This has reference to the 'Neeya Naana' program on Vijay TV aired on Suday the 7th July 2013.
The topic of discussion was "Why do school children prefer English for communication over Tamil?".
A kaleidoscope of viewpoints were expressed.
On the one side were school children and on the other side were their parents.
From the children's said a variety of opinions were shared viz 'It gives a sense of pride', 'If we speak Tamil amidst an English speaking crowd, we are perceived as illiterates, as uneducated', 'Speaking English makes us feel superior', 'When our relatives children speak from abroad, they use English and we need to match them in communication, hence we prefer English', 'We are fined if we speak in a vernacular language in schools' etc.
From the parent' side also various opinions were share viz 'I could not speak in English, I wanted at least my child to speak in English', 'I feel proud when my daughter speaks in English' etc.
One of the girls said English is unique in that there are expression like 'Oh', 'Wow' etc which are absent in Tamil. However when one of the panelists and also Gopinath, challenged her to recite an English 'kavidhai' she was dumbstruck.
One of the girl spoke in American accent English and she was awarded a prize. Another girl who said she loves both English and Tamil and she also walked away with an award.
Centuries of imperial rule has enslaved our mind and blinded our mind from reality. Our minds have been conditioned and programmed to conceive that command over English is a matter of superiority. We need to understand that language is for communication and every language has her own beauty, literature etc. English is just another language like any other for communication. Just because once upon a time the sun never set in British empire, does not make English superior. It is indeed a blessing in disguise that we Indians were ruled by the British since the English language is a valued legacy.
One of the panelists said that such an attitude towards English, a hype and hooplah about English, is mostly found only among Tamilians which is true to some extent.
We, parents, need to understand this fundamental truth and refrain from imposing an inappropriate attitude towards English, and for that matter towards any langauge.
It is good to develop communication skills in English, build fluency, accurate accent, pronunciation etc but does benefit attaching pride. Skills in communication is required in any language. No language is superior or inferior to another. We need to impress upon our children that effective communication skills in any language is necessary.
English is required to learn subjects other than vernaculars and to communicate with foreigners. Though English is understood in most parts of the world, it is not used in many countries. We need to understand that only those countries colonized by Britain use English for studies and learning. After we cannot use English to communicate with vendors on the street in our country.
Let us instill in the minds of our children an appropriate attitude towards English and any other language. Let us teach our children to learn to appreciate every language.
The topic of discussion was "Why do school children prefer English for communication over Tamil?".
A kaleidoscope of viewpoints were expressed.
On the one side were school children and on the other side were their parents.
From the children's said a variety of opinions were shared viz 'It gives a sense of pride', 'If we speak Tamil amidst an English speaking crowd, we are perceived as illiterates, as uneducated', 'Speaking English makes us feel superior', 'When our relatives children speak from abroad, they use English and we need to match them in communication, hence we prefer English', 'We are fined if we speak in a vernacular language in schools' etc.
From the parent' side also various opinions were share viz 'I could not speak in English, I wanted at least my child to speak in English', 'I feel proud when my daughter speaks in English' etc.
One of the girls said English is unique in that there are expression like 'Oh', 'Wow' etc which are absent in Tamil. However when one of the panelists and also Gopinath, challenged her to recite an English 'kavidhai' she was dumbstruck.
One of the girl spoke in American accent English and she was awarded a prize. Another girl who said she loves both English and Tamil and she also walked away with an award.
Centuries of imperial rule has enslaved our mind and blinded our mind from reality. Our minds have been conditioned and programmed to conceive that command over English is a matter of superiority. We need to understand that language is for communication and every language has her own beauty, literature etc. English is just another language like any other for communication. Just because once upon a time the sun never set in British empire, does not make English superior. It is indeed a blessing in disguise that we Indians were ruled by the British since the English language is a valued legacy.
One of the panelists said that such an attitude towards English, a hype and hooplah about English, is mostly found only among Tamilians which is true to some extent.
We, parents, need to understand this fundamental truth and refrain from imposing an inappropriate attitude towards English, and for that matter towards any langauge.
It is good to develop communication skills in English, build fluency, accurate accent, pronunciation etc but does benefit attaching pride. Skills in communication is required in any language. No language is superior or inferior to another. We need to impress upon our children that effective communication skills in any language is necessary.
English is required to learn subjects other than vernaculars and to communicate with foreigners. Though English is understood in most parts of the world, it is not used in many countries. We need to understand that only those countries colonized by Britain use English for studies and learning. After we cannot use English to communicate with vendors on the street in our country.
Let us instill in the minds of our children an appropriate attitude towards English and any other language. Let us teach our children to learn to appreciate every language.
