The Importance of English

The Importance of English

            The exact date of birth of English is not known. It came into existence as a low West Germanic language and metamorphosis over the years has seen English being accepted by close to 600 million people across the globe. It can be seen as a symbol of Unity, uniting people of various cultures, creed and color by giving them the scope of communication.

Globalization is defined as the shrinking of world, not literally but metaphorically. Even globalization is in a way dependent on English as it serves as the medium for communication. Man is a gregarious animal, he loves to socialize and English again serves his purpose as it is the official language of the maximum number of countries, carrying an unimaginable advantage over other languages.

Starting from striking a deal at the interview hall to the varied challenges in the professional circuit, English paves the way to meet all the challenges. The better someone is at this oral and written weapon, the chances of him/her making it big in the battle of life is more.The career graph of an individual also has a lot to do with English as it shapes up the personality and the growth of the concerned individual. It’s a matter of prestige too if you excel at the most popular language of modern times. Certain areas also take English as the parameter to judge someone’s knowledge and shortcomings in other aspects can easily be veiled.  Even the language of Computers is English, which helps in connecting people worldwide. Certainly, English is the window language as it creates a wide domain of opportunities possible for an individual.

India’s tryst with English dates back to the pre-independence days when the British rulers introduced English in India to overcome the linguistic hurdle with the natives and propel better administration. Since then, the Indians have accepted it gleefully with a warm response and it is now used for all the official purposes in every sector of work in India. Many of the Indians have mastered this vast language and have won international recognition as well as many awards for the same.

If someone wonders how it is possible for a language like English to be the most popular language despite having a 1:2 ratio to Mandarin, (the most spoken language in the world), then the answer is the simplicity of English. The basic fundamentals are easy to pick up and learn with simple and easy pronunciation. However, Mandarin can really be tough as each word can be pronounced in four different ways. But even then it is spoken by a billion people. There is more to it than what meets the eye as far as the popularity of English is concerned.

English is considered as the De jure or the official language of India and it is the second largest English speaking country by population after the USA. In every professional sphere, English is a pre-requisite and it’s looked upon as an essential trait for any venture in the official circuit. From law books to comic books, English adorns everything. The 26 alphabets make up the entire language of English and the various combinations of these letters form the magic known as - The English Language. As a toddler, everyone picks up the 26 alphabets first and as they grow up,they start using them in words and then in sentences with the aid of the 26 alphabets. Slowly, the kids discover their entire academics revolve around English, be it history or geography.  Even the regional schools introduce English because they too believe that English is not just a mere language or a subject.

 The funny part about the English spoken in India is that nearly everyone has a mother tongue influence, depending on their place of birth. But putting across your message in your own flexible way to someone is still a possibility. A torch, a computer, a table and many others don’t have substitute words for them in many regional languages. Without a shred of doubt, English is a flexible language. People don’t have to scratch their brains too much even if they pronounce “but” and “put” differently. The versatility doesn’t only lie in pronunciation, intonation or collocation but by its wide range of usage.

If Marathi is the mother tongue of the Maharashtrians, Tamil is the mother tongue of the inhabitants of Tamil Nadu, so in the very same way, English can be touted as the mother tongue of the world. Simple in nature, English continues to gobble up more fan following than ever before. Especially with the world turning into a small village now, the need of this magnanimous language is realized even more. In a nutshell, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that English is now in our system and a part of life