Empowering the Vulnerable Sections of Society Through English
Aug 03 2010
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“Neither Asoka’s Sanskrit nor Akbar’s Urdu united the country as did the Englishman’s English”, said Mr K M Balasubramaniam, who had translated Tirukkural into English (vide, The Indian Express, dated November 6, 1967). “It is English that has helped develop Tamil”, he added to prolonged cheers. In a scathing attack on those who opposed English, he said they were against English either because they did not know it or their sons could not learn it. The Tamil scholar who spoke for about 20 minutes received a thunderous ovation when he concluded. He was speaking at the Convention on English. His spirited speech was frequently applauded by the predominantly student audience.
The highest court of the land, viz., the Supreme Court of India, views English as the flag-bearer of knowledge economy. The Uttar Pradesh government, after more than six decades, has realised that the Queen’s language can also play the role of a ’social leveller’. Anyway, it is better late than never, as they say. The UP government, headed by Ms Mayawati, has made English compulsory in primary schools. The Sunday Times of India dated January 17, 2010, which carried the news (of the UP government mandating the inclusion of English in the primary school curriculum) has quoted educationist Bhalachandra Mungekar as saying, “jobs create vertical and horizontal social mobility while caste, which is immobile, played an ascriptive role. With English came new skills and the system is fast becoming achievement-oriented”. One cannot agree more with Mungekar. By mastering English, those belonging to the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes would be better placed to bag jobs offered by the new economy. Incidentally, the UP Chief Minister Ms Mayawati’s icon, Dr B R Ambedkar viewed English and the urban landscape as the twin tools for achieving social liberation. He regarded English as the game changer.
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Improve & Practice English Pronunciation – Top 8 Helpful Tips
Jun 01 2010
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1. Try to observe the mouth movements of those who speak English well and try to imitate them. You can do this activity while in the comforts of your home while watching television. Also, watch mouth movements of good speakers when you are out in public. Repeat what they say and practice the intonation (the way they say it), to gain a greater understanding of the rhythm and flow of the English language and improve English accent.
2. Make a list of frequently used words that you find difficult to pronounce and ask someone who speaks well, to help you pronounce them. This will help you improve your American English accent.
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Learn the English Accent Using Idioms and Colorful Expressions
Jun 01 2010
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Like it or not, the American workplace and social scene is full of colorful idioms and expressions. People don’t begin a project. They get a project off the ground. Many professionals who work in teams don’t just talk about ideas or brainstorm. they like to run some ideas by us!!
Many people who speak English as a second language don’t recognize how important idioms are. You will need to get comfortable using idioms. How is this best accomplished? When they come up in conversation and you don’t understand, be sure to keep a notebook and write them down. You can ask an American whom you know about the meaning or look the words up so you’re not out of the loop!!
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