A Foreign Language or the Second Language: The Future of English in Bangladesh (original) (raw)
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AMBIGUITIES AND TENSIONS IN THE ROLE AND USE OF ENGLISH IN BANGLADESH
Over the past few years, there has been a revival of interest in the English language in Bangladesh with the government putting a lot of emphasis on the teaching and learning of English. There have been a plethora of initiatives at the macro-level to strengthen English language education in urban as well as rural areas in the country which are to a certain extent complemented by micro-level initiatives at the family level. Parents aspire for their children to master the English language and spend on private tuition according to their abilities to ensure that learners achieve good results in English and other subjects. Young people, on their part, are keen to learn and use English alongside Bangla, sometimes mixing them together in the same breath in ways that appear outrageous and ridiculous to a lot of people holding tenaciously onto rather conservative views about roles and use of language in national identity formation. Although there is a general consensus that Bangladeshis need English to move ahead in the context of globalization, how English should be used, where and to what extent are issues that are far from being resolved. English is viewed both as an essential lingua franca and a threat to the vitality of Bangla. English is also often blamed for the perceived corruption of Bangla in the media. This paper focuses on the ambiguities and tensions surrounding the roles and use of English vis-à-vis Bangla in Bangladesh.
THE HISTORY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE IN BANGLADESH
The state of English in Bangladesh in the twenty-first century is indeed all-embracing. The use and role of English in media, press, education, commerce, and industries, courts, information and technology, national and international communication signify that English is a highly functional language in this country. Such exhilarating linguistic circumstance of English raises a very significant linguistic issue: How and why has English become very pragmatic in the life of the people in Bangladesh. This article attempts to answer this question from a historical perspective. It analyzes the use and spread of English in Bangladesh since independence in 1971. It also gives evidence of the presence of English in the important domains of national life. Finally, the paper concludes with some recommendations towards bringing effective language policies that will remove the confusion regarding language use and allow people to use English for development purposes.
The Routledge Handbook of English Language Education in Bangladesh, 2020
The introductory chapter gives an overview of the historical, political, and socio-cultural roles of English and English language education (ELE) in Bangladesh with reference to the three broad phases of political history. The chapter shows that English has always occupied different hierarchical positions in relation to local languages. These hierarchies have progressively created a web of linguistics ideologies, sustained and nurtured by social elites, language policies, and educational institutions. In addition, the chapter sheds light on the shifting paradigms and presents practices and condition of ELE in Bangladesh. Connecting the historical, political, and socio-cultural factors with the contextual realities of multilingual ecology of Bangladesh, the chapter allows a better understanding of language policies, language curriculums and syllabuses, classroom pedagogies, textbook materials and assessment, identity of English language teachers and students, role of English literature in language education, English as a language of sustainable development, and other pertinent issues. The chapter, thus, briefly contextualises the topics discussed in the 25 chapters of the Handbook.
The Bangla-English debate and English education in Bangladesh
New Age , 2022
While we should remain grounded in and true to Bangla, we need English to communicate and negotiate with those who are not conversant with our mother tongue. Do we have enough people to do that? Are we happy with the vast majority of educated people knowing ‘some English’ or do we perhaps need merely 2 per cent who are competent and confident in English to represent our nation? I believe the bilingual debate and such questions of ‘acquiring proficiency’ in English are important for many countries where it is taught as a second or foreign language.
THE ROUTLEDGE HANDBOOK OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION IN BANGLADESH
The Routledge Handbook of English Language Education in Bangladesh, 2020
This Handbook is a comprehensive overview of English language education in Bangladesh. Presenting descriptive, theoretical, and empirical chapters as well as case studies, this Handbook, on the one hand, provides a comprehensive view of the English language teaching and learning scenario in Bangladesh, and on the other hand comes up with suggestions for possible decolonisation and de-eliticisation of English in Bangladesh. The Handbook explores a wide range of diverse endogenous and exogenous topics, all related to English language teaching and learning in Bangladesh, and acquaints readers with different perspectives, operating from the macro to the micro levels. The theoretical frameworks used are drawn from applied linguistics, education, sociology, political science, critical geography, cultural studies, psychology, and economics. The chapters examine how much generalisability the theories have for the context of Bangladesh and how the empirical data can be interpreted through different theoretical lenses. There are six sections in the Handbook covering different dynamics of English language education practices in Bangladesh, from history, policy and practice to assessment, pedagogy and identity. It is an invaluable reference source for students, researchers, and policy makers interested in English language, ELT, TESOL, and applied linguistics.
This paper tries to investigate the causes of the resistance to speak in English by a group of people in Bangladesh. To accomplish the task, I have explored the complex linguistic background through which Bangladesh has evolved. Apart from this, this article expands upon
Language Situation in Bangladesh
This paper charts the state of language situation that exists in Bangladesh. Bangladesh has been known as a monolingual country since its independence in 1971, Bangla (or Bengali) being its only national and official language. Therefore multilingualism has not been a political issue in Bangladesh, though a situation beyond the monolingualism can be observed in the language situation of Bangladesh, if the three different scenes-a) distribution of regional varieties of Bangla, b) distribution of indigenous languages and c) trend of foreign language use in different social settings-are taken into consideration.
English, Education, and Globalisation: A Bangladesh Perspective
IAFOR Journal of Education, 2017
As a third world country and a former British colony, Bangladesh has seen a dramatic upsurge in the use of the English language. Built on the concept of imperialistic aspects of the English language, this paper draws on responses from anonymous survey results and interviews and attempts to provide deeper insights into the global aspects of English as a language and the credibility of this language in the minds of the populace. This paper assesses the English language as a feature of globalization where English is considered to be of the utmost value. Questionnaires were designed and interviews were arranged to evaluate the commercial and linguistic aspects of English in Bangladesh to reach a conclusion whether the mass perceives this very language as it should be or there are any other economic and cultural aspects. The findings were presented graphically and the study showed that English fails to meet the expectations of the stakeholders and policy makers of Bangladesh. The paper concludes with some recommendations that could help resolve the situation and present English to the people in a better light.