Comments on: Language as a barrier! http://orthodoc.edublogs.org/2006/05/03/language-as-a-barrier/ ORTHOPAEDICS :: WEBS :: INDIA :: UBUNTU Wed, 02 Dec 2009 22:07:02 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.2 hourly 1 By: orthodoc http://orthodoc.edublogs.org/2006/05/03/language-as-a-barrier/comment-page-1/#comment-8 orthodoc Thu, 18 May 2006 15:47:24 +0000 http://orthodoc.edublogs.org/2006/05/03/language-as-a-barrier/#comment-8 Thanks scanman for the post on orthdoc at your blog. But I disagree with your statement: ...they should have made provisions for all sections of society to learn English. I think they, whoever it may be, cannot do so because of the strong influence of the native tongue on the upbringing of the child. The child thinks in his native tongue. Possibly if the parents conversed right from the beginning in English in their households like they do in a lot of urban high-society families in metros, then English would be too familiar to them. Otherwise for the rest of us who are in majority, English is a big struggle to get through in life. Thanks scanman for the post on orthdoc at your blog.

But I disagree with your statement: …they should have made provisions for all sections of society to learn English.

I think they, whoever it may be, cannot do so because of the strong influence of the native tongue on the upbringing of the child. The child thinks in his native tongue. Possibly if the parents conversed right from the beginning in English in their households like they do in a lot of urban high-society families in metros, then English would be too familiar to them. Otherwise for the rest of us who are in majority, English is a big struggle to get through in life.

]]> By: scan man http://orthodoc.edublogs.org/2006/05/03/language-as-a-barrier/comment-page-1/#comment-7 scan man Thu, 18 May 2006 07:49:47 +0000 http://orthodoc.edublogs.org/2006/05/03/language-as-a-barrier/#comment-7 Hi OrthoDoc, Great post. I agree that English has, in a way, been a barrier to progress. The blame is squarely to be placed on the shoulders of our policy makers. After Independence, when they decided to retain English as a link language, they should have made provisions for all sections of society to learn English. Can you imagine how much stronger and more united we would be as a nation if a common language like English had been taught at the primary school level all over India in the past 60 years. There is no way that they could have forced any other language throughout the country, given the widespread antagonism to Hindi in the erstwhile Madras Presidency. I totally agree with you on the struggles of students who pass out of the higher secondary level with very little knowledge of English. I have had classmates who came from Tamil-medium schools who really struggled to understand Anatomy, Biochemistry and Phyisiology. I'm sure there are similar stories in Engineering colleges. Hi OrthoDoc, Great post.
I agree that English has, in a way, been a barrier to progress. The blame is squarely to be placed on the shoulders of our policy makers. After Independence, when they decided to retain English as a link language, they should have made provisions for all sections of society to learn English. Can you imagine how much stronger and more united we would be as a nation if a common language like English had been taught at the primary school level all over India in the past 60 years. There is no way that they could have forced any other language throughout the country, given the widespread antagonism to Hindi in the erstwhile Madras Presidency. I totally agree with you on the struggles of students who pass out of the higher secondary level with very little knowledge of English. I have had classmates who came from Tamil-medium schools who really struggled to understand Anatomy, Biochemistry and Phyisiology. I’m sure there are similar stories in Engineering colleges.

]]> By: scan man’s notes » New Blogger.. http://orthodoc.edublogs.org/2006/05/03/language-as-a-barrier/comment-page-1/#comment-6 scan man’s notes » New Blogger.. Thu, 18 May 2006 07:29:56 +0000 http://orthodoc.edublogs.org/2006/05/03/language-as-a-barrier/#comment-6 [...] Language as a Barrier - where he explores the pros and cons of having English as the language of the Medical profession and higher studies in a multilingual society such as India. [...] [...] Language as a Barrier – where he explores the pros and cons of having English as the language of the Medical profession and higher studies in a multilingual society such as India. [...]

