Teaching English to the Gujarati Speaking Students: Problems and Remedies

Abstract

The very nature of Research is to beget new questions rather than solving old ones. Piles of research are getting dust in the shelves which talk in abundance about English Language Teaching across the globe; nevertheless not yet the question seems to have been perfectly answered. Teaching English Language to the non-English speakers is even more polemic and therefore demands a great deal of attentive research. New trends and ways are flowing down the wild plants these days which (instead of easing English teaching) baffle the teachers. One needs to be very specific so far as teaching English to the speakers of other languages is concerned. Therein another very significant question rises which is: whether the first language helps the students to learn English as a second language or not. Some languages like Hindi, Urdu and Gujarati share common grammar; whereas the same languages do not share grammar with languages like English and French. Therefore a peculiar pedagogy is required to teacher English to the learners whose first language happens to be Gujarati. Since the post colonial period, ELT in India has got a tremendous attention and special place in Indian academics. Gujarat, as one of the most leading states of India, has come up as a hub of business and academics both on national and international canvas. Therefore the Gujarati students, for last three decades, have realized an urgent need of learning English for one or the other reason. However in Gujarati medium schools too English is taught as a second language (using a stereotype way of teaching), Gujarati students soon after their higher secondary education or/and graduation chase spoken English classes to learn English. Very few students are such who prefer to join special courses like B.A., M.A. or M.Phil. in English and attain good command over English. Eventually the same students tend to be the teachers of English and start teaching English as a second language in the same way they had learned. Though there are the students who need to learn English for altogether different reasons. In USA alone, more than 90 per cent non-English students get enroll for different courses which raise the need of pedagogy for the American teachers who are supposed to teach English or other subjects in English to the speakers of other language(s). This paper exclusively tries to investigate the proper way of teaching English to the Gujarati speaking students.