autonomous and responsible for their own learning. The learners are actively involved in the process of meaning making and knowledge construction rather than passively receiving instruction from the teacher. Thus, an interactive and a collaborative approach fosters critical thinking among the language learners and creates motivated and independent learners. A dialogic and a collaborative approach endorses a learner-centric and a democratic environment in the classroom by allowing the learners to discover their own ideas and to ask their own questions. It promotes communication and generates flexibility in the classroom environment so that the needs of all the students are met equitably. An impenetrable and an imposing barrier that seems to exist in the traditional mode of language instruction is dismantled, giving way to an environment of mutual trust and respect between the teacher and the language learners. The teacher

relinquishes the traditional position of authority and accords an equal position to the learners in the classroom. Akin to the polyphonic voices in a novel that are not only objects of authorial discourse but also subjects of their own directly signifying discourse (Bakhtin 1984: 6-7), there is a presence of a number of free and equally valid learner voices in the classroom. Each of these voices is capable of standing alongside the teacher and also capable of agreeing and disagreeing with him/her. Hence, a collaborative and a dialogic approach to the teaching and the learning of English, facilitates multiple perspectives in the classroom and encourages a greater sense of responsibility among the language learners. The creation of a learning environment that is dynamic, open and flexible is an important aspect of this approach. Students spend considerable amount of their time in collaborating with their peers and their instructor in their pursuit for linguistic competence. English learners are provided ample opportunities to negotiate meaning and to focus on form as they speak and to get feedback from their peers and the teacher. According to this approach teachers are mentors and collaborators who support the students and provide them feedback. The teachers challenge the thinking of the language learners and design language learning tasks for them. Students are autonomous learners who participate actively in the classroom and are responsible for their own learning. It would indeed be very important for the teacher to be better prepared because greater the student participation in the classroom, greater would be the need for the teacher to be aware of the infinite possibilities that can be brought together into the classroom. Teachers must consider how to meet a range of student needs in a fair and an equitable way. They must be able to ensure that these voices support one another. They must account for the coming together of the many voices in the classroom and for orchestrating a dialogue among them. This approach to English instruction in the Indian classrooms will help to create a context within which students would be able to explore new ideas and experiences. In the given scenario teachers role will shift from merely providing information to eliciting and supporting students own views and contributing to meaning-making. Thus, a dialogic and a collaborative approach to the teaching of English makes for an interesting and exciting way to teach the language because it enhances student involvement and engagement in the classroom, allowing for a greater student-teacher contact. A classroom engaged in a collaborative pedagogy shapes empowered and autonomous learners. In the true spirit of democracy this approach gives the language learners the space to grow into questioning and rationalizing individuals. Abandoning the traditional notion wherein the students respond to questions asked by the teacher, these active learners are encouraged to ask their own questions which allow them a greater control over their own thinking. Hence, asking probing and effective questions is a continuous challenge that is met by the students, thereby converting them into independent language learners. English language learning can therefore thrive in a classroom where students and teacher are actively and interactively involved. A rethinking of the concepts of teaching and learning would be necessary if we are to really change what happens in the classroom. This means that the teachers will have to give up their cherished notions that they are the ones who control learning. They will have to allow a redistribution of power among/to students who through their contributions may enrich the teachers own understanding. A collaborative approach

would call for the virtues of creativity, patience, accommodation and responsiveness to be inculcated by the teacher/instructor. In the Indian classrooms obedience, quietness and discipline seem to be the norm dictating student learning. Rote-learning or the repetition of oral and written material is quite common in our classrooms. These classroom practices that are devoid of a reflective and an interactive orientation are basically meant to preserve established structures and hierarchies. A classroom devoid of active student involvement and participation, cooperative and collaborative learning, originality and innovation, a free expression of opinions and independent thinking will impede the teaching and the learning of the language and hinder students progressive understanding. Language learning is enhanced when it is more like a team effort than a solo race. Good learning, like good work, is collaborative and social, not competitive and isolated. Working with others often increases involvement in learning. Sharing ones own ideas and responding to others reactions sharpens thinking and deepens understanding. A rigid examoriented national curriculum, memorization based instructional approach, grueling discipline, and the expectation to conform to authority can take away much of the joy of learning for the student learner (Bracey 1993). Hence it is appropriate to endorse that the dominance of the language teacher and the passivity of the student in the classroom, is a big stumbling block in the learning of the English language in our classrooms. Bracey goes to the extent of stating that, The goal of Asian education systems (and all authoritarian and totalitarian education systems) is obedience (1997b: 21). Hence it is pertinent to remember that language learning is not a spectator sport. Students will not learn much, just by sitting in the class, listening to their language teachers, memorizing pre-packaged assignments, and spitting out answers. They must talk about what they are learning, write about it, relate it to past experiences and apply it to their daily lives. They must make what they learn part of themselves. If we are to make any considerable progress in the direction of enhancing students linguistic skills our foremost endeavour should be to change the face of the Indian classroom functioning on the principles of a monologic pedagogy. A dialogic and a collaborative mode of instruction is a viable answer to the problems of imparting the knowledge of the English language to the Indian students. Rote learning must give way to spontaneity, critical and creative thinking. An interactive and a collaborative pedagogy endorses dynamic learning exchanges between the teacher and the learner that may eventually result in a clear and an expanded understanding about the use of the language both inside and outside the classroom. Teachers can strategically use classroom talk to carry out quality linguistic instruction, one that may be linked to the students experiences and encourage them to think critically and use the language effectively. Teachers should be able to accept wrong answers as constructively as correct ones and thus encourage responsive behaviour. Learners trying their best to use the language creatively and spontaneously are bound to make errors. Constant correction on the part of the teacher may be unnecessary and even counter-productive. When a student makes a mistake it may be counter-productive to say No!/ Thats wrong!/ Are you serious? / How long did you say youve been studying English? etc. Its often kinder to say Not bad/ Nearly/ Good try/ Thats an interesting mistake etc. Though the learners should strive for grammatically and phonetically correct English, yet an over-emphasis on correct English can deter

