THE POWER DYNAMICS OF THE ‘STANDARD’ LANGUAGE AS THE SCHOOL

LANGUAGE VS HOME LANGUAGE OR ‘DIALECTS’

Power Dynamics: Let us understand the concept of power dynamics. In general, “power
dynamics” refers to the way power works in a setting. It refers to specific interactions or ways in
which power is exercised. Power dynamics can be found at any level, like, national, international,
state, regional or even institutional level. In the present context, this term refers to the political
power exercised by the British when they ruled India in the context of language, especially the
school language, and continues to mean the ‘power’ role in the existing system as far as school
language is concerned.
Standard Language: Let us understand the concept, ‘standard language’. If you glance through the
related literature you come across this word in two senses. Let us understand both connotations
and see what meaning fits in our situation. Standard language or standard variety is defined either
as a language variety used by a population for public purposes, or as a variety that has undergone
standardization. Once a standard is defined, it is treated as prestigious and appropriate, while
others’ languages or dialects are marginalized. It also means the form of the language widely
accepted as the usual correct form. For example, you might have heard of ‘standard English’,
‘Standard Kannada’, etc.

The second sense of standard language is the language accepted as ‘standard’, which is associated
with status. It is the language proposed or entrusted by the people, who have more power on people
who have less power.
In the Indian situation, it is the second context that is true. In the history of India, mostly foreign
rulers were in power and they had a prestigious status and the language given by them was
considered as the standard language, and these languages were attached with status.
Let us have clarity about this issue. In India, where each individual is almost multilingual, a special
prestige is attached to the English language.

Both meanings which we discussed above related to standard language, are associated with higher
status.
Thus ‘standard language’ means either the standard form of a given language or the language
accepted by the people in power as ‘standard’, which is also associated with status.
Home Language: A home language or dialect is a language that is most commonly spoken by the
members of a family for everyday interactions at home. This is also called as the family language
or the language of the home.
School Language: You are familiar with the concept of school language also. School language is
the language spoken in the school. In many situations, these are different. A child who starts
school, knowing only a home language that is different from the school language, frequently needs
help learning to speak the school language. If he/she is very young, he/she will learn quickly, but
older children may need special classes to learn the school language. Children acquire their
competency in home language not only with immediate family members, but also through larger
kinship groups, street and neighbourhood. You have studied Chomsky’s concept of language
learning that states that children are born with an innate language facility. Research has shown that
Indians have special ability for learning languages. Children internalise an extremely complex
system of language before they come to school. Indian children come armed with two or three
languages, and schools hardly exploit this ability of the students. The language used at school is
highly standard or teacher-centered one, whereas the students’ home language gets no regard.
Indeed, they are made to unlearn the native talent by forcing conservative school practices. Schools
forget that home language is a special feature, which gives identity to the children and that is why
home language is significant. It is also said that children think in their native language and translate
into school language.
Now let us understand the meaning of the present topic, i.e., the power dynamics of the ‘standard’
language as the school language vs. home language or ‘dialects’.
In the Indian educational system, as a result of power dynamics, we are forced to use a ‘standard
language’ instead of home language or dialect. What is that ‘standard language? It is English. Who
were involved in power dynamics? It is the British who enforced it and the same has been
continued until today. This means that the British, when they were in power had considered
English as the standard language, and had promoted a sense that only those who had knowledge
of English were eligible to have higher status. The seed thus sown by them has continued until
today.
Power dynamics of the standard language or English in India has a long history. Understanding
this historical background will help us to clarify the problem better. Therefore, let us discuss the
history of English as the standard language in the educational scenario of India.
Let us trace the history of English as the standard language in India. There is evidence to show
that before the British rule there was a vigorous system of indigenous education with provisions
for both sectarian and secular education. However, the learning of an elite standard language was
always a part of the Indian education system. Before the British, the language of power was
Persian, and before that, it was Sanskrit. The British rule debated the issue for many years before
deciding in favour of English in schools as the medium of instruction which accorded prestige to
the English language. Even during the British rule, controversy centered round the question of
education through Indian languages versus English.
India has had a love-hate relationship with the English language. In its history of over two hundred
years in India, English has continued to be a hot topic for debate. Long before English was
introduced as the medium of Indian education, representatives of the East India Company in their
dual role as merchant-administrators debated the role of English in relation to the ‘native’
languages in domains such as education, judiciary, and administration. The prolonged, and often
bitter debate between the Anglicists and the Orientalists undoubtedly reflects the deep
understanding that the participants in the debate had, of the social and political consequences of
the choice of a language as a medium of education. The Anglicists won and English was installed
as the medium of education. Inevitably, with the medium came the system of Education prevalent
in Imperial England. The total structure of Indian education was recast in the English mould.
English quickly became the language of power and prestige. The Indian elite, long used to
exploiting political and economic advantage, promptly accepted English as the medium of
communication with the rulers.
Thus, with the advent of British, English language was extensively exposed to our country. English
entered our country when the British first came to India after the incorporation of the East India
Company in 1600. Gradually, it found roots and continued its existence as a result of the
educational policies of Lord Macaulay. From the time the British started their rule in India, English
remained the language of power, status, and privilege.
The main aim of British domination was to create and maintain a class of officers, clerks, and civil
servants for administration to rule the vast and expansive subcontinent. The British rulers did not
want the progress of Indians, especially in the field of education. They were scared to give
progressive education. They thought that with enlightenment, Indians may challenge the alien rule
as was the case previously in America. Giving education for Indians was barely a political
necessity for them. They encouraged classical learning for their educational policy. This was
opposed by missionaries like Charles Grant (1746-1823), who wanted to give the knowledge of
English to Indians.
When there was a debate ongoing on the issue of imparting the knowledge of English to Indians,
there was a controversy between the Anglicists and the Orientalists. It came in the way of the
smooth progress of English in India. The Orientalists wanted to promote Sanskrit and Persian
learning, but those who had a different vision, wanted Indians to learn English. Hence, they
proposed and insisted western education through the medium of English. This proposal was
strongly supported by Indian progressive reformers and intellectuals. Then the people belonging
to the middle class advocated and aspired their education in English, which was the language of
the rulers. They saw that the capacity to speak and write English enabled them to get well- paid,
profitable jobs under the government and a decent status in society. A stronger opposition on the
work of the committee was made by the directors themselves as they opposed the education of
vernacular languages and literature. These differences stopped the discussion for some time, and
Lord Macaulay was appointed as the President of the Committee in 1834. He strongly believed
that English education was more beneficial than Arabic and Sanskrit. He made use of the available
situation, and quoted that there was already a great demand for English in India by the Indians. He
claimed that “since indigenous languages were inadequate and chaotic, and indigenous arts and
literature were petty futile things, only ‘western’ education with English as the sole medium would
deliver the good”. His aim of giving English education to Indians was only to create some
interpreters for British. He wanted to create a class of persons, Indian in blood and colour but
English in taste, in opinions, morals and intellect. His recommendations were in favour of giving
education in English, that too for few Indians. These recommendations were approved by.

