LANGUAGE IN INDIA

Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow

Volume 16:1 January 2016
ISSN 1930-2940

Managing Editor: M. S. Thirumalai, Ph.D.
Editors: B. Mallikarjun, Ph.D.
         Sam Mohanlal, Ph.D.
         B. A. Sharada, Ph.D.
         A. R. Fatihi, Ph.D.
         Lakhan Gusain, Ph.D.
         Jennifer Marie Bayer, Ph.D.
         G. Baskaran, Ph.D.
         L. Ramamoorthy, Ph.D.
         C. Subburaman, Ph.D. (Economics)
         N. Nadaraja Pillai, Ph.D.
         Renuga Devi, Ph.D.
         Soibam Rebika Devi, M.Sc., Ph.D.
Assistant Managing Editor: Swarna Thirumalai, M.A.

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The Effect of Culture-Specific Syllabus on the English Language
Learners at the Engineering Colleges

Dr. J. Savithri Ph.D.
E. Elizabeth Kamala, Ph.D. Scholar

Abstract

Developing English language skills is one of the major challenges of the engineering students in the state of Telangana. The state produces lakhs of engineers every year but not even 10% of them are found to be employable, especially due to lack of effective communication skills, according to leading industrialists. This tells us the plight of the situation. One of the major targets of the engineering English syllabus is to make the students well-equipped with all the four skills of the language - listening, speaking, reading and writing. But the big question is: are the students really getting equipped with all the four language skills? This paper attempts to study the effect of culture-specific syllabus in improving the English language skills of the engineering students in the state of Telangana. This study is based on the responses of the sample engineering students to a structured questionnaire on the culture-specific syllabus.

Keywords: culture-specific syllabus, language skills, structured questionnaire

Introduction

The key component of culture is language. It is the prime source for the transmission of culture. Children who learn their mother tongue or native language will be learning their own culture too simultaneously. Hence, it can be said that there is a direct connection between learning a language and its own culture. Culture acts as a catalyst in learning a language. But, how can a learner who wants to learn a different language other than his/her own mother tongue can develop an understanding on the culture of that language? Is it not possible to learn the English language without the knowledge of the English culture? Is it possible to create awareness on the English culture in the non-native countries? In the state of Telangana there are many regions where people are not aware of the English culture. Is there no possibility of learning English for those people who come from the remote regions of Telangana? These are some of the critical questions the present paper tries to examine in the context of learning English as a second language through local culture.

This is only the beginning part of the article. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE IN PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION.

Dr. J. Savithri
Director, Centre for English Language Training
University College of Engineering
Osmania University
Hyderabad 500007
Telangana
India
savijandh@gmail.com

Ms. E. Elizabeth Kamala
Assistant Professor of English
Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Technology
Hyderabad 500075
Telangana
India
elizabeth2anil@yahoo.co.in

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