The Place Of English

THE PLACE OF ENGLISH

Man shares much with birds and beasts. But man has his own distinction. The distinction lies in speech making. Speech is audible sense. Language is a means of communication. Communications constitute the core of our civilization. They are the life breath of cultures. They speak volumes of the phenomenon of man on our planet.

Science and technology are the mighty sources of our age. They accelerate the pace of changes in every sphere. English plays a vital role in the dissemination of knowledge. Knowledge spreads far and wide. English is the medium which effects the miracle of knowledge explosion. This is the unique distinction of our age of satellites and space shuttles.

Today we experience internationalism. No doubt nation states are there. But English grows in its importance. Thus internationalism receives its sustenance. English build bridges of understanding across continents. Continents and countries are linked. The invisible force is English. Daily thousands of books are being published in English. Lofty ideas find expression in English.

The British rule in India left a rich legacy of English language and literature. Our life style, thought processes are influenced by English culture. English is our window to the outside world. Thus our country finds itself in the main stream of international relations.

English is everybody’s language. It has its own amazing creative strength. It fascinates, especially the young. It has provided wings to our concept of progress. In short, English is international intellectual energy.