Condition - health of English in Bangladesh: Second Language or Foreign Language
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Mother tongue or first language is maybe the most favorite thing for any person. The query of language has resulted into many conflicts and discontentment. The prime example of such dissatisfaction is the Language Movement of 1952 in Bangladesh. On the other hand we can not live in isolation. We have to be in experience with the speakers of other languages. Bangladesh is determined to be a monolingual country in which more than 98% of the people is speakers of Bangla language. However, there are more than ten languages in such a small country like Bangladesh. Monipuri, Urdu, Chakma, Santali, Garo, Rakhain, Tipra- are just some of the other languages present in Bangladesh. What I said. It is not the conclusion that the actual about Condition. You see this article for facts about that wish to know is Condition.ConditionThe animated thing is that Urdu is a Indo-European language but written in Arabic script, Santali belongs to the Mono-Khemar language house while Chakma belongs to the Chinese-Barmese language group. So, although Bangladesh is often portrayed as a country of linguistic unity based on Bangla language in reality it has famous linguistic diversity. To retell with the speakers of other languages we whether need to know their language or retell in a Lingua-Franca that is comprehensible to both of us. Today, the world has become a global village. Thanks to the advancement of communication ideas and technology. Every country is dependent on others for trade and commerce, education, politics etc. As a result, we have to constantly retell with other countries and speakers of other languages. Third world countries like Bangladesh have to depend on foreign aid because they are not self-sufficient. As a result, many foreigners come to Bangladesh. A third factor is the factor of religion. The sacred language of the Muslims is Arabic, Sanskrit for Hindus, Pali for the Buddhists and Latin for the Christians. All these factors remind us the necessity for learning other language(s) in expanding to our mom tongue. According to this reality many countries of the world have adopted a European language as second language which is often used in education, law court, economic activities and government works. These languages have most of the time lawful status in the constitution of those countries. Many of the cases the countries have adopted the language of their past colonial rulers as the second language. Sometimes these languages are also called lawful language. In many African countries we can see this picture. On the other hand, some European languages have become very foremost in the world for literary and economic purposes. For example, German and French are determined to be foremost languages of the world because both of them have influential literature and economic aspects connected with them. For example, many people in our country are curious to learn French because it may help them to get Un jobs and jobs in Multinational companies. Another animated motivation for learning French in Bangladesh is that it may help us to immigrate to Canada as skill in French language gives a person some extra points in the point ideas of Canadian immigration. The title of my explore is "Status of English in Bangladesh: Second language or foreign language?" I have selected this topic because from sociolinguistic point of view the status of English is a very animated one. On the one hand English language is dominantly present in every side of our national life while on the other hand in our constitution it is clearly declared that the language of the country is Bangla. In fact, nothing is said about the status of English language in our constitution. On one hand, economic activities in the hidden fellowships are carried out in English while there is a government law (Bangla procholon ain1987) that government offices must use Bangla in their lawful works. So from the government point of view Bangla is the national- lawful language of Bangladesh and English is the most foremost foreign language. But in reality English is the second language of the country and in many places English is more foremost than Bangla in Bangladesh. Second language: A second language is any language other than the first, or native, language learned; it is typically used because of geographical or collective reasons. The term is to be noteworthy from foreign language; linguist Eric Lenneberg uses second language in his considerable duration hypothesis to mean a language consciously learned or used by its speaker after puberty. In most cases, people never accomplish the same level of fluency and understanding in their second languages as in their first language. Historically in Europe, the most widely used second language (or lingua franca) was Latin. It was used by the Church; by the Law (as it still is today); in treatment (starting much later); Horticulture and biological classification of plants, animals, fruits, nuts, etc. Latin was used so much over Europe that it was called the vulgar (or coarse tongue); this is why the Latin version of the Bible is called the Vulgate. Nowadays, English is determined the world's most broad second language; it is used in areas as diverse as the internet, television and radio, and international aviation. The success of English throughout the world stems from two major causes: the far reaching influence of the