The Transformation From Monolingualism To Multilingualism ——A Study Of Language Policy In India

As a multilingual society, India has an extremely complex language environment. This unique linguistic landscape presents a huge challenge to the Indian government to work out a most suitable language policy to keep things going. After a detailed description of the language situation in India, the present study investigates the vicissitudes of its language policy both during the British colonial period and during the decades since it gained independence. The changes and modifications in India’s language policy during all these years seem to reveal certain patterns in handling a multilingual situation as complex as that of India, patterns that can throw light on how an extreme form of multilingualism can be brought under control and made good use of for maintenance of national identity and unity.Different research methods are adopted in the investigation and analysis of India’s language policy. First, the study follows a diachronic perspective--tracing the language management back to the colonial period, both to provide a comprehensive background for the issue and make clear the factors that had helped to produce a situation as it was. Secondly, the study analyzes the influence of India’s language policy on particular languages synchronically. Thirdly, references are frequently made to government documents and national archives available in order to ensure the authenticity of the study. Lastly, the dissertation compares the uses of some languages like Hindi, English and the Scheduled languages in education and other fields to exemplify the features of linguistic diversity in India.The shift of Indian government’s policy from monolingualism (with Hindi as the only official language) to multilingualism (as shown in the "Three Language Formula") embodies recognition of the advantages in linguistic diversity. Factors promoting this change in policy-making are multifold. Politically, a good language policy should ease language conflicts, promote national unity and harmony. Economically, only when all the linguistic groups are somewhat harmonious, can there be economic development and prosperity. From the viewpoint of culture and tradition, a good language policy should help create an environment conductive to cultural inheritance and the protection of linguistic rights. Multilingualism is in line with India’s national condition and the globalization of the world. The joint effect of the above factors should be included in developing evaluation criteria for good language policies.It is believed that the dissertation has somewhat narrowed the gap in the studies of India’s language situation and language policy and has provided inspirations and direction for future research in language policy in many multilingual nations in the whole world.