Maniruzzaman 5568

Explorer, Volume 2, Number 1, September 2009, ISSN 1998-

Rethinking the status of English in Bangladesh: why it should be the second language, not a foreign language Dr. M. Maniruzzaman*

Abstract
Bangladesh is a monolingual setting on the ground that this country is notoriously homogeneous linguistically and that all the people (including some tribes speaking both Bengali and their respective tribal languages) speak Bengali as their first language. Monolingualism is here associated with a strong ethnic identity and a genuine emotion for the mother tongue, and hence only Bengali is constitutionally the national-official language while English enjoys the status of a foreign language. However, in reality, English is necessarily being used widely in all the spheres of Bangladesh, such as aviation, navigation, agriculture, commerce, industry, offices, courts, educational institutions, press, and even in the parliament. The present study has then been designed and conducted with the subjects selected from seven major parts of the nation so as to examine and ascertain the current status of English in consonance with the prevailing pragmatic demand of the nation. Its findings have uncovered that English actually enjoys the status of a second language in this setting since it is being used in social, official, educational and commercial activities. The inference of the investigation leads to the recommendation that English should be proclaimed the second language of Bangladesh and considered as complementary to Bengali.

*Associate Professor, Dept. of English, Jahangirnagar University E-Mail: maniruzzamanju@yahoo.com

Rethinking the status of English in Bangladesh

Maniruzzaman 5568

Explorer, Volume 2, Number 1, September 2009, ISSN 1998-

Rethinking the status of English in Bangladesh: why it should be the second language, not a foreign language Dr. M. Maniruzzaman Introduction Bangladesh is a monolingual setting on the ground that this country is notoriously homogeneous linguistically and that all the people (including some tribes speaking both Bengali and their respective tribal languages) speak Bengali as their first language. Monolingualism is here associated with a strong ethnic identity and a genuine emotion for the mother tongue, for instance, the Language Movement on 21 February 1952 in which a number of Bengali speaking men sacrificed their lives for keeping Bengali as the national language. As a result, only Bengali is now constitutionally the national-official language of Bangladesh, and also the medium of instruction and education in all the disciplines at all the levels apart from a few of them, such as medical, technological and business education at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Notwithstanding, in reality, English is necessarily being used widely in all the spheres of Bangladesh, such as aviation, navigation, agriculture, commerce, industry, offices, courts, educational institutions, press, and even in the parliament. This is because English is not now only the language of the UK, the USA, Australia, Canada, or New Zealand, but is also studied and used by the largest number of people, and has been recognized as a second and/or foreign language throughout the world. It might, most probably, be true that historical, political, technological and economic factors have substantially contributed to its wide expansion. It is further true that this language owes something of its wide appeal to certain qualities and characteristics inherent in itself. Hence, the educated people of Bangladesh, especially ones in the urban areas appear to be tremendously adopting the features of the English speaking culture as already manifested in their life style, food habit, clothes, literary works, cultural activities and so forth. English came into the Indo-Bangladesh-Pakistan subcontinent with Great Britains East India Company and then with the British colonial administration as the traders staff almost overnight turned into the emperors sceptre. Though the vernacular continued to be used at certain lower levels of day-to-day administration, English dominated as the chief official language since it also became the medium of instruction at the higher levels of the schools and of course in the colleges and universities. Learning English soon led to the imbibing of certain values and manners of the native speakers of that language, although in a very superficial fashion and imitative manner encouraging social snobbery and invidious class distinctions. The inclusion of English as a compulsory subject in pre-university education in Bangladesh is found to have been a direct consequence of the British colonial rule. The origin of the current educational pattern in Bangladesh, which was inherited from Pakistan and India, can be traced back to the time of the British rule in this subcontinent. To safeguard their own interests and exploit the natives through a group of the natives, the British rulers cunningly introduced English education that would produce a class of people Indian in blood and colour but English in tastes, in opinion, in morals and in intellect (Coomaraswamy, 1943, p. 389). And Bengal including todays Bangladesh was the first region to become acquainted with English in India as in the early part of the 18 th century the