]]> By: orthodoc http://orthodoc.edublogs.org/2006/05/03/language-as-a-barrier/comment-page-1/#comment-5 orthodoc Sun, 07 May 2006 12:19:42 +0000 http://orthodoc.edublogs.org/2006/05/03/language-as-a-barrier/#comment-5 Yes Jean, I think you have got the essence of what I had to say. English is a barrier. I do not intend to criticise English speakers. We all must know English if we need to speak to each other, like the way we are at the moment. But for Non-English speaking countries like India and Korea, we need to concentrate more on our own languages. This will enable hundreds of students to have access to higher education. And we, as a nation, will be able to make more contributiions to the medical field. We don't need to forget English but we need to strongly de-emphasise the necessity of English in our society. Yes Jean, I think you have got the essence of what I had to say. English is a barrier. I do not intend to criticise English speakers. We all must know English if we need to speak to each other, like the way we are at the moment. But for Non-English speaking countries like India and Korea, we need to concentrate more on our own languages. This will enable hundreds of students to have access to higher education. And we, as a nation, will be able to make more contributiions to the medical field. We don’t need to forget English but we need to strongly de-emphasise the necessity of English in our society.

]]> By: Jean http://orthodoc.edublogs.org/2006/05/03/language-as-a-barrier/comment-page-1/#comment-4 Jean Sun, 07 May 2006 08:08:56 +0000 http://orthodoc.edublogs.org/2006/05/03/language-as-a-barrier/#comment-4 Certainly intresting to read about all the different dialects in your language. Hello, my name is Jean. I am 19-years-old potential premed bilangual student from South Korea. I work as a freelancer in my spare time. In my country, students are motivated to learn English because mastering it would better everything in their life. Better jobs, better opportunity, better wife/husband, better socio-economic status, and etc. Many of Korean students practice what you call "Three Language Formula" as well. Their usual course would be learning Korean, English, and one among Japanese/Chinese/French or Spanish. Because there are so much time to learn w/ little time, some students are naturally shallow in the knowledge of each language. This, to me is the downside of being trilangual. Some does master them all eventually, but it takes time. Others remain as a dabbler. (On the other side, there are people like my sister who had completely forgotten Korean in order to survive in America as a English speaking person.) You had also mentioned about difficulty in learning medical courses in several languages. It is such a pain to learn English and Korean medical vocabularies. Perhaps this slowed down a little bit of medical findings(?) However, I believe that in order to maintain flat globalization, we would have to share the common vocabulary-The English. I am truly sorry to hear that there are several *hundred* dialects in your language. What a tower of Babel. It would be such a pain to translate English works into all different dialects, but it is the work of translators, and doctors/engineers don't have to know all the hundred dialects of India, right? Often I get an autopsy report in Korean that needs to be translated into English. Translators-after awhile-become the experts of their translating field as well. These people become on-site translators and do the demanding work for us. Anyway, my point is that we can't stop the English from being the hub of all languages. As you are wondering whether learning English had been a barrier to the masses, you are probably right. And same goes for individuals. Learning another language can sometimes be worse than being a monolingual. That is the case of my poor sister. Certainly intresting to read about all the different dialects in your language. Hello, my name is Jean. I am 19-years-old potential premed bilangual student from South Korea. I work as a freelancer in my spare time. In my country, students are motivated to learn English because mastering it would better everything in their life. Better jobs, better opportunity, better wife/husband, better socio-economic status, and etc. Many of Korean students practice what you call “Three Language Formula” as well. Their usual course would be learning Korean, English, and one among Japanese/Chinese/French or Spanish. Because there are so much time to learn w/ little time, some students are naturally shallow in the knowledge of each language. This, to me is the downside of being trilangual. Some does master them all eventually, but it takes time. Others remain as a dabbler. (On the other side, there are people like my sister who had completely forgotten Korean in order to survive in America as a English speaking person.) You had also mentioned about difficulty in learning medical courses in several languages. It is such a pain to learn English and Korean medical vocabularies. Perhaps this slowed down a little bit of medical findings(?) However, I believe that in order to maintain flat globalization, we would have to share the common vocabulary-The English. I am truly sorry to hear that there are several *hundred* dialects in your language. What a tower of Babel. It would be such a pain to translate English works into all different dialects, but it is the work of translators, and doctors/engineers don’t have to know all the hundred dialects of India, right? Often I get an autopsy report in Korean that needs to be translated into English. Translators-after awhile-become the experts of their translating field as well. These people become on-site translators and do the demanding work for us. Anyway, my point is that we can’t stop the English from being the hub of all languages. As you are wondering whether learning English had been a barrier to the masses, you are probably right. And same goes for individuals. Learning another language can sometimes be worse than being a monolingual. That is the case of my poor sister.

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