MULTILINGUALITY AND THE TEACHING OF ENGLISH IN INDIA
Uwakmfon
This paper argues that the actual heterogeneity rather than the assumed homogeneity of the classroom should inform the project of education. The unmarked classroom in India is essentially multilingual and multicultural and these features can be used as resources rather than seen as obstacles. A similar approach should inform the teaching of English. Children do need to learn English but not at the cost of their own languages. In the paradigm of multilinguality suggested in this paper, it is eminently possible to organize methods, materials, teacher training and classroom transaction in a way that the languages of children are not ignored and English still gets acquired, with levels of proficiency not commonly witnessed hitherto among children.