Rethinking the status of English in Bangladesh

Maniruzzaman 5568

Explorer, Volume 2, Number 1, September 2009, ISSN 1998-

English tradesmen disembarked at Kolkata, and as in 1757 this region was first colonized by the East India Company. Before the colonization, scholastic and higher education in this subcontinent was in Persian, Sanskrit and Arabic. When in 1835 Persian was replaced by English, it did not simply mean transference to the language of the colonial masters. It caused a radical change in the patterns of economic, social, political and cultural life in the subcontinent. It was Thomas Macaulay who prepared the famous Educational Minute of 1835 in which the cause of English education was justified. The then Governor General Lord William Bentinck approved Macaulays views, and declared by issuing an Order in Council on 7 March 1835 that the great object of the British Government ought to be the promotion of European literature and science among the natives of India; and that all the funds appropriated for the purposes of education would be best employed on English education alone (Mukherjee, 1971, p.376). In this way, English language teaching was officially established in this subcontinent. And English is still a compulsory subject in pre-university education and, in some cases, undergraduate programmes in Bangladesh. Before 35 years in 1974, the National Education Commission categorically indicated the importance of English In recent times the English language has spread so widely throughout the world that it is now spoken and understood in every one of the continents and widely used as a language of diplomacy, commerce and industry. As an international language English has gained so much prestige that it can never be ignored (Report of Bangladesh Education Commission, May 1974: 14, Clause 4.7). In addition, the Government set up a committee for adopting English as a compulsory subject at the undergraduate level in Bangladesh (Ministry of Education, Order No. 15/10M5/93/12(6), dated: 11.05.93). The committee recommended that English should be a compulsory course in all the undergraduate programmes in all the universities of Bangladesh. With the passage of time, as a consequence of colonization and owing to the impact of globalization, English has turned into an unavoidable language now used for communication in all the spheres of Bangladesh, especially by the educated people. Thus, if placed on a second-foreign language continuum, English appears to enjoy the status of a second language rather than a foreign language in reality in the educated communities of the country. The present study has then been designed and conducted with the subjects selected from the major dominant sections of the nation in order to examine and ascertain the current status of English in consonance with the prevailing pragmatic demand of the nation. To carry out the purposes of the study, the researcher has set to investigate the following hypotheses: H1: Though a foreign language constitutionally, English is currently being used as a second language in different sectors of Bangladesh. H2: The prevailing situation of Bangladesh demands a language policy to be adopted and a pragmatic plan to be implemented to consider English as complementary to Bengali and proclaim it as the second language of the country.

Rethinking the status of English in Bangladesh

Maniruzzaman 5568

Explorer, Volume 2, Number 1, September 2009, ISSN 1998-

Methods Subjects The study has been conducted with 70 subjects randomly selected from seven major dominant sectors of the people of Bangladesh, 10 from each sector. The sectors include educators, students, businesspersons, bureaucrats, doctors, lawyers and politicians. The people who have participated in the investigation are all Bengali speaking and typical of their respective groups. They directly or indirectly contribute to almost everything related to choosing policies, making decisions, implementing plans and so on in the varied spheres of the state. That is to say, the subjects are deemed to represent the citizens of the nation who have great influence over the social, cultural, educational, economic and political sectors of the country. Instrument To test the hypotheses of the study, the quantitative research method including a questionnaire has been exploited. Vaus (1992) maintains that survey is a popular research method for collecting data in the field of language education research, and the most common survey technique is the questionnaire. With a view to revealing the subjects opinions on the current status of English in reality in Bangladesh, that is, on the various facets related to the hypotheses, the present researcher has designed the questionnaire. The questionnaire (see the Appendix) comprises eighteen items presented in the question format (wh- and yes-no questions) and accompanied by alternative answers. The items numbered 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 are concerned with the hypothesis H1 Though a foreign language constitutionally, English is currently being used as a second language in different sectors of Bangladesh. And the items bearing numbers 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18 are related to the hypothesis "H2 The prevailing situation of Bangladesh demands a language policy to be adopted and a pragmatic plan to be implemented to consider English as complementary to Bengali and proclaim it as the second language of the country. Data collection and analysis The data for the present study have been collected from 70 persons including educators, students, businesspersons, bureaucrats, doctors, lawyers and politicians. The questionnaire for tapping the respondents opinions on the current status of English in reality in Bangladesh has been administered after an explanation of the purpose of the study and preliminary instructions. The questionnaire has no time limit, although the subjects are expected to complete it in 20 to 25 minutes. The data collected have first been scored by hand, and then the raw data have been fed into the computer for analysis. The descriptive and contextual methods (Aldridge and Levine, 2001) have been exploited for the analysis of the data in this study since the methods are inexpensive, time saving and easily understandable. Finally, itemwise percentage of the score is calculated and displayed in pie charts.

