English Language Teaching: Reverberating and Contextualising Communication Skills

INTRODUCTION

“English is the window through which you can see the outer world” said Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister and one of the greatest statesmen of India. Communication is the gateway into the globalized world, and language becomes the distinguishing feature to connect human beings with others. Language is generally defined as a means of communication, which transcends thinking into action, and action into ideas. Human beings distinctively possess language traits, and it is a human phenomenon that they communicate their experience through language. People utter sounds, or write letters, or send mails, to convey messages, and the learners, or readers, process the sounds or letters to get the meaning.

Language is distinctively a human possession. Language is said to be an organized noise, where sound, form and meaning are the three basic components to form a system of communication. Language is organized at three levels: phonological, syntactic and semantic. The phonological aspect deals with sounds and their organization; the syntactic aspect deals with forms and their organization. The semantic aspect deals with meaning and its manifestation in the phonological and syntactical patterns of language. Human beings communicate their experience through language. People utter sounds, or write letters or mails, to convey meaning and learners, or readers, process the sounds or letters to get the meaning.

Krishna Menon, Jawaharlal Nehru’s hand-picked Defence Minister, was asked by a journalist a small question: “Sir, what is the secret of your good English?” Krishna Menon responded, “You people picked up, but I have learned English.” Language is generally defined as a means or medium of communication. Human beings communicate their experience through language. Ever since the British colonized other countries, the English language has also started a spiralling effect on reaching with the officials.

Listening Skills:

Listening skills commence since birth, and as the child grows, she starts listening and hearing what others speak. Understanding the words, phrases and sentences in context is gradually improved. Instructions and commands, following the direction given orally, adhering to simple narratives and descriptions, grasping the substance and core idea of a speaker are essential for a greater and wider understanding. Listening to radio broadcasts, TV programmes, and attending any cultural, scientific, social, or educational gatherings makes wider attention for a reasonable period of time.

Michael Nicholas, who has done extensive research on listening, points out, one has to listen with his eyes as well as ears wide open. Listening is not a school subject like reading and writing, and is rarely taught. So, people see it as a natural part of growing up if they can follow movies, classroom lectures and instructions. Latest studies point out, listening takes up fifty to seventy-five per cent of a student's classroom time and is one of our primary means of interacting with people on a personal basis. Careful listening is crucial during meetings and briefings. When we listen to obtain information, solve problems or persuade or dissuade others, we listen intensively.

“Every activity involves listening to a lesser or greater degree”

Speaking Skills:

Speaking is an art. In cities, particularly in the mega cities, one can always find advertisements featuring ‘speak English in thirty days’, ‘learn English in sixty days’, and so on. But the reality is different as these coaching institutes cater for the just and immediate thirst of students, and do not offer in-depth language and communication. Janhavi Panwar, daughter of a school teacher in Panipat district of Haryana, India, was just fourteen years old when she learned to speak fourteen languages, including Japanese. This Delhi University graduate student, a child prodigy, tremendously developed his speaking skills and became prominent in training the civil service probationers at Lal Bahadur Shastri Institute of Indian Administrative Services, Mussoorie.

Reading Skills:

“Reading maketh a man; conference a ready man; and righting an exact man”, wrote Sir Francis Bacon. Reading is a good exercise for the mind, just as jogging is for the body. Most of the great leaders, businessmen, scientists, researchers, teachers, and other professionals used to be avid and voracious readers. People who read have a better chance of success, and improved reading efficiency enables human beings to make informed decisions faster. People prefer reading for shaping ideas, and successful men and women spend a large amount of time reading for the acquisition of updated information or current affairs and subjects.

Writing Skills:

If anyone happens to be at Oxford or Cambridge, or any other Ivy League university, it used to be a common signpost: ‘Publish or Perish.’ Writing is perhaps the most difficult of all the language skills, and even seasoned writers have to make drafts of what they wish to convey before they finalise their paper. Anyone who can write and publish is looked upon with respect in our society. When good and intellectually moulded papers and manuscripts are given importance. More than anything, our examinations usually use the written mode, and inherently, those who cannot write well lose marks and grades. Ironically, sometimes the one who knows the subject well may also not score well due to a lack of proficiency in the subject.

Conclusion

Communication skills are undoubtedly the pre-eminent and predominant employability skills of any individual who is aspiring to be a good professional. As ‘good communication’ is a priority for everyone, the linguistic aspect has become an important medium of communication, and the lingua franca through which we connect to others becomes prominent and renowned. The English language skills – Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing (LSRW), which are fundamental features for effective communication in English, perpetuate and legitimate the power of becoming a wonderful professional.

Written By:
Dr Sam Nesamony
Professor and HoD, Department of English and Humanities,
School of Humanities, Social Sciences and Liberal Arts (HSLA),
SGT University, Gurugram, Delhi-NCR.