Language :
Language in this document subsumes bi-/
multilingualism. And when we talk of home language(s)
or mother tongue(s), it subsumes the languages of
home, larger kinship group, street and neighbourhood,
i.e. languages(s) that a child acquires naturally from
her/his home and societal environment. Children are
born with an innate language faculty. We know from
our everyday experiences that most children, even
before they start their schooling, internalise an extremely
complex and rule-governed system called language, and
possess full linguistic capabilities. In many cases, children
come to school with two or three languages already in
place at the oral-aural level. They are able to use these
languages not only accurately but also appropriately.
Even differently talented children who do not use the
spoken languages develop equally complex alternative
sign and symbol systems for expression and
communication.
Languages also provide a bank of memories and
symbols inherited from one's fellow speakers and
created in one's own lifetime. They are also the medium
through which most knowledge is constructed, and
hence they are closely tied to the thoughts and identity
of the individual. In fact, they are so closely bound
with identity that to deny or wipe out a child's mother
tongue(s) is to interfere with the sense of self. Effective
understanding and use of languages(s) enables the child
to make connections between ideas, people and things,
and to relate to the world around.
If we wish to launch any sound programme for
language teaching in schools, it is important to recognise
the inbuilt linguistic potential of children as well as to
remember that languages get socio-culturally
constructed and change in our day-to-day interactions.
Language(s) in education would ideally build on this
resource, and would strive to enrich it through the
development of literacy (scripts including Braille) for
the acquisition of academic knowledge. Children with
language-related impairments should be introduced to
standard sign languages, which can support their
continued growth and development to the fullest. A
recognition of the linguistic abilities of learners would
encourage them to believe in themselves and their
cultural moorings.