Rethinking the status of English in Bangladesh

Maniruzzaman 5568

Explorer, Volume 2, Number 1, September 2009, ISSN 1998-

Research results and discussion The research results are itemwise exhibited in the pie charts in percentage terms under the two hypotheses of the study and described in a quantitative manner. Then they are interpreted with reference to their causes, effects and implications. H1: Though a foreign language constitutionally, English is currently being used as a second language in different sectors of Bangladesh. 1. How much do you use English while speaking to your family members?
very much 3% not at all 7%

fairly much 34%

a little 56% not at all a little fairly much very much

Pie Chart 1: Use of English with family members As Pie Chart 1 shows, only 7% of the respondents never use English while speaking to their family members whereas 56% use a little, 34% fairy much and 3% very much. That is, 93% subjects more or less use English with their family members. This finding clearly indicates that English is, to a considerable extent, associated with the family life of the educated people of Bangladesh. Hence, it can be considered a second language rather than a foreign language. 2. How much do you use English while speaking to your friends?
very much 8% fairly much 44% Not at all 0% a little 48%

Not at all

a little

fairly much

very much

Pie Chart 2: Use of English with friends Pie Chart 2 displays that all of the subjects use English while speaking to their friends48% a little, 44% fairly much and 8% very much. This result is indicative of English being

Rethinking the status of English in Bangladesh

Maniruzzaman 5568

Explorer, Volume 2, Number 1, September 2009, ISSN 1998-

more or less used by the subjects with their friends and thus enjoying the status of a second language. 3. How much do you use English while speaking to your colleagues?

very much 21%

not at all 0%

a little 31%

fairly much 48% not at all a little fairly much very much

Pie Chart 3: Use of English with colleagues The pie chart above exhibits that 21% of the respondents use English very mush, 48% fairly much and 31% a little with their colleagues. That is to say, all the subjects use English while speaking to their colleagues, especially in their work places. This finding may be attributed to the fact that the subjects need English to communicate with one another in their professions and work places, and reveals the status of English as a second language in reality. 4. How much do you use English in your profession/ work place?
not at all 0% very much 36% fairly much 53% not at all a little fairly much very much

a little 11%

Pie Chart 4: Use of English in the profession/work place The fourth pie chart demonstrates that 36% subjects use English very much, 53% fairly much and 11% a little in their professions and/or work places. That is, all the subjects necessarily use English in their professions and/or work places. This result clearly proves that English enjoys the status of a second language in the professions and/or work places of the respondents.

Rethinking the status of English in Bangladesh

Maniruzzaman 5568

Explorer, Volume 2, Number 1, September 2009, ISSN 1998-

5. How much do you use English to communicate with foreigners?

not at all 0% a little 0% fairly much 13% very much 87% not at all a little fairly much very much

Pie Chart 5: Use of English with foreigners Pie Chart 5 shows that 87% respondents use English very much to communicate with foreigners and 13% use fairly much. In other words, the 100 per cent subjects are found to use English so as to communicate with foreign people. This finding may be the result of the fact that the subjects now work and interact with foreign people in their work places and professional activities. Therefore, functioning as a lingua franca, English possesses the status of a second language among the population. 6. How much do your fellow persons need to use English in their daily life?
not at all 9% a little 22% fairly much 45% not at all a little fairly much very much

very much 24%

Pie Chart 6: Use of English by fellow persons The pie chart above presents the finding that 24% subjects fellow persons need to use English very much in their daily life, 45% subjects fellow persons fairly much and 22% subjects fellow persons a little while only 9% subjects fellow persons do not at all need to use English in their daily life. That is, 91% respondents fellow persons need to use English in their daily life. This result may be concerned with the reality that the subjects fellow persons essentially use English to communicate with their friends, colleagues and so forth, and is consistent with the status of English as a second language in reality in Bangladesh.

