LANGUAGE IN INDIA

Enabling Students to Interpret Literary Texts Independently by Enhancing Their Vocabulary

S. Jayalakshmi, M.A., M.Phil.

Difficulties in Retrieving Meaning

Interpretation means trying to decipher the idea which is part of a given word or phrase, sentence or a larger chunk such as a paragraph. Interpretation is enabled primarily by an identification of the written matter, that is, knowledge of the script, and later recognition of words and phrases, leading on to an understanding of simple and complex syntax. Since every language has unpredictable contextual meanings, one finds it difficult to decode or make sense of the given piece of literature, if it happens to be in a language which is not one's native. This not only happens to beginners but even experienced audience of literature stumbles upon the multiplicity of meanings while reading literature.

English Literature as Part of English Curriculum in Indian Schools

Ever since English language teaching was introduced in India after the Minutes of Macaulay during the late 1830s, English literature has been used to teach the English language to Indians. It was believed that appreciation of literature is an integral part of language learning. This was not against the prevailing Indian traditional education as well wherein study of literature was a stepping stone for the mastery of the relevant Indian language. Thus, in India, literature has for a long time been one of the most influential genres in teaching language.

Reasons for Using Literature to Teach Language

There may be different reasons for using literature to teach a language. Younger people are easily attracted by and can benefit from stories, for instance, in the sense that stories are not only interesting but they also induce spontaneous reading or listening on the part of the audience. In the case of the adult or mature readers, they can reflect upon stories or any piece of literature, for instance, and analyze their content within a historical context and/or a psychological framework.

Be it poetry or prose or fiction, literature often makes a lasting impression on its readers due to the vibrant imagery and the closeness of familiarity developed through the characters and events. Thus, literature often has the ability to evoke feelings and emotions, which no other subject can achieve.

English Teaching Scenario in India

Analyzing the English teaching scenario in India, almost all the schools and colleges have prescribed English texts with texts written by native English authors. It has always been taken for granted that the language-teaching class is to be converted into literature-learing class. As rightly pointed by Mehrotra (1995), "…interestingly, when a work of literature is used to teach language, the language class often turns into literature class and sometimes a general knowledge class, leaving language to take care of itself."

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