Language is a means of communication and social mobility in the plural society. Language is an arbitrary and redundant because it is necessary for making communication success. On the other hand language is highly rule governed system. No language can tell its universality. Language learning is a natural phenomenon. Our thoughts ideas are constituted through language. All the language can be written into single Roman script. Language has no difference in its structure but it has differences in terms of social and cultural context. Language is a pattern system of arbitrary sound signals. It is characterized by structure dependence, creativity, displacement, duality and cultural transformations. All the language in the world which is remarkably similar in their main design features. It is fact that there is a relation between thought and language
Language of teaching is characterized by its rational usage which is one of the sociolinguistic variables in the actual speech activities. Child learns language because child has some sense of grammar (innate language) and on the basis of his/her observation of sentences and interaction from the people of society. Child develops his thought in own language then express it to parents, teachers and friends. Language plays a very vital role in education and day-today life. If people have no their own language whether primary or secondary, they cannot express their feeling easily. And also without language, no subject can be taught and learnt in educational domain. So children language can be used a resource for learning of knowledge in the classroom ( Agnihotri)
According to Vygotsky there are two role of language which mainly functions. Firstly, language as communicative or cultural tool which we use it for sharing and developing the knowledge. Secondly, language also enables organized human social life to exist and continue. He suggests that both physical manipulation and social interaction are necessary for development. He views that language is a mechanism for thinking, and a mental tool. It means language makes abstract thinking possible. It is the language that allows the child to imagine, manipulate, create new ideas and share these ideas with others. Language makes child free from the confines of the immediate and the concrete surrounding. As we know that learning frequently happens in shared situations. Language is crucial tool for appropriating other mental tools. So, to share an activity there must be happening talk about that activity. Unless we open our mouth (talk), we will never be able to know others meaning.
From the moment when child goes to school between five and seven years, on the average the child can achieve academic skills and achievement in education. This is very good age for a child to learn mastery over secondary language. I am reminded of what Brunner says language as an instrument of thought. Child can acquire literary skills in school and can understand a theoretical framework for conceptualization. If a child finds the range of contextual support available for expressing or receiving meaning,, the more cognitive involvement can be internalized.
If we see the relevance and pervasiveness of language through every nook and corner of the country, gave to the Indians living in different linguistic regions of the country to establish contact with each others. It is difficult to imagine how in the absence of language , the people of various provinces, speaking different languages and possessing diverse cultures could have come together under a single banner during the years of India’s long struggle for freedom with help of language. It is language which united the people of various sub-nationalities living in India and made them Indian nationals. In this way language is the single most powerful force which bring about nationalistic and patriotic feelings and sense of common nationality in India. The present unity among diverse regions and races of India is thus the gift of language to the country.
There is a great deal importance of language study and language teaching in schools, colleges and university. There are many important objectives of language teaching carries. Literally, it is to equip students with the ability to become literate, read and write with common understanding. Teacher must be aware about meta- linguistic and should try to promote and encourage giving them opportunity to express in their own language in the classroom. Teacher may also try to equip students with polite strategies and negotiate them with their communicative encounters with bearing and prestige. In this way, being a sincere teacher, he/she should always try to enhance open scope for bilingualism and appreciate their native language (resource) during the classroom transaction. Now, it becomes necessary for students to pay full attention in the class in order to listen what is being said and make their own sense in their language (L1). Here child’s primary language becomes relevant as resource in the classroom situation. I am reminded of what Mahatma Gandhi ji says "the mother tongue is as natural for the development of man’s mind as mother’s milk is for the development of the infant’s body."
Moving ahead, we can see second importance of teaching of language is to develop student’s abilities to manipulate and interpret the cognitive demand of text. In this way the power of words is the power of thought. Chomsky believes that language is already there in the human mind, hard-wind in the form of a Universal Grammar. And another cognovits Piaget views that language is constructed through an interaction with the environment like any other cognitive system. On the other hand Vygotsky opines that child’s speech is essentially a result of an interaction with society. Subsequently, child can use his innate language faculty hypothesis through teaching of language and child can learn and comprehend others subject with help of language.
Now, teacher in language classroom must develop some sort of habit of reading among students, while giving them some sort of assignment. Subsequently students’ habit of reading will lead learners to construct their own independent school of thought. They can understand the things by drawing some inferences from text and with help of their prior knowledge. Besides this, relevance of language study will reflect in students writing work which inhabits a rich control of grammar, vocabulary, subject content and punctuation also the ability to organize the thought coherently.
Conclusion
There is a great deal importance of language study and language teaching in schools, colleges and university. First, it is to equip students with the ability to become literate, read and write with common understanding. Second relevance of teaching of language is to develop student’s abilities to manipulate and interpret the cognitive demand of text. Third relevance of teaching of language will reflect in students writing work which inhabits a rich control of grammar, vocabulary, subject content and punctuation also the ability to organize the thought coherently. Therefore, in language teaching class, we must actively encourage the use of native language for inter-state communication as resource. This way, bilingualism instead of becoming a millstone round our necks, will open glorious avenues for an overall cultural evolution of India and Indians.
REFERENCES
Cummins, J. and swain, M. 1986. Bilingualism in Education. London: Longman. ( Chapter8,138-161)
Bruner,J.S. 1966. Towards a Theory of Instruction. Harvard University Press. ( Chapter 5,102-112)
Allen,J.P.B and Burren,P.V.1971.(ed.) Chomasky : selected Readings. London: Oxford University Press. ( Chapter 1,1-22)
Vygotsky,L.S.1962. Thought and Language. Cambridge: The MIT Press. ( Chapter 6&7,82-153)
R.K. Agnihotri. Towards a Pedagogical Paradigm Rooted in Multilinguality. International Journal of the Sociology of Language 1(2),1-10
