English in India: History, Evolution & Futures
UGC NET English Paper 2 Complete Study Material
📚 This comprehensive unit covers the historical journey of English in India, its linguistic evolution, current status, and future prospects as per UGC NET English Paper 2 syllabus.
Early English contact, East India Company's language policies, Charter Act of 1813, Macaulay's Minute (1835), Wood's Despatch (1854).
"We must at present do our best to form a class who may be interpreters between us and the millions whom we govern..." - Macaulay's Minute
Key Concepts: Orientalist-Anglicist controversy, Downward Filtration Theory, Vernacular Press Act
Study Colonial HistoryEstablishment of universities, Indian Universities Act 1904, Hartog Committee 1929, English in nationalist movement.
1857 - First universities in Bombay, Madras, Calcutta
1904 - Indian Universities Act
1929 - Hartog Committee on education
1937 - Gandhi's Basic Education proposal
Key Concepts: English as 'language of liberation', Role in nationalist discourse, Medium of elite education
Explore British PeriodOfficial Language Debate 1947-67, Three Language Formula (1968), Kothari Commission (1964-66), NPE 1968/1986.
"English shall continue to be used for all official purposes until 1965" - Article 343, Indian Constitution
Key Concepts: Hindi-English controversy, Anti-Hindi agitations, Official Languages Act 1963
Study Language PolicyPhonological, syntactic, lexical features, code-mixing, Indianisms, regional variations.
• "What is your good name?"
• "I am doing my graduation"
• "Kindly adjust"
• "Passing out of college"
Key Concepts: Reduplication, Question formation, Tense usage, Borrowings from Indian languages
Analyze FeaturesDevelopment phases, major writers, themes, debates about authenticity.
"The purpose of writing is to create a world that reflects my reality." - Arundhati Roy
Key Concepts: Colonial consciousness, Postcolonial identity, Diasporic writing, Vernacular English
Explore LiteratureMedium of instruction debates, English in NEP 2020, ELT in India, Private English schools.
1968 - First National Policy on Education
1986 - NPE with emphasis on 'Operation Blackboard'
2020 - NEP promoting multilingualism
Key Concepts: English-medium advantage, Rural-urban divide, Language proficiency issues
Study Education RoleEnglish newspapers, television, cinema, internet, social media impact.
"Hinglish" advertisements: "Yeh dil maange more" (Pepsi), "Nothing official about it" (The Times of India)
Key Concepts: Hybridization, Glocalization, Digital English, SMS language
Analyze Media ImpactEnglish as status symbol, linguistic inequality, Dalit perspectives, gender dimensions.
• 19th century: Language of colonial administration
• 20th century: Language of national elite
• 21st century: Language of global aspiration
Key Concepts: Linguistic capital, Elite closure, Language and power
Study SociolinguisticsEnglish vs. Indian languages, 'killer language' debate, linguistic imperialism, decolonization.
"English has become a symbol of people's aspirations for quality in education and a fuller participation in national and international life." - NCERT
Key Concepts: Linguistic human rights, Language ecology, Phillipson's theories
Explore DebatesProjections, globalization impact, multilingualism scenarios, Indian English as variety.
• Continued dominance in elite spaces
• Greater hybridization with Indian languages
• Potential resistance movements
• Official recognition as Indian language
Key Concepts: World Englishes model, Endonormative stabilization, Linguistic landscape
Study Future TrendsEnglish in India Practice Questions
Identify the Historical Document
"We must at present do our best to form a class who may be interpreters between us and the millions whom we govern..."
Match the Policy to Year
Feature Identification
Which of these is a characteristic feature of Indian English syntax?
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