Rethinking the status of English in Bangladesh

Maniruzzaman 5568

Explorer, Volume 2, Number 1, September 2009, ISSN 1998-

7. How much do you need to use English in your daily life?

not at all 6%

very much 28%

a little 15%

fairly much 51% not at all a little fairly much very much

Pie Chart 7: Use of English in the daily life Pie Chart 7 discloses that 28% respondents need to use English very much in their daily life, 51% fairly much and 15% a little whereas only 6% respondents do not at all need to use English in their daily life. That is to say, 94% subjects need to use English in their daily life. This finding indicates the inevitability of using English in various sectors, such as education, business, media, offices, courts and so on, and hence the status of English as a second language in reality in Bangladesh. 8. Do you use English and Bengali side by side in your real life communication?
No 0%

Yes 100% Yes No

Pie Chart 8: Use of English and Bengali side by side The eighth pie chart reveals that 100 per cent subjects use English and Bengali side by side in their real life communication. The finding may be ascribed to the fact that the use English and Bengali side by side in real life communication of the subjects is as essential as natural and is thus indicative of English enjoying the status of a second language in reality. In sum, a great majority of the respondents appear to use English with their family members, friends, colleagues and foreigners as well as in their professions and/or work places. Most of them need to use English in their daily life and use English and Bengali side by side in their real life communication. They have also disclosed that their fellow persons need to use English in their daily life. Hasan (2009) rightly holds that if we look at the definition of second language then we can easily say that English is the second language of

Rethinking the status of English in Bangladesh

Maniruzzaman 5568

Explorer, Volume 2, Number 1, September 2009, ISSN 1998-

Bangladesh as it is widely used in many parts of our national life. Or, to be moderate, we could consider what Choi and Lee (2008, p. 4) maintainInterestingly, it (English) is used both as a second and foreign language in Hong Kong, Singapore, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and the UAE. These countries/ regions are known as ESL context; however, English is not entirely used for intranational or intraregional communication Therefore, the hypothesis Though a foreign language constitutionally, English is currently being used as a second language in different sectors of Bangladesh. can be deemed to be accepted. That is, it is conspicuous that English in reality enjoys the status of a second language in the educated communities of Bangladesh. H2: The prevailing situation of Bangladesh demands a language policy to be adopted and a pragmatic plan to be implemented to consider English as complementary to Bengali and proclaim it as the second language of the country. 9. Should English remain a foreign language in the constitution of Bangladesh?

No 57%

Yes 43%

Yes

No

Pie Chart 9: English as a foreign language in the constitution This pie chart demonstrates 43% respondents think that English should remain a foreign language in the constitution of Bangladesh while 57% of them do not think so. It is then clear that the majority of the subjects are in favour of change in the status of English in the constitution and, most probably, consider English as a second language in the constitution of Bangladesh. This finding may be attributed to the wide use of English in all the important organs of the government including the court, secretariats, educational institutions, media and so on as well as the private sectors encompassing the press, industries, commerce and so forth.