students from attempting to communicate. Hence, putting this strategy into practice may be a step towards a classroom practice that places emphasis on a dialogic engagement between the teacher and the learner without putting the learner in a subservient role. It empowers the learner because of its participatory, collaborative and interactive orientation. The learner retains full control of his final word without feeling threatened or nervous that his perspective may be rebuffed by the teacher. This in no way undermines the value of a teacher because it cannot be denied that any form of learning is facilitated through the assistance of more knowledgeable members of the society. Frequent words of encouragement and some well-placed humour by the teacher can go a long way in loosening up and relaxing the students. It would be relevant here to mention that by drawing on the students discourse styles a teacher can make the instructional style more appealing to the students as they are able to relate to it. At the same time a teacher must constantly strive to create opportunities for making the students learn newer discourses thereby enriching the existing classroom heteroglossia. The classroom dynamics that results from this is one where the instructor encourages the students to contribute their thoughts and ideas. Student discourses become central to the classroom processes. An interactive and a collaborative perspective therefore endorses that true understanding occurs when speakers can effectively orient themselves with respect to one another in the broader context of a conversational exchange. References Bakhtin, M.M. (1981). The Dialogic Imagination: Four Essays by M.M. Bakhtin, Trans. Caryl Emerson and Michael Holquist, Ed. Michael Holquist, Austin, Texas and London: University of Texas Press. Bakhtin, M.M. (1984). Problems of Dostoevskys Poetics. Ed. and trans. Caryl. Emerson. Manchester: Manchester University Press. Bakhtin, M.M. (1986). Speech Genres and Other Late Essays, Trans. Vern. McGee, Eds. Caryl Emerson and Michael Holquist, Austin: University of Texas Press. Bracey, Gerald W. (1993). The third Bracey report on the condition of public education. Phi Delta Kappan, 75(2), 104117. Bracey, Gerald W. (1997b). On comparing the incomparable: A response to Baker and Stedman. Educational Researcher, 26(3), 1926. Cope, B. and Kalantzis M. (Eds.). (2000) Multiliteracies: Literacy learning and the design of social futures. London and New York: Routledge Voloshinov, V.N. (1986). Marxism and the Philosophy of Language, Trans. L. Matejka and I.R. Titunik. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.

A NOTE ON THE CONTRIBUTORS

Ahuja Sandeep is an Asstt.Prof. in Department of English, Lyallpur Khalsa College, Jalandhar, Punjab Ajay Kahol is an Asstt.Prof. in Department of English, Govt. PG College, Dhaliara, Kangra, Himachal Pradesh. Anuradha Shukla is an MBA student in Vindhya Institute of Technology and Science, Satna, Madhya Pradesh. Anurag Kumar is a Research Scholar in Department of Humanities & Social Sciences, IIT, Roorkee. Arpana a Research Scholar in Department of English, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar. Arun Bala is an Asstt. Prof. in Department of English, Govt. Rajindra College, Bathinda, Punjab. Avinash Chander is an Asstt.Prof. in Department of English, Doaba College, Jalandhar, Punjab. Balraj Kaur is an Asstt.Prof. in Department of English, Lyallpur Khalsa College, Jalandhar, Punjab Bhaskar Roy Barman is a retired teacher and creative writer (author of The Gatewau to Heaven) from Agartala. Charanjit Singh is an Asstt.Prof. in Department of English, Lyallpur Khalsa College, Jalandhar, Punjab. Dhvani B.Mehta is an Asstt. Prof. in English in S.R.K. Institute of Computer Education and Applied Sciences, Surat, Gujarat, India. Dilwinder Singh a Research Scholar in Department of English, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar. Divya Kalia is a researcher in Systemic Functional Linguistics. Hardeep Singh Mann is the Head, Dept. of English, Baba Farid College, Bathinda