British Empire, and the 20th century (and continuing) dominance of the United States in the fields of business and entertainment. French was for a time the lingua franca (the origin of term) in Europe. In history, both England and France were ruled by a single crown - the language used by the royal court was French (English was determined "the peasant's language"). Afterwards, as was the case with English, the French empire spread its language through colonization. French continues to be one of the world's most widely spoken languages. (Source: Wikipedia) If we look at the definition of second language then we can unquestionably say that English is the second language of Bangladesh. It is widely used in many parts of our national life. Many people watch English television channels and also use Internet. The students have to study it for twelve years and those who want to join civil aid by attending Bcs exam also have to sit for English examination. The only thing that is missing from the above definition is the fact that except for formal occasions no one speaks in English in Bangladesh. It is not the language used in home among house members and among friends in informal conversation. Foreign language: A foreign language is a language not spoken by the indigenous people of a certain place: for example, English is a foreign language in Japan. It is also a language not spoken in the native country of the person referred to, i.e. An English speaker living in Japan can say that Japanese is a foreign language to him or her. Some children learn more than one language from birth or from a very young age: they are bilingual. These children can be said to have two mom tongues: neither language is foreign to that child, even if one language is a foreign language for the vast majority of people in the child's birth country. For example, a child learning English from her English mom in Japan can speak both English and Japanese, but neither is a foreign language to her. (Source- Wikipedia) From the above definition, it is seen that foreign language refers to a language that is not native to a person. From this point of view English can be determined as a foreign language in Bangladesh since it is not native in our country. Hardly any Bangladeshi person speaks in English although many of them use it in instruction and business. Official language: An lawful language is something that is given a unique status in the countries, states, and other territories. It is typically the language used in a nation's legislative bodies, though the law in many nations requires that government documents be produced in other languages as well. Officially recognized minority languages are often mistaken for lawful languages. However, a language officially recognized by a state, taught in schools, and used in lawful communication is not necessarily an lawful language. For example, Ladin and Sardinian in Italy and Mirandese in Portugal are only officially recognized minority languages, not lawful languages in the spoton sense. Half of the countries in the world have lawful languages. Some have only one lawful language, such as Albania, France, or Lithuania, despite the fact that in all these countries there are other native languages spoken as well. Some have more than one lawful language, such as Afghanistan, Belarus, Belgium, Bolivia, Canada, Eritrea, Finland, India, Paraguay, South Africa, and Switzerland. In some countries, such as Iraq, Italy, Russia and Spain, there is an lawful language for the country, but other languages are co-official in some foremost regions. Some countries, such as Australia, Sweden, Tuvalu, and the United States have no lawful languages. The lawful languages of some old colonies, typically French or English, are not the national languages or the most widely spoken language. In contrast, as a consequence of nationalism, Irish is the "national language" of the Republic of Ireland and its first lawful language, although it is spoken by only a small fraction of its people. English, which is spoken by the majority, is described only as the second lawful language (Constitution of Ireland, narrative 8). In some countries, the issue of which language is to be used in what context is a major political issue.(Source-Wikipedia) From the above definition, it is seen that the thought of lawful language is complicated. According to our constitution English can not be termed as the lawful language of Bangladesh since it has no status in our constitution. The only language that is mentioned in our constitution is Bangla. But English is allowed in our parliament and many government events. For example, when there is a government event in which some foreigners attend then in many cases the speakers use English language. Many foremost government documents are written both in Bangla and English. The parliament proceedings are kept into these two languages. When a government body organizes a fair then often the souvenir is published in English. Constitution: About the language of the country the Bangladeshi constitution clearly states: "The state language. The state language of the Republic is [Bangla]." (Source: [http://www.pmo.gov.bd/constitution/consti2.htm#3].) In the constitution nothing is mentioned about the status of English. English is not mentioned as a second language or lawful language. So if we take the status of English in our constitution then we cannot claim that English is a Second language or lawful Language in Bangladesh. English in Law