Rethinking the status of English in Bangladesh

Maniruzzaman 5568

Explorer, Volume 2, Number 1, September 2009, ISSN 1998-

10. Should English remain a foreign language in the education system of Bangladesh?

No 54%

Yes 46%

Yes

No

Pie Chart 10: English as a foreign language in the education system Pie Chart 10 displays 46% subjects consider that English should remain a foreign language in the education system of Bangladesh whereas 54% are against this opinion. That is, the majority of the respondents, most probably, think that English should be a second language in the education system of Bangladesh. This is because education, especially at the undergraduate and post graduate level in Bangladesh is tremendously dependent on the materials prepared and printed in English. Besides, the materials including research papers and books collected from the Internet are also in the English language. 11. How much should English be used in the education system of Bangladesh?

very much 40%

not at all 0%

a little 12%

fairly much 48% not at all a little fairly much very much

Pie Chart 11: Use of English in the education system The pie chart above uncovers 40% respondents think that English should be used very much in the education system of Bangladesh, 48% think fairly much, and 12% think a little; however, nobody is against the use of English in the education system of Bangladesh. The research result may be ascribable to the significant role played by English in our education system. It is then evident that English is an essential component of the education system of Bangladesh.

Rethinking the status of English in Bangladesh

10

Maniruzzaman 5568

Explorer, Volume 2, Number 1, September 2009, ISSN 1998-

12. How much should English be used in the official activity of Bangladesh?

very much 45%

not at all 3%

a little 13%

fairly much 39% not at all a little fairly much very much

Pie Chart 12: Use of English in the official activity The twelfth pie chart reveals that 45% subjects think English should be used very much in the official activity of Bangladesh, 39% think fairly much, and 13% think a little; but only 3% think not at all. In other words, 97% respondents are of the opinion that English should, more or less, be used in the official activity of Bangladesh. This finding is indicative of the useful function of and the unavoidable role played by English in the official activity of Bangladesh. 13. How much should you use English in your daily activities?
not at all 9% a little 17% fairly much 41% not at all a little fairly much very much

very much 33%

Pie Chart 13: Use of English in daily activities Pie Chart 13 discloses that 33% subjects think they should use English very much in their daily activities, 41% think fairly much, and 17% think a little; however, 9% think not at all. That is to say, 91% respondents, more or less, use English in their daily activities. The result may be attributed to the fact that the educated people of Bangladesh represented by the sample of this study can hardly perform their daily activities without English.

Rethinking the status of English in Bangladesh

11

Maniruzzaman 5568

Explorer, Volume 2, Number 1, September 2009, ISSN 1998-

14. Should there be rivalry between Bengali and English?

Yes 14%

No 86% Yes No

Pie Chart 14: Rivalry between Bengali and English The above pie chart shows that 86% respondents think there should be no rivalry between Bengali and English while only 14% do not think so. That is, more than three fourths of the subjects support the co-existence of Bengali and English in all the spheres of Bangladesh. This research result indicates the subjects perception that English helps their communication in their professions and/or work places as Bengali does in their social and family environments, and thus plays the role of their means of communication along with Bengali. 15. Should English be complementary to Bengali?
No 8%

Yes 92% Yes No

Pie Chart 15: English being complementary to Bengali Pie Chart 15 displays 92% subjects are of the opinion that English should be complementary to Bengali while only 8% oppose the idea. This finding is consistent with the one that there should be no rivalry between Bengali and English. This is because Bengali and English are now being used side by side in many sectors of the state, on the one hand, and on the other, the use of English can evidently supplement the use of and enrich Bengali.

Rethinking the status of English in Bangladesh

12

Maniruzzaman 5568

Explorer, Volume 2, Number 1, September 2009, ISSN 1998-

16. Should English be used in all the official activities of Bangladesh?

No 13%

Yes 87% Yes No

Pie Chart 16: Use of English in all the official activities This chart exhibits 87% respondents agree with the opinion that English should be used in all the official activities of Bangladesh whereas only 13% subjects do not agree. That is to say, more than three fourths of the respondents support the use of English in all the official activities of the country. This is because it is now almost impossible to perform official activities without English. 17. Should English be used in all the social activities of Bangladesh?

No 33% Yes 67% Yes No

Pie Chart 17: Use of English in all the social activities Pie Chart 17 shows that 67% respondents think English should be used in all the social activities of Bangladesh while 33% do not think so. That is, more than fifty per cent subjects are in favour of using English in all the social activities of Bangladesh. This finding points to the fact that the subjects representing the educated people of the country are already used to using some English expressions side by side Bengali in their social activities. Maybe, this is due to the colonial impact as well as the effects of increasing globalization.

