A Language For Promotional Growth

Jayanthi Venkataraman

The rapid pace of change in today’s world has changed our life style in various ways. Competition for excellence is fast growing in our country. The present competitive environment requires students to have adequate knowledge and understanding with communicative skills. We convey our experiences to others through language. English forms the bridge to different language speakers and has come to stay as the medium of communication.

Language is an art which requires mastering over the 4 skills-listening, speaking, reading and writing. Exposure to the English language in most cases of our students is restricted to the class room. The teacher in the class must speak only in English and encourage the students to do the same. A language class should be alive, buzzing with activity. None of the skills whether listening, speaking, reading or writing can be put into water tight compartments. They are closely linked with each other and overlap. An individual who is trained to be a good listener picks up the right sound, sentence, structure and expression, besides intonation and stress. An individual who has developed good reading habit can express better in writing than one who does not read beyond his book. Language can be learnt faster under given circumstances. As we are aware, language has become an integral part of human life, and teaching a language has to be greatly improved through diction. Language is the prime tool of expansion without which a person is at loss to reveal himself. To learn a language other than the mother tongue, interest is to be inculcated first. The foundation given at the ground level helps in enriching the knowledge at a higher level through debate, discussions, reading journals, interactions etc., By this, self confidence and independent thinking will be developed. This firm hold, shall later be effective in flawless communication to face interviews and to make good presentations and participate in group discussion.

English is one of the principal languages for communication. The recognition in oral learning of a language is on the increase nowadays. So in teaching, first comes listening and then speaking, Therefore communication is of utmost importance. Above all, what is more important is quantity and quality of exposure to the language to master it. 

Coming to the writing skill, it is absolutely for need based purpose. The general problem faced by students in writing is poor organization, confusion about lay out or format, using inappropriate style and grammatical errors. This can be rectified by organizing brain storming sessions to collect ideas, identify language items, present the matter in an appropriate style and format and finally to undertake need based writing tasks.

The communication and the writing skills are enhanced only with the deployment of language. The mastery over a language comes through grammar and structure. This is possible by reading literary work and developing the attitude to enjoy poems and plays. Literature reflects man’s entire life, including his joys and sorrows, miseries and comforts and so on.. The history of a nation is reflected through literature. Our ancient civilization with its culture has been mirrored in our ancient literature. English is the most widely used language in the world today. As such, the art of learning the language is achieved through its literary works. To enjoy the work, one has to be a good listener. To listen means to hear with thoughtful attention. By listening, you get to know the essence of information. It is the best way to pick up new words if only one supplements it by browsing a dictionary by maintaining a pocket diary and note book to note the important words. Whenever you happen to hear new ideas around, you should put it in writing. The Chinese proverb says, “the strongest memory is weaker than the palest ink”.

Some of the strategies adopted to enhance language proficiency skills are to encourage learners to comprehend and creatively analyse and interpret the text to form ‘self-study cells’ in groups and to introduce learners to various kinds of literary texts. Words are instruments of writing. To get the best results, short sentences are used for better grip and powerful communication. You ‘pitch’the words to attract and focus attention. Indirectly you get others do what you want without confusing or hurting them. The satirical poems of literature are powerful swords to talk about the society. Here the words are to be understood to know the depth of the verses. The Principle of language teaching today is message rather than the medium. It is function than form. Fluency is expected rather than accuracy.

Regardless of whatever field one belongs to, effective communication skills are a pre requisite for a man’s success. Man needs to interact in his capacity. Customer care is becoming increasingly important in daily life, as such communication must be very clear. A person with good communication skills always stands up as a good leader. It is leadership that binds together the need for effective change and good communication. The mastery in English language must enable a person to have a convincing style of speaking. The diction must be clear. It is interesting to hear and express firmly to draw the attention of listeners. The language is your weapon when you are its powerful ruler. To make the listeners understand better, the teacher must delve into the topic to relish the extract, like honey dripping from its hive. Only then the teacher and the taught together enjoy the literature. The flair for the language makes the speaker think and communicate in English rather than thinking in mother tongue and later translating his thoughts into English. With a minimum of 26 letters, this is a language widely used. Just as a rainbow bridges the heaven in the sky, the exquisite of English bridges the cardinal directions.