court in Bangladesh: After Independence the government took the initiative to implement Bangla language in law court. As a result, now the lower courts carry out their activities in Bangla but English is yet very influential in High Court and consummate Court. If a lawyer wants to practice in consummate court then he must have a good command over English language. Many of the judges still give their verdicts in English language. It seems that this trend of using English will remain for the forcible future. English in instruction sector in Bangladesh: Formal and institutionalized instruction ideas started in Bangladesh while the British rule. At that time Bangladesh was part of British India. There was a consider about the medium of education. Raja Rammohan Roy argued that the medium should be English rather than Sanskrit or Persian. while the British duration the medium of instruction was largely in English. Calcutta University took an initiative in 1935 to introduce Bangla as a medium of instruction along with English. In Bangladesh the use of Bangla in college level started in the 1960s. Now students can talk in the examinations in Bangla or English. In the college level and university level after 1971 the government tried to patronize Bangla and implement it by replacing English in the instruction sector but this did not came into reality because of some basic problems. The first problem is that there were not sufficient books of any field in Bangla language. This problem is more acute in science and technology. For example, there are approximately no books in Bangla about computer technology that can be used as a reference book in the University level. Actually there are three kinds of instruction systems in our country- Bangla medium, English medium, and Madrasa system. Bangla medium schools can be divided into two sections- government schools, and kindergarten schools. In the kindergarten schools more emphasis is given on English language than government schools. Some of the famous kindergarten schools of Dhaka are Vikarounnesa, Holycross, Willes limited Flower, and so on. Although these schools belong to Bangla medium the students have to study 3-4 English books like: Radiant Way, Active English, Desk Work, underlying English, Brighter Grammar, and so on. On the other hand in the government schools there is in general one English book (English for Today) which is published by Bangladesh Text Book Board. The English medium schools do not corollary Bangladeshi instruction ideas and are under the supervision of British Council. The medium of instruction in these schools is English and many of the students of English medium are even very weak in Bangla language. There are two kinds of Madrassas - Dakhil and Kawmi. The Kawmi Madrassas are not recognized by the government and do not receive any assistance from the government. In this Madrassas emphasis is given on learning Arabic, Persian, and Urdu while Bangla and English are neglected. On the other hand in Dakhil Madrassas emphasis is in general given on Arabic and Bangla and English are not so much neglected. So we can clearly see that the variation in instruction ideas in Bangladesh is solely based on the variation in the medium of education. Although Bangla is the National-Official language of Bangladesh it is the English medium instruction institutes who get more money. The rise of hidden universities has only increased the status and point of English language in Bangladesh. There are now more than 50 hidden Universities in Bangladesh and the medium of instruction in all of them is English. These universities charge 2 lakh to 5 lakh taka for Bachelor course. If the medium of instruction was in Bangla then hardly any learner or parents would get curious to pay such huge money for the instruction in hidden universities. From the above argument it is clear that in our normal instruction ideas English has equal if not more point than Bangla. In our instruction ideas English is unquestionably the Second language as all the students have to study it as a compulsory branch for twelve years. English and Administration: During the language movement the people of Bangladesh were afraid that if Urdu was established as the State Language of Pakistan then all the government activities will be carried out in Urdu and our people will suffer. As a corollary of the language movement, the Pakistani Regime kept on carrying out government activities in English language. After Bangladesh became independent the government of Awami League decided to replace English with Bangla in executive works but after the death of Sheikh Mujib this process came to a halt and English prolonged to remain as the dominant language. It was while the rule of Ershad Bangla Procholon Aeen of 1987 was created and implemented. From that time English started to lose its point in administration. However, it has to be mentioned that all the international communication of Bangladesh government is carried out through English. English in Economic activities: The economy of Bangladesh is dependent on foreign aids and export of some coarse items like ready made garments, jute, tea, fish etc and also we import a lot of things. Bangladesh is not self sufficient economically. Trading is more favorite than production. Trading requires constant communication with foreign companies. Many of the fellowships who are complex in trading have to use English in dealing with foreigners. Suppose, a business is doing trading with China which