Rethinking the status of English in Bangladesh

13

Maniruzzaman 5568

Explorer, Volume 2, Number 1, September 2009, ISSN 1998-

18. Should English be used in all the educational activities of Bangladesh?

No 6%

Yes 94% Yes No

Pie Chart 18: Use of English in all the educational activities The pie chart above unfolds 94% of the subjects are of the opinion that English should be used in all the educational activities of Bangladesh while only 6% of them oppose the idea. In other words, almost all the respondents consider the use of English in all the educational activities of Bangladesh momentous. This research finding results from the fact that English is indispensable for higher education as well as getting and doing jobs in both the public and private sectors in Bangladesh. To sum up, the majority of the respondents think that there should be change in the status of English in the constitution of Bangladesh. They are, most probably, of the opinion that English should be given the status of a second language in the constitution as well as the education system of Bangladesh. Besides, they demand English should considerably be used in the education system, the official activity and their daily activities. Further, they find no rivalry between Bengali and English; rather, they consider English should be complementary to Bengali. In this connection, we could quote Chowdhury (1986, p. 23) as he asserts that there is no real conflict between the two. What the study of English is in conflict with is narrow, aggressive and reactionary nationalism. True nationalism always accommodates internationalism. In fact, it welcomes it. In Bangladesh the study of English language and literature can significantly contribute to the growth of both nationalism and healthy internationalism. Furthermore, they support the use of English in all the official, social and educational activities of Bangladesh. Hence, the hypothesis The prevailing situation of Bangladesh demands a language policy to be adopted and a pragmatic plan to be implemented to consider English as complementary to Bengali and proclaim it as the second language of the country. can be considered to be true. In other words, the reality of Bangladesh demands that English should be officially declared as the second of the state and that the use of Bengali and English side by side should be promoted on the basis of a language policy and a pragmatic plan. Last but not least, as the present researcher is not aware of any earlier studies concerned with the problem addressed here, no comparison could be made, and further studies attempting to examine the hypotheses formulated and checked in this study are warranted to substantiate the validity of its findings.

Rethinking the status of English in Bangladesh

14

Maniruzzaman 5568

Explorer, Volume 2, Number 1, September 2009, ISSN 1998-

Conclusions and recommendations To carry out the present study, two hypotheses have been formulated. The first hypothesis is that though a foreign language constitutionally, English is currently being used as a second language in different sectors of Bangladesh. As a great majority of the subjects representing the educated people of the country use English with their family members, friends, colleagues and foreigners as well as in their professions and/or work places, and as they use English and Bengali side by side in their daily life communication, English could be deemed to enjoy the status of a second language in reality in different sectors of Bangladesh. The second hypothesis is that the prevailing situation of Bangladesh demands a language policy to be adopted and a pragmatic plan to be implemented to consider English as complementary to Bengali and proclaim it as the second language of the country. This hypothesis has also been accepted since most of the respondents take the view that English should be given the status of a second language in the constitution as well as the education system of Bangladesh and that there exists no rivalry between English and Bengali, and support the use of English in all the official, social and educational activities of Bangladesh. Though Bangladesh is a monolingual setting with the Bengali language being spoken by all the people, its people, culture and education are enormously affected by those of the English language. To be truthful, English is conspicuously seen to be dominant over Bengali in most of the activities of the educated people in the urban areas of Bangladesh. If the language is put on a second-foreign language continuum, it is certainly found to enjoy the status of a second language rather than a foreign language in reality in all the important sectors of the nation. As a consequence of British colonization and due to the impact of current globalization, English in Bangladesh is being used as a second language in almost all the important spheres. To countenance this proposition, we could quote Choi and Lee (2008, p. 4)All the Asian nations/regions where English is used as a second language are post-colonial countries where English was a colonial language (e.g., Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong, India, and the UAE). Is this due to the impact of the colonial period? The answer may be yes; however, the influence of the pragmatic needs of those countries cannot be neglected, as noted in Tsui (2004). Despite being a foreign language officially, English is indeed enjoying the status of a second language in the activities of the educated people, particularly in the urban areas of Bangladesh. There exists hardly any rivalry between Bengali and English in reality, and it is speculative that English would soon be recognized and adopted as second language in this country. Therefore, it might be recommended that a language policy should be adopted and a pragmatic plan should be implemented so as to consider English as complementary to Bengali and proclaim it as the second language of Bangladesh.

