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TEACHING COMMUNICATION SKILLS AND MULTIPLE ENGLISHES

--R.K. SINGH*

Though there is hardly any fully fledged English for Specific Purposes (ESP) programme run in professionalinstitutions in India, teaching of one of its better known forms English for Science and Technology (EST) in

tertiary level has up to now practically limited service role for work and study, accommodating demands for

communicativeskills and needs of the rural students who have limited previous exposure to functional

abilities in English. Despite years of teaching communicative skills and scientific and technical English,

qualitatively, I am afraid, there has not been much improvement, as obvious from the fact that about 75% of the

technical graduates have not been able to get employment.

Perhaps most of them already know their specialized subjects; that is, they already possess the knowledge and

concepts of their subject, but they need English teachers help in their ability to function or perform in English.

Their expectations may relate to social-cultural-education, personal and individual, and academic oroccupational. If the (general) English teacher could take it as a professional challenge, s/he can use, with some

extra effort and fresh commitment, the ESP techniques and prove genuinely helpful to them. These include

conducting the necessary needs analysis, designing an appropriate syllabus, preparing suitable materials,

meeting and getting to know the students, teaching the course and devising and administering appropriate

tests. The teachers success lies in managing the learning strategies and promoting practice and use, or what

linguists have mentioned as pragmatic function (language as doing) and mathetic function (language as

learning).

Need for international perspective

Even as we talk about globalization, tertiary education in every discipline needs scholars and researchers who

have good international perspective and ability to work in diverse settings. The common challenge facing us is:

cultivating globally-minded graduates. How we do it may vary from institution to institution and region to

region.

Needless to say, language competence is basic to acquiring a global perspective via the graduation courses. And,

no doubt, English has been the lingua franca, and apparently, there may not be any need to learn other

languages, but it helps to learn a couple of foreign language (and/or other regional languages) for expanding

professional networks and gaining cultural experiences which are vital for global learning.

As far as English is concerned, teaching the creative, pragmatic and interactional uses of English in our academicand professional context is important. These are essentially localized functions.

*Professor of English (HAG), Department of Humanities & Social Sciences, Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad

826004.

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Multiple Englishes

In his stimulating exposition of the spread of English, Braj B. Kachru emphasizes that English has not only

acquired multiple identities but also a broad spectrum of cross-cultural contexts of use. During the last twenty

five years or so, scholars have progressively acknowledged the reality of multicultural aspects of English a la

linguistic interactions of three types of participants: native speaker and native speaker; native speaker and non-native speaker; and non-native speaker and non-native speaker. Resultantly, as Kachru points out, there has

been a multiplicity of semiotic systems, several non-shared linguistic conventions, and numerous underlying

cultural traditions, paving way for English as an International Language (EIL), which provides access across

cultures and boundaries. The focus has shifted to the diverse users and language activities within a

sociolinguistic context which is often localized rather than native-speaker oriented as far as aspects such as

communicative teaching or communicative competence are concerned.

Taking cue from international diffusion of English viewed as three concentric circles an inner circle, an outer

or extended circle, and expanding circle, we should recognize the institutionalized non-native varieties of English

such as Indian English, Singaporean English, Indonesian English, Malaysian English, Chinese English, Japanese

English, Nigerian English, Kenyan English etc and concentrate on English used in South Asian and South East

Asian countries for reviewing the pedagogic developments in language teaching with an ESP bias as also for

trying to integrate language and culture teaching. This is significant in that despite decades of activities in the

name of communicative teaching or communicative competence, not much has been achieved in terms of

methods and materials for international competence in English. The European parochialism continues to

dominate the academics reasoning even as discourse organization, both literary and spoken, reflects a certain

regionalism.

Against such a perspective, correct identification of language needs for ESP learners has become very important

just as teaching the need-based courses continues to remain a professional challenge for teachers everywhere.

Unless there is a flexible attitude with a user/learner-based socio-cultural approach to course design and

methodology, ESP teaching will not become interesting and enjoyable.

Pragmatic communication

One also needs to reflect on changes in the linguistic pattern in recent years following the developments in

communication technology, networks, and data banks. Aside from writing and reading, spoken English might

have become a core business English with ability to understanding different English accents just as listening skill

is vital for improving communicative performance at work. The reality of the varieties of English one comes

across in ones everyday working and social life cannot be ignored.

In fact, during the past three decades the shift in linguistic centre has become more marked, more

institutionalized, and more recognized. Therefore, we need to view concepts like communicative competence,

or successful pragmatic communication from a realistic perspective of current world uses of English which is

lexically and collocationally localized. With tolerance for localized discoursal strategies, lexicalization from local

languages, and creative texts from local creative writers in English, it should be possible to promote

international interaction and communication, or achieve international intelligibility, comprehensibility, and

pragmatic success, as Kachru points out.

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The relevant material and method now, therefore, should meet the learners need to interact, understand, and

respond with respect for different cultures and speakers in professional/business meetings, discussions,

presentations, interviews, telephone conferences etc. Teachers can indeed exploit students creativity and the

desire to relate to others with a task-based activity oriented methodology.

Summing up

Despite problems of theory and method posed by varieties of world English, the reality of multilingualism and

adaptation to suit ESL communicative needs are too genuine to be ignored. We also need to accommodate new

text types, accept different discourse patterns, and recognize local usages that are conventional and normal in

the native cultures. If we think in terms of building global competency in the days ahead, we need to change

and broaden our mindset, and be more tolerant to differences, shedding the departmentalism, the increasing

ghettoization in teaching and research,and sequestration of budget. The current emphasis on money

generation, I am afraid, will only corrupt teachers and administration, rather than create positive resources,

innovations, or even skills development.

REFERENCES

1. Strevens, Peter (1988). The Learner and Teacher of ESP. In: Dick Chamberlain and Robert J.Baumgardner (eds.) ESP in the Classroom: Practice and Evaluation: ELT Document 128. Oxford: Modern

English Publications and The British Council, pp 40-44.

2. Kachru, Braj B. (1996). The Paradigms of Marginality. World Englishes, 15:3, 248-2503. _____(1987). The Spread of English and Sacred Linguistic Cow. Georgetown University Round Table,

p.207.

4. _____(1996). World Englishes: Agony and Ecstasy.Journal of Aesthetic Education, 30:2, 134-138.5. _____(1988). ESP and Non-Native Varieties of English: Toward a Shift in Paradigm. In: Dick Chamberlain

and Robert J. Baumgardner (eds.) ESP in the Classroom: Practice and Evaluation: ELT Document 128.

Oxford: Modern English Publications and The British Council, pp.18-19.

6. Grlach, Manfred (1995). More Englishes: New Studies in Varieties of English 1988-1994. Amsterdam:John Benjamins Publishing Company, pp.193-195.

7. Singh, R.K. (2005). Teaching English for Specific Purposes: An Evolving Experience. Jaipur: Book Enclave.

Address for communication:

Dr R.K. Singh

Professor of English (HAG)

Dept of Humanities & Social Sciences

Indian School of Mines

DHANBAD 826004, Jharkhand