is not an English speaking country. Then the business has to experience the Chinese business in English. If we look at the advertisements of the hidden sector jobs then we can unquestionably consideration that most of the job advertisements are posted in English. Even most of the hidden sector job advertisements that are posted in Bengali newspapers are posted in English. approximately all the hidden jobs state that the applicants must have good proficiency in English language. approximately all the collective limited fellowships publish their yearly reports in English. Some of these fellowships produce a Bangla version of their yearly narrative but the emphasis is all the time on English. So it is clear that English is the dominant language in our economic activities. Comparison of English with Arabic, Sanskrit, and Pali in Bangladesh: Arabic, Sanskrit and Pali are the religious languages of Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists respectively. Even the uneducated people try to learn these languages as they are determined to be holy. If we compare the learning of English with these languages then we can see that English is given more importance. For example, the tuition fee of a English coaching center is much higher than that of an Arabic coaching centre. English hidden tutors get 4-5 times more money than Arabic hidden tutors (Huzur). So although Arabic has religious sentiment attached to it English is determined to be more foremost as it has economic benefit. Comparison of English foreign languages like French, German, and Farsi: French and German have become very favorite for economic reasons in our country. learning these languages help us to increase our possibility to get a Un job. learning French is also helpful for getting immigration to Canada. Also there are good facilities to learn these languages in Dhaka University, Alliance Francaise, and Goethe Institute. Recently, the English construct of North South University has introduced French course. On the other hand while the Muslim reign Farsi was the language of the Royal supervision and law court in Bangladesh. At present, a learner can attend Farsi policy for one semester by just paying tk. 250 in Iran Cultural center but there are not many students who are curious to learn Farsi, French, and German. On the other hand, hundreds of students each year appear for Toefl and Ielts exams in English language. From the above picture it is clear that the status of English is much higher than foreign languages like German, French, and Farsi. We can not deny the reality that if a person is good at English then he can earn money in any part of Bangladesh but if a person is good at French, German, or Farsi he has hardly any scope to earn money by using his skills in these languages. Recommendations: From the argument so far there is no doubt that English is the second language of Bangladesh but this reality is not reflected in our constitution. Officially Bangladesh is not known as an Esl country to the exterior world. So Bangladesh should be declared as an Esl country by the government without any delay. We learn English not because we like Shakespeare or Dickens. We learn English from out of every day necessity. If Bangladesh is declared as an Esl country and English language is given a clear status in the constitution then it will not only reflect the reality but also it will help us internationally. Now Bangladesh is desperately trying to attract foreign investors. Before any business comes to Bangladesh for exploring the venture opportunities one of the key areas they would look for is the availability of pool of English graduates and they also expect that the normal workers will have basic understanding of English language. If we become an Esl country then these foreign fellowships while searching about Bangladesh will get assured about the strong nearnessy of English language in this country. The same picture is there about educational sector. Many Bangladeshi students want to go to developed countries like Usa, Uk , Canada, and Australia for higher education. If Bangladesh is declared as an Esl country then these students will be benefited because then the Universities of those countries will get the idea that English has extra point in Bangladesh. So I advise to the government of Bangladesh that English should be declared as the second language of the country by amending the constitution. Conclusion: Bangladesh is the only country in the world whose people sacrificed their lives for the language. Now the historical language movement of 1952 is acknowledged internationally as the International mom Language Day. It is true that our people are emotional about their language, Bangla. However, it is equally true that now our people have become desperate about getting skilled in English language. As a result, there are more than fifty hidden universities now in Bangladesh. If North South Offered Bba and Computer Science courses in Bangla medium then they would not get even 10% of the whole of students they have now. It is now good time that we stop the great contradiction about the language issue and voice Bangladesh as an Esl country for our own benefit. Bibliography 1. Dr. Musa, Monsur. Bhashacinta Prosongo O Poridhi. Dhaka:Bangla
2. Dr. Musa, Monsur. Bangladesher Rashtrabhasha. Dhaka:Bangla
3. Dr. Musa, Monsur. Bhasha Porikolponar Shomaj
4. Dr. Musa, Monsur. Bangla Paribhasha: Itihas O Samasya. Dhaka:Bangla
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