Nisha Bhattarai
The English Language has been a global language with worldwide acceptance as a lingua-franca to communicate in international society. Speaking from our ground, neither it is the product of our land nor do we have any particular community that speaks it. It was introduced in our nation as a foreign language and gradually established as a second language among the learners. However, and wherever, we got connected with it, we are learning it by hook or crook, and there are very few alternatives to stand in the global platforms of the current time without it. We feel it as it is not our cup of tea. It should be taught through literature instead of following the bulky books and memorizing the structures of grammar. Literature is taken as an excellent source of teaching language- it carries the culture of a particular region, country, community, ethnic group, and language. The crucial point is are we treating it as it should be?
Speaking from my personal experiences, I encountered the English language at my home as you all. With force or will, we banged our head on alphabets. I got a chance to learn English as a subject in school but not as a language. But the question may arise, why English is only a subject? It is because we never get a chance to learn it as a language. In our education system, the English language has never gained a language position, neither in public nor private schools. Most of us treat it in the same way throughout our academic levels. As a subject, the English language is always taught with an exam-oriented view. On one side, to prepare for the exam, teaching few lessons are enough. Other sides, students want to avoid the troubles going through each and everything of the course, which is common.
From the beginning, it has been a herculean and dreary task for teachers to teach the English language in the Nepali context. Both teacher and students are facing several issues to crack it down because the English Language teaching and learning process move around the limited periphery of academic, technical and public affairs. Teachers blame for lack of resources, materials, infrastructure, technology, exposure, and the English-speaking environment. It happens when educational institutions couldn’t afford language learning labs, enough resources for teachers and students and a techno-friendly environment in schools. Among all problems, pointing fingers towards the teachers and teaching method is the most convenient one, with it we could save us from blame. However, less or more could be seen in cities’ institutions nowadays, though learners from rural never get a chance to assess them. The curriculum may have some drawback, traditionally teaching may be boring. But, the current improvement in the curriculum and evaluation system; have given little focus to the language development part; however, most of us have ignored it because that won’t come in exams.
Moreover, the question is; how do we teach the English language? Till now, most of the time we get the answer based on the grammar rules; comparing with Nepali grammar. The dominant issue is; does teaching grammar rules are enough to learn any language? Though teachers reply not, they will still follow the same way: the traditional one. Correct grammar structure could be taught through literary works but grammar could not teach the real essence of language. Changing methods of teachings English as a language is enough to create milestone in the process of language learning through Literature. That’s why English Literature has become a part of the curriculum. The dreary process of learning grammar could be fun without giving any burden to mind if we teach language through Literary works. Unfortunately, I never got such a chance.
I used to think students from the English medium are better in performance. In reality, it is just a language, which has nothing to do with a child’s cognitive level. To understand it, I have to come so far. The main question is: how much did they get a chance to learn about the language? Did they know the language or, limited to being students of English medium of school and institutions? We have never deeply thought about it. I don’t know how you learned the English language or learning it. I learned it, translating it into Nepali. Maybe I share your story too.
I can recall my memory back to higher secondary school; our Major English teacher taught us English literature in the Nepali language. Every day, he used to enter a classroom with two things; his course-book and a diary. Going through his course book, he delivered lectures into the Nepali language, and at the end of the class, the blackboard was filled with a summary of that text, which we had to note down to remember. Till the secondary level, the grammar of the English language changed into the Nepali grammar, and then in the higher secondary level, English literature takes the shape of Nepali literature. It sounds funny, but most of us have the same kind of story. Somehow, it becomes the ultimate reason to create drawbacks in the language learning process.
You may think, graduation provides a strong base for life. It is true, but the reality is different in our context. In graduation, we were exposed to the ocean of literature, through which we learn to swim in each trench. We received the language through literature, which as a subject never offered to us. Though I learnt how to teach as a student of the Education faculty, I always felt a lack of language. The taste of literary language dragged me into M.A in English Literature; the reason was exposed to self with the English language through literature. Your and my experiences could be different because we are not guided with the same purpose. I am not saying this, at the Master level, I was taught it as a language, but at this level, I was able to explore it as a language through literature.
Literature of particular language carries the complete universe within, so in English. The poetry has an aesthetic language of heart connecting with thoughts. Have we ever made our mind to use the aesthetic of poetry to teach a language? The language of poetry is carrying the ancient glory to modern messy thoughts and styles throughout history.
Like poetry, drama rules in English literature as a new genre. In the beginning, it glorified the heroism, history of kings and queens, lands of heaven and hell, the kingdom of rulers and their misfortune, some romantic stories and some of them are tragic tale, most of the time in poetic form. With time, the language of drama has been changing its course from highly poetic verse to commoner’s words. The play displays the lifestyles, costume, culture, and dialogues of peoples in different situation throughout history. Without understanding these things, we can’t understand the language completely, though we can understand the sentences they speak, the meaning beneath that sentence, we missed.
Moreover, people may argue, drama is all about actions and dialogues, and the learner requires the ability to narrate the events. Isn’t a story being about narration? Teaching stories means teaching about every aspect of language; grammar, context, literary devices, locations, and culture. We have limited stories within the summary of the text, theme of the stories which could help students clearing the exam. Unfortunately, our teaching model and exam-oriented nature restrict the students from learning a language. Though learners know every aspect of the text, they remain unaware of the language, which is the main drawback of learning.
Learning a language is incomplete without the knowledge of persuasion, description, argumentation, and the skill of putting opinion in front of others. An essay is the best source to teach how to untangle the world of word to present own. But an essay is limited to teaching about the information and description. Can we move a step forward to expose it as a language of putting thoughts in front of others in the most convincing way?
If only I could get a chance to learn English Language through literature from the primary level, the story would be different now. We are running through the world searching for the solution, blaming text, curriculum, syllabus, infrastructure, course plan, and evaluation system and so on. But, we never noticed what we have and how much we could do with it. The structure could be taught by grammar, and instruction could be understood through the system, but literature could teach a language along with all these aspects. Hence, let’s turn literature into a language learning lab, where one could test each form and problem of language we experience today. A book of literature in hand means a world of that language alive in that space. A question is left to answer for all: when are we going to explore that world to prepare the learner for a very convincing and comfortable ride?
[Nisha is an MA in English from Tribhuvan University, Nepal.]