Rethinking the status of English in Bangladesh

15

Maniruzzaman 5568

Explorer, Volume 2, Number 1, September 2009, ISSN 1998-

References: Aldridge, A. and Levine, K. (2001). Surveying the social world: principles and practices in survey research. Maidenhead: Open University Press. Choi, Y. H. and Lee, H. W. (2008). Current trends and issues in English language education in Asia. The Journal of Asia TEFL, 5(2), 1-34. Chowdhury, K. (1986). The state of English in Bangladesh. In N. Islam (Ed.), The State of English in Bangladesh Today (pp. 13-23). Dhaka: English Association of Bangladesh. Coomaraswamy, A. K. (1943). Education in India. In H. N. Rivlin and H. Schueler (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Modern Education. New York: The Philosophical Library Inc. Government of the Peoples Republic of Bangladesh. (1974). Report of the commission on national education, Ministry of Education, Dhaka. Government of the Peoples Republic of Bangladesh. (1993). Report of the committee for compulsory English at the undergraduate pass/honours levels. Ministry of Education, Dhaka. Hasan, S. M. M. (2009). Condition of English in Bangladesh: second language or foreign language. Retrieved April 9, 2009, from http://www.eslteachersboard.com/. Mukherjee, K. C. (1971). The Indian universities. In B. Holmes and D. G. Scanlon (Eds.), Higher Education in a Changing World. London: Evans Brothers Ltd. Tsui, A. B. M. (2004). Language policies in Asian countries: issues and tensions. The Journal of Asia TEFL, 1, 1-25. Vaus, D. A. (1992). Surveys in social research. London: Unwin Hyman.

Rethinking the status of English in Bangladesh

16

Maniruzzaman 5568

Explorer, Volume 2, Number 1, September 2009, ISSN 1998-

Appendix Questionnaire on the current status of English in reality in Bangladesh The questionnaire has been designed to know your opinions on the current status of English in reality in Bangladesh. Your responses will be used for research purposes only. Thank you for your cooperation!

Your name: . Your profession/occupation: .. Your educational qualification: ..

Instructions: Please tick () any one of the alternatives below each question which best expresses your opinion on or feeling about the question. 1. How much do you use English while speaking to your family members? Not at all a little fairly much 2. How much do you use English while speaking to your friends? very much

Not at all a little fairly much very much 3. How much do you use English while speaking to your colleagues? Not at all a little fairly much 4. How much do you use English in your profession/ work place? very much

Not at all a little fairly much very much 5. How much do you use English to communicate with foreigners? Not at all a little fairly much very much 6. How much do your fellow persons need to use English in their daily life? Not at all a little fairly much 7. How much do you need to use English in your daily life? very much

Not at all a little fairly much very much 8. Do you use English and Bengali side by side in your real life communication? Yes No 9. Should English remain a foreign language in the constitution of Bangladesh? Yes No

Rethinking the status of English in Bangladesh

17

Maniruzzaman 5568

Explorer, Volume 2, Number 1, September 2009, ISSN 1998-

10. Should English remain a foreign language in the education system of Bangladesh? Yes No 11. How much should English be used in the education system of Bangladesh? Not at all a little fairly much very much 12. How much should English be used in the official activity of Bangladesh? Not at all a little fairly much 13. How much should you use English in your daily activities? Not at all a little fairly much 14. Should there be rivalry between Bengali and English? Yes No 15. Should English be complementary to Bengali? Yes No 16. Should English be used in all the official activities of Bangladesh? Yes No 17. Should English be used in all the social activities of Bangladesh? Yes No 18. Should English be used in all the educational activities of Bangladesh? Yes No very much very much

Rethinking the status of English in Bangladesh

18