Abstract:
In this presentation I will take a historical, sociological and economic view of
language rather than a linguistic view. I think even the theme of this conference
warrants such a view. For the sake of convenience of presentation I have divided
my talk into two parts. In the first part, I will dwell on the importance of language
in general and how it has always played a significant role in shaping and
transforming society. In the second part, I will go into how English acted as an
agent in the social, political, economic, linguistic and even spiritual
transformation of India; how it brought about cultural integration; and how it
transformed the image of India in the world. I will conclude by making some
pertinent observations on how, despite its enormous contribution, English is
under attack from various quarters within India, and what could be done in
response to these attacks so that English will continue to play its transformative
role.
