LANGUAGE IN INDIA

English Language Teaching in Developing Countries
Error Analysis and Remedial Teaching Methods -
An Overview

K. A. Krishnalalitha, M.A., M.Phil.

English as a Second language in India

English is a second language in many countries. If a language is used for limited purposes like International trade and commerce, travel etc., it is considered to be a foreign language. If it is used for many other purposes than these such as education, media etc., it is a second language in a country.

However, linguistically speaking, the terms such as second language and foreign language are defined based upon the reinforcement possibilities outside the classroom. Thirumalai 2002 reports:

L2 refers to the language or languages acquired or learned subsequent to the first language. The term Second Language also refers to the language or languages acquired or learned subsequent to the first language. It is generally assumed that the first language of a person comes to influence the quality of learning and use of the second language. …

The term Foreign language refers to that language for the use of which there is no immediate reinforcement outside the classroom. For example, if English is learned by a Japanese student from Japan in the United States, the status of such learning is treated as second language learning, because he has abundant opportunities to use that language outside his classroom. On the other hand, if the same student learns English in his country, he may not have equally abundant opportunity to use English outside his classroom. Under this condition, the student is deemed to be learning English as a foreign language. It is important that we keep this distinction in mind when we teach English to speakers of other languages, because each teaching/learning situation will require different materials, strategies, and goals. (http://www.languageinindia.com/april2002/tesolbook.html#chapter1)

Learners, especially in a developing country like India, face a lot of trouble in learning a second language.

Some Positions Relating to Acquisition and Learning

Most linguists take the position that the first language is acquired and the second language is learnt. There are others who argue that the process of learning the L1 and L2 are same.

There is a natural, biological and social need to learn one's first language. When a child learns its mother tongue, its mind is clear, as it is learning a language for the first time. Whereas, when a learner starts learning a second language, there is a clash between the system of the first language and that of the second language which in turn will affect his/her learning speed. When one language system becomes more or less a habit, the learning of the second language becomes rather difficult.

ELT has become a challenging activity, when standards set in relation to fluency and appropriate use. The 20th century has seen an immense amount of activity in language teaching methodology. The trend continues in this century as well.

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