Why is English given so much importance in the subcontinent ??

[MohitV]

Look at germany,china ,japan, spain, france, saudi,russia,sweden,norway and many other countries.....all are economically developed.....still everything done in their country is in their own language and people take pride in speaking their own language....some of these countries even despise english...then why only over here if somebody dosn know english then he is a loser???

 

[Rashid Mahmood]

inferiority complex......

 

[bronxbull]

Because it gives u the access to technology.

The british gave u the english education first before giving u the access to technology.

Having said that often the best people of the subcontinent use english and not get abused by it.

Saudi/Norway,those countries with a lot of Oil reserves and last i know all the best executives of Saudi Aramco are Goras or educated in English,

Japan/Germany i agree.

 

[Proudpakistaniguy]

Good question. Indians give importance to English because India was part of the British Empire for so long and it had its influence on people . Speaking English and wearing English dress is symbol of elite class and modernity especially for middle/upper class. Its same as giving preference to gora colour . How many south Indians speak Hindi by the way ?

Because it gives u the access to technology.

The british gave u the english education first before giving u the access to technology.

Having said that often the best people of the subcontinent use english and not get abused by it.

Saudi/Norway,those countries with a lot of Oil reserves and last i know all the best executives of Saudi Aramco are Goras or educated in English,

Japan/Germany i agree.

lol what about Chinese, Japanese, Korean, French, danish , Swedish, Spanish. Russian, rabs etc they all got development in different fields of knowledge without learning English. Indian have much more population and why they could not influence rest of the world so they adopt your language instead of you getting impress from their language/culture

 

[bronxbull]

All the western european countries are a part of the same civilization and exchange of technology and people are normal.

Chinese do study a lot of English,Chinese communities are huge in foriegn countries and japanese/Korea are actively supported by America as their allies in Asia.

There are even more mandarin speaking people that way,who is learning chinese?

 

[RAMPAGE]

Look at germany,china ,japan, spain, france, saudi,russia,sweden,norway and many other countries.....all are economically developed.....still everything done in their country is in their own language and people take pride in speaking their own language....some of these countries even despise english...then why only over here if somebody dosn know english then he is a loser???

Two words

"Slave mindset" !!!

 

[Sriram]

Not a great question... comparing countries that have single language to a country like India that's home to hundreds of languages...

 

[Proudpakistaniguy]

All the western european countries are a part of the same civilization and exchange of technology and people are normal.

Chinese do study a lot of English,Chinese communities are huge in foriegn countries and japanese/Korea are actively supported by America as their allies in Asia.

There are even more mandarin speaking people that way,who is learning chinese?

Studying any language is one thing but to consider your own language as inferior and to learn english and to make it symbol of elite class and modernity is another thing. No other nation has such complex. We make fun of our politicians and sportsman if they could not speak English properly as if only speaking English make you a knowledgeable person. I have seen that there is always a translator with Chinese/Russian/french president whenver they visit english speaking countries as they feel proud in speaking their own language instead of feeling proud in speaking English. You guys are too much impress with everything wetsern and now new concept you are getting from west is living as gf and bf before marriage and accepting atheism and gayism lol

 

[Sriram]

Good question. Indians give importance to English because India was part of the British Empire for so long and it had its influence on people . Speaking English and wearing English dress is symbol of elite class and modernity especially for middle/upper class. Its same as giving preference to gora colour . How many south Indians speak Hindi by the way ?


lol what about Chinese, Japanese, Korean, French, danish , Swedish, Spanish. Russian, rabs etc they all got development in different fields of knowledge without learning English. Indian have much more population and why they could not influence rest of the world so they adopt your language instead of you getting impress from their language/culture

You make a lot of sense by living in UK and talking in english

 

[Proudpakistaniguy]

You make a lot of sense by living in UK and talking in english

I would love if everyone speak and understand Urdu in here then i will feel more comfortable in speaking Urdu which i would love too because i can express myself better in my own language .

 

[MilSpec]

Look at germany,china ,japan, spain, france, saudi,russia,sweden,norway and many other countries.....all are economically developed.....still everything done in their country is in their own language and people take pride in speaking their own language....some of these countries even despise english...then why only over here if somebody dosn know english then he is a loser???

Languages are like tools, more you have mastered, better leverage you have in communication... there is no need to bring in national pride into it.... that is childish!

 

[Indischer]

Earlier in India, knowledge of English automatically meant a good grooming and access to better education, translating into another show of affluence. Our colonial mindsets are probably yet to wear off in many parts of India.

However, today, knowledge of English neither indicates any social status nor is it bad to learn it well. However, this does not mean one must pardon slavish a$$-lickers who favour English over their own mother-tongues.

It may also be prudent to ask why are most developed countries making serious efforts to introduce English as part of school curriculum. Countries that had shuned English are actually at a disadvantage today. Popularity of English is also a product of combined soft power of the British Empire & USA.

 

[bronxbull]

Studying any language is one thing but to consider your own language as inferior and to learn english and to make it symbol of elite class and modernity is another thing. No other nation has such complex. We make fun of our politicians and sportsman if they could not speak English properly as if only speaking English make you a knowledgeable person. I have seen that there is always a translator with Chinese/Russian/french president whenver they visit english speaking countries as they feel proud in speaking their own language instead of feeling proud in speaking English. You guys are too much impress with everything wetsern and now new concept you are getting from west is living as gf and bf before marriage and accepting atheism and gayism lol

I dont know who qualifies to be the elite of India but i know many scientists/big bureaucrats etc and some people like the old governor general and politicians are great scholars in their own mother tongue as well as in English.

I have also seen many elite pakistanis speaking exclusively in English,then urdu and then Punjabi.

i even heard one cant speak punjabi in the pak punjab assembly.

Live in relationships/Atheism/Homsexuality(Oh have u seen pathans) are there in all societies.

come on dude,grow up.

I would love if everyone speak and understand Urdu in here then i will feel more comfortable in speaking Urdu which i would love too because i can express myself better in my own language .

what about punjabi?

what about terms like Paindu often used by pakistanis here?

 

[acetophenol]

Languages are means of communication.Pride and ego are secondary. English being a widely accepted language,is good that you know it.
1.I know english.
2.Eniku malayalam ariyam.
3.Mujhko hindi dhoda dhoda malu
4.Enaku tamil konjam teriyum.

 

[Chinese-Dragon]

I have seen that there is always a translator with Chinese/Russian/french president whenver they visit english speaking countries as they feel proud in speaking their own language instead of feeling proud in speaking English.

I don't think Hu Jintao even knows how to speak English in the first place. And even if he did, he would never speak it in public.

And I actually quite admire the Japanese attitude towards English. If you take a vacation to Japan, and try to talk to them in English, they'll say: "Why should we learn English? YOU should learn Japanese!"

As for me, the only reason my English is decent is because I went to an International school in Hong Kong. Otherwise I wouldn't be able to talk to anyone here on this forum, which might have been a blessing in disguise in some respects.