Hariom Verma is an Asstt.Prof. in Department of English, Lyallpur Khalsa College, Jalandhar, Punjab Jyotsna Singla is an Asstt. Prof. in Department of English, Govt. Rajindra College, Bathinda, Punjab. K. K. Prashar is an Associate Professor in Department of English, Maharana Pratap Govt. PG College, Amb, Distt. Una, Himachal Pradesh. Khursheed Ahmad Qazi is an Asstt.Prof. in Department of English, Islamia PG College, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir. Madhumeet is an Asstt. Prof. in Department of English, KMV College, Jalandhar, Punjab Mahesh Arora is an AP in Dept. of Humanities, Sant Longowal Institute of Engineering and Technology, Longowal, Sangrur. Mamta Rana is an Asstt. Prof. in Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, Punjab. Maninder Kainth is an Asstt.Prof. in Department of English, Desh Bhagat Engg. College, Mandi Gobingarh, Punjab. Manju Rana is an AP in Department of English, GN Khalsa College, Yumananagar, Haryana. Manmeet Sondhi is an Asstt.Prof. in Department of English, Lyallpur Khalsa College, Jalandhar, Punjab. Manu Verma Punjab. is an Asstt. Prof. in Department of English, A. S. College, Khanna,

Michelle Saul is an Asstt. Prof. in Department of English, Lyallpur Khalsa College, Jalandhar, Punjab. Namarata Nistandra is an Asstt.Prof. in Department of English, Doaba College, Jalandhar, Punjab. Navjot S. Deol is an Asstt. Prof. in Department of English, A Pee Jay College, Jalandhar, Punjab. Navneet Kaur is an Asstt.Prof. in Malwa Central College of Education for Women, Civil Lines, Ludhiana. Neelam Bhardwaj is an Asstt. Prof. in Department of English, Govt. College, Malerkotla, Punjab.

Neha Puri is an Asstt. Prof. in Department of English, Lyallpur Khalsa College, Jalandhar, Punjab Nirverinder Kaur Sandhu is an Associate Professor in Department of English, Govt. Brijindra College, Faridkot, Punjab. Paramjit Kaur is an Asstt.Prof. in Department of English, Govt. Brijindra College, Faridkot, Punjab. Preeti Singh is a Research Scholar in Department of Humanities, Sant Longowal Institute of Engineering and Technology, Longowal, Sangrur Priya Kumari is a Research Scholar in Department of Humanities & Social Sciences, Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad, Jharkhand. Rajinder Singh is an Associate Professor in Department of English, GN Khalsa College, Yumananagar, Haryana. Rakesh Mohan Sharma is the Principal of SPN College, Mukerian. Rama Shankar Shukla is an AP in Vindhya Institute of Technology and Science, Satna, Madhya Pradesh. Ramandeep Singh is an Asstt. Prof. in Department of English, Lyallpur Khalsa College, Jalandhar, Punjab. Ratna Prashanth is a lecturer in English in Mahaiana First Grade Degree College, Jayalaxmipuram, Mysore, Karnataka. Ratnakar Mann is an Asstt. Prof. in Department of Computer Science, Lyallpur Khalsa College, Jalandhar, Punjab. Ritumohan Singh a Research Scholar in Department of Humanities, Sant Longowal Institute of Engineering and Technology, Longowal, Sangrur. Savita is an Asstt.Prof. in Department of English, Baring Union Christian College, Batala Punjab Seema Jain is an Asstt. Prof. in Department of English, KMV College, Jalandhar, Punjab Shikha Sharma is an Asstt.Prof. in Department of English, Lyallpur Khalsa College for Women, Jalandhar, Punjab.

Shivani Vashisht is an Associaste Professor and Dean in Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, Punjab. Simrandeep Kaur is an Asstt. Prof. in Department of English, BD Arya Girls College, Jalandhar, Punjab Smitha Jha is an Asstt.Prof. in Department of Humanities & Social Sciences, IIT, Roorkee. Sudeep Singh is an Asstt. Prof. in Department of English, Lyallpur Khalsa College, Jalandhar, Punjab Supriya Bhandari is an Asstt. Prof. in Department of English, S. D. College for Women, Moga, Punjab. Taranpreet Johal is an Asstt.Prof. in Department of Computer Science, Lyallpur Khalsa College, Jalandhar, Punjab. Tasleem A War is an Asstt. Prof. in Department of English, University of Kashmir, Jammu and Kashmir. Vineet Mehta is an Asstt. Prof. in Department of English, Doaba College, Jalandhar, Punjab. V. K. Tiwari is a former Principal of DAV College, Jalandhar, Punjab and is known in literary circles for his work on Bhaktin. V. Prakasam is a retired Professor from CIEFL, Hyderabad.