Lord Bentick, and Macaulay’s policy of education through English was passed. In 1854, Charles
Wood made significant recommendations where he said, “The English is to be the medium of
instruction in the higher branches, and vernacular in the lower. English is to be taught where there
is demand for it, but it is not to be substituted for the vernacular languages of the country”.
After this, English steadily expanded extensively in India and gained roots in the educational
system. The establishment of three universities, followed by a number of colleges gave rise to the
popularity of English in India. However, the Indians educated in these universities and colleges
started demanding their mother tongue as the medium of instruction, and to resolve this conflict,
the British government appointed a Commission under the chairmanship of Dr. M.E. Sadler. The
Commission argued that “mother tongue may be used only in high schools; in the higher classes
they urged the retention of English”. This proposal was opposed by some great Indian leaders.
Mahatma Gandhi made a significant remark saying that “real education is impossible through a
foreign medium”. He also said that “this is a sign of our slavery and degradation”. He declared to
Indians to criticise everything that was English, including the language. Therefore, English
education suffered a serious setback.

By 1921, the mother tongue came to be the medium of instruction in middle schools, and its use
was extended to high schools by 1937. However, the consequences were not good. The schools
witnessed a complete deterioration of standards. The Wood Abbot Report (1936-37),
recommended an alternative in simplified English in order to keep the flow of education through
the medium of English. But the disaffection with English was growing deeper and wider as the
struggle for freedom gained momentum. Until 1937, English continued to dominate the
educational scenario. All ventures of life, all avenues of success could be opened only with the
keys of English.
There was not much difference to the status of English after Independence. English, the language
mostly of the colonisers during the British rule became accepted by the higher strata, the
educationally, economically, and socially progressive class of the Indian society in the post-
independence period. English became the language of industrialisation and modernisation, and
now it is the language of globalisation. It is recognised as a global, international language, required
significantly for professional and employment fields. It has become the cultural requirement for
the middle-class group of Indians.
Thus, English the language of a few in the beginning, gradually spread all over India. Today, it
has become the icon of status and an important tool to gain bread and butter. It continues as a link
between the educated people and the elite. Though Hindi was introduced as the official language,
English enjoys a prominent role and status. Unfortunately, it has resulted in a separate class of
vernacular-educated natives. They, as a result of English domination, are destined to occupy a
lower position in education, society as well as the job market.
As a result of this power dynamics caused by the British, the standard language is occupying the
school system instead of the native language. Indian schools have to impart education in English
in response to the demand of middle and higher classes of the Indian society. The reasons behind
this are the economic and social factors, some overt and some covert such as:

 Parents get a higher social status by educating their children in English medium schools;
 Children, after receiving education in English medium institutions, are able to secure better
job opportunities inside and outside India. This is the economically productive aspect and
again, will bring the parents a better social status.
The demand for English emerges from many factors, as recognised by the Position Paper on the
Teaching of English produced by NCERT in connection with the National Curriculum
Framework- 2005: “English in India today is a symbol of people’s aspirations for quality in
education and fuller participation in national and international life”. Thus, there is a great demand
for English in the present educational scenario of India. No one denies the importance of English
in the system of education, but at what stage and how it should be given is the question. If it is
given at the pre-primary and elementary stage, it does more harm than good. If it is taught, as is
normally taught, without any link to the native language, then also it does not yield any productive
results.